DATE: Wednesday, March 26, 1997             TAG: 9703260030

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Column 

SOURCE: Larry Maddry 

                                            LENGTH:   89 lines

HERE'S THE BUZZ: JIMSON WILL LEAD APRIL 4 DOO-DAH PARADE

THE WINNER of the Tidewater's Kinkiest Kat Kontest is Jimson, a ginger-red-striped kitty owned by Adrienne Jones, 15, of Surry Road in Virginia Beach.

Here's the kinky habit that won for Jimson, an 8-pound kitty:

HE CATCHES FLIES AND CARRIES THEM AROUND, BUZZING IN HIS MOUTH, THEN RELEASES THEM SO HE CAN CHASE THEM SOME MORE!

Jimson will be leading the Downtown Doo Dah Parade on April 4 in his very own mousemobile with ears and tail. Adrienne may bring a bottle of flies along so that the public can witness his kinky sport.

The judges almost came to blows over the winner of the contest. There were many, many entries, all great.

I enjoyed reading every letter. There are a lot of cat lovers out there and - after reading the entries - I can see why.

Ever hear of a surfing cat? S. Mason of Long Creek Road in Virginia Beach says her cat Max will go surfing on any pool toy the wind blows to the edge of their pool. She encloses a photo of Max on a surfboard in the pool.

Carey Phillips of Berrywood Road in Virginia Beach wrote to say her cat named Madison loves water, too. Madison once jumped out of a boat on Kerr Reservoir just to swim around the boat. ``She loves to watch the water swirl out when the toilet is flushed,'' Carey write. ``Then when the bowl has refilled, she puts her paw in the water and digs furiously as if trying to make a hole in the water.''

Thomas Therrin of Catfish Street (honest) in Windsor says his cat - Miss Muffin - seems to be part jack rabbit. ``She runs into the house and jumps three-quarters of the way to a doorjamb,'' he says.

Joyce Drew's Cassie works out on parallel bars - an antique quilt-holder (rack) ``and practices somersaults in pursuit of her tail on the overhead shower track.'' A photo documents this extraordinary performance. The cat lives on Surrey Crescent in Norfolk.

Alexander Serrano-St. Germain, age 10, writes from Challedon Drive in Virginia Beach. He says his cat - Pharoah Kitty Beetles - sometimes purrs so hard that he makes chirping noises. Pharoah also stands on his hind legs to open a door with his front paws and likes to fetch McDonald's straws.

Here's a great photo of an aloof black cat named Boo who is sprawled on his back like a pasha. Boo is so-named because he was acquired over Halloween. Charla Johnson of Glendale Avenue in Chesapeake says the cat believes every member of the family was put on Earth simply to serve him. If Boo is peeved with a family member he lets them know by ``sitting in front of you with his back to you.''

Ever hear of a cat that looks like a cow? Debra Roper of East Chester Street in Norfolk has one. It's named Cow Kitty, natch. She encloses an amoosing photo. Great cat there. Sure nuff, looks like a Holstein with whiskers.

Jackie Kirkman of Brackenridge Avenue in Norfolk encloses a photo of her kitty - Miss Kitty - who relaxes by raising all her feet in the air. The cat appears to have dropped from a 10-story building but is merely relaxing. Curious.

Here's a nice photo of Sue Nance's Spunky who enjoys watching animal shows on The Discovery Channel - by the hour. Spunky is shown watching fish on the TV and is as frozen as a garden statue. Sue and Spunky live on River Point Crescent in Portsmouth.

And here's another kinky cat. Ramona Chandler of Knells Ridge Drive in Chesapeake says her cat - Romeow - likes to eat spaghetti and chase flashlight beams.

Nice photo here of a gray-and-white cat named Tuesday who keeps the folks at the Dog and Cat Veterinary Hospital on 21st Street in Norfolk in line. Tuesday is shown standing upright pulling on what appears to be a venetian blind cord.

Carrie Moore of Woodrow Avenue in Norfolk writes a poem about Ashton, her cat that hides on the top shelf of the closet where it behaves like the Phantom of the Opera.

More than 50 units have signed up for the Downtown Doo Dah Parade, according to Robin Evans and Tracy Kell at Festevents.

Some of the old favorites - the Nasty Boys from the City of Norfolk's Waste Management Division - will return, natch. But there will be plenty of newcomers such as Men Wearing The Kind of Underwear You Wouldn't Want To Have On If You Are In An Accident And Go To The Hospital, the Marching Macarena Macaroni from Navy Management Systems and The Spaghetti Warehouse, The Society of Tasters of Whiskey, Samurai Warriors from TRT, and the Society Practicing Rare and Difficult Bird Calls.

Although the deadline has passed for registering units, Robin and Tracy say there's still time to smuggle your entry in if you register by Friday. For information, phone Fest-events at 441-2345. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Martin Smith Rodden

The fly-catching Jimson is owned by Adrienne Jones of Virginia

Beach. KEYWORDS: CAT CONTEST

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