BY SHEILA ABRAMS
Contributing Writer
SOMERSET — Skepticism was thick in the air around the agility
arena at the Garden State Cat Club show July 16 and 17. The
show, sponsored by the Cat Fanciers Association, the nation’s
largest registry for pedigreed cats, was held at the Garden State
Exhibition Center in Somerset. “No cat is going to do that,” said
a spectator, observing the agility course. “They're just too
independent to be trained.”
Watching the goings on in the mesh-enclosed arena for a while, it was hard to disagree
with that assessment, and other observers, wandering past, voiced similar sentiments.
Or they laughed, shook their heads and walked on.
At this first-ever cat agility competition in New Jersey, most of the entries seemed
anything but competitive. Confused, indifferent or scared were more accurate
descriptions, as owner after owner, a total of 44, paid a $10 fee to try to lure a cat over a
course not unlike those used in canine agility.
But in the end, patience paid off. There are indeed cats who not only can but will
negotiate an agility course, and do it with enthusiasm and even a little pizzazz.
The course, designed and built by Wayne Mull, of Dry Ridge, Ky., consisted of hurdles,
hoops, tunnels, teeter-totter, slalom poles and an A-frame ramp. The goal was for a
handler, using toys and food treats as lures, to persuade the cat to negotiate the course
as fast as possible.
Speed was not the issue, however, for most of the early entries. Virtually none of these
cats, at the show to participate in breed judging, had ever even seen agility equipment
before. Most walked the perimeter of the enclosure or tried to get back into their crates.
One Siamese tried to climb the handler’s body to return to the security of her arms. One
very thin cat actually slipped through what looked like an impossibly narrow gap in the
mesh fencing and ran onto the crowded show floor.
But then came Jack. And the whole mood changed.
Jack was, up to that point, the only real competitor in the place. A wiry four-month-old
Japanese bobtail kitten, white with black spots, Jack entered the arena like a feline
Mohammed Ali, his self-confidence almost equal to his enthusiasm for the glittery toy
wielded by his co-owner/handler, Jill Archibald of Freehold. With no hesitation, the
speedy kitty jumped, ran and slalomed, ultimately completing the course in 41 seconds.
On the first try, Jack avoided two of the apparati: the teeter-totter and the A-frame ramp.
Since he was still well within the four minutes each cat was given, he negotiated the
course two more times, and on the third try, Jack completed all the apparati.
The kitten’s other co-owner, Karen Bishop, also of Freehold, said that Jack had seen the
agility equipment for the first time upon arriving at the center Friday evening, and,
prompted by Archibald, had taken to it immediately. “Jill plays with them (Jack and his
parents) at home with the toys,” Bishop said. It was the playing that interested Jack,
which offered insight into the making of an agility cat.
By the time the agility finals came around on Sunday afternoon, 10 or 12 cats, according
to Archibald, had actually (more or less) completed the course. In the run-off, Jack
finished first, and took home a winning ribbon, a stuffed toy and $50.
“Jack took us out to dinner with that $50,” Archibald said, “and we made sure to have
steak so he could have some too.”
Other winning cats were an Ocicat, a Korat, an Egyptian and Rocky, a 10-month old
Himalayan kitten, owned by show manager Geri Fellerman. Rocky was a surprise
winner, since the Himalayan is a heavy, long-haired breed considered by cat owners as
a langorous creature, more likely to sit and pose than to jump and play. “It took him
almost the whole four minutes to do the course,” Archibald observed, “and he did get
stuck going over a hurdle, buteverybody was cheering for him to do it and he did.”
Cat agility is a relatively new activity in the realm of animal sports. If canine agility was
inspired by stadium jumping competitions for horses, cat agility is the natural next step.
Cats are agile by nature and love to play, especially young ones.
The first cat agility events were held on the West Coast and, over the past five years, have
begun popping up at cat shows across the country and even in Europe. The first agility
event at a show sanctioned by the Cat Fanciers Association was held this past February.
Because show cats are taught that they are not allowed to be on the floor at cat shows —
they are either held or crated — the agility ring is a scary experience to begin with.
Archibald explained that, when she first took Jack into the arena on Friday night, she sat
down on the floor with him to get him accustomed to being on the floor.
Mull said that cats who succeed at agility are generally well-socialized and used to the
noise and hubbub of the cat show setting. Some breeds are generally considered better
suited for agility work, mainly short-haired, thinner cats with livelier, more playful
temperaments. But, as Rocky the Himalayan proved, rules are made to be broken.
Fellerman, speaking as the show manager, said that she considered the agility event a
success, considering how none of the competing cats had ever done this before. She
thinks it likely that agility will be featured in future shows.
First published Aug. 8, 2005 in The Animal Companion.
Contributing Writer
SOMERSET — Skepticism was thick in the air around the agility
arena at the Garden State Cat Club show July 16 and 17. The
show, sponsored by the Cat Fanciers Association, the nation’s
largest registry for pedigreed cats, was held at the Garden State
Exhibition Center in Somerset. “No cat is going to do that,” said
a spectator, observing the agility course. “They're just too
independent to be trained.”
Watching the goings on in the mesh-enclosed arena for a while, it was hard to disagree
with that assessment, and other observers, wandering past, voiced similar sentiments.
Or they laughed, shook their heads and walked on.
At this first-ever cat agility competition in New Jersey, most of the entries seemed
anything but competitive. Confused, indifferent or scared were more accurate
descriptions, as owner after owner, a total of 44, paid a $10 fee to try to lure a cat over a
course not unlike those used in canine agility.
But in the end, patience paid off. There are indeed cats who not only can but will
negotiate an agility course, and do it with enthusiasm and even a little pizzazz.
The course, designed and built by Wayne Mull, of Dry Ridge, Ky., consisted of hurdles,
hoops, tunnels, teeter-totter, slalom poles and an A-frame ramp. The goal was for a
handler, using toys and food treats as lures, to persuade the cat to negotiate the course
as fast as possible.
Speed was not the issue, however, for most of the early entries. Virtually none of these
cats, at the show to participate in breed judging, had ever even seen agility equipment
before. Most walked the perimeter of the enclosure or tried to get back into their crates.
One Siamese tried to climb the handler’s body to return to the security of her arms. One
very thin cat actually slipped through what looked like an impossibly narrow gap in the
mesh fencing and ran onto the crowded show floor.
But then came Jack. And the whole mood changed.
Jack was, up to that point, the only real competitor in the place. A wiry four-month-old
Japanese bobtail kitten, white with black spots, Jack entered the arena like a feline
Mohammed Ali, his self-confidence almost equal to his enthusiasm for the glittery toy
wielded by his co-owner/handler, Jill Archibald of Freehold. With no hesitation, the
speedy kitty jumped, ran and slalomed, ultimately completing the course in 41 seconds.
On the first try, Jack avoided two of the apparati: the teeter-totter and the A-frame ramp.
Since he was still well within the four minutes each cat was given, he negotiated the
course two more times, and on the third try, Jack completed all the apparati.
The kitten’s other co-owner, Karen Bishop, also of Freehold, said that Jack had seen the
agility equipment for the first time upon arriving at the center Friday evening, and,
prompted by Archibald, had taken to it immediately. “Jill plays with them (Jack and his
parents) at home with the toys,” Bishop said. It was the playing that interested Jack,
which offered insight into the making of an agility cat.
By the time the agility finals came around on Sunday afternoon, 10 or 12 cats, according
to Archibald, had actually (more or less) completed the course. In the run-off, Jack
finished first, and took home a winning ribbon, a stuffed toy and $50.
“Jack took us out to dinner with that $50,” Archibald said, “and we made sure to have
steak so he could have some too.”
Other winning cats were an Ocicat, a Korat, an Egyptian and Rocky, a 10-month old
Himalayan kitten, owned by show manager Geri Fellerman. Rocky was a surprise
winner, since the Himalayan is a heavy, long-haired breed considered by cat owners as
a langorous creature, more likely to sit and pose than to jump and play. “It took him
almost the whole four minutes to do the course,” Archibald observed, “and he did get
stuck going over a hurdle, buteverybody was cheering for him to do it and he did.”
Cat agility is a relatively new activity in the realm of animal sports. If canine agility was
inspired by stadium jumping competitions for horses, cat agility is the natural next step.
Cats are agile by nature and love to play, especially young ones.
The first cat agility events were held on the West Coast and, over the past five years, have
begun popping up at cat shows across the country and even in Europe. The first agility
event at a show sanctioned by the Cat Fanciers Association was held this past February.
Because show cats are taught that they are not allowed to be on the floor at cat shows —
they are either held or crated — the agility ring is a scary experience to begin with.
Archibald explained that, when she first took Jack into the arena on Friday night, she sat
down on the floor with him to get him accustomed to being on the floor.
Mull said that cats who succeed at agility are generally well-socialized and used to the
noise and hubbub of the cat show setting. Some breeds are generally considered better
suited for agility work, mainly short-haired, thinner cats with livelier, more playful
temperaments. But, as Rocky the Himalayan proved, rules are made to be broken.
Fellerman, speaking as the show manager, said that she considered the agility event a
success, considering how none of the competing cats had ever done this before. She
thinks it likely that agility will be featured in future shows.
First published Aug. 8, 2005 in The Animal Companion.
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For information on Cat Agility, visit www.catagility.com. |
