MEET THE MISS UNIVERSE OF CATS

MEET THE MISS UNIVERSE OF CATS

CHARLEVOIX, Mich. (Wireless Flash) -- A two-year-old feline from Michigan is feeling like the cat's meow now that it has won the kitty equivalent of the Miss Universe pageant -- even if it is a he. The Persian tomcat's name is a mouthful: "Grand Premier Noblessa's Peace Maker of Stunning" -- or "Eli" for short. Anyway, Eli has just been named the "world's most beautiful feline" at a beauty pageant sponsored by Cat Fanciers Association International. Eli's owner, Kris Vanderbeek, says she's honored by the title -- but admits taking care of the cat's beauty regimen is no walk in the park: Each day she untangles Eli's 6-inch-long coat and each week she gives him a bath followed with a blow drying session using a special high-powered, 4-horsepower blow dryer. Vanderbeek insists her precious kitten doesn't mind all the primping and he actually loves his weekly dunks.