August 8 is widely celebrated as International Cat Day, but the Feline Council of the Philippines, Inc. (FCPI) kicks off its celebration early with the Funtastic Felines Coral Jubilee International Cat Show at the activity center of Ayala Malls Manila Bay on 29-30 July 2023.
Over 100 cats of different breeds will compete to be the Best Cat in Show out of all the competitors. On the second day of the show, the cats which received the Best General citation on each day of the competition shall compete for the title of Best Supreme.
Photo: Freepik
International all-breed judges from the World Cat Federation (WCF) are invited to judge various breeds like British shorthairs and longhairs, Bengals, Ragdolls, Persians, Exotic shorthairs, Scottish Folds, Abyssinians, Cornish Rexes, Maine Coons, non pedigreed cats, and even our very own puspins.
“I am excited to be back in Manila after judging the first WCF international cat show in the Philippines in 2019,” says Ms. Cornelia Hungerecker, WCF all-breed judge and executive board member.
“This cat show is all the more special because it is a Coral Jubilee Show, in celebration of the World Cat Federation’s 35th year anniversary,” she added. Completing the judging panel are Mr. Karsten Hufschmidt and Mr. Michael Gruhn, who are also all-breed judges from Germany.
For FCPI, the cat fancy has come a long way from relative obscurity to staging their own shows toe to toe with their canine counterparts. Asked whether cats will overtake dogs as the favorite domestic companion of Pinoy pet lovers, FCPI President Rino Paez has this to say, “For years now, we could barely gather enough entries to organize a show solely dedicated to cats. Nowadays, judges fly in from halfway across the world to judge our show. This goes to show that cats are slowly winning over Filipino households, one purr at a time.”
Asked about the significance of cat shows and the role it plays in cat welfare, Paez remarked that shows are a space for ethical breeders to showcase their work in preserving the beauty and health of known cat breeds, while highlighting that the well-being of cats is the cornerstone of every successful breeding program.
“If prospective owners want to meet reputable breeders, then I invite them to come to Funtastic Felines and talk to people who have devoted their lives to the welfare of their cats. Breeders who join cat shows care about the quality of cats because you don’t showcase something unless you are proud of it. Also, the judges’ feedback helps guide them in breeding to the standard. You can’t have quality if the cats are improperly cared for, ” Paez added.
By organizing seminars and shows like Funtastic Felines, FCPI seeks to improve knowledge on feline health and nutrition while raising the standard of exhibiting and caring for cats, whether they are pedigreed or not.
