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THERMOPOLIS – Hot Springs County 4-H member Reilly Russell and her 5-year-old orange tiger cat, Zombie Kitty, won best of show Wednesday during the Hot Springs County Fair in Thermopolis in the fairgrounds multi-purpose building.

Showing a cat is much different than showing a dog. The cat is not lead around or expected to show their obedience. Instead the cat is presented to the judge by the handler and inspected for health and are compared to the cats breed standard.

"The first thing that you do is introduce your cat to the judge and tell the judge about the cat such as how old it is," Reilly Russell said. "You then pick up the cat and show the judge the side, front, side and back," she added.

After the judge has been presented the cat, the cat receives a health inspection with the 4-H member first showing the judge the cat's teeth. "You show the judge the cat's teeth and explain to them (judge) why it's important for your cat to have healthy teeth," Russell said.

The nose and eyes are the next parts of the cat that are inspected by the judge. "You show the judge the cat's nose to show that there is no discharge or ticks and such," Russell said. "You then open the eye up for the judge to look at. While the judge is looking at the eyes, you explain to the judge what you should be looking for, such as discoloration or cloudiness. Cloudiness could mean the cat is developing cataracts," she added.

The 4-H member then shows the cat's ears to the judge. While showing the ears the 4-H member explains ear health to the judge and that the ears should be free of wax, dirt, ticks and mites. "Mites look like coffee grounds or little worms with wings," Russell explained.

The nails are next. "The nails should be trimmed and you tell the judge why," Russell said.

The 4-H member will then ask the judge if the judge would like to touch the fur before the tail is inspected. "The tail is inspected to make sure that there are no lumps or kinks," Russell said.

The stomach will then be checked and the 4-H member will explain to the judge why checking the stomach is inspected and if things are found, what they could mean. "On a girl cat, lumps or hardness could be a sign of kitty ovarian cancer," Russell said.

Zombie Kitty was calm and tolerant throughout the whole process and has a twin who is also a champion. "Zombie Kitty's twin has won at the state fair many times. The only differences between Zombie Kitty and his twin are that his twin's fur is a little darker and coarser and he's a little skinnier," Russell said.

Russell, who also showed a dog in the 4-H dog show Monday evening, said that she loves cats. "I love cats, they are my favorite thing ever. Cats are my life," she stated.

Showing cats for 4-H teaches 4-H members an appreciation for animals and it also teaches them how to properly care for their animals and what to look for to make sure that their animals remain healthy. County 4-H members learn life skills that they will remember and use for a lifetime.