Cat breeders from around the North Island are gearing up to show off their finest felines at a cat show in Te Awamutu.
Cat breeders from around the North Island are gearing up to show off their finest felines at a cat show in Te Awamutu.
The Mid Island 25th Anniversary Show is at the Te Awamutu College Hall this Saturday.
Around 100 cats of all shapes and sizes will be vying for the overall supreme cat award.
There are four categories — longhaired pedigree, shorthaired pedigree, domestic and companion.
Cats in the companion category look like a pedigree cat but might have a small fault. Pedigrees are judged for temperament, grooming and appearance. Domestic and companion cats are judged for friendliness and grooming.
One of this year's entrants is Te Awamutu cat breeder Sarah Macrae.
Macrae will show two Bengal cats — Finanne Eira Snow Queen and Finanne Larona.
Macrae has been breeding Bengal cats for the last four years at her Te Awamutu cattery Finanne Bengals.
She loves Bengals because they are more like dogs than cats.
"Bengals attach to people, not places. Everywhere you go you can take your Bengal with you. They love water — they'll even jump in the bath with you."
Bengals are a hybrid of an Asian leopard and a large domestic cat.
They were bred with the goal of creating a confident, healthy, and friendly cat with a vividly marked coat.
Macrae says Bengals are an intelligent and active breed, and are known for being especially vocal and friendly.
Once separated by at least four generations from the original Asian leopard cat/domestic cat crossing, the breed's temperament resembles that of a domestic cat.
New Zealand doesn't allow the breed into the country if it is less than five generations from the leopard cat.
Bengal cats are generally a bright orange to light brown colour, although "snow" Bengals like Macrae's Finanne Eira Snow Queen also exist.
Macrae says breeding Bengals is a labour of love.
She and her husband have built a cattery to house their four females, known as queens, and one male stud.
"It's exciting for us to preserve the breed," Macrae says.
"We aim to select the right combinations of queens and studs to bring out the best colours and patterns, but in saying that there is no such thing as an unattractive Bengal."
Also making a special appearance at the show is Te Awamutu cat Smokey.
Smokey was shot in the shoulder and had to have her leg amputated.
The incident was one of several recent cat shootings in Te Awamutu that have left residents angry and afraid.
But a silver lining has emerged from Smokey's situation.
Smokey's owner Stacey O'Hearn says the family had been thinking about entering Smokey in Saturday's cat show before she was injured.
"The competition organisers have offered for Smokey to be on display instead of entering," O'Hearn says.
She was overwhelmed by the offer.
"Everyone has been so supportive and lovely after the horrible incident," O'Hearn says.
"Every time something like this happens I get so emotional."
O'Hearn's daughter Briar is making a poster detailing what happened to Smokey.
"We're aiming to create awareness and let people know what happened so that we can stop this happening to other pets."
The Mid Island 25th Anniversary Show is on Saturday, May 26 at the Te Awamutu College Hall. The show is open to the public from 10.30am to 3pm. Tickets at the door. Bring cash.
This summer will be critical to discover if the sharks have started returning.