On the catwalk

A different kind of show is coming to Cape Girardeau this month.

No rock bands are involved, nor are theater people a part of this event. Instead, the stars of this show aren't homo sapiens at all -- they're felines.

This year Cape Girardeau will play host to a cat show for the second year in a row. The theme: "Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear." The show will be Dec. 30 and 31 at the Arena Building, and organizers say it will bring in cat breeders from all around the country. The event is sponsored by the international Cat Fanciers' Association.

At first the show may seem like an elitist-cat-enthusiast type of experience. Sure, there will be plenty of purebred, pedigreed cats competing to see who's the finest. But this competition also is open to your run-of-the-mill house cat.

The pedigreed part of the show is similar to the dog shows that have become well-known events, said Anne Edwards of Rolla, Mo., president of the regional chapter of the CFA that's putting on this local show. The chapter's name: PUFF, which stands for Pfanciers United for Fun.

"It's a competition like a dog show. Each breed of cat has its own standard, and each cat is compared to that standard, and you compete based on how close you come to that breed standard," Edwards said.

The CFA is the cat-world equivalent to the more visible American Kennel Club and its Westminster show. And while the cat breeders and those who show cats are a minority of cat owners, Edwards said most of them are simply cat lovers.

"It's mainly hobby, and I think that's true for dogs, too," Edwards said. "Most dog people don't really make any money from it. Even if you sell a few puppies or kittens, it offsets the cost of showing, but it doesn't bring in a lot of income."

Showing isn't cheap. For the local show, which has a limit of 225 entries, the cost for the first entry is $50. These people love their cats, and they love to show.

Jackson man Earnest Chiles hasn't shown his cats in some time, but he's involved with the upcoming local event all the same. To his knowledge, he may be one of the only hard-core feline enthusiasts in the area.

"When I was breeding, I was just breeding them because I love the kittens," Chiles said. "There's nothing cuter than a kitten. I don't care who you are, they're just sweet."

Chiles said most people get to see dogs of different breeds all the time, but cats are different. Since people don't walk their cats, the only way to see the variety of breeds out there is if you work in a veterinarian's office or go to a cat show, he said.

"Anyone who loves cats will enjoy this show because they'll get to see so many different breeds," said Chiles.

Those breeds include Maine coon, the ultra-famous Siamese and the hairless sphinx. Some of them are odd-looking, to say the least. But so are some dogs.

"If you like dogs, there's probably not a really ugly dog out there, and the same goes for cats," Chiles said.

Across the county and throughout the world, the people who raise those breeds have a strong presence.

Allene Tartaglia, executive director of the CFA, said there are 340 shows across the globe every year, and the CFA has about 650 member clubs. This year, the CFA celebrated its 100th birthday.

Tartaglia said the myth that cats can't be trained isn't true. Cat shows include obstacle courses that owners lead their cats through, using the same training tool used for dogs -- food.

When there's a cat show, the breeders will come. But PUFF wants this show to draw all cat-lovers. Part of the show will consist of a competition for household cats.

Edwards said household cats just need to be outgoing and well-groomed to have success at the show.

"It's amazing how many household pets would be great in this show," Edwards said. "People come to the show and say 'Oh my goodness, my cat would enjoy this,' but they didn't bother entering."

They hope those people do bother entering this year, especially with a lower fee for the household cats. Even if cat lovers don't enter, PUFF hopes to see them come to the event as spectators.

And the event isn't just to show off cats. The PUFF show will also accept unwrapped toys for the Toys for Tots program, which supplies toys for needy children even after the holidays.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182