Cat Show (and Tell)

 

January is one of those months when, while the rest of the nation shrivels up from the chill, in Minnesota we thrive. We wrap ourselves in down and wool and head out into the cold (and snow and wind and occasional ice) to find some fun. If we are lucky we stumble on an entire auditorium filled with ... cats! This January proved to be no exception, and on Saturday we headed into downtown St. Paul for the 40th Annual Championship and Household Pet Cat Show, sponsored each year by the Saintly City Cat Club. 

A cat show is very much the picture book "Millions of Cats" come to life. In the book, an old couple is lonely and decide that the companionship of a cat would sooth them. The man sets out to find a cat and comes across an entire hill of cats: Cats here, cats there. Cats and kittens everywhere. Hundreds of cats. Thousands of cats. Millions and billions and trillions of cats! The man says, "Now I can choose the prettiest cat and take it home with me!" And this is very similar to what happens at a cat show.

(Obligatory story explanation here: Those of us who love cats understand, the man cannot choose just one cat and ends up taking the whole lot home with him. As things progress, the cats fight over who is the prettiest and a hoarding nightmare ensues. All of the cats scatter except for one sad little thin creature. After love and care from the elderly couple the scrawny kitten becomes plump and beautiful. This tale warns of the ills that comes from hoarding, and encourages us to adopt a cat in need. Total win-win. Another related theme to "Millions of Cats" is that author Wanda Gag received training at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.)

Back to the show:

 

 

 

 

 

Later, at home, our small clowder enjoyed gifts of catnip pillows that we brought back from our adventure:

And then T photobombed Oskar's selfie: