What
Happens at a Cat Show?
| Before the Show | Entering
Your Cat | At the Show | The
Judging Process | After the Show
| Is Your Cat a Star in Waiting?
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Finding
out about shows
Before you can enter or attend a show, you have to know
about it. There are a number of ways you can find out
about shows in Alaska:
Join
the Alaskats Cat Club
For the earliest possible notification of shows and
to help with putting them one, join Alaskats Cat Club
and attend our monthly business meetings.
Fur
Rondy Headquarters
Alaskats provides copies of our entry flyers to Fur
Rondy for the Purr Rondy Cat Show.
Alaskats
Cat Club Mailing List
Alaskats Cat Club maintains a mailing list of people
interested in entering cat shows. Entry flyers are
usually sent to these people a month or two before
the show. If you are interested in entering one of
our shows, be sure to get on our mailing list!
Advertising
Flyers
The month or so before a show, advertising flyers
are posted at many locations around town such as veterinarian
offices, grocery stores and feed stores. These flyers
will tell you who to contact for entry information
or there may be some entry flyers left at these locations
also.
To enter your cat in a cat show, you fill out an entry
flyer. The entry flyers contain important information
as well such as show location, show times and show requirements.
There is an official entry blank to fill out with information
about your cat as well as a summary sheet for fees.
If you have problems understanding the entry blank,
the entry clerk listed on the flyer is available to
answer questions.
Show
preparation
Show cats don't magically appear on show day. There
is a lot of care and preparation that takes place to
make your cat look its best. This includes making sure
it has a good diet, is current on vaccinations and is
in good health. Then there is nail clipping, bathing
and show grooming.
Bathing a cat? No, we are not crazy! Bathing your cat
helps to identify potential health problems with your
cat since you go over every part of a cat during the
bathing process. The bath also helps to remove excess
hairs which makes grooming easier. It helps if you start
acclimating your cat to bathes as a kitten, but not
everyone has that chance. If you don't feel up to the
task yourself there are also some professional groomers
who will groom cats. Be sure to ask if the groomer has
any experience grooming cats. Other alternatives to
a standard bath include dry shampoos which are sprinkled
on the cat and brushed out completely. There are also
some liquid preparations that you can use with a washcloth.
Once bathed and dried you continue with the grooming.
This is not only the everyday grooming you normally
do by brushing or combing. It includes checking the
inside of the ears, cleaning around the eyes and nose,
cleaning the chin and even the teeth! Some judges will
check the teeth similar to what a vet does to check
on the health of the cat. Final grooming includes using
a comb for grooming on longhairs and brushing on shorthaired
cats.
What
to take to the show
Before the show you need to make sure you have everything
you need during the show. This includes having material
to cover the cage (cage covers) that the club supplies,
food/water dishes, food and water, kitty litter and
pan, a cat carrier to bring your cat in and your grooming
supplies. Don't forget things for yourself either such
as snacks! And don't forget kitty!
On the day of the show you arrive at the appointed time
and go through check-in. You are told where your cat's
cage is and are given a show catalog.
Setting
up your cage
Each cat is given its own cage to stay in during the
show in an area called the benching area. There are
separate cages set up for judging. You cover your benching
cage, except for the front, with material (sheets or
bath towels work well) to help your cat feel secure.
You also set up food/water dishes and if you feel its
needed, a litter pan too. Give your cat some time to
get familiar with the cage before you do any final grooming.
This is a good time to look at the show catalog you
were given at check-in.
The
show catalog
The show catalog contains information about every cat
entered in the show. It includes their name, age, sex
as well as the owners name. It also includes a unique
number for each cat. Find your cat in the catalog and
note this number. The judges will only know your cat
by its number. When a judge is ready to see your cat,
its number is put on a judging cage.
Taking
your cat to be judged and back
Each judge has its own set of judging cages. Each judging
is called a "ring" in cat show lingo. There may only
be one judging ring set up and several judges may share
it at different times or there may be several judges
and judgings going on at the same time. Keep an eye
out at each to the rings to see if your number has been
put on a cage and listen for the clerk working with
the judge to call cats with those numbers up for judging.
When your cat's number is put up, take your cat out
of its cage, do any last minute grooming and carry your
cat to the judging cage. Place the cat in this cage,
shut the door and move back past the front of the judging
table. The judge will take your cat out of the cage,
set it on the table in front of them, judge your cat,
and put it back in the judging cage. When the clerk
or judge announces that you may take your cat back,
take your cat back to your covered cage area.
Each breed of cat is judged against a written standard.
The judge's job is to know all the standards for the
different breeds and to offer their opinion of how closely
the cat makes this standard. To do the judging, the
judge handles the cat, feeling for different things,
looking at the cats health and often playing with the
cat. Some judges talk more than others during judging
and may describe how the cat meets the standard. Household
pets even have a written standard that speaks mostly
to the cats health and personality.
Awards
Depending on the number of cats entered in a show there
are different ribbons awards during the judging process.
For each section of cats (kittens, pedigreed adults,
pedigreed alters, and household pets) they are judged
by breed. For each breed there are divisions based on
color pattern and color categories.
The judge first looks at all cats of the same breed
and the same color. For each breed and color they choose
the cats in this group that most closely matches the
written standard and gives color awards. Next the judge
looks at those with the color awards and determines
which ones within each pattern (division) most closely
matches the standard. Division awards are given out.
Those who make division awards are then considered for
breed awards. Then all the cats of the breed are sent
back to their cages. This process is repeated for each
breed in the show. Once the judge has seen all the cats,
they must then decide which of the cats in the breeds
most closely matches the standards and give top 5 or
top 10 finals rosettes. The cats who make a final round
(called finals) each receive a rosette. The judge announces
their placing for each cat.
At the end of the show there may be a Best of the Best
competition. In Best of the Best, all the cats who made
finals are reviewed. Best of the Best awards are give
in the categories of kitten, pedigreed adults, pedigreed
alters (spays/neuters), and household pets. Usually
the Best of the Best gets a special rosette for the
honor. There may also be other special awards given
such as awards for the "purriest" or best moustache
on a cat.
After the Show
Be sure to tell your cat that no matter what those judges
thought, it is the best in your eyes!
In championship shows titles and year-long awards can
be won. In Alaska we usually have two championship shows
a year. Titles indicate a show status of how many wins
your cat has achieved. Year-long awards are like the
Best of the Best competition, but looks at all shows
during the year, not just one show. In order to earn
titles and year-long awards, you must join the cat association
which registers cats. For Alaskats Cat Club, the cat
association is The International Cat Association (TICA).
For year-long awards, TICA gives awards for the cats
in the Alaska Region, the Northwest Region and International
(all cats in the association). The Alaska Region has
been competitive and has been home to several International
award winning kittens and cats.
Is
Your Cat a Star in Waiting?
Cat shows are a busy place. There are smells of many
different cats, lots of people, noises and activities.
Your cat must trust people in order to allow strangers
to handle it. If your cat loves to greet new people
who enter your home or visit with them at the vets,
chances are your kitty will love shows. However, if
your cat hides when strange people enter your home or
has a nervous breakdown when visiting the vet, kitty
will most likely not be happy at a show. If you think
your cat has what it takes to be a star, consider entering
the next cat show. Cats without fancy pedigrees (which
we call Household Pets) are as welcome, if not more,
than the pedigreed (sometimes called purebred) cats.
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