MEET Marble the one-eyed Persian, an imperfectly perfect star of a national cat show playing out at Logan Metro Sports Centre, Browns Plains, this weekend.
The 10-year-old Capalaba cat was snapped in sateen surrounds as enjoyed by contestants in the Co-ordinating Cat Council of Australia show. That’s not too bad for a puss who almost missed the chance to be a show cat.
Marble is Persian, but a missing eye disqualifies him from regular competition. He competes instead as a companion cat. His 16 rivals range from from older moggies to cuddly kittens. Some have pedigrees; others don’t.
Marble’s owner Jodie Watts has other cats entered in the competition – most in breeding categories. They go by the names Freckles, Archilles and Harley Quinn, the latter named for actress Margot Robbie’s character in the hit action film Suicide Squad.
Jodie’s husband Dugald would rather show his ute than go to a cat show, but even he gets protective when it comes to Marble.
“Marble was about 15 months old when he came to us. He had two eyes when when we got him. I was the one who noticed something was amiss,” Mr Watts said.
“One eye didn’t seem quite as a bright as the other. It didn’t have the same reflection in it. We took him to a couple of vets before one gave us the news. The eye was dying. So out it came.”
“It has been a long road back to where we are now. He was very timid when we got him. Now he is Mr Sociable.”
The 2018 CCCA National Show runs as an Australian bay style judging championship with judging in pedigree, companion and all-breeds categories.
Last year’s show was held in Melbourne. Cat Queensland Inc hosts this year’s show. It could have gone to Brisbane but chose Logan instead.
Three basketball courts at Logan Metro Sports Centre have been transformed into a showroom for 367 entrants complete with about 20 cat-themed market stalls.
Contestant cats compete across six show rings, judged by seven international judges – five from the US, two from Japan – and more from Australia and New Zealand.
The two-day show continues Sunday, July 22. Spectators will travel from near and far to see what all the fuss is about.
Cats Queensland Inc secretary Chris Merritt said dozens of varieties of cats were on show. She begins her list: “Persians, exotics, Birmans, rag dolls, Mancunes, Norwegian forest cats, Siberian and Turkish van cats … ”
She takes a breath: “I have to think. I don’t want to miss anybody out: Siamese and oriental – short-haired and long haired –Abyssinian, US short-hair, British short hair, Mandalay, Burmilla, cats with silver-tips, Korat, Bengals, munchkins – they’re these short legged critters that come in short and long haired varieties.
“I know there’s more ... Burmese, Sphynx, I’ve missed the Rexes – Devon Rex, Cornish Rex and Selkirk Rex. And Perms – they have curly hair. There’s a girl here, somewhere, who has a kitten.’’
Ms Merritt said the show had been 18 months in making, pulled together mostly by Cats Queensland Inc workers and volunteers.
“It’s been a lot of work to get here, but it’s been worth it,” she said.
- Go to the CCCA National Cat Show, Logan Metro Sports Centre, Browns Plains, Sunday, July 22, 10am, entry from $10.
