cat show 2007!

Remember last year, when I went to the cat show? Well, I went again this year! And, while I'd like to say it was even bigger and better than last year, it was actually pretty much the same. Lots and LOTS of cute kitties, and lots and LOTS of weird freaks who owned and ogled them. (ourselves included)

I went with my friend Larissa:

and we let Toonses drive us there:

(I don't know if the picture is big enough, but in my copy at home, you can see something that looks oddly like a snaggle tooth hanging out the left side of my mouth. It is, in fact, my gum. But I like the idea that the cat's driving was so bad it made my teeth fall out!)

Unlike last year, when we saw no Feats of Agility (as we were promised by the program), this year, we saw some attempts at feats of agility. (These are not circus cats and don't seem to be interested in winning prizes for said feats of agility, which included jumping over bars and running through tunnels.) This guy was giving it a good go, but just got kind of bored and sat down in the middle of it:

Then, later, after the Agility Inducer had given up and put the bell/feather-on-a-stick contraption down, this cat showed it who's the boss:

(That was just about the most agile thing this guy did, anyway. That, and lose his tail somewhere...)

There were several big bins like this one in the joint:

Unsurprisingly, Madison Square Garden smelled a bit like cat pee. (And when I say "a bit" I really mean "a lot.")

The guy with the best job? This guy:

I think he might not have spoken English. I got in the picture and asked him "how's it going in there?" and all I got in response was a thumbs up. I said, "At least it's not too hot out." Again with the thumbs up. "Are you not supposed to speak?" A little dance that involved thumbs up and moving around.

Better that than being groped by a guy in a kitty suit...

Some exclusively kitty pics (separated for those of you who hate this kind of thing...)

So, remember the Secret of Nimh? (One of my all time favorite cartoons of childhood, even though it's totally disturbing, and populated with rats.) The cat in that movie is named Dragon, and at one point, the mice (and/or rats, I forget) are walking around the kitchen, right past the sleeping cat. And all of a sudden, the cat's one eye starts to open, but his head's all upside down... anyway, it's a freaky moment in the film if you're rooting for the mice/rats. (and you are, if you're human). Long story short: This is the actual Dragon:

And this is the cat who reminded me of him at the Cat Show:

Adorable Pumpkiny Kitten:

Beautiful Sleeping Fluffball:

There are more. If you'd like, I can email them to you. Cat Show is a weird, weird experience, but just chock full of cute.

I can't help it. I just love the cats.