Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 2009)
FEBRUARY 6, 2009 people justput : 3» Val^ntinçs ‘Day Pussy Galore V Cat show judge has his claws out £>at. fyb. Ï4 by Jim Radosta il see myself as a kind of salesperson for pedi- | greed cats. I probably would’ve done very I well selling cars,” laughs Walter Hutzler. Regardless, the gay 71-year-old New Yorker has done quite well for himself: After struggling as an opera singer (“I always wanted to do the romantic roles, and all 1 got were comic characters because I was thin and lean and kind of effeminate”) and retiring as a hair colorist, he continues to judge cat shows in his spare time. Hutzler spoke with Just Out about his “pet proj ect” in anticipation of a Portland appearance. dollhouses. 1 call it American froufrou. They have little furniture in there. People go nuts about those things! The only thing that we don’t do is we’re not that enamored with obedience. So cats are fairly free to do whatever they want to do, and we don’t expect them to heel or to stand perfectly still. On his personal preference: I tend to like very flashy cats, cats that have beautiful color. I think that’s one of the things that mes merize people and myself. I actually live with two Maine On a judge’s role: Coon cats because He’s the referee. He I’m in that element decides which is right, that likes Where the which is wrong, which Wild Things Are. is good, which is perfect. 1 like a cat that looks It involves knowing the like a cat. I’m looking standards and knowing for a great predator. the breeds and having I don’t think a clear mental picture of I have a favorite what you want the cats breed, but 1 think 1 to look like. have a “desert island 1 think of this as an cat.” Maine Coons athletic event because are completely lov these cats have to be in able, but they’re prime physical shape: like Fred Flintstone: They have to be beau They ’re kind of big tifully proportioned, Walter Hutzler says cat show judging isn't a and Jurassic Park and they have to be well- vocation but rather "an avocation. There's not “duh." A Burmese balanced, they have to any real money in it." cat has a great sense be muscular. All of those of humor, and I think if I was on a desert island, things combine with your own subjectivity. It needs quite a bit of tact, as well. A lot of I would like a cat that would make me laugh at least. people who breed cats—they have an umbilical cord attached to these cats, and their blood and On his first feline memory: I always had cats their sweat and their tears sometimes get dimin at home. I grew up at a boarding school. These ished by rejection. were all cats that lived outdoors on the grounds of the school. I befriended them and used to come On the psychology behind pets: Humans get involved with animals because they want to rep out with some food that I had saved from meals licate themselves in their animals. When 1 went and feed them. 1 was a very lonesome and withdrawn youngster to my first cat show in 1959, my friends were say ing: “You like this kind of stuff? It’s a bunch of because we came over from Europe during World War II, and I was separated from my parents. I’m a old ladies in tennis sneakers!” That probably was child of the Holocaust. I was bom in a small town so! Because women think they’re dominated, and near Nuremberg, Germany. My father was in a therefore some of the traits that we have in cats— camp, and my mother had a tough time with two the kind of sweet, expressive, doll-like innocence young children. We went off to England after that that some of the cats have—that’s a very feminine and came to America; we didn’t speak English. The kind of psychological thing that people want with first time we tried to cross, our ship was torpedoed. their animals. It’s why people like those cute little 1 had this kind of relationship with cats right dogs and why we like cute little cats. in the beginning. It sort of eased the pain of with drawal of being away from my family. I think that On the truth about cats and dogs: There’s not had a lot to do with my appreciation of cars. much difference between a lion and a tiger and a I don’t even call them pets; 1 call cats “compan domestic cat, except for small little genes. I would ions.” I identify with them. They’re the survivors. © tell my friends: “When you lie down with your dog, it’s just like a personality. When 1 lie down with a cat, it’s a lion and a tiger I’m lying down with, and it’s still there. 1 think that’s the beauty of it." The big difference between us and dog shows is that cat shows are a lot fussier, prissier, fancier. It’s like a beauty contest. The cats are housed in The 45th annual C at F anciers ’ A ssociation C at S how runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 7 and 8 at Memorial Coliseum. Admission is $5-$8 with a $2 discount for donating two cans of pet food to SnowCap. prizes, and bogs to nwt! I lì Mardi Gras 2009 tuesday february 24 - featuring the smallest parade ever! complete with giveaways, GOGO boys, great drinks, and MISS MYLAR as hostess more info to come... Pamper Yourself! Come In To A Clean Homi' After A Hard Day Locally Owned & Serving Our Community Since 1997 J FL 1/ Beary Clean 503.206.1222 • 503.644.6814 Homes • Apartments • Offices • Free Bids Move ln/0uts • Regular Schedule • Special Occasions Visit My Website: www.BearyCleon.net
