NEW YORK—There was cuteness galore at Madison Square Garden this past weekend, where 325 cats from nearly all of the 41 contest-recognized breeds competed for the title of "Best in Show."
Over the two-day period of the 5th Annual Cat Fanciers' Association-IAMS Cat Championship, visitors could watch the animals being judged in competitions among the various breeds with the "Best of the Best" from each group moving on to try for the top prize.
Chosen "Best in Show" this year was a Japanese Bobtail Shorthair Mi-ke from Freehold, New Jersey named Tess. A year and a half old, Tess is an old pro when it comes to competing, entering her first show when she was four months of age—she was a National Kitten Winner last year.
Not bothered in the least by the cameras and microphones or shouted questions from journalists, Tess was more interested with the toy dangling in front of her. Her owners however, were bursting with pride. For winning the competition, Tess took home a year's supply of cat food and an assortment of cat products. She also appeared on "Regis and Kelly" the next morning, along with the 1st and 2nd runner up, a Blue Cream Persian, and a Longhair Scottish Fold, respectively.
The cat show includes a feline agility contest with cats running an obstacle course— jumping through hoops, tunnels, etc.—as well as a "Cutest Cat and Kid Photo" competition.
The event is also a chance for cat lovers to see all these animals up close, not only in the various judging rings, but also in their cages where they wait calmly—often with a sense of bemused indifference, at least when they're not sleeping—as people file past. Most owners and handlers, when not getting their cats ready for a competition, are more than happy to talk about their pets and answer questions.
In addition to the cats themselves, there were numerous venders present at the show, offering everything from cat beds and floor-to-ceiling scratching posts to cat litter, food, and toys. There were also several discussions and seminars, including ones on "Animal Disaster Preparedness," "Litter Box Solutions" and "Happy Bellies" (about digestive care cat food). There were also sessions on how cats can be trained. One such cat played the piano—a "Catcerto by Meowart" was how the woman running the demonstration put it.
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