Skip to main content

Catfederacy: Felines battle for best in show


Judges came from as far as Nova Scotia to inspect various four-legged felines at the Catfederacy event in Gettysburg this weekend.

Lincoln Elementary School's gymnasium was transformed. Cats were stationed in rows in their soft carriers on elongated tables, waiting for their chance to shine for the judges.

The cat show, which chartered with the American Cat Fanciers Association in 1981, gives people from all over the country a chance to enter their cats in various categories in hopes of winning best in show. Felines can be entered in four different sections: kittens, cats, altered — in which the cat is spayed or neutered — and household pet, said Catfederacy president Dorie Eckhart.

Each breed is judged based on standards such as the position of the cat's ears, its color, the size of its body and its coat.

Heather MacDougall, from Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, was asked to judge in Gettysburg for the first time this year, she said. She's come to the area many times as an exhibitor, but this was the first opportunity she had to be on the other side.

With 30 years of experience breeding Persian cats, MacDougall decided to try her hand at judging shows 10 years ago. She'll spend the next six weekends in a row traveling to different states and taking part in the judging process at various cat expos, she said.

From Sphynx cats to exotic short hairs, each had its own personality and distinct look.