ITV News Consumer Editor Chris Choi reports on Britain’s feline feud
Words by ITV News Senior Producer Rachael Allison
A growing dispute between rival organisations has shaken the UK cat show scene.
There have been cancelled events, refund complaints and calls for calm, in what some are describing as “catty” drama.
Cat shows are becoming increasingly popular, offering owners the chance to exhibit their pets and compete for prizes.
But recent cancellations and online rows have raised questions and left some customers feeling frustrated.
Steven Meserve runs Loving Cats Worldwide (LCWW), an organisation that hosts cat shows in fourteen countries.
But three of LCWW’s UK events were recently cancelled, leaving customers asking for refunds, but getting little responses.
Dozens of people who were scheduled to attend events in London, Bristol and Belfast contacted ITV News to say they hadn’t received their money back.
Meserve says the shows were called off due to an online campaign against him, which he claims caused reputational damage and financial strain.
Meserve told ITV News, “We are refunding on a rolling basis and to the best of our ability.
“But we don’t have any revenue. There’s no revenue.
“I’m doing everything I can to rebuild what I built after I was decapitated.”
Earlier this year, Kate Sheppard bought tickets to attend the LCWW show in Bristol, only to find the show had been cancelled, and her refund still hadn’t arrived four months later.
Kate told us: “The tickets were £30 each, there’s two of us so £60.
“That’s not a small amount, especially with the cost of living crisis
“You put your trust in people and for it then to be just taken away and not returned, it’s not fair, it’s not right.”
She’s one of more than a dozen people who contacted ITV News to say they were still waiting for refunds following the cancellation of three UK events run by LCWW.
Kelly Makdissy, a former colleague of Meserve’s, is now among his critics.
She says she too is owed money by LCWW.
Makdissy now runs her own cat shows, but denies that her own events are designed to copy the format.
She also denies any involvement in an organised campaign against LCWW.
“It depends how you look at it, for me it’s not a copy cat because all the show rules are different.
“To be fair I wouldn’t want to copycat LCWW, here we have actual members that are cat breeders from all different aspects of life.”
“I think cat shows should really continue,” she said, “It’s an upcoming thing and people are learning about it.”
Meserve strongly denied any mismanagement, and says attempts to discredit him are part of a coordinated effort to undermine his work.
With around a quarter of UK households owning a cat, the potential audience for cat shows is large.
But the sector has yet to reach the profile of dog events like Crufts.
“Dogs get all the money, dogs get all the accolades, Crufts is huge.” Meserve complained.
“There is no Crufts for cats.
“We are the equivalent to that – and that’s where we will be.
“We’re growing one city at a time.”
The charity Cats Protection has warned that while many owners enjoy showing off their pets, the events can sometimes be stressful for animals.
For now, though, the tension seems to lie more with organisers than the cats themselves.
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