The Westminster Dog Show will include cats this year

The Westminster Dog Show is getting a new addition: cats
(Image credit: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

This year, the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is adding three new canine breeds — and felines. In addition to the hypoallergenic American hairless terrier, the North African sloughi, and the ancient Hungarian pumi, cats are joining the dog show this year for the first time in its 140-year history.

A photo posted by Leo The Bengal (Little Leo) (@littleleobengal) on Jan 31, 2017 at 12:09pm PST

The Bengal cat, above, is one such feline to be joining the show, The New York Times reports. In previous years, pedigreed cats were given a separate event. "The club has maintained its traditions while expanding to accommodate an ever-changing, dog-loving public," explained Westminster spokeswoman Gail Miller Bisher.

More than 2,800 dogs will show at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan from Feb. 11-14.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.