Hervey Foundation

Star Is Born

Mandy
Mandy after she supremed !

Have you ever attended a Cat Show, admired the colourful award ribbons (rosettes) on many cages, and wondered if your own special kitty could be a winner?

Read on, if you are curious!

The format of a sanctioned Cat Show, such as those hosted by the Edmonton Cat Fanciers Club, consists of two competitive groups. The largest group includes the kittens, cats, and alters of specific recognized breeds of cats. These cats usually are registered with a feline-registration organization, such as The International Cat Association (TICA). When examined by a certified cat-show judge, the cats are compared individually to a published Breed standard (e.g. Maine Coon) or Breed Group standard (e.g. Siamese, Balinese, and Oriental Shorthair). There is very little allowance for a judge’s personal preferences when he/she is judging the “purebred” show entrants.

However, it is a very different situation when the judge is examining the second of the competitive groups: the Household Pets. Household Pets include cats of unknown parentage, such as strays, rescues (perhaps from the Hervey Foundation), alley cats, and some cats of known breeds that either are unregisterable or do not conform to a Breed standard. Kittens (either altered or un-altered) over 4 months of age but not yet 8 months old and Adults (altered) over 8 months of age are the animals in this second group of Show entrants.

So, now you are positive that you own a beautiful cat which could win ribbons just like the ones you’ve seen at the Cat Shows! Right? A major consideration when determining if your cat could be a show cat is whether it tolerates being handled by strangers. Does your cat eagerly come to inspect visitors to your home? Does it allow a visitor to pick it up? An out-going, inquisitive Household Pet often fares better at a show than a cat which runs and hides under a bed!

TICA’s set of printed standards does include one for the Household Pet, although the standard can be broadly interpreted. The cat must be in obvious good health and excellent condition (neither skinny nor overweight), sparkling clean (after a bath!) with clipped nails and clean ears, amenable to handling, and appearing as if it wants to be at the show. A cat with interesting colours and markings may sometimes make the judge’s “short list” for those reasons. Occasionally, a judge may even choose to “final” (give a rosette to) a cat which reminds her/him of a cherished childhood pet.

Judging of all cats takes place in a “Ring” (actually a rectangle) where a row of cages sits on tables behind another table where the judge stands and where she/he places each cat for judging. Cats are identified for the judges by colour/pattern description, gender, age, and competition number. The judge does not know who owns which cat.

Your cat will have been assigned a number, which will be printed in the Show Catalogue. When you check in with the Entry Clerk upon arriving at the Show Hall, you will receive your cat’s competition number printed on a card. You will need to display your card on the “benching cage” where your cat rests while not being judged. In the Judging Ring, this number will be displayed above one of the cages there (for example, #457 in Ring 2), You place your cat in that cage (unobtrusively), then take a seat in one of the chairs in front of the judge’s table. The judge removes each animal, in turn, and places it on the judging table (which is disinfected between animals).

HHPs are divided into Longhair and Shorthair groups, then are compared in Divisions according to colour and pattern (e.g. Solid Division - Black, White, Red, etc.). The HHP Class includes ten competitive Divisions, in each of which (if there is a sufficient number of competitors) three placements are awarded (1st. 2nd., 3rd. etc.) At some point after your cat has been judged, you will be asked to take it back out of the judging cage and return to your benching area. When all of the cats have been judged, the judge will select those for a Final. When the Final has been announced you go to that Ring to see whether your cat’s number is displayed. If it is, you need to put the cat back in the Ring to find out what rosette it has won. If there are 25 or more cats in competition with your cat, 10 rosettes will be awarded in that Ring.

After your cat has collected its first rosette, you may be hooked on a new hobby! Your HHP can be registered with TICA. and the points accumulated during a Show Season (May 1-April 30) will be scored along with cats from around the world. You might find yourself planning a trip to a Regional Awards Show, and maybe even an International one, to pick up more rosettes there!

For more information about Cat Shows in Edmonton and Calgary (and in other areas, if you’re really keen!), visit the ECFC website and follow the links there or send an E-mail to kbyram@interbaun.com, or ‘phone a Club Member at 461-1766 or 468-7268.

Kathy Byram, President, Edmonton Cat Fanciers Club

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