We explore the ins and outs of the couple behind TiCats and Cakes International Cat Show in Spalding, which flew in judges from Italy, Texas and Sweden

From finding international judges to amateur exhibitors – meet the couple who know what it takes to organise the purrrfect cat show.

Claire, 43, and Stefen Winman, 56, of Gosberton, are passionate about cats and turned their dreams into a reality when they put on the international event at Springfields Events and Exhibition Centre in Spalding recently.

They discovered a hidden interest in cat shows 25 years ago, and are now looking forward to their fourth event.

Stefan said: “Our interests started when Claire worked part-time in a cattery. The lady she worked for bred and showed her own cats which were British Shorthair. We started to breed our own British Shorthair and the hobby blossomed from there.

“We are now the foundation breeders of British Shorthair cats in the UK and after we started doing well in other cat shows, we began to think about hosting our own.

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“It is a hobby and a very expensive one at that. When we put on our cat shows, our lives get turned upside down and it is really hard work to run everything alongside our two businesses, but we absolutely love it.

“It’s quite scary and overwhelming to organise them because you want everything to go smoothly but its always lovely and encouraging when we receive good feedback.”

The first international championship cat show organised by TiCats and Cakes was due to be held at Spalding Grammar school – however everything came to a standstill due to the pandemic.

Following a patient wait for restrictions to be lifted, the pair were then able to reschedule their event for January 2024 at the Springfields Events and Conference Centre.

The couple flew in judges Harley DeVilibiss and Nikki Crandall- Seibert from the USA, Asa Broing from Sweden, Nicki Fenwick-Raven from the UK and Olga Dentico from Italy, after choosing their favourites through an online portal.

Stefen said: “The show was brilliant, it went down really well. We had a storming show and everyone who came through the door had a smile on their face.

“It all costs quite a lot of money, especially flying in judges from all over the world. We get to know the judges and try to consider if they will be good for the show. We like to bring in fresh eyes so they also get the opportunity to see new breeds that they may not have seen before.

“Lots of people said they had a lovely time and wanted to keep an eye out for the next show. We are so proud of what we have achieved and there was such a buzz the whole weekend.

“After starting off as one of the exhibitors to actually putting on the show, it was quite a daunting experience but we really wanted to put it on for other exhibitors to show off their cats and earn different points and titles.

“Some of the people who visited said they didn’t have a clue what to expect but came out of it thinking it was amazing.”

The January show brought in more than 1,000 visitors and more than 350 different cats and exhibitors.

Stefen added: “We are so proud of what we’ve managed to achieve. In our June event we will be keeping the things that we know do well and hopefully people will come for the fun of it which is what it's all about.

“Our brand new cat agility went down a storm in our January event – it was like herding fish really, but it was great fun.

“By putting these events on it also gives people the chance to get to know different breeds and talk to breeders if they are interested in the hobby.

“My advice for anyone interested in breeding would be to make sure to do your research and ask yourself why you want to breed – if it’s because you want to make money, then walk away.

“The showing side of it is so much fun but you always need to go into an event with an open mind, don’t always think you are going to win everything.”

The TiCats and Cakes cat show will return to Springfields Events Centre on Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30 between 10am and 4pm on both days.