Fancy felines are taking over the Cotillion this weekend
It would be pretty sweet for longtime cat show competitor Sheryl Zink if her Burmilla cat Godiva were to do well in this weekend’s Wichita Cat Fancy show.
Godiva is currently ranked best in her breed category in the Gulf Shore region, one of nine regions in the international Cat Fanciers’ Association. The Gulf Shore region covers Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, parts of Kansas and Texas and several states in Mexico.
“The best Burmilla is on the East Coast, so I’m chasing her,” said Zink, who travels most weekends from her Houston home to compete in shows. The Burmilla breed is a cross between Chinchilla Persian and Burmese cats.
This weekend, Zink is entering four cats into the show breed categories and one into the household pet category.
The Wichita Cat Fancy show, which has been running for more than half a century, is happening 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 4 and 5, at the Wichita Cotillion on West Kellogg. Admission is $5 per person or $10 pass for a family of five, good for readmission both days.
Things to do this weekend: RV show, art, sledding and party like it’s the ’80s
One of Zink’s show cats has already earned best of the breed in the country. Her American wire hair cat Kinky Boots recently claimed the top spot following his showing in a Houston competition.
Her Tonkinese blue mink named She’s So Blue, or Bluey for short, is also chasing the best of the breed category spot in the country.
A show cat through and through who doesn’t mind being picked up and examined by judges, Bluey already has the top of breed regional spot and is ranked second among all breeds in the region.
Another of Zink’s cats, a Tonkinese champagne mink — a fancy word for describing the cat’s chocolate color — is making her cat show debut at the Wichita show. Kinky Boots’ brother, Tipper Too, is being entered into the household pet category because he has a straight coat, not the kinky coat required to be entered into the American wire cat category.
Tipper Too will compete against 17 other cats entered into the household category. More than 20 different breeds will be represented among the remaining 105 show cats, according to show organizers. The most-represented breeds are Persians, Maine Coons and Ragdolls.
Spectators can watch judges prod and pet the competitors, and they can also talk to cat owners when they wander the aisles of the cages where the competitors and their owners hang out, waiting for their turn in the ring. Local feline rescue groups, who will have adoptable cats, and other vendors will also be at the show.
Wichita Cat Fancy Show
What: longtime annual show that is part of the international Cat Fanciers’ Association’s cat-show circuit
When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday & Sunday, Feb. 4 & 5
Where: Cotillion Ballroom, 11120 W. Kellogg
Admission: $5 per person, $10 pass for a family of five; good for readmission both days
More info: wichitacatfancy.weebly.com
