Sounds of meowing filled a small room in the Montezuma County Fairgrounds’ main barn this morning, where the fair’s first ever cat show took place.
The goal was to involve children – in the fair and 4-H – that live in the city and don’t have space to raise livestock, said Tierney Wilson, a 4-H specialist and cat leader who spearheaded the show.
Four participants, who Wilson called trailblazers of the project, showed off their feline friends.
Unlike some pet shows, where animals perform tricks or run through obstacle courses, today’s event was more about showmanship – not obedience.
“It’s kind of like a rabbit show,” said Brenda Cunningham, a judge at the show and worker at the Cortez Animal Shelter. “They’re doing all of the presentation, and we’re just judging off of what they say.”
Each participant took turns bringing their cat and its carrier up to a folding table at the front of the room. Cunningham judged as they presented themselves and their cat.
“When they introduced themselves, they had to tell us about their cat, their age, their name, and what their breed is. Then they went into vaccinations, which is very important, and … what kind of food they eat, how to groom,” said Cunningham.
The carrier had to be clean, complete with food, water and a towel.
The participants also talked about what makes their cat special.
Elise Doolen, the first participant to present, said her cat, TJ, was special because of its size. At 13 pounds, it was the biggest in the litter. She said it was especially funny to have a cat so big since she’s so small.
A runt of the litter, Teaspoon, was also part of the show. Her owner, Violet Porter, was champion of the junior division and said her favorite part of the event was getting to spend more time with Teaspoon.
Tyler Lindsay, another participant, brought his cat Snow – who was nearly named Snow White – and agreed that spending time with his cat and getting to hold her was the best part of the event.
Christian Doolen was the champion of the senior division and last – but not least – to show off his cat. He said he tried to study as much as possible before the show.
“I was nervous, I kind of forgot most of the stuff I was going to say,” he said.
To help the kids prepare beforehand, Wilson brought them to a series of three classes at the animal shelter.
“We showed them how to vaccinate their cat, how to check their health, the ears, the teeth,” said Cunningham. “We clipped toenails on cats to show them and taught them how to determine the age of the cat.”
You can tell a cat’s age, at least while they’re young, by looking at their teeth.
When they’re kittens, they have no teeth. Over time, they grow and have different sizes of teeth as they develop. Once they’re full grown adults, tooth size becomes universal, so you need a blood test to tell its age at that point.
“I can’t tell you how much I learned about cats through this process,” Wilson said.
Next year, they plan to host the fair’s second cat show. They hope to see more kids get involved and might even add a pet and carrier decorating contest to it.
