For those people who have never experienced a cat show before, the first thing you visualize is a kind of feline “Crufts”. And for obvious it is nothing like Crufts. Cats are not as stupid as dogs and so therefore cannot be trained to heel, jump through hoops and generally be a slave to their owners. This kind of show would totally be at odds with the spirituality, personality and character of the cat.
A cat show is in its essence a beauty competition. The cats are judged how close each comes to the accepted traits of its pedigree. i.e. width of face; coat markings; body stance and character.) There are many different cat shows around the country the dates of which can be found on our show page. However their structure and process of entry is uniform and controlled by the GCFC. Each event is usually managed by different cat clubs and these cat clubs are often centred around one breed (i.e. Somali; Burmese; Persian etc) or Categories (Short-hairs; Foreign; or Oriental perhaps). Some shows may bring together all cats in one area such as the Maidstone and Medway Cat Club.
The bigger shows are in London (this is nationwide) and the Supreme Cat show (held in the Midlands is for the elite. (i.e. the Grand Champions and the Imperials) See Prizes at cat shows. Owners presenting their cats will arrive early in the morning (usually between 8:00 and 10:00 am.). The cat will have a brief once over by the resident Vet to ensure the cat is safe and likely to be spreading disease. He will also check to make sure the appropriate vaccinations are up to date. The owner is then given the number of the cage in which their cat will be in. All the cages are set out on tables and in rows in a big hall. So depending on the size of the show there could be up to 500 cats together in one room! The owner then settles the cat and gives her the final grooming. At about 10:00am the owners withdraw and for approximately the next two hours the judges (usually two together with a judging table) travel between the cages. They will take the cats out, pick them up and hold them in order to award their points.
Around 12:00 the owners are allowed back in and also the general public to view the exhibitions. If a cat has done well within any section (1st, 2nd or 3rd) they will receive a rosette. However cats will not get first place by default if she is the only cat in the individual competition. If the judge does not feel she reaches the acceptable standard required, she could be put down as second!! The worst nightmare!
At the end of the day, the best from each section is chosen and from these the best in show.
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