European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 9, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Its a cats life by Marian Hamilton staff writer for a cat in the process of being turned upside Down and dusted with baby powder lady sunsets Benjamin seemed downright bored. Calm in fact. Known As Mickey mouse when not on stage the Silver shaded persian kept his Cool As Sharon Swedlund flipped him right Side up again to comb and Huff his fur. But looking like a Large overstuffed Pillow had a purpose. Mickey left a Giessen Germany cat show last month with the Best of show title. Quot Mickey is a real Ham Quot said Swedlund who works with american International underwriters in Heidelberg when not on the Road with her nine show cats. Quot he spends a lot of time Al the front of his Cage talking with the spectators. When he s not showing he does t get a the same amount of attention and he misses it Quot i also have a Lemale. Diadem Icecap de who did not compote in this  Swedlund said. Quot she flirts shamelessly with everyone who comes close to her Cage she plays with the curtains in her own Cage and those of her neighbors and with the award ribbons whether they belong to her or not Quot the primping and preening before a show is Only part of the routine cat owners go through in exhibiting their pets. Because All cats must be healthy before they can compete veterinarians examine them before they Are allowed to enter the show Hall. Once inside it s hurry up and wait according to competitor Joshua Becker who works Tor big Bend Community College in Giessen and shares cat show duties with his parents. After the examination its a Rush to set up the cats Cage then to Groom the fancy feline for the judges Becker said and then the wait to be judged. After the judging comes another wait but the longer the wait the happier the owners usually Are Becker a said that the longer it takes to learn How a cat did the better the chances that it did pretty Well a a about 500 Cal lovers and 778 cats went through the Competition in Giessen in August. And although one might expect shows to be the exclusive reign of pedigreed cats with triple barrelled names they also Are open to House cats which Are judged in the same Way As some of the More pampered purebreds. Children also Are Welcome to enter their cats. In Germany every show sponsored by the German cat fanciers association or Dekov includes an exhibit set up by the focal animal shelter. Some shelters even bring adoptable strays to the shows. In addition to the participants m Giessen a show the Hall was Host to competitors who left their cats at Home and came just to Check out the Competition. Other cat a Kitten greets a Young visitor at a recent cat show in Giessen Germany. Lovers showed up to View the felines in cages that Are designed More to protect the cats from people than people from cats outside the show a silent line of animal rights activists handed out leaflets protesting lab experiments on live animals and objecting to dog and cat shows As being bad for the animals psychologically the competitors obviously disagreed. Quot if a cat hates shows it s a bad reflection on the owners Quot Becker said. Quot we re not Here to put the cats through a bad time. We have four cats and one of then is one of the most gorgeous Black and White norwegian Forest cats you be Ever seen but he just hates shows he goes crazy so we Don t bring  Swedlund acknowledged that some people Quot do get a Little upset about seeing the cats in cages Quot but said that show cats Quot Are not Normal pets who Are put in a Cage Only for a visit to the  Quot they travel and even live Here Quot she said. Quot they have their curtains their pillows their special toys to play with and it is like a Home away from Home to them they have familiar smelts around them when they go to the shows. Quot the fact that cats might be lying under their Blanket or sleeping while the show goes on around them does not mean they Are bored or unhappy. That is their Normal sleep time anyway and the fact that they Are relaxed enough to go to sleep shows that they Are comfortable with being there an unhappy cat would be pacing or otherwise showing  Swedlund who has been showing her persians for More than four years competes in about 30 events a year. Mickey now has a lifetime total of 11 Best in Breed. 17 Best in show and three Best of the Best titles in 41 shows. He has been nominated 24 times for Best m show an Honor almost As High As actually winning the title according to Swedlund. There s no Money for the Winner just the satisfaction of Success and a trophy or big ribbon. And after the shows the competitors often stage Impromptu parties Swedlund considers it a Good Chance for making friends from throughout Europe despite the time and expense associated with competitions the owners said their cats Are pets first and something to display last Bocker insists that his cats Are members of the family Quot your whole life revolves around keeping them groomed and ready for the shows Quot Swedlund said Quot but they pay you Back for All the work with  More information on Page 16 lady sunsets Benjamin Topor Mickey mouse to his friends won Best of show at Giessen. Owner Sharon Swedlund above shows off prizes won in earlier competitions. A amps photos by Dave Didio looking Eye to Eye a judge examines a persian cat at the Giessen Competition. A persian cat left rests in its utter Box while two siamese cats below share a quiet moment Page 14 the stars and stripes monday september 9, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 15