Nearly 100 of the city’s rarest and most unique felines are soaking in the spotlight and enjoying a purr-fect weekend with their owners at the second annual Toronto Catstravaganza inside Exhibition Place.
Organized by the group Loving Cats Worldwide (LCWW), Saturday’s event saw hundreds of visitors snapping photos and taking in the furry festivities, like a cat show, educational cat classes and the incredibly popular catwalk.
At Catstravaganza, kittens and cats alike compete to earn coveted competition titles. However, unlike many other cat and dog shows around the world, Catstravaganza takes its competitors as they come — with or without pedigree.
Pedigree cats have a documented family tree and are bred to possess specific physical characteristics or traits. A purebred pedigree Siamese cat, for example, is certain to be born with blue eyes.
Meanwhile, a non-pedigree cat has unknown ancestry and is often a mixed breed with no registered family line, like your average house cat.
Throughout several breed and age-based categories, felines at Toronto Catstravaganza are judged and earn points based on their physical features, overall condition and personality traits. Groups are separated for kittens, juniors, adults and alters (cats that are spayed or neutered).
Five judges — four from the U.S. and one from Japan — decide which local felines will be crowned champions this weekend.
LCWW is a newer organization that pledges to raise awareness about different breeds and rescues. It’s one of the only organizations anywhere in the world that allows both pedigree cats and non-pedigree cats to be judged in competition.
“We think all cats are awesome,” LCWW founder Steven Meserve told TorontoToday. “We’re founded on the principle that we’re protecting the pedigree cats as well as educating on the overall rescue situation and getting everyone to do their part.”
One by one, participating pet owners on Saturday carried their felines down the Loving Cats Catwalk and showed them off to hundreds of eager onlookers.
As the furballs pranced across the stage, Meserve provided background on each breed’s qualities, described their usual eating and sleeping habits and peculiar traits.
Though the concept of a cat show isn’t new, Meserve said his team focuses on engaging people in unique ways that other likeminded events don’t offer.
“We’re giving it a new and fresh take,” he said. “Traditional shows have less [audience] interaction but people want to learn and be entertained. They don’t want to just see the cats — they want to know about the cats. That’s a big difference between us and other associations.”
Vera and Igor Makavchik, two cat breeders based in Kitchener-Waterloo, got lots of “oohs” and “ahhs” from the crowd as they showed off a pair of their Bengals during the catwalk on Saturday.
The Bengal — a hybrid cat created from cross-breeding the Asian leopard cat with domestic cats — is famous for its distinctive spots and markings.
Having attended Toronto Catstravaganza last year, the Makavchik couple was eager to show off their active and playful kitties.
“How they present the pets here is amazing,” Vera said of Catstravaganza. “They give a lot of attention to the cats, spectators and exhibitors. I love what they do here and the reactions are always amazing.”
Chris Huvser, another proud pet owner to five cats, brought his Maine Coon to the catwalk. His cat was recognized in the adult-aged variety at the competition last year, and he’s hoping his furry friend goes on to win back-to-back titles this weekend.
“The crowd seemed to like him,” he said of the Maine Coon’s 2025 display. “I enjoy showing everybody how awesome he is. It’s a lot of fun.”
Among those in attendance on Saturday was Mayor Olivia Chow, a proud, self-proclaimed cat lady who participated in the “mayor’s choice” portion of the proceedings.
LCWW has existed for three years and has already put on 60 shows globally, including in the U.S., United Kingdom, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, Australia, Colombia and Peru.
Meserve said he was excited to see Catstravaganza return to Toronto.
“Canadians are so nice in general, it’s actually a bit strange at times,” the American-born organizer laughed. “The people here really are next level.”
For cat enthusiasts who missed out on Saturday’s event, no need to get hiss-terical. Toronto Catstravaganza will return to Exhibition Place on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
