Is there room in your life for 30 or 40 cats? Would you be willing to drive hundreds of miles every weekend, and spend thousands of dollars, to be part of the competitive cat show circuit? Does shampooing and blow-drying your prize Persian sound like a fulfilling activity?
If you answered yes to these questions, then congratulations: you’ve qualified for lifetime membership in the North American fraternity of cat people.
This most unusual community is the subject of the hour-long documentary Cat People, which goes behind the scenes at the Santa Monica Cat Club show in California, one of the most prestigious events of its kind in the United States.
More than 600 high-maintenance purebreds (and their high-maintenance owners) are on display at this annual competition – all hoping to claw their way to Best in Show.
Cat People offers a revealing look into the lives of men and women whose affection for their feline friends has turned into an all-consuming obsession – from Sibyl, a thwarted actress who keeps her limelight dreams alive by showing Siamese cats, to the unnervingly competitive Chris, who, along with his mother, has invested close to a million dollars into this pastime over the last two decades.
“This is not a hobby for me,” Chris says. “It’s what makes me tick. It’s what makes me breathe.”
As the Best in Show judging looms, a controversial ruling raises hackles, bitter rivalries surface, and nerves are strained to the breaking point. “It’s like having your child up there,” observes one anxious owner. Cat people: they’re definitely a breed apart.
Cat People repeats on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 9 pm ET / 10 pm PT.
