Thrissur (Kerala), Nov 23 (IANS): Owning a cat in Kerala is fast catching up as the turnout at the International Cat Show on Saturday shows the enthusiasm among people to own a cat is on the rise.

"This show staged at the state-run Veterinary College, here, has been recognised by the World Cat Federation(WCF) and the presence of two judges from Russia, shows the importance the WCF has given to it. Around 150 cats from the country have come, of which a majority of them are from Kerala," said M. Hashim, Secretary of the Ken Cat Fanciers Association, while speaking to IANS.

"Our Kerala Club which is just two years old, now has 200 members and we are getting fresh inquiries and am sure our numbers will soon increase.

"We are hoping that very soon, we will have a district unit of our association in all the 14 districts of the state," added Hashim.

He said their association got a boost when at the recent floods that hit the state, their members rescued more than 150 cats from the flooded areas in the state.

"At the moment our adoption centre has 40 cats while the rest have been given to people who came asking for cats to own," he adds.

He said the most popular cat breed in Kerala is the Persian cat and its price can go as high as Rs 2 lakh and according to their estimates there are 1,500 of them here.

"With the flat culture catching up in Kerala and some flats unwilling to allow flat owners to keep dogs in the flats, more flat dwellers who love pets are shifting to owning a cat. With our association also getting stronger, we are confident that through our increased awareness classes and shows like this, the cat owners in the state are certainly going to go up," Hashim noted.