A lively band of Lykoi (pronounced: lie-koi) cats are set to take the Melbourne Cat Lover’s Festival by storm on October 26 and 27.
Hailing out of Werribee, Alfie, Lyka, Bling and Disco will be bearing the torch for the breed known to some as ‘werewolf cats’ just in time for Halloween, alongside their humans Dan Currie and Shelly Adams.
The pair’s Lykoi love affair began after Mr Currie went through a bout of sickness and was charmed by photos of Alfie.
Concerned the breed would be more like looking after a Sphinx, Ms Adams had reservations. These reservations did not last long.
Alfie, who has quickly become an ambassador of the breed in Australia, charmed his current humans almost immediately.
“I can tell you that within maybe half an hour or an hour of meeting Alfie, I was in love.” Ms Adams said.
“I tell my husband all the time he’s second place, because Alfie is first place now.”
After falling for the Lykoi spell, one was never going to be enough.
“We ended up going from one to having three of them – It’s like an addiction, it really is.” she said.
Soon came Lyka and then Alfie’s little sister Bling, of whom are described as being more reserved but every bit as capable on the big stag – that of which these Lykois are no strangers to.
After Alfie and Lyka made the trip to Cat Lover’s Festival in Sydney last year, history was made at this year’s Sydney Royal Show when Disco won supreme exhibit and Bling netted a reserve supreme in a field of over a hundred cats.
Despite not requiring a great deal of grooming, getting show-ready is still a process in and of itself. Ms Adamas ensures the cats are bathed a few days ahead, their ears cleaned and their nails shortened.
Beyond their unique appearance, Lykois also have other interesting features such as webbed feet.
“I’d hate to think what our lives would be like without our cats around,” she said.
Details: catloversfestival.com.au/melbourne/
Jaidyn Kennedy
