FANCY FELINES FILL PELHAM'S MERIDIAN COMMUNITY CENTRE

YOUTUBE STAR KAZOO A HIT AT BORDER PURRTROL CAT CLUB SHOW

Among Maine coons, Cornish and Devon rexes, birmans, Persians, Abyssinians and household cats at Border Purrtrol Cat Club's cat show sat a cat named Kazoo, a trash goblin.

Trash goblin isn't a breed, but it's the nickname bestowed on Brenda Frame's Himalayan cat, that loves to play in the trash.

In a YouTube video — youtube.com/ watch?v=MRDVNs1_iII — with 4.4 million views of Kazoo being groomed, the cat licks the air and makes faces, looking somewhat goblin-like.

Frame, show manager for Border Purrtrol Cat Club, said Kazoo was one of three petting cats she brought to the show inside Pelham's Meridian Community Centre over the two-day event on the weekend.

"He loves it. He sits there and takes it all in," said Frame.

Kazoo certainly took it all in as person after person passed by to pet and give scratches to the cat with crooked whiskers.

Frame and Guelph's Heather Reynolds, who had felines in the show, said owners showing their cats means hours grooming them and would rather people not pet them, possibly messing up their coats or leaving something on them, and they could lose points in the ring.

Reynolds, said there's always the possibility a person could be carrying something that could make an animal sick and that could spread.

She had two birmans with her, one of which was named Gryphonwood Silence of the Lambs, a oneyear-old seal point female.

Birman cats origins are unknown, but they are colour pointed, which means they have light-coloured

bodies with darker "points" of colour on the face, ears, legs and tail.

"They are beautiful looking, have beautiful temperaments, and they are pretty good in terms of avoiding health issues. I love this breed," Reynolds

said.

She shows her cats about 20 weekends a year in Canadian Cat Association and American Cat Association shows.

"As a breeder, cat shows are important to get an unbiased opinion on your cats

and how close you are to meeting all the standards of the breed.

"As a responsible breeder, we want to make sure we are continually improving our breeds. The expert judges let us know well how we are doing," said Reynolds.

Frame said judges look at the various breeds, each of which has written standards.

"They'll look at how their eyes and ears are set, how healthy they look. They'll look at body type, whether the cat is supposed to be long and skinny or stocky and big-boned.

"Personality plays a big part as well."

She said on breeds like Siberians and Devon rexes, judges will look for triangular shapes, and circular patterns on Persians.

Judges had to look at 110 cats in the weekend show, the second put on by the relatively new club, whose members are from Hamilton east to the U.S. border.

"We had a show in St. Catharines last year. We want to make this (Meridian Community Centre) home. It has been such a great venue, and they have been amazing," said Frame.

The club is a member of the Canadian Cat Association.

The weekend show, which had a variety of vendors, drew one participant from Mont Tremblant, Que., who brought seven cats for judging.

While everyone has fun and gets along well, Frame said some participants are super serious.

Burlington's Michele Takeuchi said she attends "quite a few shows a year in Canada" and brought her male Cornish rex, Sully, to Pelham.

"He's a national winner. He loves coming to the shows," said Takeuchi, who has had cats for the last 15 to 20 years and used to breed them.

Sully showed his affectionate side as he continually licked Takeuchi's face and ear, and snuggled into her neck.

"I do enjoy the showing part. I like a bit of the competition part, but it's more about the community and enjoyment of cats," she said.