OKALOOSA ISLAND — Judith Milling, 64, made one last pass of the comb through the cream-colored fur on her Birman cat, Simon, then scooped him up and dashed to the judge’s table.
With big, bright blue eyes and lynx-point coloring, the nearly two-year-old cat was an attention-grabber at the Destiny Cat Fanciers show at the Emerald Coast Convention Center Sunday.
“The grooming on him is just phenomenal,” a judge remarked before awarding him best of the specialty long-hair altered cats at her table.
About 90 cats of 40 different breeds were entered into the weekend-long competition, which is in its 8th year. The cats are judged on which most accurately reflect the attributes associated with their breed and class.
View a slideshow from the cat show.
Simon has won national and international awards, said Milling, who is from Troutman, N.C., near Charlotte.
She said his breed is known as the “lazy man’s cat” because their fur doesn’t mat and is relatively easy to groom.
Still she gives Simon a bath at least once a week, conditions his fur and combs it often to prevent hair balls.
Another nickname for the Birman breed is “Velcro kitty” because they’re so affectionate, Milling said.
Though spectators came through to check out the cats, the convention center’s ballroom was mostly filled with competitors who travel to cat shows across the region.
Despite the competition, they've become a tight-knit group of friends.
Milling started attending shows three years ago after her husband died.
“I wanted to do something different,” she said. “I love it, the camaraderie and meeting people. It gets me out and it keeps me out of trouble – sometimes.”
Samantha Lawrence, 38 of North Carolina by way of New Jersey, has been attending cat shows since she was 5.
That’s when her mother first saw an exotic short hair at a show and bought one for herself.
“The bug was made and that was that,” her mother, Marianne Lawrence, 62, said. Now she’s an exotic short hair breeder.
Samantha grew up on the cat show circuit.
“When I was a kid, I did all the grunt work,” she said.
She worked her way up from swabbing the cages to becoming a judge’s clerk and even judging some shows herself.
“Now I go along to keep my mom company,” Samantha said. “It’s something we do together.”
Mother and daughter both said the circuit is great because they get to travel and there’s a sense of companionship with other cat enthusiasts.
“And I’ll say it – we like the competition,” Samantha said with a grin. “Winning is always fun.”
Boots, their six-month-old calico exotic short hair, sprawled across a table in front of Samantha and languorously posed for passersby.
Her big brown eyes and squishy face drew many people to stoop down to pet her or snap her photo.
Boots, also known by her stage name Instapurr’s Mzbehavin, has competed in about six shows in the two months since she was old enough to enter.
This weekend she won five times and scored her first best kitten award.
“We’re doing really well,” Samantha said. “We’re really proud.”
Show Manager Sue Hansen, 47 from Jacksonville, said turnout was down this year, which could be in part attributed to a booking conflict that required them to change the dates.
Several judges and competitors echoed sentiments that cat shows nationwide are struggling, but with enough support they hope to keep the tradition alive.
“Hopefully a bunch of us can keep these shows going with today’s economy,” Milling said.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Sage Reinlie at 850-315-4440 or lreinlie@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenRnwfdn.