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Is my cat beautiful?

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 7:03 am
by Aruna
Hi all!

Sorry if this comes off as a weird question! Let me explain:

I had a casual conversation with a friend of mine the other day and she shows me a toy for her cat. Cool one, nothing special. But the intereseting thing was that she said she won it online in a cat contest.

I have never heard about cat contests before, so of course I was interested. She told me that she regularly submits photos in a contest and then well...wins stuff!

For me, this sounds like a lot of fun, because I love taking pictures of my cat (who doesn't?). However, she has a 'typically beautiful' cat (long haired maine coon) and I have a Sphynx cat. Don't get me wrong, I love my Shini and to me, she is the most beautiful and lovely cat in the world! But I have heard people on the internet don't really like Sphynx cats....

I am a little bit afraid of entering such a contest now...It would hurt me to enter only to realize that people 'hate' my cat. So can I ask you for your honest opinion about my Shini? Do you think she is beautiful?

Thank you for your opinion!
Image: https://imgur.com/x2v8iy4

PS: These are some of the contests I would love to enter:
(Links removed)
PPS: I hope I am doing things right with the image and showing you the contests. It took me a while to figure this out haha!

Re: Is my cat beautiful?

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 9:15 am
by Ruth B
They always say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I think this is even more true when it comes to general competitions.

If you are entering a specific breed competition there are guidelines for the judges to follow on conformation, colour etc, in more general competitions it depends on what the judge likes personally.

Like you say, Maine Coons are traditionally pretty, chocolate box, cats, a Sphynx is very different and it takes a certain mind set to see beyond what is considered the 'beautiful norm'. It doesn't help that we are all brought up being told what is beautiful and a lot of people will never see beyond what they have been brought up with.

I admit that when I was younger I had similar views, I wasn't keen on Sphynxes, Rexes, and even some orientals, I was taught that fluffy cats were beautiful and most moggies were more likely to be characters than to be beautiful, shows and competitions were for posh pedigrees and it wasn't fair on those cats to be treated in such a way, they should be allowed to be cats.

My attitude has changed as I have got older and learnt more about cats, I admit I still see fluffy cats as more beautiful, we did have a Ragdoll that was gorgeous, but I can appreciate the looks of other cats more than i used to, and now personality is far more important than looks. However the one big change i have had is to learn how a cats looks effect it quality of life and anything that is detrimental to it seriously marks down the beauty in my mind, so things like the Persians flat face, or the Munchkins short legs (I know this is still a bit of a debatable one, but in my mind it is a bad start that can only get worse), even some of the more extreme oriental looks, I now find I dislike, I'm just so glad cat breeders haven't gone as far as dog breeders have.

As for your Shini, with the right judge, she would be considered a beauty. Looking at the picture the eyes are the first thing you notice set in a well proportioned face, her body doesn't show much in the photo, the lack of fur no longer bothers me generally, although I would worry a lot if she was outside in all weathers, it certainly isn't a trait I would want to start finding in feral cats. I would say she was pretty rather than beautiful but she has a really expressive face and beautiful, intelligent eyes which for me counts for far more than just a pretty coat.

In the end if you do want to enter her in competitions you will need to develop a thick skin and accept she won't win them all and there will be people who say she is ugly as she isn't the standardised 'pretty' cat.

Hopefully I haven't upset you, i have tried to be objective about it, after all, all cats are beautiful in their own way.

Re: Is my cat beautiful?

Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2018 12:38 pm
by Aruna
Thank you so much for your long answer Ruth! I truly appreciate you being honest and I share your opinion that beauty is completely subjective. As I said, I love my Shini...some others won't and I guess that's just the way it is.

Anyway, I have entered the contests, because well...why not? :D

Hoping to win some cool accessories!

thank you again Ruth <3

Re: Is my cat beautiful?

Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2018 1:05 pm
by Ruth B
Let us know how she gets on, we could do with a superstar on here, although most cats believe they are superstars anyway.

Re: Is my cat beautiful?

Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 8:09 am
by bobbys girl
In all honesty, Rex cats are not amongst my favourites. However, your cat has the sweetest, most open expression (not scary, like my Willow, or grumpy, like Gracie) and the most stunningly beautiful eyes I have seen in a long while.

Yes - go for it, and good luck!

Re: Is my cat beautiful?

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 3:30 pm
by Judy Barnett
I'd have to agree with my sister, (bobbys girl), I think your cat has got the prettiest eyes I've seen on a cat in some time. If the contest is being run by cat fans I think you'll be surprised at just who enters anyway. All kinds of cats will be in it, all shapes and sizes great and small. All entered by owners who love them and think they are the most beautiful cats in the world. Go for it :D

Re: Is my cat beautiful?

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 5:02 pm
by Lilith
I think she's beautiful, although I'm not drawn to the Sphynx in the way I am to Siamese and other orientals. She's very elegant - and different, so she'll definitely catch the eye - think Grace Jones or Annie Lennox, who aren't conventional beauties but definitely stand out from the crowd and have their own style.

I do think a cat photography contest is better than the conventional cat show - so many cats hate that.

Good luck! :)

Re: Is my cat beautiful?

Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 7:47 pm
by Mayday21
Your Shini has similar coloured eyes to my Pebbles .. an oriental-x. Not blue or green, turquoise like. A Japanese vet told me that Asians with blood type B result in similar coloured eyes. Think she’s beautiful. Good luck. Vivian & the Famous Five from Oz.