KUCHING: Sarawak has again made it onto the world map of cat fanciers when Saladin — a Bengal raised in Bintulu — bagged the grand champion title at The Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) International Cat Show in Terengganu recently.
Saladin is Malaysia’s first Bengal cat to have achieved the prestigious award as the breed has only been recognised by CFA, the world’s largest registry for pedigree cats, last year.
Bengals were first created in the United States of America in the 1970s when domestic cats were cross-bred with a leopard cat found in the jungles of Southeast Asia. As the breed name suggests, these cats look like miniature leopards, renowned for its richly coloured and highly contrasted coat of vivid spots or marbling.
According to Saladin’s owner, Abang Sukri, who owns 19 other Bengals at home, this breed makes confident and devoted companions.
“Saladin is very gentle and affectionate towards my children. They are active and agile, so life around them is always interesting.
“Our cats are registered with The International Cat Association (Tica). However, due to encouragement from our friends, we decided to participate in a CFA show held in Kuching earlier this year and Saladin did very well.
“So when my friend Cheryl — whose Maine Coon cat from Kuching has made history and won numerous titles — helped me with the required permit to enter the show in Terengganu, we decided to bring Saladin and try our luck there. It was our first time travelling outside of Sarawak for competition and Alhamdulillah, we managed to collect enough points to qualify for the grand champion title,” he said.
The competition was a collaborative event between Terengganu state’s Tourism Department and the Asian Abyssinian Cat Club.
The two-day event featured 142 cats from about 30 different breeds. Cats from various countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Turkey, were displayed and competed before 10 professional judges from Hong Kong, Japan, Australia and the United States.
The Sultan of Terengganu Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin was also present to grace the event which was held at the state sports complex. He was accompanied by the Sultanah of Terengganu Sultanah Nur Zahirah and their children Tengku Muhammad Muaáz and Tengku Nadhirah Zahrah.
