Cats move a whisker nearer equality at America’s answer to Crufts

DOGS FROM petite papillons to muscular Rottweilers showed off their four-footed agility at America’s version of Crufts, tackling obstacles from hurdles to tunnels – and so did some other rare breeds – cats.

For the first time, the cat’s whiskers of the feline world sidled up to New York’s Westminster Kennel Club dog show, in an informational companion event showcasing various breeds of both species.

It included a cat agility demonstration contest, while more than 300 of America’s top agility dogs vied in a more formal competition.

It did not exactly mean there were cats in the 140-year-old dog show, but it came close enough to prompt some “what?!” and waggish alarm about a breakdown in the animal social order.

A satirical Chicago Tribune column declared that “we can’t just let cats start racing across the borders of traditional dog events”.

Even some Westminster competitors found the juxtaposition jarring, or “so weird”, in the words of Hannah Naiburg of Milford, Connecticut, who guided her terrier mix Molly in Westminster’s agility contest.

But others tipped their hats to the cats that were padding and prowling around their own course, most of them trying the sport for the first time.

“Good for them,” said Tina Ackerman of Goffstown, New Hampshire, who handled her bichon frise, Bubba Watson.

“There’s no way we could ever have trained any of our cats to do agility.”

Bemisu, a one-year-old sphynx cat nicknamed Misha, had never tried the event before.

But within half an hour she was following owner Blake Gipson’s toy-dangling signals to hop through hoops and run through a mesh tunnel, so well that she bested about 30 other cats to win.

“I had no idea she would learn so fast,” said Mr Gipson.