The Birth of Cat Fancy in the United States

Cat fancy in the United States was imported, naturally enough, from England. An Englishman named James T. Hyde organized a cat show in Madison Square Garden on May 8, 1895. It was hot and muggy and gross on that May afternoon, but over a hundred exhibitors showed up with 176 felines to compete in the show. The winner was a Main Coon, a male. 

The following year the show was smaller, with only 130 cats entered. That didn't matter to cat fanciers and they formed the American Cat Club at the conclusion of the 1896 show. This was the first registry in the United States and it took it upon itself to verify pedigrees and maintain an American studbook. They also sponsored shows and promoted the welfare of cats. Unfortunately, they disbanded a year later and there were no more shows at Madison Square Garden for several years.

Cat fancy in the United States is ever fluid, however, so it was in 1899 that the Chicago Cat Club was founded. Then the Beresford Club was established. It eventually supplanted the Chicago Cat Club, becoming the premier cat club in the United States. This wouldn't last long however, because the 20th century was dawning.