Cat Show draws enthusiastic response

For cat enthusiasts or for those looking to make a purchase for a furry friend or a add a feline to the family, the International Cat Show at the Cleveland I-X Center was the place to be.

The Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) International Cat Show held Oct. 13-14 is one of the largest cat shows around, according to the CFA Website.

The weekend-long event drew a crowd of over 6,000 according to event organizer, Desiree Bobby.

The Show featured over 75 vendors selling an assortment of merchandise for both cats and cat lovers in the Meow Mall.

Ashley Fehribach, Avon is the owner of Furball Fanatics, a business which sells stuffed catnip toys, framed art, tote bags and other cat related items.

Over 800 cats were entered into a variety of competitions, while over 100 cats were available for adoption from local Agencies.

Vicky Sprouse of the Euclid Beach Cat Project thought the weekend was successful for her organization as they found homes for 19 of their cats. They also recruited volunteers, found foster homes for kittens, and transporters.

Ashley Gilson, Pittsburgh, was at the event looking to adopt a kitten, while she didn’t decide on one today, she is still looking.

Celebrity Cats were a crowd favorite as many event goers stood in line to take an insta-gram photo with them.

Bagel the Sunglass Cat seemed to be the most popular of the celebrity kitties. Bagel is an adopted cat who has to wear sunglasses due to being born with no eyelids. Bagel and her owner Karen Mcgill have a book coming out soon. The book tells the story of Bagel’s special needs and the story of his adoption.

Justin Purcel, 7, of Parma couldn’t get enough of Bagel as he stopped to pet her.

Justin and his grandmother Carla Nelson of North Olmsted attended the event for the first time.

According to Nelson, she and Justin are both cat lovers, and this was a special day for them to spend time together.

“We are both excited and enjoying it,” Nelson said.

Another popular attraction at the event was Feline Agility.

Owners have the opportunity to run their cats through an agility course with ten obstacles such as steps, jumps, and tunnels. They are competing for points, titles and cash.

Sarah Siefert, of Maryland, participated with her cat Jessie who is an agility grand master, which is the highest title a cat can be awarded.

Siefert travels to compete in approximately 40-50 cat shows a year.

She started back in 1996 with her mother Elaine Dawson’s cat and has been doing so ever since.

One of the things she enjoys most about the events is the camaraderie with other exhibitors.

Siefert points out that the agility competition is relatively new to cat shows, and has been gaining popularity over the last 10 years.

Abby Tucker of Mentor came to the cat show sporting a dress made from a cat print material to shop for her two Persians.

Claire Dubit of Baltimore Maryland spends most of her weekends attending cat shows with her Tonkinese kittens. Three of which won ribbons over the weekend.

Pedigreed cats weren’t the only ones on exhibit this weekend. Marilee Griswold, of South Carolina, who is one of the youngest and newest judges for the CFA, was tasked with judging the household pet class.

This is a class of cats which may not belong to any specific breed. They are just your average family pet and may or may not have defects,according to Griswold.

“Whenever I am handing out my ribbons I make some people happy and some people unhappy,” Griswold said. “If it was about making people happy it wouldn’t be much fun. So it’s all about the cats.”

Lauren Underwood of Alexandria Kentucky and her Sphinx, Libby, stayed busy in the education ring teaching people about the personality and characteristics of different cat breeds.

The event featured activities for children as well such as a coloring station, the chance to dig tootsie rolls out of kitty litter and do art projects with neon litter.

The show sponsors Royal Canin, which was given away free cans of cat food to attendees handed out over 12,000 cans of food.

Bobby says next year they plan to double up on everything, because the size of the crowd this year warrants that.

According to Bobby, the show typically changes locations every year, but with this being one of the CFA’s most successful shows and next year being their 30th anniversary they plan to hold the show in Cleveland again next year.