Felines compete for title of top cat at 28th annual Masters Cat Show

NORTH AUGUSTA -- The feline competition was fierce as entrants faced off Saturday at the 28th Annual Masters Cat Show.

The cats and their owners took over the Riverview Park Activities Center gymnasium for the one-day show, which is sanctioned by the Cat Fanciers' Association Inc. The show was sponsored by the Masters Cat Club, a member of the CFA, and championship and premiership entries and registered kittens were scored for regional and national CFA awards.

"We've been doing cat shows since 1983," said Masters Cat Club member Shirley Storey. "We have 191 entrants this year, in kittens, championship and premiership categories; the premiership category is for cats who've been spayed and neutered. We're very grateful to the Activities Center for letting us have the cat show here; it's hard to find a good show hall, and this one has worked out very well for us."

Judges for this year's show were Bob Goltzer of Titusville, Fla., Douglas Myers of Leesburg, Va., Rhett Bockman of Jacksonville, Fla., Jan Rogers of Stephenville, Texas, Carla Bizzell of Pensacola, Fla., Kathy Calhoun of Chicago and Teresa Keiger of Greensboro, N.C.

"These one-day shows move very fast," said Bizzell. "So far the quality has been really lovely, and this is a fantastic little show venue. I do about 30 shows a year, and this is a really nice-quality show. It's got a good count and great Southern hospitality, which is my favorite thing."

In between judging rounds, competitors groomed their cats, visited with old and new acquaintances and checked out bargains from vendors of cat toys, pet supplies and cat-themed merchandise on the show floor. The Augusta chapter of the SPCA also had an information table outside the gymnasium.

"This is our second time here. My sister and I brought our Siamese," said Ronnie Sorensen of Greensboro, N.C. "We've made one final so far. The appeal of the show for competitors is the chance to show our cats, meet new people and get our CFA points, and for the public I think it's a chance to meet the breeders, talk to them and see what cat is best for their situation."

The CFA-trained judges evaluated cats for closeness to the CFA's physical standards for the breed, appearance and alertness and awarded ribbons to their choices. Most of the judges handled all breeds in their rings, but two had specialty rings: Kathy Calhoun judged long-haired breeds, while Teresa Keiger judged short-haired cats.

"I think most people are glad to be here; they enjoy coming to the show on a yearly basis," Storey said.

Contact Suzanne Stone at sstone@aikenstandard.com.