Santos is Raleigh's top cat

He is fluffy. He is coddled. He is victorious. He is Santos

The Triangle has produced its share of celebrities. There are the Sedaris siblings, David and Amy, who write. There's Clay Aiken, who sings, Branford Marsalis, who plays sax, Evan Rachel Wood, who acts.

Now, we have one who ... well, he doesn't do much. But he looks terrific.

Kuorii Santos of Cuzzoe -- a 1-year-old black Persian who goes by plain old Santos -- was named the best cat in the world this weekend, according to the Cat Fanciers' Association. Santos beat 729 of the "world's finest pedigreed felines" to claim Best in Show honors at the association's International Cat Show in Atlanta.

Santos "is absolutely gorgeous," said Virginia Wight, of Macon, Ga., who had four cats competing in the show. "I don't consider us competing because we can't beat him."

Santos was judged on the size of his head, ear shape, body type, coat and balance.

According to the association's Web site, "the ideal Persian should present an impression of a heavily boned, well-balanced cat with a sweet expression and soft, round lines."

After Santos won, he sat perfectly fluffed, draped with his ribbon of victory, and let onlookers take his photo. Cooperatively, he looked toward each flash, said one of his owners, Brandon Moore.

Superlatives are nothing new for Santos, who began competing as a mere kitten. Of 40 shows, he has been named "Best in Show" 39 times.

And the one show he didn't win? It had a rookie judge. But that's another story.

Santos gets no money for winning. The shows are just an expensive hobby. Santos' owners spend up to $1,000 every weekend during the show season, which runs from May to April, Moore said.

Behind the glamour

When Santos is not traveling the world for shows, he lives the celebrity life in his North Raleigh home near Triangle Town Center with two of his owners: Moore, 22, and Justin Pelletier, 30. Santos sleeps in his own room on handmade navy-blue silk pillows (so his hair is not pulled out). Twice a day, he dines on Blue Ridge meat, made especially for cats. His owners feed him by hand.

He also has a serious addiction.

"Lord, he loves catnip," Moore said.

Santos takes four baths a week in his own tub, and his coat is washed with a mix of Joico and Aveda shampoos that costs $60 a bottle.

Born in Italy, Santos spent last summer in his native Venice with his breeder so his coat would grow thick in the cool air. His owners say they might let him attend a show in Germany in January. He's already been to Belgium, Kiev and the Netherlands. (When he travels, of course, he gets his own seat on the plane.)

Santos' hobbies include playing with his teaser toys and listening to "Bob and the Showgram" on G-105, said Moore, who works at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at N.C. State University. Pelletier is a veterinary technician at the Morrisville Cat Hospital.

Santos is more reclusive than many celebrities. Unless he's traveling, he rarely appears in public.

On Saturday, though, he'll appear in his hometown. He will be at the "Paws for Thanks" cat show from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the State Fairgrounds -- the same place where Aiken has performed.