Feline Friendly Show Proves Popular For Westchester Cat Lovers
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Feline Friendly Show Proves Popular For Westchester Cat Lovers

FROM Zak Faila, Ossining.DailyVoice.com
November 16, 2014

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. – Although the County Center is now the home of the New York Knicks’ D-League squad, it proved to be a “purr-fect” setting for feline fanatics to come together at the 39th annual Westchester Cat Show.

Hundreds of cat lovers from around the East Coast brought their furry feline friends to Westchester over the weekend to discuss, show off and celebrate their kitty companions.

Over the weekend, the County Center was a transformed into kitty fun land, with vendors toting everything from cat sweaters, photos and costumes to cat furniture, grooming tools and toys.

Garry McBride, who travelled from the north shore of Long Island with his cat, Jenkins, said that it’s good for cat-lovers to share their passion for their pets.

“Cat owners are a different breed, there’s a few wires loose in us, so it’s good to get together and see you’re not alone,” he joked. “It’s just a lot of people that share a common interest. We’re the ‘trekkies’ of pet owners.”

In addition to the vendors toting their wares, there was a cat fashion show, “ask the vet,” the “cat of the year” presentation and more than 200 felines from more than 50 breeds were on hand to enjoy the festivities.

This year, instead of naming just one “cat of the year,” the Westchester Feline Club chose to honor the 25 cats that were viciously murdered in Yonkers earlier this year.

“We’re here to pay tribute to (the Yonkers 25) and to let them know that although they may have been hated by a single person, they are loved and mourned by thousands,” Spokeswoman Leslie Masson said. “They have made a difference. It just didn’t happen until they crossed the rainbow bridge.”

Masson presented Animals Defenders founder Kiley Blackman and the Cat Protection Council of Westchester with a certificate honoring the 25 animals that were slain. The tree where they were discovered will also be memorialized.

“I hope something good can come from something horrific,” Blackman said.

“We love cats, and I’m just glad that we could give them a voice of their own to honor their memory.”

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