The West of Scotland Cat Club
2006 Show
Six o’clock on Saturday night and all sign that there had been a cat show here is gone, except the jetsam on the floor, waiting to be swept away. A year of planning, organising and grafting and in two hours the whole event is just a memory.
But this year’s memories were special. The West of Scotland Cat Club was founded in 1981, so this year was our Silver Jubilee. In the past 25 years, the Club’s fortunes have sometimes ebbed but this year they flowed. When we took stock at the last AGM, we could report that we have a strong and stable committee, a flourishing membership, a healthy bank balance, a great show and an enjoyable day at the AGM. So much so that Irene Nairn, one of the founder members, who had taken time out from the cat world, looked in to see what we had done with the club in her absence and was impressed enough to rejoin the committee. What more could we do?
Well, we found we couldn’t just do more, we could do better. The 2006 show had the biggest entry of any cat show in Scotland this year; in fact, we could hold our heads up with shows in the North of England too. Our date this year was 16 December, 2006 and we feared that so close to Christmas, we might be flattened in the Christmas rush, but the prospect of a good cat show won out and our entry was up even on last year’s, which was an improvement on the year before.
As we turned up at the hall on the Friday to set up, it didn’t seem like a year since we had last been here. As we looked round the hall, I think we all recalled the dark Friday last year when we turned up in torrential rain to deck the hall, not quite with boughs of holly, but certainly with lashings of red, gold and green, the traditional colours for the season. The rain was just as we remembered it from last year – maybe it was a good omen. Maybe the show would turn out to be as successful as last year’s. Or maybe the rain would put people off or perhaps the flood damage would be too great for some to get to the show – fifteen flood warnings had been issued in the two days before the show. But all the stallholders got through, the pens got through, and we felt better. We felt sure that our exhibitors were too doughty to let a little rain keep them back from a day’s showing.
It took from lunchtime to bedtime to set up, but one of the best parts of a cat show is standing in the hall when the setting up is done, all the lessons of the last show learned and all the new ideas made manifest, just anticipating the day ahead. This is especially rewarding at the West – where the show has become part of the run up to Christmas and the hall is full of balloons, tinsel, snowmen and Santas. In fact there was an opportunity for us all to become Santa for a day – the treasurer had thoughtfully provided Santa hats for the committee, judges and stewards to add to the spirit of the occasion.
Show day and our faith in the exhibitors was justified. Very few cats were absent. Ian and Carol Thomson, our show managers, rose to the occasion and the show itself ran as smoothly as any show I’ve ever been at – no major hiccups, although we did have a major upset just a few days before.
The Club uses the bowling club in the sports complex for catering, but the year before we couldn’t have the use of it. So this year we made sure it was available - and we promised everyone it would be – and checked and double checked that we could use it. Then on the Tuesday before the show the bowling club management told us they had a fixture and we lost out - again. So a rapid rethink was required, but the people who bailed us out last year came to the rescue again and the bacon rolls and burgers were restored.
All of our stallholders from last year came back and we had some new faces too. There was some great cat shopping to be had.
As befits our “silver” status, our show was opened in considerable style. This was our 20th show and, apart from a short lived foray down to Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, we had always held the show in Lanarkshire. So we were delighted and honoured to have as our guest, no less than the Lord Lieutenant of the County, Mr Gilbert Cox. Last year we had Santa Claus, this year the Lord Lieutenant – only the best for the West!
As well as opening the show, Mr Cox judged our Christmas card competition. We had invited a number of local primary schools to take part in our competition to find the best Christmas card design incorporating a cat. There were so many ingenious entries that Mr Cox had a tough job, but he rose to the occasion and chose a witty entry which showed the perils of cats at Christmastime.
Mr Cox rounded off his visit with an extended stroll round the show, chatting with cats and exhibitors alike.
Last year we had our first taste of Sphinxes when we had a number on exhibition – this year they were in competition and we had two adults and one kitten present, who all gained their Merits.
Mrs Fiona Hamilton also had success in two quite different categories – Maine Coons – represented by Ch. Trelgandorf Miss America (64 31dts), and Orientals – represented by one Cinnamon and five Havanas – the most successful of whom was Gr. Ch. & Gr. Pr Trelgandorf Hasty Harry, who gained his fourth Imperial.
All summer, the question those of us on committee heard at each show was, “Are you having the same rosettes as last year?” and we promised we would, but it wasn’t quite true – they were even better this year. On the day, one exhibitor told us, “You have the best rosettes in the country”. If we did, it was only fair – we had some of the best cats in the country too.
The cats who were Best in the West were
Persian Admewsh Meddlin Malcome
Semi-Longhair Gr. Ch. Yaheska Busbys Boy
British Ch. Evawill Mr. Puddington
Foreign Admewsh Lubo Leeper
Burmese Gr. Ch. & Imp. Gr. Pr Bellringer Cygnus
Oriental Gr. Ch. Trelgandorf Hasty Harry
Siamese Ch. Fisepo Finesse
Household Pet Sam
The youngest feline person at the show was Miss L Barr’s own-bred Shinning Star, a young Exotic gentleman who won his Open Class at three and a half months, and the most venerable was Mr and Mrs Bell’s 12 year old own-bred Gr. Ch. & Gr. Pr Bellringer Cygnus, who showed the youngsters just how far you can go. She came in search of her last Imperial - which she won, along with all her other classes - and swanned off with overall Best in Show for good measure and gave us all a lesson on how to make an exit into the bargain.
Two other well known cat fanciers who have made an exit with a bang not a whimper are Gail and Bernard Kane of Stationary Cats. After producing numerous Champions, Premiers, Grand Champions, Grand Premiers, UK Grand Champions and UK Grand Premiers in the British, Oriental and Siamese sections, last year, Gail and Bernard bred their last kittens. But nevertheless, they took several curtain calls - Stationary cats put up a formidable show in the Siamese Section. Gr. Pr Stationary Summer Bonus (24c) gained Reserve in both the Imperial and Grand classes, his big brother Ch. Stationary Sir Purrsalot (24c) gained Reserve in the Grand Champion Class, and his kid brother Stationary Lilacliason (24c) gained the PC which made him up to Premier, while Pr Stationary Scarletshadow (32a) won his third Grand PC and gained his Grand Premier title. Not to mention several cats present who were Stationary descendents, including Gr. Ch. Rivaness Ramandra.
But in between the youngest, the oldest and the best in sections were lots and lots of glorious cats. The downside of a successful show and a big entry is that not every cat worth a photograph and a mention can find a place even in a double page article. Such was the quality on the day that many worthy cats had to remain unsung heroes – but to the Scottish Cat Fancy we would just like to say – you did us proud. The cats were superb. We had an excellent gate and it was wonderful that our visitors could see the cat at its very best.
No cat show is complete without a raffle and this was very popular – but not for the first prize of £50.00. The hottest item on the card was a plush toy cat complete with kilt, sporran, spats and busby, ready for sentry duty at Balmoral. He was won by Iris Kerr, who has never had a cat of any kind before, but the day he arrived she had just bought a new chair to match her suite and within seconds he was ensconced in it. Her husband complained that the cat had the best seat in the house and was most disgruntled to be told that that’s what cats do and he’d better get used to it.
With the Best in Show over and the raffle drawn, we closed the show and quickly found ourselves alone in the hall. Nothing moves faster than a cat show going home! A year’s planning and work - gone in a flash. Over.
But not quite. As T S Eliot said,
What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from.
The closing of one show heralds the start of work on the next one: we already have our date, our licence and our venue for 2007. See you there.
Margaret Mather
On behalf of the Committee of
The West of Scotland Cat Club
