Cats were highly revered and respected animals in ancient Egypt.
Thousands of years later, they still are, as demonstrated at Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s third annual Feline Fun Show held Feb. 26 on Patch Barracks.
Rather than a competition to see which animal bore the closest resemblance to the ideal definition and standard of its breed, the Feline Fun Show was about, well, pure fun.
The Patch Community Club was crawling with kitties as 22 cats were judged in 13 categories such as fluffiest tail, most lovable, best costume and longest whiskers.
Cats are especially suited for a military family because of their independent nature, according to Lonnie Ellis, who brought his cats, Bingo, an American shorthair, and Millie, a Siamese, to the show.
“You don’t have to worry about coming home every few hours to check on them. If you’re gone for a day or two, as long as you have a neighbor check on their litter, water and food, they’re good to go,” he said.
The show gave Kris and Shawna Bailey a chance to show off the many talents of Hunter, their 3-year-old Bengal cat.
“He plays dead, plays fetch and loves the water. He’ll jump in the shower and bath tub with you, if you let him,” Shawna said.
In his first-ever show, Hunter walked away with top honors for Best Trick (playing dead) and Loudmouth Cat, and at 19.4 pounds, second place as Fattest Cat.
One might think first place in that category would have gone to Fatty, Julie Osburn’s semi-feral cat. But at just under 10 pounds, he proved to be more fluff than heft.
While Fatty spent most of the show in the safety of his carrier, he was still able to charm the judges, winning second place in the Judge’s Choice category.
Juliet Trevino showed her aptly named cat, Patches. The Trevino family acquired the calico mix about nine months ago.
“We got him at the case lot sale at the Patch Commissary,” said Juliet’s mother, Cindy. “Someone was giving away kittens from the back of their car.
“Besides lots of paper products, he’s the best thing that we found at the case lot sale.”
