ABSTRACT
‘The Cat Fancy as Leisure and Work’ investigates the relevance of Stebbins’ concept of ‘serious leisure’ to the activity of breeding and exhibiting cats to explore the level of commitment involved for many cat fanciers. It builds on the critiques of the concept to consider the consequences of engagement for both human and feline participants. Cat fanciers self-define as hobbyists and morally distinguish themselves from those who breed for profit. However, the chapter argues that work and leisure are not dichotomous categories, and explores both feline and human forms of work within the activity. The chapter describes human and human–cat sociality within the fancy, and discusses how it can become more than a hobby and constitute a ‘way of life’. Through social interactions both at shows and online, emotional bonds (as well as hierarchically organised relationships) form. This chapter goes on to argue that human desires to socialise, compete, and win prizes and status can take precedence over consideration of the cats’ experience and feline wellbeing. The cat fancy may well represent a form of ‘serious leisure’ for the human participants; but for many cats, involvement involves hard work, and the implications of involvement can be just serious.
