Photo by Erin FredrichsTribune

Tribune

Kristen Chavez, 14, brushes 4-month-old Captain Morgan Stanley as her grandmother, Pat Harding, rounds up the other cats in the house. Harding is a veteran cat show participant. Her granddaughter Chavez, a Volcano Vista freshman, is making her competition debut in Albuquerque this weekend.

Photo by Erin FredrichsTribune

Tribune

Pat Harding and her granddaughter Kristen Chavez use a hose at the kitchen sink to give 4-month-old Captain Morgan his final bath before his debut as a show cat. He'll join 400 cats representing 10 countries and 36 U.S. states at the 2007 International Cat Association show this weekend at the Albuquerque Convention Center. "I started showing cats in 1958 with a cross-eyed Siamese I thought was gorgeous," Harding said.

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Combine the elaborate monikers of the Kentucky Derby with the grand showcasing of the Westminster dog show and throw in a lot of whiskers.

What you get is the 2007 International Cat Association competition. It's the "big show" of all cat shows — the largest in the world. And it's coming to Albuquerque this Labor Day weekend.

The show, hosted by Albuquerque's Enchanted Cat Club, has been in the works for two years, said club member Pat Harding.

Harding's love of felines leaves no doubt in anyone's mind. From her kitty-decorated address tiles in her front yard to her bevy of felines, Harding is crazy about cats.

As she speaks, her large, slender-bodied kitty saunters into her bubble-gum pink kitchen.

Long stripes swirl like black ribbons around the cat's rich silvery coat, and he wears a coy expression. His jade green eyes look out at his world with a penetrating stare. This cat knows he's the boss.

And rightly so. His name is Pzazz Australia Koala, and he's the 2005 International Cat Association champion.

Koala's got some competition in the house. His bunkmate, Mirrakat Sundown of Thai's Star, is a 9-month-old who looks like a miniature cougar. This year, it's his turn at the big show.

Besides Sundown and Koala, there's Tassam Tuxedo Junction, who defies his gentlemanly name with a vampire-like glare. And there's Carolee, a small, orange female with silky fur and a kind expression.

Sundown is one of 400 cats competing at this weekend's show, Harding said. They represent 10 countries and 36 U.S. states.

The international competition is held in a different region every year. Last year it was in Germany, and it will not likely be in Albuquerque again for another 20 to 30 years, officials said.

This year's show has a fiesta theme, but with 12 judges from around the globe and $48,000 worth of merchandise for sale, this is not just a party. This is a serious competition for true cat lovers.

Rags to winnings

Harding, a New York City native, said she bought her first cat at a Gimbals department store for $35 in 1963.

"He was a Siamese," she said. "I thought he was beautiful and I called the cat club in New York and I asked to register him, but they said that he was just nothing. They wouldn't take him."

Harding pauses sadly at this memory — the same way that a mother would if her first-born child was picked on at school.

"When I moved to New Mexico, I found a cat club and I entered him in shows, and I realized then that he wasn't anything special, but he was my cat," she continues fondly.

Her introduction into the world of show-ring felines may have been humble, but the 77-year-old Harding has come a long way since.

Not only does she have four exquisite specimens of felines to her name, but the cat shows, combined with Harding's experience as a show judge, have taken her all over the world.

Her passport stamps — Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, South America, Thailand — would make anybody's jaw drop.

For the amateurs, too

Not everybody has to own a beauty queen kitty to compete at the association's shows.

Recognized breeds are judged by how well they measure up to strict breed standards, while "household cats" must be altered — spayed or neutered — and are judged primarily on beauty, physical condition, show presence and friendliness.

Harding's granddaughter, Kristen Chavez, 14, and her kitten Captain Morgan Stanley are making their competition debut in the "household cat" segment of the junior division.

Chavez, a freshman at Volcano Vista High, adopted 4-month-old Captain Morgan from the city-run Lucky Paws adoption center.

The junior division is a more relaxed atmosphere compared with the rest of the show. It is not the cats that matter as much. What matters is the way junior competitors handle their cats.

"I think the household cats are beautiful because there are no two alike," Harding said. "There might be another little orange-and-white tabby (like Captain Morgan), but it won't be marked exactly the same way."

Although it is growing quickly, the junior division exists primarily in the United States. Harding estimates that for every 75 adults competing in the show ring, there are 20 juniors per ring at the same show.

"We want to encourage kids to show animals," Harding says.

Grace under pressure

The grace and agility of felines will also be judged at a different segment of the competition — the International Cat Agility Tournaments.

Barbara Bradley of Albuquerque is competing with her 1-year-old Ragdoll kitty, Brat Cat.

"I compete in the agility course mainly because it's fun, entertaining and unusual," Bradley says. "Spectators really enjoy it. People usually stand two or three rows deep around the caged ring."

In the agility test, the owner, or handler, guides the cat through the course by dragging a feather toy through various obstacles such as hoops, bridges, platforms and tunnels. The cat has a maximum of three minutes to complete the course.

Bradley, who has been breeding Ragdolls for 15 years, competes despite the fact that more athletic cats like Siamese and Bengals dominate the agility ring.

The square bodies and short legs of Ragdolls and Persians tend to hinder their athletic ability.

There are always exceptions to the rule. Bradley said her Ragdolls have completed the course almost perfectly on their first tries.

"I look for a cat with high energy," Bradley says. "With cats, you have to use play as motivation."

Ready for tiaras

With the show just around the corner, Bradley, Harding and Chavez are just a few of the cat owners who are busy getting their feline friends prepared for their Labor Day weekend adventure.

Around the world, people are bathing cats with special rinses for every color of their coats, brushing their fur until it is silky smooth and manicuring their little paws.

Every cat at the show will have their own large cage, soft with pillow beds and draped with fabric curtains.

"Cat shows have definitely kept me young," Harding says. "When I bought my first cat, I had no idea that it would ever lead to an international judging career. I know people in every country.

"We're a big family all around the world, and we all know each other because of one thing: We love cats."