Purr-fect for tourism
Daily Express, 15 Nov 2007

Kota Kinabalu: Tourism in Sabah appears set to purr following the setting up of the Borneo Cat Club (BCC) recently. The Club hopes to promote the State especially among cat lovers from around the world by participating in an international cat show next week, as well as hosting a similar event in Sabah next year.

The Kota Kinabalu-based club has joined hands with the Feline Society of Malaysia to organise the biggest cat show for the first time in Asia and Latin America known as the 'Malaysia International Cat Show 2007'.

It would be held at the Matrade Exhibition & Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur from Nov. 23 to 25 and see 450 of the finest pedigree cats from Asia, Europe and the United States compete for prestigious titles.

BCC President Ben Hsu said four cats from here are expected to participate in the competition which will presided over by six judges from the US, one from Belgium and another from Australia.

"If the Sabah cats win any of the categories in the world class competition, the owner and the cat will get recognition and be placed on The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) website. Trophies and cat food would also be given away as prizes.

In comparison Sarawak's State Capital Kuching (Malay for cat) is well known among foreign visitors as it has been branding itself as a Cat City with a number of cat statues erected around Kuching.

"In fact, I will present Sarawak t-shirts that show the statues of cats as souvenirs to the judges," he told a press conference at his pet shop in Jalan Penampang, Wednesday.

Hsu said the BCC was formed on June 28 last year and is affiliated to the world's largest registry of pedigree cats, the US-based Cat Fanciers' Association, enabling the club to organise international cat shows. The club has a 10-member committee that covers Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei Darussalam.

The club plans to organise a similar event involving over 100 over pedigree cats from throughout the world to be held here tentatively in the middle of next year.

To a question, Hsu said there is no known indigenous Borneo cat species as recognition of such species has to be certified by the CFA.

Nonetheless, he said, there is a Singapura cat that has been certified by the CFA and is known to be the lightest of domestic cats.