Cat Show

[Family Ties Forever!]

This was cute.

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Lifestyle/Features

Gail & Broadway Joe
Steve Campbell: Houston Chronicle

Jan. 11, 2008, 10:10AM
Cats and their owners share spotlight at big show

By ANITA HASSAN
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

[ing]http://images.chron.com/photos/2008/01/06/9486205/311xInlineGallery.jpg[/img]

Don't tell this crowd that dogs are man's best friend. The folks from the Houston Cat Club's 56th annual Charity Cat Show know better.

They turned out by the score last weekend with felines of every stripe, from big fluffy Persians to hairless Sphynxes. In all, more than 380 kitties strutted their stuff at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

The owners we talked with on Sunday rejected the portrayal of cats as aloof and antisocial. These furry felines, they said, are loving companions with oodles of personality.

• Gene Boul of Baytown said his 2-year-old black Persian, Cody Bear, is best friends with a Boston terrier named Wilbur. "He's not frightened of the Boston terrier," Boul said, "and the Boston terrier is not afraid of him."

• Ann Caell of Houston said her 14-year-old American shorthair, California Raisin', is a breast cancer survivor — she's been in remission for almost a year. Caell said California Raisin' had her mammary glands removed and went to several chemotherapy sessions. "She was a trouper through the whole thing," Caell said.

(Click on link at top to see video)
Houston Cat Show
Feline enthusiasts showed off at the Houston Cat Club's 56th Annual Charity Cat Show at the George R. Brown Convention Center. January 7, 2007. Video by Steve Campbell.

• Brenda Hammett of League City said her 7-month-old ragdoll, Wrigley, was named after the Chicago baseball stadium by his breeder as a good luck charm for the Cubs. After Hammett bought Wrigley and moved him to Texas, she said, the breeder told her the Cubs began to lose.

• Gail Bercher of Needville said her Broadway Joe is a 6-month-old Oriental shorthair, a breed she said are commonly called "Velcro kitties because they stick to you." Bercher said Broadway Joe was trained like a dog and can fetch anything from a ball to a piece of paper.

• Barbara Hoffmann of Houston said her almost 2-year-old Somali, Kondwani, whose name means joy in an African language, is always hiding in cabinets and drawers.

• Sandra Defoe of La Porte said her year-and-a-half-old Duncan has flown to cat shows all over the country, accumulating about 30,000 frequent-flier miles in the process. Duncan is a Manx, a breed of cat without a tail.

• Karen Crooke of Beaumont said her 11-month-old Maine coon, Smokin' in the Back Room, has a special way of greeting her: He jumps from the floor straight to her shoulders.

• Cheryl Gray of Havana, Ark., said 2 1/2-year-old Zoe, a Selkirk Rex, is hardly terrified of water. Zoe drinks from the faucet and loves to sit in the sink.

• Jim Fleeker of Dallas has a 4-month-old cream Persian named Chase, short for Chasing Clouds, that reached the age requirement just before the Houston show, making him one of the youngest felines there. Fleeker said Chase got his name because he's fluffy like a cloud and chases anything that moves.

• Tom Lewis of San Antonio said that cats pretty much innately know how to land on their feet — most cats, that is. Lewis' 4 1/2-year-old Sphynx, Doofus, got his name because as a kitten he always managed to fall on his side or rear. "He didn't really know what feet were," Lewis said.

• Carrisa Altschul of Arlington said that while most most male Persian cats do not like being groomed underneath their legs, her 9-month-old blue and white Persian, Dawson's Creek, just rolls over when it's time for him to be brushed.

• Michelle Kirby of San Antonio named her 8-month-old Devon Rex, Nemo, after the clown fish in the Disney movie Finding Nemo. She said Nemo likes to sit on her shoulders, and he always sleeps under the covers.

• Andrea Bohren of Orange County, Calif., said Roxy Heart, her 6-month-old British shorthair, ranks fourth in the nation in the Cat Fanciers' Association kitten category. Bohren said Roxy Heart loves hotels and loves to play.

• Karen Godwin of Baton Rouge, La., said her 1 1/2-year-old cat, Mo, loves to watch late-night television. Mo, an Egyptian Mau (the only naturally spotted cat breed), also has a favorite show: Law and Order: SVU. "I think he gets a little disappointed if we miss a night," Godwin said.

• C'Anne Chavaneau of Austin said her 11-month-old British shorthair, Regatta Red (nickname "Reggie"), makes singinglike noises whenever he comes to her and stops when he comes to a halt.

• Matthew and DeLinda Pearson of Nashville, Tenn., said their black Persian, Scout, has several phobias that change from day to day. But one constant is his fear of blow dryers. Scout fears all of them except the one that he grew up with, Matthew Pearson said.

[Nighthawk76]

[Mikado]

I prefer dogs by a large margin

[Nighthawk76]

Originally Posted by Mikado

I prefer dogs by a large margin

I'm a dog person myself as well, but cats are still cool.

[Ireneparalegal]

This thread makes me miss my cat Taz.

[catlover79]

I have three cats and I love them all dearly (even though they're really not that bright, ).

[LuLu Rogers]

I wants a kitty-kitty

[ABlairican Pie]

I like the comment someone made: Cats do not have owners. They have staff.



CATS RULE.

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by ABlairican Pie

I like the comment someone made: Cats do not have owners. They have staff.



CATS RULE.

That is SO TRUE!!!

[AB]

Cats are so very Cool!

[TripperFan]

I love 'em both! They both rule in their own precious ways!

[snl 70s show fan]

Originally Posted by catlover79

That is SO TRUE!!!

it sure is

[snl 70s show fan]

Originally Posted by Family Ties Forever!

I'm sorry Irene.

me too

[Lodee]

Tripper fan, are those your cats? And do they do that by themselves or did you have to pose them?

[80s_Fan]

I love (cats) so much; have my calico, and she's my baby....