Tipperary cat lovers will have a chance to view feline ‘purrfection’ this weekend.
The Presentation Sports Complex in Thurles will host an All-Breed Champion Cat Show on Sunday – it’s being organised by the GCCFI and will feature pedigree cats of all sizes, shapes and colours.
Thurles has the unique privilege of being the only town besides Dublin and Cork to host a show organised by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy of Ireland, the national registration body for pedigree cats.
Among those hoping for success will be Tipperary based Louise Garcia with her Persians – she says there are nearly 90 cats entered from all over the island Ireland.
“We tend to have at the moment a large entry of Maine Coons – these are enormous cats. They need to have a double pen they’re so large. We also get a lot of British Shorthairs which are a lovely round-faced cat with a dense plushie fur. We have a few Persians and increasing in popularity is a breed called the Sphynx – they are nearly hairless and they look very unusual – a little bit space alien’ish. So a large range of pedigree breeds of cats that people may not have seen before.”
The show will be open to the public from 12.30pm on Sunday
Sunday’s show also provides an ideal opportunity for anyone considering getting a pedigree cat to chat with owners of the many breeds on show.
Louise says a GCCFI show is the very best place to get advice and to meet breeders and ensure you’re not dealing with ‘back street breeders’ akin to puppy farms.
“First and foremost the show exhibitors love to talk about their cats and they’ll often let visitors stroke their cats or kittens and take photographs of them. So a visitor can get to see a cat in real life that they may have previously seen only on TV or in a book perhaps.
“Secondly if someone is considering getting a kitten in the future breeders at the show will be happy to talk about how suitable their breed might be for your family as different breeds have different requirements.”
Further information can be found on http://www.gccfi.com/
