Cat shows are a whole lot of fun to attend, even if you aren't a breeder and exhibitor. Here is a small guide of everything you need to know if you ever plan to visit a cat show, as well as if you ever want to meet Crystal Star Cattery at one!
"What is a cat show?"
A cat show is an event where pedigree and non-pedigree cats alike get judged by professionals to compete for titles based on the cats personality and standard.
Typically cat shows are attended by breeders who are confident in their breeds standards. Titles are earned as a result of continuous wins proving the cat as fitting the written standard.
"What does a typical cat show day look like?"
For exhibitors, the cat shows actually starts a few days prior to the show! Aside from the packing, grooming is a huge and one of the most important parts of a cat show, so exhibitors typically bathe their cats in a specific way most call a "show groom", which is meant to show off the cat in its best state, not a fur out of place. This groom is a requirement during judging, and bad grooming can and will get your cat lower chances of getting higher scores.
For long haired breeds such as our Maine coons, this groom takes at the minimum of 2-5 hours per cat and is done a few days prior to let the fur settle.
After you are all packed and bathed, finally comes the actual show!
For exhibitors the shows start a few hours earlier than for the public, to give everyone time to check in and prepare their space, which usually consists of a cage or tent and a grooming space. Many exhibitors also choose to decorate their areas to better show off their cattery in its full glory.
After settling, most will choose to move on to preparing their cats with more brushing and playing to get their kitty ready for the spotlight.
Time for the show to start!
As the show starts, it will officially open to the public. Usually most cat shows last 2-3 days, typically on the Fridays and weekends, and are open for anyone to visit!
"How does judging and the rings work?"
Most cat shows consist of 6-8 rings, which are the stations for judging, each being run by a different judge. Depending on the show, the judges may stay the same all days, or alternate for the next day.
Each ring consists of a small judging table in the middle with 10-15 small cages surrounding it for the cats to wait their turn.
Every cat show goes by category. Most organizations have one of each:
Championship - The class for unaltered pedigree cats who fit into their breed standard and earn Champion titles.
Alters - The class for fixed pedigree cats who fit into their breed standard and earn Champion titles, separate from Championship titles.
Kittens - The class for pedigree kittens under the age of 8 months old, who do not yet win Champion titles outside of regional and national titles.
Household Pet - The class for non-pedigree or for whatever reason unfitting in their breed standard cats who win Household Pet specific titles.
Household Pet Kitten - The class for non-pedigree or for whatever reason unfitting in their breed standard kitten who do not yet win titles.
The Household Pet class does not follow any standards and wins go purely off of the judges preference.
As the show goes on, each ring will put up numbers for every category in breed which are called out loud for the exhibitors to bring their cats to their designated number. After each breed from the same class goes through judging, the judge will decide on the best cat from each breed to put into a final! These finals are necessary to earn titles, and earn more points.
Certain organizations will then also count all cat wins, and have a Best-of-Show ring for the cats with the most wins!
"What titles can cats earn?"
During shows cats can earn the following:
Champion - The first and easiest title to earn!
Grand Champion
Double Grand Champion
Triple Grand Champion
Quadruple Grand Champion
Supreme - The last and hardest title to earn!
Aside from these, regional and national titles are also counted by the end of the show season.
For example, last year our king Wybie, has won Best Blue Classic Tabby of the Northwest Region, and Second Best Blue Classic Tabby nationally!
"Do you show?"
Yes! Crystal Star cattery goes to every local TICA cat show in Portland, where we personally show our cats! We also occasionally travel outside the city to places like Elma, Astoria, Olympia, Longview, Ferndale and Canada! We also plan to one day go to a show in California!
Our typical set up always has posters and signs with our catteries name on our spot, so please do say hello to us and our cats! We would love to meet you all :)
Comments