BEST in SHOW

With luxurious coats, bright eyes and perfect paws, these felines are ready to claw their way to the top - and into our hearts - at the NSW Cat Fancier Association's Autumn Show.

- GENEVIEVE GANNON

After a week of rain, the sun has come out over the St Ives Showground in Sydney. The sky is a winning shade of blue and the verdant greenery smells sweet and bright. All that’s missing is birdsong, but there’s not a chirp to be heard. In fact, local birds would be well advised to steer clear. The sound rising from the Douglas Pickering Pavilion is a symphony of meows. It’s the NSW Cat Fanciers Association Autumn Show, and 80 felines have come to preen in front of the judges.

Show manager Tracey Camp is directing foot and paw traffic as breeders and owners arrive for vetting at 7.30am. She has a busy day ahead of her. “You’ve got to make sure that you’ve got your papers, your pedigree and you’ve got your vaccination certificate,” she says. “It’s not just a case of turning up with a cat in a carrier.”

As the cats get into position, the pavilion is a flurry of last-minute primping. “It is a beauty competition after all,” says one owner as she runs a wide-tooth comb through a fluffy white mane.

The pedigree cats are arranged into three groups, and each will be judged by three judges. At the back of the hall, there’s a fourth, more subdued group. These are the companion cats, non-pedigree moggies.

Among the companion cages is show veteran Lyn Thwaites. She’s competing with her domestic cat, Tiffany, who at this impolite early hour is more interested in burrowing under her pillow than being assessed. Lyn has nine more cats at home.

“My very first cat show was the 1971 Sydney Royal, in which I got a third,” she says. “It was wonderful.”