Agility competitions? Now, it's the cat's meow

Dog agility trials make great TV, but what about competitions featuring cats?

That's the thought Kim Everett-Hirsch of Portland, Ore., had before launching her first cat agility competition in 2005.

"I thought there was no reason cats can't do it."

The audience ate it up as the 30 cats competed.

"They were standing up, cheering them, 'Go, girl, go!' " Everett-Hirsch said.

The jumps, tunnels, stairs and weave poles used for cat agility will look familiar to anyone who's seen the dog version of the sport, but the smaller size of the obstacles isn't the only difference. Dogs are expected to perform each obstacle on command, in an order that isn't obvious from the course layout. For cats, the obstacles are arranged in a circle, and the handler leads them around the course, making a game of it with a toy on a stick or a laser pointer.

"A cat's a little different," says Everett-Hirsch. "They're running the show. You have to make them want to do it."

Donna Hinton of Richmond, Texas, is a serious competitor who knows that.

"You need a cat that has a good attention span, that's toy-driven," she says. "I've had some that decided, 'I tried it, it's not my cup of tea.' You can't make them do it."

Success is also about the handler's skill and relationship with the animal. "You have to be in tune to your cat," says Hinton. "You have to be three feet ahead and anticipate their moves."

Since that first show in 2005, the sport has been gradually growing, with 10 competitions in the past year. It's also spreading to other countries: This year for the first time, there will be a competition in Hong Kong and in mainland China.

This season will also be the first in which the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) will start granting titles to the highest- scoring competitors.

This story was originally published February 8, 2010 at 10:00 PM with the headline "Agility competitions? Now, it's the cat's meow."