Shake off any preconceptions about stereotypical cat shows because there’s a new kid in town, a social media megastar and showman who puts the “cat” in catwalk.

American celebrity judge Steven Meserve is bringing CATstravaganza to Canberra this weekend and he’s hardly a “crazy cat lady” but rather a marketing genius who has 2.7 million likes on TikTok.

There are no cages, no mention of “cat show” (to shake off any preconceived notions) and new cat-egories alongside the pedigrees (best moggy, best rescue cat and best house cat). Basically, any cat can register provided they’re registered with a recognised Australia Cat Governing Body.

The savvy PR expert has even trademarked “loving cats catwalk”.

This is the first time CATstragavanza has come to Australia — hosted by Oz Feline Fair — and Canberra’s the second stop on the national tour.

“We’ve been overshadowed by dogs for forever and everybody knows about dog shows but why doesn’t anyone know about cat shows?” Steven said. “It’s just because they have never been celebrated to the extent that we are finally doing now. I’ve been involved in the traditional cat fanciers for 20-odd years in the United States and I was a little bit frustrated.”

Drawing on his PR background, Steven launched his international cat competition — Loving Cats Worldwide — three years ago and he now has 260,000 followers on Instagram, 190,000 on TikTok and 102,000 on Facebook.

“I didn’t know how fast and how quickly this would catch on, it’s like the content that Instagram and TikTok were dying for,” Steven said. “We don’t use the phrase cat show a lot because if you say cat show you think of a little bit of an older demographic, a quieter environment and we are raising the cats to at least the same level of dogs.”

As far as Steven’s concerned, 2025 is year of the cat. His CATstravaganza is a celebration of all things feline — but with glitter.

“They are finally getting their moment and we are leading the charge,” he said. “We celebrate the tabby just as heavily as we celebrate a Persian or a Maine Coon. I even do a class called the Very Important Cat, which is the only class in the world where the moggies compete against the pedigree cats in the same exact category.”

Steven goes by his own rules, regulations and scoring system so he expects there might be some resistance from “the old guard”.

“Whether or not you embrace the style of Loving Cats Worldwide doesn’t mean that you should leave the Australian Cat Federation or any of the associations in Australia,” he said.

“We are bringing the spotlight to cat shows. There are very staunch people that just absolutely think I’m a circus clown or a court jester or just someone in it for the money. I think a lot of the older guard does but once they meet me and understand, they love the format. The cats are so celebrated.”
 

Local long-term cat fancier, Carol Cootes from Wanniassa, is onboard. She’s entering four Birman cats in this weekend’s CATstragaganza.

“I might be 70 but I’m all for it,” Carol said. “We need to change because I know when I started 30 odd years ago, you didn’t get too much support from some of the oldies because they didn’t want these young ones coming in and taking over and they don’t like being beaten. We need the young ones or the cat fanciers are going to die. If we don’t encourage the young ones, who’s going to take over?”

CATstravaganza is on 10-11 May at Thoroughbred Park. Tickets: ozfelinefair.com.au/events/canberra