SALT LAKE CITY -- Cat breeder Jack Nichols is working to perfect the Persian breed, and with just a dab of make-up his red and white tabby is pretty close. He’s one of hundreds of cat breeders from around the country who took part in Salt Lake City Cat Show.
“I refer to it as a beauty contest,” Nichols said. “Everyone has the small head, the small ears, the rounded head, but how pretty do they look? How well are they presented? And that's a major portion of the scoring.”
Each of the 41 cat breeds has a standard they have to meet, things like how close their eyes are together and the thickness of their fur.
“Instead of parading them around, they go to the judge’s bench and they are displayed and shown,” said show event coordinator Bobbie Irie. “The judges look at them on the table, so it's sort of like a beauty contest. And of course, personality is really important.”
The judges said the competition is steep, and often they are splitting hairs when trying to rank the cats against each other.
“It's kind of subjective," show judge Barbara Jaeger said. "It's my interpretation of how I apply the standard to the breed. There are points associated with each and every standard I have."
The cats' owners travel from state-to-state, trying to rack up points to make it into national competitions. See the gallery below for photos of the cats, and use the button below to submit your own photos from the show.
