This weekend, cats and cat fanciers will flock to the Seaside Civic and Convention Center for Seaside Sand Cat'stles, a championship cat show.

Two hundred glamorous stars of the cat world will be on display at the Seaside Convention Center this weekend.

They are competing in Seaside Sand Cat’stles, the sixth annual Championship Cat Show presented by a local club – Sunkats Feline Fanciers – and sanctioned by the national Cat Fanciers’ Association.

The fabulous felines at the show will be as indulged, pampered and perfectly groomed as any film star or singing idol as they recline in their plush cages, waiting for their turn in the ring. Champions command prices in the hundreds and even thousands of dollars from afficionados who want to acquire a beautiful cat to show or to add to their breeding program. Prices for national-winning stock range from $1,500 to $3,500 for males and a little less for females, according to Sue Ostlund, a member of Sunkats.

Sue Ostlund, who helped start Sunkats Feline Fanciers, shows her affection for her Himalayan, Miss Opal.Ostlund, who serves as Warrenton Postmaster, and her late husband, Greg, helped start Sunkats in 1996. She was smitten by cats at an early age, especially Himalayans, which are Persian cats with Siamese coloring.

When she met Greg, she found out he had a Himalayan as a child and loved them too. Shortly after the couple married in 1993, they got their first “Himmy,” then went to a cat show and decided to become breeders. At one point, they had 35 cats in a cat room they built in their garage. Their cattery, SOGO, eventually produced several grand champions.

After Greg died in July, 2001, Sue Ostlund stayed involved with the Sunkats club and continued to keep Persians. The current SOGO cats are Sweet Surprise, a flame point Himalayan; Miss Opal, a blue-cream point Himalayan; and Petunia, a tortie point-and-white Exotic, which is like a Persian, but with a short plush coat instead of long hair.

Ostlund’s tortie point-and-white Exotic, Petunia, has the large eyes and short nose characteristic of the breed.The cats have their own glass-enclosed patio room in Ostlund’s condo, with a view of the outdoors and an array of toys and cat furniture. Numerous ribbons from past SOGO Cattery wins are displayed in a bedroom.

Sunkats member Debbie Estep raises Korats at her Shoalwater Cattery in Ocean Park, Wash. One, called Gentlegift’s Taa Praw of Shoalwater, finished last season as the best Korat in the United States for CFA, Estep said, and won the international title in a competing organization, The International Cat Association.

“She’s absolutely gorgeous – wonderful attitude, loves to purr, loves to play, loves people,” Estep said. “But her biggest draw is her stunning, humongous green eyes.”

Chapion Korat, Gentlegift’s Taa Praw of Shoalwater, owned by Debbie Estep of Ocean Park, Wash., had her eyes on the prize at a show in Portland earlier this year. Submitted photo.Estep became involved in the cat hobby, or “fancy,” about 12 years ago, after responding to one of Ostlund’s newspaper ads for a Himalayan. “It’s all Sue’s fault,” Estep joked. She said she bought two Persians from Ostlund, and began breeding Korats about four years ago.

Diminutive green-eyed, silvery-blue Korats and sturdy Persians with long, flowing hair and open pansy-like faces are just two of the 41 breeds recognized by the CFA. From Abyssinian to Turkish Van, pedigreed cats come in all sizes and types.

Ostlund’s cats, from left, Sweet Surprise, Miss Opal and Petunia, gather on a porch.There are king-size, long-haired Maine Coon cats; svelte, long-legged, blue-eyed Siamese; Cornish and Devon Rex cats with curly or wavy coats; hairless Sphynx cats that feel like suede hot-water bottles; spotted Ocicats, bred to mimic the coats of cats in the wild; cats with short tails, like the Japanese Bobtail; cats with no tails, like the Manx; and cats that look like they’re earless, like the Scottish Fold, whose ears fold forward and down, giving them an owl-like appearance.

When it comes to colors and patterns, there’s virtually no limit. All Himalayans have blue eyes and light-colored bodies like their Siamese ancestors, but the colored “points” on the face, ears and legs can be one of 19 different colors, according to the breed standard. Besides Himalayan coloration, Persians also come in six other color divisions.

The variations within each division are as endless as the devotion cat fanciers have for their hobby.

If you go…

Having a “catty” moment, Petunia licks her paws.What: Seaside Sand Cat’stles, the sixth annual Cat Fanciers’ Association Cat Show presented by Sunkats Feline Fanciers

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 17 and 18

Where: Seaside Civic and Convention Center

How much: $5 for adults, $3 for seniors 60 and older and children 12 and younger

CAT BOX

The Cat Fanciers’ Association Inc. is the world’s largest registry of pedigreed cats, with 657 member clubs and 394 sanctioned shows worldwide.

Thirty-seven breeds are currently recognized for showing in the CFA Championship Class.

The CFA disapproves of declawing or tendonectomy surgery.

When natural disasters strike, the CFA offers support teams for disaster relief workers and sets up auxiliary shelters

for animals whose owners must evacuate disaster areas.