Monday, January 29, 2007
CAROL ROBINSON, News staff writer

Good breeding counts for a lot, but it's not everything. Six-month-old T.J., a short-haired tabby cat, is a testament to that.

Though he hailed from humble beginnings - his mother was pregnant when abandoned at a Jefferson County dump - T.J. took top honors Sunday in the household pet category at the Birmingham Feline Fanciers show.

Sure, he didn't go up against the purebreds on the other end of the BJCC's South Exhibition Hall, but a win is a win, and not just for T.J. but for all his fellow felines at The Emergency Animal Rescue Service, also known as TEARS.

A handful of the homeless cats competed against hundreds of others this weekend at the annual show. The purpose is to get seen and get adopted, but victory over the privately-owned kitties is a bonus.

"It's a wonderful thing," said Susan Hogan of TEARS. "For them to come in and do good straight out of the bat is an awesome thing."

Cats of all kinds competed Saturday and Sunday at the 35th annual show. There were 229 felines entered for competition in all sorts of categories based on color, class and breed. Long-haired, short-haired and even the no-haired Sphynx waited their turns in cages adorned with feather boas, sequined coverlets, plush bedding and an occasional hammock.

Judges from New Jersey, Virginia, Texas, Maryland and Tennessee handled each cat, closely assessing dozens of standards applied to each cat, from eye color to muscle mass and everything in between.

And plain old good looks don't hurt, either. Breeder Beth Polstra from Georgia had a seven-step process to have her Maine Coon, Docker, looking his best. The preening included clarifying agents and body building for Docker's plentiful fur. Polstra heads the blood banks for the two Children's Hospitals in Atlanta. She participates in at least one cat show a month.

"It's friendly competition," Polstra said, "and it's a great escape."

There is no money at the end of the day, only ribbons, trophies and pride in a job well done.

That's exactly what Denise Christensen of New Jersey was feeling Sunday. Her purebred Ragdoll cat, Doll Chateau Casanova IV, won in his category. The 18-pound competitor, nicknamed "Lardo" is working toward a national title.

Christensen positively beamed when judge Pam DelaBar of Texas told the audience, "I make no apologies; I'm absolutely in love with this cat."

"This," Christensen said, "was a big win."