Dubai: Trophies, ribbons and cat-sized crowns were scooped up by prize felines and their devoted owners at a competition in Dubai on Saturday.
Prince, a large male grey-coloured British shorthair, won best of show in the competition’s first heat, but seemed to shrug off the bracelet-sized tiara placed on his head.
If successful in both rounds, the two-year-old tomcat could go on the list for further competitions held by the World Cat Federation, an umbrella organisation of around 370 cat-loving groups.
“[Winning] was a tough thing,” said Prince’s owner, Zaki Khansaheb, an Emirati cat-breeder. Khansaheb, who is the son of Emirati construction magnate Abdul Aziz Khansaheb, preferred to let his cat’s victory speak for itself.
“It was good,” he added.
The show, where kittens, young cats and adult animals compete in three separate categories, took place in two rounds.
After a long wait in their cages, the cats are then carried to the judging table, and score points based on their overall condition and how well they fit the characteristics of their breed.
At some moments during the final moments of the first round, the situation on the stage and judging table threatened to turn into chaos.
While being held aloft by their owners, a hostile exchange between a slim female Bengal and Prince descended into hisses and yowls.
For each cat, judges write a report of the cat’s characteristics and overall condition.
A breed known for green eyes, for example, are judged, among other things, on the richness of the colour.
But the judging system has room for small flaws, according to Anneliese Hackmann, World Cat Federation president and one of the two judges.
“Cats are living things, nobody is 100 per cent perfect,” she said.
Taking place over 12 hours — and the frosty temperature in the auditorium at Dubai Creek Park — at times, the show appeared to tax both man and beast.
Some cats, particularly rare hairless Sphinx breeds, and two Arabian Maos, shivered wearing blankets in their cages.
Some owners, meanwhile, ordered pizzas to help while away the long hours between judging rounds.
“There is a lot of nice competition today, to be honest. We have very good competition,” said Natalie Rose Borovitzkaya.
The Russian expat had brought her two cats to the competition: Confetka Golden Castle, a golden-coloured Scottish fold, and Pandora, a grey-coloured Sphinx.
Pandora, no stranger to the cat show circuit, wears a custom cat blanket.
Some owners dressed their cat’s cages with elaborate decorations. The owner of Alice, a cream-coloured Himalayan longhair, dressed the cage up to look like a royal enclosure.
“She’s actually a princess to my family,” said Anees Tanveer, an Indian expat.
Yet despite the cage’s soft-pink bed and silky curtains, Alice chose instead to sit in her undersized aluminium litter tray.
Did you know
The UAE’s late founder, Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, was a cat lover — according to German media reports.
A 1986 press clipping from Bild Zeitung reported in November that year, Shaikh Zayed ordered three Persian cats for his young children. In order to obtain the very best, the Abu Dhabi ruler and UAE president turned to Anneliese Hackmann, World Cat Federation president, to help.
Taking up the royal charge, Hackmann personally selected the three cats, and flew them to Abu Dhabi to present them to Shaikh Zayed personally.
“It was a very special thing,” said Hackmann, recalling how she contacted different breeders in search of flawless felines.
“I took control [and made sure] that the cats were clearly perfect. I arranged a special transport [to Abu Dhabi] by Lufthansa.”
