Living for the Meow-ment: Marietta cattery beaming with pride as Bengal takes top spot in the world
RW SGC U Ride the Wind des Griffes de Feu of the Slightly Wilde Bengals cattery in Marietta strikes a pose. U Ride is the No. 1 All Breed Cat according to points won so far in the show circuit. (Photo Provided)
From left, Angela Hasley of SlightlyWilde Bengals of Marietta with Judge Laurie Patton of South Carolina at a show in July in Wooster, Ohio, where 64 all-breed cats competed. U Ride won best of show at Wooster. (Photo Provided)
Another Best in Show title for U Ride who is being adjudicated by International Judge Steven Corneille of France at Hampton, Va., held at the end of August. (Photo Provided)
U Ride won Best of Show at a Gray Summit, Mo., show in June when 58 all-breed champion cats were in the competition. With U Ride is International Cat Association International Judge Susanna Shon of Italy. (Photo Provided)
Judge Vikki Jo Harrison of Texas smiles as she judges U Ride at a show held Sept. 14-15 in Mississauga, Ontario, where the cat was Best in Show against 67 competitors. (Photo Provided)
RW SGC U Ride the Wind des Griffes de Feu of the Slightly Wilde Bengals cattery in Marietta strikes a pose. U Ride is the No. 1 All Breed Cat according to points won so far in the show circuit. (Photo Provided)
From left, Angela Hasley of SlightlyWilde Bengals of Marietta with Judge Laurie Patton of South Carolina at a show in July in Wooster, Ohio, where 64 all-breed cats competed. U Ride won best of show at Wooster. (Photo Provided)
Another Best in Show title for U Ride who is being adjudicated by International Judge Steven Corneille of France at Hampton, Va., held at the end of August. (Photo Provided)
U Ride won Best of Show at a Gray Summit, Mo., show in June when 58 all-breed champion cats were in the competition. With U Ride is International Cat Association International Judge Susanna Shon of Italy. (Photo Provided)
Judge Vikki Jo Harrison of Texas smiles as she judges U Ride at a show held Sept. 14-15 in Mississauga, Ontario, where the cat was Best in Show against 67 competitors. (Photo Provided)
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MARIETTA -- A cat owned by Peter and Angela Hasley of the SlightlyWilde Bengals of Marietta has amassed enough points on the show circuit to be the No. 1 ranked All Breed Cat in the world.
U Ride the Wind des Griffes de Feu is a 1-year old eighth generation brown (black) spotted tabby Bengal. U Ride is the foundation of the Slightly Wilde Bengals cattery, Angela said.
The official name of the cat is RW SGC U Ride the Wind Des Griffes de Feu. RW stands for Regional Winner.
A Bengal is a cross of an Asian leopard cat with a domestic cat and has spots like a leopard.
It is friendly and curious and acts more like a dog, she said. They like water, climb trees, can be walked like a dog, be trained and are smart enough to open doors, Angela said.
"I've always been a cat lover," Angela said. "I like the look of exotic cats. Bengals have that wild look to them."
Bengals most resemble her persona, she said.
"They fit in my lifestyle," Angela said. "They are just a very active cat."
U Ride is from Paris where Angela traveled to buy him from a breeder in March. It's the second Bengal she has obtained in Paris.
Her cattery has three female and two male Bengals.
U Ride has sired two litters of kittens with two of the cattery's female cats, with the pedigreed offspring going to other catteries in Portland, Ore., and Phoenix, Ariz. Programs in Canada and the Czech Republic also are interested in U Ride, Angela said.
Bengals are not inexpensive and can cost from $1,500 to $2,000, Angela said. Champions cost maybe double that, she said.
Angela competes in cat shows around the nation and the world. She and U Ride will be in Texas this weekend for a show that has 62 entries in the competition sanctioned by the International Cat Association, the foremost genetic registry for pedigreed cats and household pets. The larger the number of entries, the larger number of points to be awarded, Angela said.
U Ride received the title as the 14th Best Kitten in the Great Lakes Region last show season, Angela said. It also earned a Supreme Grand Champion title in June.
The season runs for a year from April to March, she said. Points amassed during the year from the competitions are tallied in March and 25 cats will be ranked, Angela said.
At this point in time, U Ride has achieved the most points among other cats and is the No. 1 cat in the world, she said.
Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.