Question for those involved in cat shows

First of all, bear with me, if this seems like a dumb question, but I have never been to a cat show and I need some information.

Is it common at a show to not only dress up the cage the cat comes in, but also the cat? What I mean is, is it common to see cats with funky or decorative type collars about their neck? Or are they just shown in all their splendor minus collar and bangles?


Thanks for answering this...........

LOL...Although Ken is the moderator, I would be happy to help with this one since he is sound asleep at the moment.
The decorated cages are "cage curtains" they are actually meant to serve a purpose. They keep the cats from seeing each other. The reason they are so elaborate is because the owners want them to look good.
As for the collars..no cats aren't allowed to have collars on in the ring. If you ever see a long haired cat with a foo foo looking collar on, it's called a bib. It keeps them from getting thier hairs wet when drinking and such. They come off before they get judged. There are times when they do a "special" ring and you can dress the cats up in costume for one ring.
In a cat show, there's no money involved except all the money you spend to enter them. It's all about getting titles so that people know your cats are top of the line. There is no such thing as a "perfect" cat, but we try to get close Each cat has a standard that the breeders have written. Each cat gets a certain amount of points for body, head, coat, etc. In the standard it describes what this cat is supposed to look like. The judge then determines which of the cats best meets it's standard.
Personally, I do like getting points for my cats, but the main reason I enjoy showing is to get away with my cats and family for the weekend, being with my "cat" friends, and of course all the pretty ribbons that my babies won.

Thank you Sandie for taking time out to explain this all to me. It helped me figure out something I was working on.

so that what that bib is for