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Around Town

Telling a tail

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
February 21st, 2007 issue

The rigors of a professional cat show must be, well, very rigorous indeed. As an elbow-to-elbow, shoulder-to-shoulder mass of felinatics oozed past their cages, the competitors just slumped in exhaustion.

Yes, rows and rows of prime show cats sleeping in every imaginable position: some curled in fetal repose; others contorted and covering their eyes to block artificial glare; a few crashed out together, paws intertwined; many on their backs, impersonating road kill; here and there an ear or tail or a few whiskers was the only sign of a napping beast under cover.
Most turned their backs on the crowd, disdainful even in their slumber.
This was Sunday, day two of the International Exhibition of Cats. At least 5,000 people crushed through the Congress Center’s gates over the weekend to bask in the excitement, to marvel at the furry backsides of big cats, small cats, longhairs, shorthairs, a few stunning Bengals and a couple of calicos.
Several hundred oblivious little fiends from all over this part of Europe on display for milling crowds, awaiting their turn in front of a panel of judges expert in the details of felinedom. Inspection of the cats took place somewhere backstage, which makes sense. The slow-motion frenzy made it impossible to ponder, for more than a moment, the peculiar follicles.
If the professional cat circuit is tough on the competitors, it’s a cakewalk for their owners. I glanced at their hands — no scratches. Clothing — no tell-tale tears from razor-sharp claws. Faces showed no scars and any rollers they brought along to remove hairs were tucked out of sight. They just sat and fielded innocuous questions while their prized pets rested.
“How much does a cat like that cost?”
“It depends — between 20,000 and 80,000 [Kč].”
“I can get a car for that.”
It’s a bit disturbing to learn one cat is worth more than what a dedicated Prague Post staff writer pulls down in a year. So I headed over to check out T-shirts, toys and other memorabilia. Out in the concession area, some pet food rep was explaining the nuances of a brand to a very intent customer. Didn’t catch much, but it had something to do with the relative value of their mashed meat scraps for neutered pets.
Who knew?
Scintillating conversation, annoying camera-toting oohing and aahing masses, condescending felines — is it any wonder cities vie for such an event? For me the highlight was a momentary glimpse of Mizun, a gray veteran of many championship events, fast asleep in a cage. At age 9, he or she (I didn’t think to look) is well past his/her prime. But seven ribbons hung from the steel bars attest to a glorious record.
Let’s face it: The big-time circuit is cruel to has-been cats. Competitors peak around the age of 2 or 3, then face a long descent to house-cat status. Survive a few years and you may win ribbons of pink or turquoise fabric. By 7, once-proud cats end up on the senior tour, like golfers no longer able to spar with the best but still talented enough to squeeze past amateurs.
“I remember Fluffy — six wins back in 2003. What a cat.” “See Moonshine there? She swept the board in ’99. Then she got hooked on the ’nip. Oh, well. The sport was tougher back in those days.”
Anyway, I felt honored to meet the hindquarters of a seven-time champ.
Of course, I’m not really sure what was at stake over the weekend. My own calico decided to camp out on the papers containing information on the selection process, acceptable breeds, categories, prizes and what not.
Come to think of it, from behind, with her tail flipping in a contemptuous “just try to move me — I’ll scar you like Buford Pusser” kind of way, she looks just like any of the show cats.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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