A
Tabby Tutorial: Understanding Cat Shows
By
Steve Dale
Dog
shows and cats shows are both beauty contest. The biggest difference
between the two is that you have to tell dogs just how beautiful
they are; the cats know it. Every cat among the over 300 participating
at the 3rd Annual 2005 CFA – Iams Cat Championship at Madison
Square Garden in New York City, October 8 and 9 feels he or she
is the most beautiful there. To the cats, it doesn’t matter
what the judges decide.
“People
are more acquainted with dog shows because they tend to get more
media exposure than cat shows, but we’re out to change that,”
says Pam DelaBar, president of the Cat Fanciers’ Association,
the largest registry of pedigreed cats.
Dog
and cat shows both judge pedigreed animals according to written
breed standards. Cats are shown in three divisions: Kittens (four
to eight months). Adult Class (these are unaltered animals over
eight months) and Premiership (these are spayed or neutered animals
over eight months). The three divisions don’t compete against
one another.
Depending
on the way an individual cat show is configured, there are anywhere
from four to eight rings. Each ring has its own presiding judge
who makes determinations for all the breeds in the show. So, in
a real sense, a cat show is four to eight shows in one. Interestingly,
a cat may win Best in Breed in one ring and not in another.
“Sure,
there’s some subjectivity, but I prefer to say it’s
a matter of interpretation of the breed standard which can vary
from judge to judge,” says DelaBar. While dog show judges
are tight-lipped about their decisions; cat show judges are a
chattier bunch, actually explaining their logic to the crowd.
“It helps people to understand,” says all-breed judge
Gary Veach.
From
here, to understand a cat show, you have to follow the bouncing
catnip ball. A best male and best female are both named for each
color in each of the three Classes, which are:
As
if this isn’t complicated enough, color plays a role. For
example, in Siamese cats there are four colors which may be judged.
A best male and best female is named for Open, Champion and Grand-Champion
(six cats) for each of the four colors in the breed. That’s
a total of 24 cats who may qualify to be named Best in Breed,
and whom a judge for any single ring may select from.
At
some shows, competition ends there. But at a selected group of
shows – including the Iams Cat Championship – a Best
in Breed cat will be named for each breed; and each of those cats
will compete in a Best in Show event. Veach, who will be the Best
in Show judge (at the Iams Cat Championship), will be sequestered
until the big moment comes so he has no preconceived notions.
Veach,
who is from Maywood, NJ says, “Cat shows are to inform the
public about cats in general and about pedigreed cats; the goal
is always to achieve the ultimate cat within a breed.”
Arguably,
one of the greatest differences between dog and cat shows is that
many cat shows welcome household pets or mixed breed cats, which
compete in their own category. However, you can’t just show
up with your beautiful housecat – advance registration is
required, and pets must be spayed/neutered and not be declawed.
“Since there is no breed standard for mixed breeds, this
is a subjective beauty contest if there ever was one,” concedes
Veach. “Personality matters big time when you judge household
pets; the cat who wins is the cat who charms his way into my heart.”
Cat
shows abound with additional pleasures, from shopping for unusual
items not found at typical pet stores, ranging from litter boxes
which also double as furniture (like end table/litter boxes all-in-one)
to unique toys.
Walk
up and down the aisles where the cats stay when they’re
not in the ring and check out the often-decorated carriers or
cages. At one show, an Egyptian Mau’s cage featured a min-replica
of a pyramid setting against wallpaper of the Sahara Desert.
Like
many dog shows, a pawful of major cat shows are now presenting
agility (an obstacle course event where participants are timed).
But this isn’t your dog’s agility event. “For
one thing it’s the cats who are in control,” says
CFA ringmaster Carol Osborne, of Floyd, Va. “We’re
competitive to an extent. More than one cat has stopped in the
middle of the course for a little self-grooming. Another cat began
the course methodically, then raced around the perimeter –
ignoring all the obstacles – but ended up where the cats
are supposed to finish, and looked up at her person as if to say,
‘I did it. What next?” This really isn’t about
winning or losing. It’s about showing how athletic cats
can be. And they can be trained, sometimes.”
DelaBar
agrees people not owned by cats might have mistaken notions about
felines. Cats’ personalities are as variable as dogs’,
from the talkative Siamese to the large but gentle Maine Coon
to the agile rex breeds. She says cat shows are a great way to
celebrate the wonderful world of cats.
