UP CLOSE AND, Purr-sonal

Northwest Region Judge Wendy Heidt stumbled upon CFA completely by accident while out with friends at a Harvest Festival.

- Michelle Pelegrino

An avid animal lover and 4H exhibitor, Wendy insisted on checking out the cat show being advertised at the festival, even though her friends felt differently and stayed behind. Seeing the impressive variety of pedigree cats was a treat, but what was even more exciting for Wendy was discovering that household pets could participate in cat shows, something not common in most other show venues for animals. As someone who was actively involved in fostering and feline rescue/placement, Wendy quickly realized that CFA’s Household Pet category could be a useful tool in getting exposure—and potential new homes—for some of her cats. Thanks to this unique opportunity to enter non-pedigree pets, CFA gained a new participant whose destiny was to become far more than your average exhibitor.

Wendy says she got involved in most aspects of CFA right away. She joined clubs, learned how to clerk, managed shows and took on many leadership roles. Wendy also became an advocate for a newly recognized breed being shown in the Miscellaneous class—the Siberian. Along with other dedicated breeders, Wendy worked tirelessly for years showing Siberians to help them achieve Championship status. She imported cats and established a breeding program under the cattery name Kotchera. She showed multiple Siberians to the first titles for the breed, including GP, RW Transiberie Lunar Attack, and GC, RW, BW Siberkot Rocky Mountain.