Cat Blogging: Cat Show

While dog shows are a full contact sport where sniffing and mingling are part of the event, at cat shows the competitors are continually separated and shared surfaces are disinfected. Dogs roam freely albeit tethered to their handlers, while cats sit behind plastic or nylon like feline versions of John Trovolta's Boy in the Plastic Bubble. At dog shows breeds, then groups, then best-ofs trot together in a ring before approving audiences. At cat shows there is a stage placed in front of crates where each feline waits to be lifted from its cage by a judge who explains to admirers what traits the puss possesses that are indicative of its breed. Dogs shows are like soccer, and cat shows are ballet or perhaps modern dance mixed with fashion.

The Saintly City Cat Show in St. Paul was the first cat show T and I have ever attended. We wandered through the vendors (and purchased too many cat toys for Olive and Oskar), talked to owners (I was delighted when the Birman breeder who spoke with me at length won a breed championship with her male, and was pleased with my ability to pick a winner when I learned that the Persian kitty I fell in love with was sold to an Arab prince), and watched the judging. At one stage a judge exhibited his own animals, and he was the most entertaining part of the day, which is a difficult feat considering our surroundings. An article about him appeared in Friday's local Pioneer Press.