Date: Fri 21-Nov-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

SNAN-cat-contest-winners

Full Text:

Newtown's Royal Feline Family

(with photos)

BY KAAREN VALENTA

Sixteen years ago, bulldozer operator John O'Hara was spreading soil over a

layer of trash at the Newtown landfill when he noticed movement inside a paper

bag discarded among the piles of rubbish. He stopped to investigate and

discovered two tiny kittens, less than three weeks old, inside the bag.

In a true rags-to-riches tale, one of these kittens has grown up to be crowned

this week as king in the Royal Feline Family Contest sponsored by the Spay &

Neuter Association of Newtown, Inc (SNAN).

The independent panel of judges did not know the identity of any of the 53

cats and kittens entered in the contest when they selected the ten winners

from photographs on Monday. The king, Chip, is owned by Carolyn and William

Downing of Saw Mill Ridge Road. Dixie, a four-year-old shaded-silver Persian

owned by Christine and Tom Anderson of Mt Pleasant Road, was named queen.

Mrs Downing was delighted to hear that Chip had been chosen for the highest

honor.

"He's very kingly," she admitted. "We should have named him Simba."

The Downings adopted Chip and his sister after a photograph of them was

printed in The Newtown Bee when they were rescued by Mr O'Hara. He brought the

kittens to then dog warden Helen Reid who, because there were no facilities

for cats at the dog pound, gave them to Linda Bowen of Newtown Animal Welfare

to raise until they were about ten weeks old.

"A photo of the two kittens was in The Bee . I saw it and we adopted them,"

Mrs Downing said. "At that time, The Preppie Handbook had just been published

so I decided to give them preppie names, Chip and Muffy."

Muffy turned out to be a very nervous, neurotic cat. In fact, she died four

years ago of a heart attack while the Downings were having cabinet facing work

done in their home.

"I guess it was all the hammering and confusion," Mrs Downing said. "I never

understood how two cats could be so different. Chip has always been a very

self-confident, happy, social cat. He's a great cat -- a wonderful `fur

person.' He'll be a very just and kind king."

Dixie will make a very good queen, too, according to Christine Anderson.

"She's very laid back -- sedate and feminine, unlike our two Maine coon cats,

Max and Fred, who tear around the house."

Like Chip, another cat who has been around a while is Jerry G. Lutz, a

14-year-old charmer owned by Barbara and Tom Lutz of Point O' Rocks Road in

Newtown. Jerry G. was named prince of the royal family. The princess, aptly

named Princess, is 12 years old and owned by the Oswald family of Crabapple

Lane in Sandy Hook.

Despite his unlikely name, Pug, an 11-year-old cat who lives at the Radio

Shack in Sand Hill Plaza, was judged to be the most prestigious male cat and

will henceforth be titled duke. The duchess is Neko, a two-year-old tiger

owned by Vicky Maresca of Great Ring Road in Sandy Hook.

Six-month-old Chessie, owned by Heather Curtis of Algonquin Trail in Sandy

Hook, is the heir to the throne. The photo of Chessie that was entered was

taken by her "grandmother," Town Clerk Cindy Curtis Simon.

Pookie, a three-year-old male with exceedingly long front legs, and Vincent, a

two-year-old who was born with part of an ear missing, were named most

unusual. Pookie lives with Julie and Eric Ralston on Capitol Drive in Sandy

Hook. Vincent's owner is Tracy Van Buskirk of Poverty Hollow Road in Newtown.

Lots of cats in funny costumes, cats peering into aquariums or trying to reach

birdhouses were entered into the contest. But J.P. Morgan, owned by Chris and

Kirsten Mawdsley of Great Ring Road, Sandy Hook, took the award as the court

jester for his decidedly unique sleeping style, on his back with his front

legs crossed.

Each winner will receive a prize donated by area merchants and veterinarians.

Lisa Dijon of The Pet Connection at Sand Hill Plaza, who was one of the

judges, donated a gift certificate of $25. Gift certificates also were donated

by Lexington Gardens and Dave Swanson of Swanson's Seafood in Monroe.

A certificate for a free facial by Nina was donated by Total Body Studio. Judy

Ferigno of Monroe donated a certificate for a Mary Kay Cosmetics facial and

basic skin care kit. James Fluman of Newtown donated a free chimney cleaning

by JMF Masonry; Newtown Subway donated two foot-long subs. Free inoculations

for the cats were donated by Dr Stuart Montrose of Bethel Animal Hospital, Dr

Richard Vargoshe of Woodbury Animal Clinic, and Dr John Robb of New Fairfield

Veterinary Hospital, the vets who provide most of the low-cost spay and neuter

services for SNAN.

All proceeds from the contest will by used by SNAN to provide low-cost spay

and neuter services and inoculations for cats and dogs.

More than 15 million homeless or abandoned cats and dogs are euthanized in the

United States every year. Twice that number die from disease, accidents, abuse

or starvation. SNAN was formed in 1982 to help remediate this problem locally.

In the past 15 years, SNAN has assisted financially by helping to spay and

neuter nearly 4,000 cats and dogs.

Donations to SNAN may be made c/o Box 352, Newtown 06470. For more information

about SNAN, call 426-5730.