'Foreign' cats forced to stay away

The fact that hotels in Malta have an allergy to pets has stopped a number of foreigners from exhibiting their felines in the first international cat show.

"A lot of people were interested in coming here but they were disheartened by the fact that none of the hotels would accept them with their pets," Malta Feline Guardians Club president Kevin Charles Micallef said.

"We had trouble getting hotels to take them in. They were only staying for one night, but it was still a problem. We are hoping this situation is resolved by our next international cat show in December," he said.

The fact that pets had to fly in to Malta as cargo made the trip more costly for those who wanted to take part and as a result no foreign cat took part in yesterday's show, which was held at the Radisson SAS Golden Sands Resort & Spa, Golden Bay.

However, the show was still deemed a success by the two international judges - Laura Ghirimoldi from Spain and Antonello Bardella from Italy - who flew in purposely.

"The organisation behind this show was perfect and the level compared extremely well with European standards," Ms Ghirimoldi said.

"This is the only organisation in Malta that leads cats to world champion titles and they are doing a good job," she added.

Mr Bardella also heaped praise on the organisers saying that the cats entered were well cared for and in excellent condition.

A total of 45 cats, mostly Persians, came under the spotlight as the two judges analysed their temperament, health and fur with a fine-tooth comb - from their face to their tail.

For the first time, a steward, Stefano Qualia from Italy, was also present to ensure everything ran smoothly.

He was handling the cats and getting them out of the cages, as hundreds thronged into the hotel to admire the furry felines.

There were 17 categories in all, and the trophies were brought over from Italy.

The cat show was sponsored by Micabliss Persians and supported by Eukanuba, Greenview (Tidy Cat), Crystal Pearls Litter, Eurosport and 22pm.

www.maltafelineguardiansclub.com