Showing a breeding queen

Depends more on how well she keeps her body shape and weight. Most breeding queens and toms have a harder time keeping weight on when breeding or in heat cycles. But you have to play it by ear.

She cannot obviously show she is pregnant (so the first 2 weeks after being bred you could put her in if the show is then). And you would have to wait till after weaning and everything is more normal. Whether or not she goes into heat quickly after that is something you will have to decide.

Its not a good thing to show when in heat as it causes the males in the show hall to be spraying!

Many boys spray even if not around a girl in heat, being around the other boys can make them mark.

Also being around the boys can bring some girls on, so even if they weren’t calling at home they do at the show.

I showed a 4 month old in heat, expecting she would come off at the show (lots of girls calm down once out of their home and at the show). She provided many laughs and I denied she was my child as she spent the day coo-ing to a Selkirk across the ring

Like many breeders over here I don’t let my girls cycle, so they might be shown between litters.

I had a friend show her girl who’s kittens had left 1-2 days before and she ended up with best in show.

You cannot show a pregnant girl here, of course you may before they start to show they are preg but why stress her.

That's wonderful news, good luck with her pregnancy. How lucky you were able to use that stud in time.

Hope you get a nice show cat from the current litter.

I would love to go to the next show that's near me, but Maddie is due that weekend. So, we're gonna sit this show out, maybe do one in summer after Maddie's babies are off at their new homes.

I miss being at the shows, it's so much fun and I love to network with the other breeders. I do know that I have responsibilities to my cats here at home and there will be more times to show them in the future.

Have fun with your new queen!!

Interesting. Over here it's forbidden to bring a pregnant cat to an exhibition, whether she's showing yet or not.

Question is how would anyone really know if the cat was breed a week or two before a show?

Cats are not supposed to be shown in heat either, but it happens more often then you know - if I entered a show and my cat came into heat a few days before, I'd forfeit the entry and keep her home. Not not everyone does that.

The only time it happened to me is my one RB came into heat on the day of the show and was pretty darn cooperative in the rings - but I didn't pull her that weekend because it was an out of town show.

CFA Show Rules Pertaining to Pregnant Cats:

6.11 Under no circumstances will a pregnant cat be delivered
of her kittens in the show hall.

28.16 Withholding of awards by the judge: a judge must with-
hold all awards when in his opinion ANY entry lacks suffi-
cient merit or is, apparently, obviously pregnant, suffer-
ing from emaciation, malnutrition or showing evidence of
neglect.


I would draw the conclusion that the show rules do not address cats who have been bred but are not showing signs of pregnancy because that would open up the door to allow all sorts of accusations, whether legitimate or not. Competition can bring out the worst in people, and I would hate to be a show manager or a judge who is put in the middle of a situation where a cat does not look pregnant but others (who might benefit from the cat's absence from a show. . .) have accused it of being so. And we all know that not all breedings result in a pregnancy Breeders need to decide what is best for their programs and their cats. Technically, it looks like you can bring a pregnant cat into a CFA show hall as long as she doesn't have her kittens there. But would you really want to????

I think some females can be shown while in heat, and like GK said, they might even show better! But if the female is calling constantly, spraying, or otherwise uncooperative, then perhaps it might be best for her to sit the show out. It depends on how obnoxious she is being One also might want to request the clerk to have empty cages on both sides of such a female just so that she does not upset the other cats around her.

Yeah, we seem to have a bit more strict rules over here. They say that if there is a possibility that your female is pregnant, you can't show her. This is Fifé and TICA rule translated from finnish, but some of the clubs have their own added rules in there which might be the case here. You can end up in a 'black list' which is released in a cat magazine if you get caught on breaking the rules.. I remember someone once saying that a judge had asked them if they are members of 'the bully club', meaning one of our cat clubs (which works under Fifé).