So many questions!!

Hiya!! I've been thinking about entering one of my babies in a cat show. However I know absolutely nothing about them. I've seen pictures that have been posted and it looks like a total blast.. and its something I would like to experience at least once.

How are the shows judged?

Whats a good age to put your cat in a show? My cats are almost 4 months old? is that too young?

How much does it cost?

What is the process?

How do they pick judges?

I'm sooo curious.. as is my boyfriend Craig.

Thanks in advance!!

-Cass :tounge2:

Congrats on wanting to enter the show circuit. I got hooked about 10 years ago. I judge cat shows and Rene is a training judge along with Ken. We're trying to get Sandy to go into the judging program.

Here are some answers.

First, the earliest you can show your cat is 4 months.

Second, find out where and when the next show will be in your area (check Cat Fancy or Cats) and contact the entry clerk. Tell them this will be your first show and they might be able to send you some info. If not, contact me and I will send you one of our phamphlets.

3. Each show depends on the association (our charges $45 for the first cat). Some of the others charge $40-$50. When you contact the entry clerk, he will send you a flyer with the info. BTW, you can't enter a show the week before as they need to have info at least 2 weeks before the show. My suggestion is to wait until the Fall for a show and get the info now if possible.

4. Judges are picked by the club and the judges have contracts well before hand.

5. You will need to have as many friends of yours handle your baby at home so he/she can get use to others.

6. You will need to have sheets or towels to keep 3 sides, the top and bottom of the cage covered (this is a requirement). Ask the entry clerk the size of the cages. I do suggest you get what they call a double cage so your baby has room to move and be able to have a litter box. The price of the entry includes a single cage. I'm not sure what they charge for a double.

If you contact me privately at [email protected], we can chat more about this. I'm sure you will get lots of other points which will help but there are so many things to remember and can't do it on one response. If it's easier, I live on the westcoast and we can communite through phone if need be.

Frannie

Thank you so much Frannie! I think Jake will be perfect for this. My cats aren't registered though. Isn't there a housecat section he can be entered in? Jake is super easy going. He doesn't mind a bit if you hold him and pet him... if you want to play he's fine .. if you want to snuggle he'll snuggle.. I've never seen an animal so content with anything you want. He absolutely loves any kind of attention you give... and thats from anyone!

When we took all three to the vet.. Jake was the only one that was easy to keep under control... everyone wanted to hold and play with him. I don't know if this is healthy or not? Last night when we went to clip his nails.. he just laid in my lap and purred.. and let me rub his tummy while Craig clipped his nails. Never once did he whine, fight, or struggle. I was amazed!


I do have a lot of questions! I will definitely show Craig this post.. and discuss this more in depth with him. He was very curious as to how the cats are judged? Like, what exactly do the judges look at when judging the cats?


Thanks so much Frannie... I will be getting in contact with you. I'm very much looking forward to putting them through a few shows just to see how it goes! It'll be nice to have someone to coach me through my first few times.. and the encouragement is definitely a plus! Thanks again!

-Cass

Glad I could help. Yes there is a HHP class and they do not need to be registered. I'm glad he's a wonderful kitty but some don't like shows. I have a baby that I did show but he hated. When I realized it, we stopped. I'll coach you (and I'm sure many of us here will also) as long as need be. Ask as many questions as you would like. For the HHP division, Judges look for personality, cleanliness (no fleas, etc.), clean eyes and ears and nails clipped. The HHPs finals are ususally what the judge fancies. Make sure your cat is not overweight. Take him on short trips by carrier in the car. I use to take mine for walks in the carrier so they could get use to different noises (I have the Sherpa carrier). I'm actually thinking of going to a California show in the winter but it all depends on my judging schedule. I'm scheduled to judge shows up to and including January. Let me know what show you might want to go to, and I'll see if I could make it and help you. Again, glad to help and also, ask away.

Frannie

I am so glad these questions are being asked about cat shows as I, too, am considering this as well as becoming a breeder. My quesion to you, Frannie, is do you know who the cat belongs to when you, and others, judge? I have heard it is a very political thing and judges vote for friends, well known breeders, etc. Since I've never done this either, do I honestly stand a chance against all these experienced, known people? I plan to go to a show in Sept. to see what it is like as I wanted to see if I would handle the cat as the judge looks on? I know you handle the cats, but will I be there with my cat? In pictures, it appears the cats in a certain division are lined up in their cages and the owners are not there but in the audience. (Which is not the case in dog shows.) I am rather shy and hope I could just have my cat judged along side others and not be there. I really would like an honest ans. about judges not being biased, etc. I don't have the money to throw away if I don't stand a chance. Thanks for your responses also.

Well, honestly it depends on the associations I have found. The longer you are there the more the cat gets seen. I don't think it happens as much as one would think. Going by my personal experience, it has nothing to do with the judges. I am good friends with a few of the judges (Frannie) included and some cats she has placed very high (for good reason) and others did not meet the standard as good, so they didnt get placed very high. My best advice is to get into the shows and have an experienced person to help you. It makes it so much easier and lots more fun. This way you never feel left out of the loop.

New cats and kittens are not known to the judge as to the owner - but experienced judge's can tell the breeding of a cat. For instance, I have an oriental shorthair that was a gift from the judge who is my counselor - you can always tell a Jorene Cattery cat by the elegant lines and deep blue eyes - there is no mistaking her breeding. That does not necessarily mean you know who actually owns the cat though. Also, in household pet - there is not a judge in AACE who does not know who Milo is because he has been showing in the association for over two years - but the judge's are also judging what they have before them any given day. Milo has been beat by newcomers who have wonderful personalities, looks, grooming, etc - and he has beat cats who have been showing much longer than him.

It all depends on the day, the judge's fancy and what the competition is. And the more competition the better the win - I hope all of you who are even thinking of showing your baby will go ahead and try it - go onto the AACE website (www.aaceinc.org) and see if there will be a show in your area - we are really nice people and always love to see newcomers!

Also here is a hint on showing - have your friends handle your cat - look in his ears, ruffle his coat, check his claws for trimming, etc. The more people who handle your cat the better - and have them play with the cat with a teaser - get him comfortable with strangers. Good luck!

Hi Marygirl.

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner but I've been real busy at work and coming home and crashing (only after I play and check on my babies). It is true in some associations that the judges judge the cat by the owner. I don't and never will. I judge the cat to the standard. I've put up new cats that I've never seen and have not put up cats that I've seen before as high up as I did at another show. Since I moved away from the AACE shows (and I'm starting to get real homesick) I only go to them when asked to judge. I've been dumped by other judges in AACE when my cat was not up to par whether it be stress from traveling or off on her diet because she's in heat. I've gone to other associations shows with my AACE Grand Champion and have not even made it into the breed class (whether it be 1, 2 or 3rd best of breed) and I've been told by other breeders that I have a beautiful cat but that I've not been showing that often in the association. I don't care, because I go for my cat to stay in show condition. I've heard comments about my cats saying that he's beautiful but because he's an open (or novice), they won't place him. I've put up opens over grand champions because I thought they were closest to the standard. I've been told that I'm a fair judge and that's how I want to stay. As for holding your cat in a judging ring, I only ask the owner/handler to come up if the cat is a little nervous or hissing because he's having a bad day. Otherwise, I'm the only one handling the cat until I tell my clerk that that cat can go back to the benching area. Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Frannie

Oh Frannie! I talked to Craig.. and told him I want to show Jake in the household division. Craig knows how much I adore these cats and how thrilled it would make me to do this... so of course he approved.

It will be a while before I can get Jake entered into one.. with us moving to the suburbs and Thanksgiving and Christmas not too far away. (Already!!) I was just wandering.. I don't have many (if any) friends in this area I'm new here and don't know anyone.. and I'm a sit @ home mommy to the kittens. So the only people I can really get to hold Jake a lot is our roomies.. and we're moving soon. I hope this won't be too much of a problem. I still think it'd be fun to have him in one.. just to see what its like

I would love so much if you could go to my first show with me. I know you live on the west coast.. and I know you judge.. so doing this would most likely be really hard... and if its not possible its ok.. and I'm sure there will be people at the show that will help me. We were thinking of maybe doing a show in January of next year... after this have settled down some from the holidays. Jake will be 9 months then.

I will send you an email soon.. after talking a bit more with Craig. Also what association are you with? Is there a showing a schedule I can look at maybe?

-Cassie

Cat shows sound so much fun!

Cassie,I would be honored to hold your hand at your first show. Unfortunately, January will be tough for me as I'm going back to judge for Rene's show and I'll be away for 4 days. Another bad thing is the association I judge for only has shows on the eastcoast. I can do a show with you in the Springtime as this would help me get some money saved as I'm judging and showing every month until the end of January. I don't think it would be a problem for Jake if he knows how much he's loved by you and will want to make you proud of him. I'll be there for you and will help you with whatever you need. We can talk more about this later. I'm getting so excited to be able to finally get to meet some more people from the forums and to help someone who loves cats (and all animals) as much as I do. I can't wait. Now all Rene, Clint, Sandie, Ken, Michele and Donna are going to hear is me talking about this.

Frannie

Cassie, I just checked some show schedules and there is a show in San Francisco on March 16-17. Would you be interested in going to that one? Let me know, so I can plan for it.

Frannie

Frannie,

I would *definitely* LOVE to go to that one. I will let Craig know and see what he thinks. He typically doesn't like to plan that far ahead of time.. but he'll get over it. Anytime after January would be good for us... as our schedule is pretty packed until the new year.

Craig and I went to MountainView and ate out last night.. on the way home.. (its an hour - an hour and a half ride) all I talked about was going to a cat show and hopefully having you there.. was telling him about how you answered my questions and how experienced you are. He's gonna want to kill me before this starts! :LOL: I'm very excited and can't wait to meet you.. and and I'm so happy you are gonna be there to help me

You know.. Rene, Clint, Sandie, Ken, Michele and Donna can all come too! It'd be a blast to be able to meet you all

I would love to come help you. However in the big picture, it would be much cheaper for you and Jake to fly to the east coast to visit with all of us. I try to get home to Ventura County once a year and that's a tough one. I won't be flying home until next summer. I am glad you are excited about showing. It's something that Ken and I really love to do together. It is a great way to spend time with your cat and we use it as family time too. You also get to meet and spend time with people who love cats as much as you do. We all love our cats very much and there is just something special about having ribbons for them. I am sure you and Jake will do great!!