Over 100 furry felines were on display in Bloomington at the 31st All Breed Cat Show over the weekend, hosted by the Illini Cat Club.
The show was held at the Interstate Center in Bloomington for the first time. It usually takes place in Champaign. That’s something show manager and Illini Cat Club secretary Mary Auth said couldn’t be passed up.
“This year we moved to Bloomington because this is a fabulous facility here at the Interstate Center, really amazing that we had this available to us,” said Auth.
Many kinds of kitties were there.
“There are 33 cats represented — from Siamese, to Persians, to Maine Coons, to the Lykoi, to some Havana Browns. So a really good variety of breeds to see,” said Auth.
Those cats were brought in by people from all across the country. Auth said exhibitors hailed from states as far as Virginia, Colorado and Arizona. Their cats were then judged according to Cat Fanciers’ Association standards. Those include categories like appearance, health and wellness, grooming and personality.
But cat judging was not the only event happening at the Interstate Center. There were many vendors there selling feline-related goods; from cat toys to catnip, and even customizable mats with patrons’ pets’ faces on them.
The show was also a fundraising opportunity for adoption and shelter organizations like CATsNAP and Pet Central Helps. A portion of the proceeds from entrance fees were donated to them.
Some cats were even up for adoption through Pet Central Helps. Mary Auth expressed gratitude for that, especially given how cat shows can sometimes get a bad rap.
“Some people kind of want to steer away from the cat shows, because they think we’re all breeders and contributing to that, when it couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Auth. “We all love cats and so we want all of them to have good homes.”
