Cat woman

In our quest to find something to do on a rainy Sunday morning, we decided to check out something we had sort of been making fun of whenever we saw the posters advertising it: the cat show.

Noe, Becky, and I piled in the car and drove over to Grasso Tech, a vocational school in Groton. The parking lot was filled with cars, vans and even an RV bearing vanity plates with witty phrases such as "CATLUVR"; "MECOON1"; and "KTTYGRL". Upon walking in, we saw a large woman wearing a black t-shirt with two green cat eyes staring out from under a leather vest. If anything, we knew the people watching would be spectacular.

Judgment day for this American Shorthair.

Show cats do not travel or sit around in regular cages or cat carriers like you use to take your kitty to the vet. These kitties luxuriate in fancy two-room tents with shade screens or fully carpeted and decorated cages with personalized cat beds. Luckily, most of these enclosures still allowed for plenty of good viewing.

This cat's owner told us that this is a Grand Champion

There were some really cool cats. We saw the Rex cats with huge ears and the Sphinx cats with no hair. We saw American Short Hairs with their beautiful coat patterns and gigantic Maine Coons. There were tons of smushy-faced Persians, some of whom appeared to be wearing little doilies around their necks.

Try putting a doily on this guy.

A lot of the owners and breeders were really chatty and informative, telling us all about the breeds and even letting us pet or play with the cats. Those Rex cats with the curly downy coats are much softer than you would think.

Pile o' kitties.

All in all, it was a kind of weird way to spend a morning, but Becky and Noe and I managed to enjoy ourselves...although I do not think I will be getting a vanity plate proclaiming my love for Ralph and Buns anytime soon.