They came …

Pedigreed cats in all colors, shapes, and sizes could be found at Madison Square Garden on October 9 & 10, 2004. Over 300 cats, representing breeds such as the large Maine Coon, multicolored Persian, and hairless Sphynx were present and competing at the CFA-Iams Cat Championship. Exhibitors came to Madison Square Garden from all over North America with their pampered felines, to compete and hopefully win the coveted Best In Show award.

The Presenting Sponsor of the show was The Iams Company. The show's Gold Sponsor was Genetic Savings & Clone, the Silver Sponsor was Cat Fancy Magazine/Bowtie Publications, and the Bronze Sponsor was Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Products (cat litter). CFA's gratitude to these sponsors, and to those who sponsored the Adopt-A-Cat at the Garden and the individual judging rings knows no bounds.

 They saw ….

The show was attended by over 20,000 spectators, who saw some of the finest cats currently being exhibited on the show circuit. Visitors to the show were greeted by the Fancicat Dancers, a teenage dance troup under the direction of Annmarie Morin. (Click photo to enlarge.)

Joan Miller, a CFA All Breed judge, hosted a very informative -- and very crowded -- breed presentation area in which she introduced lovely exhibits of each breed and explained their genetic makeup, breed history and the
nuances of the breed standard.

An Adopt-A-Cat at the Garden was held on Saturday, in conjunction with the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, a coalition of over 70 animal rescue groups and shelters working with the City of New York to find great homes for all cats and dogs in NYC who need one. Sponsored by Whiska's and Petco, this event gathered cats from over a dozen New York City shelters into one arena, where they were available to meet potentially adoptive families. Over 100 of them found new homes and loving families to share their purrs with!

Over 25 vendors were in attendance and provided a virtual "Meow Mall" and a shoppers delight for both exhibitors and spectators. If you (or your cat) wanted it, you could find it among the plethora of feline items offered for sale - everything from note cards, to jewelry, to cat toys, to catnip, to air cleaners, to scratching posts - you name it, it was there!

CFA and its research branch, The Winn Feline Foundation, had informational booths at the show entrance. Both booths were extremely popular with the spectators, especially for the amount of breed and feline health educational material that was available for the asking. (Click photo to enlarge.)

Six judging rings, sponsored by Cats Rule and Sticky Paws, dominated the show hall, with prominent judges from around the country being chosen by ballot and invited to preside over the rings. Judging the event were Kim Everett(WA), Barbara Sumner(FL), Lois Jensen(IN), Liz Watson(MI), Darrell Newkirk(IL), and Bob Zenda(AZ). Each judging ring was a mini-show unto itself, with each judge handling all exhibits and presenting their own top awards during exciting finals in the Championship, Kitten and Premiership Classes.

Points were awarded to each cat that appeared in a "ring" final, and the top three highest scoring cats overall were then judged in a Best of the Best competition. Judges for that event were Bob Molino(VA), Diana Rothermel(AZ), and Rachel Anger(MI). Competing for the Best In Show title were three cats, all shorthairs: Pretty Bald the Cunucks of Whiteweb, a blue mackerel tabby & white Sphynx female kitten; GC, RW Shadowland's All That Glitters, a Bombay male; and GC, RW Moirai Wedjat, a chocolate spotted Ocicat male.

Excitement and anticipation hung in the air as the three judges handled, evaluated and discussed the three entries. CFA President, Pam DelaBar, presided over the awards ceremony, and ultimately awarded Best In Show to GC, RW Moirai Wedjat, the chocolate spotted Ocicat. Applause, applause!  (Click photo to enlarge.)

They conquered …

Press coverage for the CFA-Iams Cat Championship was unprecedented. Pre-show coverage included appearances by Ms. DelaBar and Allen Scruggs, the CFA-Iams Cat Championship Committee Chair, on several national morning shows with wonderful cats of various breeds. TV cameras could be seen everywhere you turned in the show hall. It was a media frenzy! Newspaper, radio, internet and TV news coverage of the show could be found everywhere you looked. Genetics Savings and Clone, one of the shows sponsors, had a very popular exhibit of their recently cloned kittens and they received a great deal of media attention.

The show was a huge success, both for CFA and for the exposure our breeds of pedigreed cats received through the media. We will be back in New York next year! Mark your calendar now, and watch for us at MSG on October 8-9, 2005.