Pretty Kitties
“…Catwalk: Tales From the Cat Show
Circuit…is a documentary, & veteran directors Michael McNamara & Aaron
Hancox..provide more insight about cat shows than anyone would have thought
possible…
‘People understand what a dog show is.
People can’t wrap their heads around what a cat show is,’ Kim Langille says at
the beginning of this documentary.
Langille knows of what she speaks. She is a
competitive cat exhibitor & one of the main focuses of this offering. That
is, Langille & her white Turkish Angora named Bobby.
When shooting begins on the Canadian
feline-show circuit, Bobby is the king of the cats, having cleaned up in
competitions over the last few years.
But wait- there’s another puss on the
circuit who wishes to unseat Bobby from his throne. Say hey to Oh La La, a
fetching Red Persian who has come out of retirement for one last scratch at
glory. Her handler, Shirley McCollow, is hell-bent on Oh La La going out a
champ.
Langille soon realizes her Bobby has never
faced an opponent as formidable as Oh La La, especially when at one show a
seasoned American guest judge concedes that the latter cat has given him ‘more
goosebumps’ than any feline he has ever felt…
McNamara & Hancox were in the dark about
competitive cat shows until the latter stumbled upon one 2 years ago…
‘These cats are not your regular (distant)
cats,’ Hancox says. ‘They’re fancy cats, who are bred to be show cats & are
bred to be fondled & handled. They are also socialized at an early age…’
‘What makes these cats so special is their
amenability to be in show,’ McNamara says. ‘Oh La La, in particular, is a real
ham. She really loves to be looked at. People’s mouths drop when Oh La La, this
huge bouffant of a cat, is paraded around by (McCollow). She even has her own
groupies.’
‘It’s fascinating to see how the judges
handle them, too. They stretch them out to see what their musculature is like.’
…to the victors go the spoils & the
glory. That showboat Oh La La has gone on to do Whiskas commercials & won’t
ever have to worry about an empty food bowl…
…McNamara says ‘…these cat people have a
real sense of humor. They come from all walks, but they’re just crazy about
cats. And we’re just kicking ourselves for not doing this 20 years ago.’”
Bill
Brownstein
The
Gazette, Montreal
March
22/2018
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