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What's it like for a guest in a cat show

post #1 of 16
7/24/11 at 7:28pm
Thread Starter 
I plan to go to one, 3 pound for entry

but what does a guest do ??

Can they stroke the cats ?
Do they just walk around and look at the cats ??
Meet the owners ??
What happens at a cat show ?
are all the cats locked up anyway ??
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post #2 of 16
7/25/11 at 2:12am
I've been to a couple of shows as a guest, and touching the cats was absolutely prohibited because of the possible transmission of disease.

You do just walk around and look at the cats, who are mostly caged (and some of the cages are works of art!). Some owners will be grooming them or just holding them... it's a pleasure to see them and hear their owners tell stories about them, even if no petting is allowed!

You can also watch the judging, though the judges don't say much. And there are usually vendors with all sorts of toys and gadgets for cats, as well as cat-themed jewelry and clothing. I really enjoyed it!
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post #3 of 16
7/25/11 at 3:43am
I go to cat shows as often as possible. All the merchandise is cat related--jewelry, books, clothes, kitty condos, toys--it's great!!! You'll get to see a lot of different breeds and many times the owners are be willing to educate you on their breed of cat. Unfortunately it's mostly "look but don't touch" the kitties which is hard, but understandable. There may even be cats for sale...it's a great experience because you know you are surrounded by fellow cat lovers. Yes, they are in cages, unless they're being shown or groomed.
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post #4 of 16
7/25/11 at 4:55am
Thread Starter 
can you ask to touch the cat to the owner ?

will they let anyone touch their cats ?
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post #5 of 16
7/25/11 at 5:26am
Many of the owners don't want touching their kitties because of germs and such. You can always ask. I've been fortunate enough to hold a few of the cats. A persian, a maine coon and a sphynx; but only after dousing myself with antibacterial stuff. The cats aren't there for us to do anything but admire them from afar. They're there to be shown and judged so the breeders are very focused on that. I try to respect that. But if you've never been to one I think you'd find it a good experience. There are always shelter cats at the shows I go to as well and those cats are up for adoption. And holding one of those cats just can't be beat!!
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post #6 of 16
7/25/11 at 7:08am
If you do ask to pet a cat, make sure that that cat has already been shown for the day. There's probably a lot of grooming that goes into it and, at least with dog shows, the owners will get quite frustrated if you pet their animal before it's showing.
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post #7 of 16
7/25/11 at 8:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fuggles View Post
can you ask to touch the cat to the owner ?

will they let anyone touch their cats ?
Yes you can, just pick a moment when the owner doesn't seem to be very busy. Most have some disinfectant with them so they may ask you to clean your hands before they let you touch their cat.

Different organizations have very different shows. For example the 'euro style' shows have judges who tell every fault and good thing about every cat (only the exhibitor is however allowed to be next to the judge's table, you can sometimes hear the judging from further anyway). In Fifé shows they usually judge cats in alphabetical order which means that they start with breeds starting with A and so on. This means their owners have more time to chat with audience in the afternoon, whereas the owners of breeds from the end part of alphabets have more time in the morning when they have lots of time to wait for their cat's turn.

Some shows have cat agility which is fun to watch, and breed presentations.
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post #8 of 16
7/25/11 at 2:31pm
Thread Starter 
how long does a guest usually stay
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post #9 of 16
7/25/11 at 5:05pm
They can stay as long as they like (of course within the time frame the show is open for visitors).

I used to spent just 1-2 hours when I first started visiting shows, I didn't even have any cats back then. Then when I started showing my own cats, the time spent in the shows when I was there without a cat, just as a visitor, got a lot longer. There were so many familiar cats and people to see and talk to and of course I started to follow the judging of 'my' breed, and some other breeds out of curiosity too.
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post #10 of 16
7/25/11 at 6:08pm
I've been to a few cat shows. No you can't touch the cats. You walk around and look at them. The owners are usually friendly. They will answer questions you have about their cat's breed. They have cat related items like jewelry, clothes, cat toys for sale. You also can sit and watch the judging.
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post #11 of 16
7/26/11 at 11:07am
Thread Starter 
how many cats are on show ??
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post #12 of 16
7/26/11 at 11:38am
It depends from the organizing association. What show are you going to? All the info should be found in their website.

The ones I've attended have usually been 600-800 cats per day, but if I've understood correctly the shows in US are a lot smaller(?).
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post #13 of 16
7/26/11 at 4:57pm
I just LOVE going as a guest to any and all cat shows I can find. I just love all of the beautiful cats and it is so peaceful there to walk around and watch everyone primping their cats, etc. I also love all of the booths loaded with cat merchandise. So much fun. I think I will try to find the next one coming to Chicago
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post #14 of 16
7/26/11 at 5:02pm
I've never been to a cat show. I used to show my dogs, back in the day. Cat shows sound like alot more fun than dog shows. Dogs can be very nasty and aggressive when they're crated at the shows. I did the rare breed (ARBA) shows mostly and some rare breeds are very nasty.

I'd love to find a cat show near me. Probably in the city.
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post #15 of 16
7/26/11 at 5:06pm
I wish there was a cat show where I live. The nearest ones are normally in Fresno/Visalia area. I don't have a reliable car to do that. Maybe someday they will come here.
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post #16 of 16
7/27/11 at 6:10pm
Thread Starter 
600 - 800 cats ??? wow

that's a lot
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