Should you choose a shorthair or a longhair with special grooming needs? Do you have room for an active cat, or would a more sedentary one be happier in your living space? Which breeds are most affectionate, independent, playful, calm?
The experts gathered at a cat show can answer most of these questions for you. Allow yourself plenty of time to look over the furry assemblage, talk with cat owners and gather information for later consideration.
Cat Show Tips
To the uninitiated, a cat show can look like a three-ring circus, with each act eagerly waiting to go on. The huge exhibition hall bustles with constant activity. Booths filled with cat-related products line the walls, and the vendors hawk everything from fleece-lined cat beds to outdoor pens.
Anxious exhibitors add last-minute touches to elaborately decorated cages leopard prints and lace ruffles hang everywhere. Others hustle to the litter supply and scoop litter or to the comb to recomb their already stylishly coifed cats.
The show ambiance is a gentle assault on the senses: a constant din of excited cats, excited people and the crackling loudspeaker announcing the next event. The smells of corn dogs, coffee, disinfectant, grooming powder, male spray and cat food fill the air.
When a judging is announced, exhibitors scurry by, carrying their seasoned cats draped over their shoulders or stretched out in their arms while spectators hurry to the judging rings to find good seats.
When not observing the competition, spectators are free to stroll down the long aisles of caged cats. They can talk with exhibitors to learn the traits and temperaments of such breeds as the spotted Ocicat, wild in appearance but anything but ferocious, or the Japanese Bobtail, which is said to bring good luck. There are Persians, ever popular with their open, pansy-like expressions, and Maine Coons, luxurious in coat length and stature, with tufted ears and fluffy tails.
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