One hundred and seventy cats and kittens, of 44 distinct types, came down on the RiverCentre in downtown St. Paul for the 46th yearly Saintly City Cat Program, which ran the last weekend in January.
Program supervisor Linda Mae Baker, who has actually been doing this for 38 years, states it’s a premier program of the Cat Fancier’s Association (understood to cat folk as “The Fancy”), sort of the feline equivalent of the American KennelClub
Judges from around the nation concerned bounce and squeeze whatever from dog-sized fluffed-up Maine Coons to the smallest of mewingkittens Baker states the regional Saintly City Cat Club, which hosts the program, and the Cat Fancier’s Association are trying to find brand-new members:
“People are getting older. We’re losing a lot of people,” Baker states. “Hopefully we get more young people in, because that’s what’s going to keep the Fancy going.”
Novice exhibitor Katherine “Kat” Furleigh called her Persian after the Japanese folktale “Momotaro,” where a peach brings to life an infant. “He looks like a little peach,” she states. Furleigh’s sweetheart and fellow cat enthusiast Abraham King states he appears like tiramisu, a “show stealer.”
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Each year, the Winter season Carnival Royal Court come for the crowning of the King and Queen of the Saintly City Cat Program. Program supervisor Linda Mae Baker states her pal Flo Dougherty stitches the velour capes and crowns. The 2023 king is Gown Whites, the white cat, from owner Cherylee DeYoung. The Queen is the chocolate Jade, from owner Dawn Pettyjohn.
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Judges leave particular qualities for 44 types, consisting of coat, color, texture, length, and personality.
“Well, I think people think this is cruel,” states judge Teresa Sweeney, who has actually been doing this for thirty years. “But if you watch me judge, these cats are having a blast. They’re playing. They’re having fun. They love the hotel rooms. They love to travel. So, I think that’s a misconception that this somehow is bad and it’s not.”
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Greta Shuelke is a newbie exhibitor with her mommy Kristen. She’s revealing her 1-year-old tortoise tabby Pickles. They came as viewers in 2015. “She’s been very focused all year to do this,” states Kristen Shuelke. “I met a lot of people last year who had cats,” Greta states. “And I just wanted to bring my cat and have fun with it.”
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“If you look around here, you’re gonna see every description of people. You know, you’re gonna see men, women, older people, younger people,” states program supervisor Linda Mae Baker. She states cat fans, breeders, and showers originate from every group and political association.
Alex V. Cipolle|MPR News
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