Kitty Charm That’s So Raven woke up at 4 a.m. to get here. Dollchateau Casanova IV came from Princeton, N.J. And Billy Idol and Disco Noferno lounged in a chenille sweater and Chippendale bowtie, respectively. These cats are in New York not for the famed Jelical Ball, of which T.S. Eliot wrote, but for the Cat Fanciers’ Association-Iams Cat Championship this Saturday and Sunday, which returns to the Madison Square Garden Expo Center for the fifth consecutive year.

A select few cats and their owners were on hand Wednesday for the Championship Preview.

By Sunday afternoon, one of the 325 contestant cats will be named the “Best of the Best,” chosen from among the ten best cats of breed, division and color. Iams trainers will demonstrate training techniques with the help of four trained felines. Children and young adults will be judged on their knowledge of cat care and breed specifics. And, roughly 500 cats will be available for adoption through involvement of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC Animals.

Cats of 41 breeds recognized by the Association, including a seven-and-a-half-year-old Premier (the class for spayed or neutered cats) British Shorthair, who breaks the breed winner standard with her tortoise-shell coat, will come from 37 states, three Canadian provinces and four foreign countries to be judges of their eye shape and color, jaw shape, bone structure, and agility.

In the agility competition, a small number of cats must navigate an obstacle course complete with tunnels, stairs and jumping gates. The cat with the fastest time wins.

Other breeds competing include the Briman (“Sacred Cat of Burma”), Devon Rex, Egyptian Mau, Havana Brown, Ocicat and Scottish Fold.

The cat owners and handlers come not just to win the silver trophy and myriad Iams products but for the experience of New York in fall. “The air of New York City overwhelms with excitement,” Denise Christensen, wearing a necklace spelling “WINNER,” says stroking her Premier Ragdoll Dollchateau Casanova IV and known affectionately as Lardie, another Championship sophomore. Ragdoll cats act like their name suggests. Teri Thorsteinson, from Virginia, who owns Sphynx cats Billy and Disco (who, in his Chippendale bowtie, is returning for his third try), says that the Championship is really about “being in New York” and eating at the restaurants and seeing the shows. “Competing is minor.” Billy wore a stripped chenille sweater to protect his fragile skin. Thorsetein said that something as minor as using a different laundry detergent for their towels could cause a major skin irritation or rash.

Iams, a sponsor of the Championship, will hold six cat training performances and demonstrations throughout the weekend, Janice Gantenbein, Iams cat trainer said. She, along with Karen Thomas will show interested persons how to train the four performing cats, as well as give tips and lessons on how to care for cats and check if they are healthy.

The Junior Showmanship competition is designed to showcase young people how to properly care and handle their animals, which can be house pets or cats lent to them by professional handlers and trainers, Roeann Flukerson, the marketing director of the Alliance explained.

For those left out of the Fanciers’ frenzy, the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC Animals, an organization that matches stray, abandoned and rescued animals with new homes will host 19 local rescue groups and shelters and hopefully find owners for the 500 available for adoption this year. Last year roughly that number adoptions from the groups came directly from on-site placements and interviews held at the Championship, Alliance President Jane Hoffman said. Over 1,200 cats have been placed through the show in the past five years. The Championship is the largest indoor Alliance event, she continued.

Liz Dickinson, of Downington, Pa., explained that the Championship is a “long, very busy weekend” and that the over 12,000 spectators and cat lovers who attend the show are always interested in the competitions and exhibitions. “New York City is a big deal,” she continued. Her cat Kashi Saga Pirate Winter, or Winter, who won Best Norwegian Forest cat in 2004, retired after that Chamionship the age of three.

But the busyness of the show preview was too much for red Abyssinian Hottownsummerinthecity, known as Pumpkin and owned by Lauren Castle Flynn. He dashed up the escalator and onto the main arena mezzanine, causing Garden staff and other cat owners to search bathrooms, stairwells and the arena seats themselves for the fast cat. The sixteen-month-old Permier short hair, who was last year’s Best Short Hair, was eventually found in an arena bar. Christensen, who was set up next to Pumpkin near the escalator, said that the cat had been aggravated by the Sphynx cat next to him.

Not all cats are born to be shown, said Joy Yoders-Dey of Deydream Cattery and owner of last year’s Best of the Best title winner. Some cats have a disposition for staying calm when lifted and show themselves off and others do not. It is not just about being beautiful, she added.

The CFA Iams Cat Championship runs from Sat., Oct. 13 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sun., Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Madison Square Garden Expo Center. Tickets cost $15.00 general admission and $13.00 for seniors and children.

Cat Show Preview

Robin Beckett cradles her British Shorthair Renegade at the CFA Iams Cat Championship Preview at Madison Square Garden