2016 NZCF National Show: Judges' Reports - Thea Lamprecht

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I left Palmerston North with memories of breath-taking nature, outstanding attention to detail hospitality, wonderful warm and friendly people, and a remarkable variety of beautiful cats presented at the show. Congratulations to the show committee and organisers for an extremely well-run show. Thanks to my most capable book clerk Noel Davis and competent handlers who supported me efficiently on the big day. Complements to the owners of the beautiful cats who I had the opportunity to handle and judge on the day. All of these made unforgettable memories. This format unfortunately allows me to only briefly mention my top cats in each section. However, I want to commend each and every cat that I met on the day - in general every single one was beautiful in his/her own right, easy to handle, well presented and wonderful to spend time with.

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Top 10 Shorthair Entire Adults

A stunning variety of elegant Siamese and Oriental, round-eyed Scottish Fold, exquisite blue Abyssinian, silky coated Burmese, attractive Burmilla, rangy Cornish Rex, glittered Bengal, handsome Toyger and wrinkly Sphynx were presented in the entire adult ring. What an honour to have had the opportunity to come up close with all these marvellous felines. The harmoniously proportioned lilac Burmese female (511 Sashima Melaka) just took my breath away with her gorgeous even colour, typical Burmese expression, sparkling eye colour, gentle profile, super head shape, solid body type and lavishly silky short coat. Entry 508 Sabokah Nikao, a young, very masculine and strikingly handsome seal Burmese male, ticked all the boxes according to the standard and was my very worthy runner up in this ring. Lots of stiff competition from worthy competitors made this a very challenging ring.

Top 10 Shorthair Entire Kittens

Seven gorgeous British Shorthair kittens competed against 6 striking Burmese kittens, 3 big-eared Devon Rex kittens as well as against equally attractive Cornish Rex, Selkirk Rex, Russian Blue, Sphynx and Egyptian Mau. 603 Catford Cinghiale Williams, an outstanding British Shorthair female with a crisp, dense, breaking, light blue coat, strong, muscular and cobby body and massive, rounded head with a firm chin and broad nose just had it all in one package and was my top kitten. The well balanced little black smoke bi-colour Devon Rex female kitten (616 Loriendale Isabel de Morningstar) had the extreme short, broad and angular head type with very large and very low set ears that one rarely sees anymore and was a delight to encounter. She was my well-deserved runner-up. I had great joy in judging each one of the fine exhibits in this diverse and exciting ring.

Top 10 Neuter/ Spay Adult

This ring presented athletic Siamese and Oriental Shorthair, 8 crisp coated British Shorthair, 6 solid-bodied Burmese, lovely Scottish Fold, Burmilla, Devon Rex, Selkirk Rex, Tonkinese, Sphynx and a truly beautiful Japanese Bobtail. Each of these quality exhibits was a pleasure to have met. My heart missed a beat when I saw the fabulously handsome caramel lynxpoint neutered male (701 Robandi I'll Be Striped) with his slender yet muscular elongated lithe body and matching elegant legs, tail and neck. His harmoniously balanced wedge-shaped head, complementing ears and intense blue beautifully shaped and set eyes made him my best. The dazzling runner up was an outstanding even-toned seal Burmese neutered male (715 Sashima Coco), with wonderful balance, a great solid body, the silkiest coat ever, stunning head, profile and eyes and overall a fine example of the breed.

Top 10 Neuter/ Spay Kittens

Although this ring was smaller in quantity, it still presented a variety of seven different breeds, and each kitten was memorable to encounter. Good-looking British, Burmese, Burmilla, Cornish Rex, Selkirk Rex, Bengal and Sphynx as well as a very rare Tasman Isle of Man Longhair kitten took part and were fine examples of the different breeds. An exquisite brown spotted tabby spayed Bengal female kitten (809 Celerity Dressed to Impress) was the winner. Her short, lustrous, pelt-like silky coat displayed unbelievable pattern with glitter adding to the luxuriousness. But this was a Bengal with more than coat - her perfectly balanced body and head added to the winning quality of this gorgeous feline. The runner-up was an exceptional bluepoint bi-colour Cornish Rex spayed female kitten (806 Sunset Cracklin' Rosie) with a well-proportioned lean body, egg-shaped head and exquisite eye colour, wrapped in a soft, plush, elastic, short wavy coat.

Top 10 Domestic Longhair

I always enjoy judging the domestic section and this time it was no exception. In general I saw fabulous colours, beautiful grooming, excellent presentation and wonderful natures. Exhibit 906 Ka Pai Kai was an exquisite, glistening solid white, impeccably groomed, substantial feline with a muscular body and eyes one can drown in. All in all just a prime example of this division and a well-deserved winner. The tortoiseshell and white spayed female (903 Miss Bella) showed an outstanding temperament, coat pattern, grooming, substance and was overall a worthy runner-up in this ring.

Top 10 Domestic Shorthair

So many stunning felines in this section, so many great natures. However, the rich, warm, red tabby tail-less young neutered male (938 Magoo) stole my heart with his stature and presence. He was larger than life in more than one way and got my winning vote. The beautifully presented tabby neutered male (929 Murphys Law) showed exceptional temperament, grooming and coat texture. I could keep on stroking him for the rest of the day and he was runner-up in this section.

Top 10 Companions Longhair

This was a very challenging ring to judge with such a variety of awesome felines with stunning natures, appearances and presentation. The superbly beautiful black tortoiseshell spayed female (956 Maltee) with rich colouring captivated me with her large, luminous eyes. She was perfectly groomed and presented and was a joy to handle. Another superb spayed female (952 Squeak) was the black exhibit with a splendid coat and engaging expression. She displayed a charming nature and loved being on show.

Top 10 Companions Shorthair

I had so much fun handling these attractive cats and could take a number of them home with me. The extraordinary almost 9 year old russet Burmese spayed female (984 Molly Too) threw herself on the judging table and showed exceptional nature, beauty and condition. This super good looking older lady certainly carries her years very well and has a temperament to die for. The massive brown tabby and white tail-less neutered male (980 Montie) had a masculine body, with good substance, excellent coat texture and enjoyed his encounter with me.
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So much beauty in one hall. What a show! Thank you for the invitation to judge. It was an unforgettable experience.
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Photo of Thea judging courtesy of Catherine Holmes Photography

2016 NZCF National Show: Judges' Reports - Zena Pigden

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I must start by saying that this was a very well run show and a real pleasure to be a part of. Palmerston North Cat Club created a great sense of occasion, the show hall looked inviting and exciting and us judges were very well looked after throughout. An innovation that I particularly enjoyed was the sisal posts on each judging table. They provided an opportunity to get cats to stretch out and show themselves off and for kittens to have fun as well as providing some extra entertainment for spectators (whether or not the cat was interested in the post). I have focussed here on the Top Five in each section. Overall the quality of the top exhibits in all sections was extremely high.
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Entire LH Cat

My best cat in this section was a blue bicolour Ragdoll Adoradolls Let There Be Love. A young girl with wonderful eye colour not always seen in Ragdolls, good head type all round, great length of body and excellent coat - a silky easy care coat that breaks as it moves. Reserve went to Bronze Dbl Gr Ch Concerto Holly Holy, a lovely lilac point Birman, again with outstanding eye colour. It is always more of a challenge to get good type in recessive colours (not to mention double recessives!). This girl had good width across her cheekbones, a slight roman nose, correct eye shape, size and set, good chin and a very typical Birman expression. Third best was a black and white Norwegian Forest Cat Gr Ch S*Just Catnaps Batman (Imp Swe), a handsome boy of good size and substance. He had a great coat texture and a very pleasing head with a straight profile and correct triangular head shape without being too pointy about the muzzle, complemented by a long body and long legs. Each of these three cats represented outstanding examples of their respective breeds. Each also demonstrated excellent temperament. Next at fourth was the black van Persian Dixykatz Andromeda. Like the other Persians entered, this cat was beautifully groomed and in fact got my award for Best Groomed. All three Persians had fabulous eye colour and good type. However what put this girl ahead of the others was a shorter body and more open nostrils. She also took out the award for Best Eye Colour. 5th best was Flurmonz Garvantua, a young red silver tabby Maine Coon. They always say that as judges we tend to be hardest on our own breed and this may well be true. All of the Maine Coons entered had good qualities but sadly none of them was perfect. This was my best Maine Coon on the day, a beautifully presented boy with outstanding temperament - he got my award for Best Temperament. His body development was excellent for his age, long, strong and muscular with heavy boning. I loved his square muzzle, open expression, and large ears with lynx tips. My Breeders Award of Merit went to my Best In Show - not just for excellent type, but for achieving good eye colour.

Entire LH Kitten

Once again a Ragdoll took out Best in Show, Kiwimagic Cover Girl, a lovely blue bicolour who was my best Ragdoll in a strong field. Her excellent body, true to type coat, perfect profile and head shape were complemented by ideal Ragdoll temperament. While Ann Baker may have used chemical assistance to achieve the required relaxed attitude in her Ragdolls, Kiwimagic Cover Girl's breeder has clearly achieved the desired temperament through good breeding choices. My Reserve was Flurmonz Quintella, a gorgeous black Maine Coon. It takes something extra for a Maine Coon to stand out when it is a solid colour, as the tabby markings help to accentuate the face shape and muzzle, and ears on black cats often look smaller. This girl ticked all my boxes with large ears, a nice concave dip in her pofile and great square muzzle, along with good body and tail length. She got my Breeder's Award of Merit. Third was Chalfont Uncle Sam, a really handsome seal point Birman who went on to take out Supreme LH in show. Another cat that showed all the desired type characteristics for his breed with a correct roman nose, good chin, excellent eye colour and shape, good width across the cheekbones, excellent size, body development and boning, These three cats were all equally deserving of Best In Show, however judges are not allowed to award joint Best In Show awards and these were my awards on the day. Fourth best was a white Norwegian Forest Cat, Jamlynkatz White Christmas. At just over four months she had wonderful size, body length, and boning and excellent coat. In a slow developing breed, we don't always see this in young kittens. Nice head type, with good ear size and set. My fifth best kitten was Rosimorn Gemtastick, a lilac tortie tabby bicolour Exotic. She was my best Exotic with a good dome, round head, short body and tail and good eye colour with correct plush coat. A very pretty and unusual colour - well done to breeder Robyn Morrison, achieving this type with a double recessive colour.

Neuter Spay Kitten

Working to a theme here (no, not really) Adoradolls Nothing But The Best, a seal Bicolour Ragdoll was my Best in Show. I actually judged this section first. I must say though that the consistent high standard of the Ragdolls I had the pleasure to judge was very impressive. A lovely all round cat with great temperament. This was my nomination for Breeder's Award of Merit (which was decided in conjunction with Jane Slabbert who judged the N/S LH cats in this ring - and did go to this exhibit). Reserve was Kiwicoons Fire and Ice, a really lovely white Maine Coon girl who was let down a bit by her grooming. But we know that Neuter Spay novice exhibitors may not know just what they need to do to present a cat at its very best so in the end it did not hold her back much. She had a great square muzzle, large well set ears, good body length and tail length. A girl with lots of potential for the future if her owner chooses to continue to show her. Third best was a black Exotic, Eastside Mr Darcy who was very nice all round (round being the operative word, lovely rounded head, short solid body and tail, beautiful eyes), with a lovely temperament - so he got my Best Temperament. Then came Concerto Jasper Blu at fourth, a blue point Birman with good head type, breadth across the cheekbones, stunning deep blue eye colour, and good body length. He was beautifully presented and got Best Groomed and Best Eye Colour. Then fifth best was Ranchdolls Alexander, my second best Ragdoll, a seal bicolour, with generally good type but somewhat paler eyes than Adoradolls Nothing But The Best.
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What a joy it was to judge all these wonderful cats. My thanks to the club and to the exhibitors for giving me this opportunity.
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Photo of Zena judging courtesy of Catherine Holmes Photography