STRANGE BREEDS

America’s east coast is peppered with architectural behemoths better suited to Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” than the leafy habitat of the tufted Maine Coon cat. Parts of northern New Jersey look like industrial-age Manchester, and the towering girded glass cubes of I.M. Pei's Jacob K. Javits convention centre in New York City could house a fighter jet. It's hardly the place one would expect to glimpse the spotted belly of a sprawling Egyptian Mau.

But enthusiasts came in droves to this year’s Cat Fanciers Association-American Kennel Foundation (CFA-AFK) Meet the Breeds cat and dog show at the Javits Centre. For two days beneath the cyberpunk ceiling, vendors, visitors and breeders of the 41 cat and 160 dog breeds on view created a community that was downright cosy.

It had to be the outfits. To promote breed awareness (not unlike brand awareness), participants donned costumes and decorated booths to match their pampered pets’ pedigrees. Norwegian forest cats inspired Viking ships and horned helmets; Russian Blues demanded the lavish robes and powdered wigs of Imperial Russia.

One group of Bombays–glossy black cats with owlish expressions–were named for prominent African-American politicians. Above their cages hung photos of Colin Powell, the former defence secretary, and Barack Obama, cradling their cat counterparts. A calico-coloured Turkish Angora romped by on a leash.

This year’s show concentrated less on competition between breeders to produce a perfect cat and more on promoting the different characteristics of various breeds. This meant letting the public interact with the fuzz-balls themselves to gather information about personality and activity levels.

There was a “Cat Idol” competition instead of the traditional "best in show" inspection. This was a challenge for breeders such as Katheryn Dunham at the Cleopatra-themed Egyptian Mau booth. “It was a little bit of a crap-shoot for us breeders to decide on the cats best suited for this venue,” said Dunham. “We selected excellent representatives of breed type who enjoy people and were open to being handled.”

Adding to the difficulty, even the best-behaved (“bomb-proof”) competitors tended to tire over time. “My little boy, What a Riot!, was totally exhausted the second day and just wanted to sleep,” said Dunham, who recommends using a different cat for each day of competition. It was a strategy that paid off. An Egyptian Mau, one GC Dotz Shooting Star, placed third overall and landed an appearance on the morning television show "Regis and Kelly". A slinky Siamese named Fresco won first and an American wirehair named Porkay came in second. Best Booth went to the Manx.

JAMES MCGIRK

Images credit: James McGirk