Changing Cat Culture in the Latino Community One Kitty at a Time

Rows of colorful cat carriers on top of folding tables filled the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Circus Circus during the last weekend of February. People from all over the country came over to Reno to attend Catology Cats, an educational cat show and expo. 

Cat lovers had different activities they could do. Catology Cats featured a marketplace to shop for toys, trees and gifts, talks to learn about feline training and diet, and a competition of over a hundred cats in a The International Cat Association (TICA) sanctioned show. 

Cats of different breeds ranging from the flat-faced, long and flowing double coated Persians to Sphynx with down-like fur, wrinkled skin, and large-bat ears participated in the competition. Multiple judges evaluated how closely the participating cats conform to their breed’s standard. 

Jorge Garnica traveled all the way from Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico to judge the three-day long event. Garnica is a certified TICA judge. 

As a judge, he spent hours each day assessing which cat was the “best.” He said what started as a hobby became a lifelong passion.

“I have always loved them since I was a child. I started in Mexico. There is not much culture about cats and on my own, I was researching where I could learn about them and I found out about TICA and I started studying with [them],” Garnica said. 

His experience in the cat show world began when he was only 17. He got his foot in the door when he met a Persian breeder. After spending only a little time with the breed, he immediately fell in love with this long-haired group of cats with such expressive eyes. He then began breeding Persian cats himself. But the process of becoming a judge was quite extensive. 

“The process is very long, it is practically a university career, at least five years of study in which you have to learn the whole process from clerking as an assistant judge to going to school to become a judge, training in a [judges’] ring, learning about colors and more than 80 standard races, bodies, structures, coloration and type of mantle,” Garnica said. 

The lack of cat exhibitions in Mexico was a challenge he also had to face. He had to travel to the United States for his training.

“Also in Mexico, they say that I was a little nerdy … while I was doing my residency, I was also studying cats,” Garnica said. 

Garnica juggles his judging career with a full-time job as a psychiatrist. After days of seeing patients and analyzing human behavior, it is therapeutic for him to spend his weekends with cats. 

As a cat breeder and a show judge, he believes being a responsible owner entails caring for the felines in all aspects. Owners should understand the genetics of their cat, their temperament, health and physical characteristics. 

He recommends that cat owners sign up their pets for TICA exhibitions. Regardless of the results, it’s a fun experience. If interested, cat lovers have many upcoming exhibitions to choose from including a TICA show in Farmington, Utah where Garnica will be judging. 

“We are a very nice community, we are a healthy hobby above all else,” Garnica said.

This article was written by Mariel Day with contributions from Malory Shaw. Photos by Emilio Milo with video production by Malory Shaw.