Meows, oohs and aahs at the Ottawa Cat Show
Sherri Robicheau and her beloved Maine Coons travelled from Cape Breton, N.S. for the recent Ottawa Cat Show.
“They’re everything for me. I absolutely love my cats. They definitely keep me calm and keep me sane,” said Robicheau.
The annual Ottawa Cat Show returned to the Curling Rink at the Nepean Sportsplex on Sept. 28 and 29.
Robicheau has an eye for Maine Coons, a breed in high demand and popular at the show.
“I had been searching for a Maine Coon for many years and we found one. When we got them, they had breeding rights and we spent a lot of time wondering whether we wanted to breed or not. It just kind of happened and I now have 12 Maine Coons,” said Robicheau.
It was the feline frenzy of breeds that boosted the level of serotonin during this two-day event.
Karen Mullin is the owner of K9 Crafts, a business from North Augusta, Ont.
Mullin was at a friend’s house when she stumbled upon stray cats and kittens in the backyard.
“We decided that we would take two of them off their hands. Henry and Archie are eight years old and domestic. They were strays and tabby cats,” said Mullin.
Henry and Archie wormed their way into Mullin’s heart.
“They make life interesting. I used to be a dog person and now I’m a cat person. Ours are inside cats, and they’re just so loving and always there and not too demanding, so it’s nice,” said Mullin.
Melinda Bishara was in town from Montreal when she attended this show.
“We were in the neighbourhood for something else and then we just happened to see this. When you don’t have a cat at home, it’s nice to spend a bit of time with them,” said Bishara.
Kim Monkhouse, president and treasurer of the Ottawa Valley Cat Club, emphasized the positives of having a pet.
“I think any pet, even dogs as well, offer companionship and they make it so that you’re a lot less lonely. It’s very therapeutic to pet a cat or a dog. Just having a pet is nice,” said Monkhouse.
Monkhouse wanted to show off the feline friends to everyone.
“This event is for people to come out and look at different cat breeds. Not necessarily just purebreds, but we’ve got household pets here too. We have 125 cats entered in the show. It’s a mixture of mostly purebred cats, but we’ve got, I think, at least 14 or 15 household pets,” said Monkhouse.
The Ottawa Valley Cat Club, a non-profit volunteer group, hosted over 100 cats, 22 vendors and 23 sponsors at this event.
The countdown is on as the 2025 Ottawa Cat Show is scheduled for Sept. 27 and 28.
