I Want to Show Tippi , What Should i Do to Get Her Ready to Show ?

I am seriously considering entering Tippi into a cat show , what do I do to get her ready to show ?

She is not a pedigree cat so we would be looking at the pet section of the show.

She seems to be in very good condition , she is 19 month old , I think she is a very pretty cat with a beautiful coat.

Any tips or advice would be most welcome , I have never shown a cat before.

This is Tippi

Yeah, a beauty in excellent condition.  And surely a good psyche, as she istn afraid of the vacuum cleaner!

Exact what preparations may depend on the association.  In some assciations the rule is the owner herself shows the cat (a friend carrying is often allowed), in others its a steward carrying the cat...

Train her to wait patiently when carried.

Train on such typical show poses, when they are held " lenghy apart" so to speak.

Train her, when several people are standing around, talking, laughing, taking pics,  cheering, "hitting hands to cheer = clapping hands"

the judge is usually examing them on a table, handling them there, raising tail, looking in the eyes, teeth...

Also, they usually desinficate the table between every cat. This table is thus a little wet and cold...

Give her treats after every good session, so she thinks the whole time its mostly nice and a joy to participate!

Good luck!

Apart from bathing to be certain she is clean and clipping the claws the most important part is getting her accustomed to noise, motion and lots of people. I take mine places with me - pet stores or anywhere I am allowed to take them (in a carrier of course!). If you can have friends she is doesn't see often, handle her so she is comfortable with strangers. Noise is a big factor with the public address systems in the halls. We even practice going into and out of the judging cages because in CFA the owners put them in and take them out. good luck! let us know how it goes!

Thank you for your advice.

It as raised more questions in my mind as to weather this is a good idea.

@StefanZ  your list of things Tippi would have to contend with is very informative. I think strange noises might freak her out , she lives in a very quite house and all though she is a friendly cat and gets on with me and my friends and my other two cats I am not sure been handled by strangers in white coats would make her happy it might remind her of the vets.

From what I have read on the internet about showing cats I should have began training her to show as a kitten , at 19 month it might be to late to start training her.

She as never been bathed or had her claws clipped which also could stress her.

There is a cost implication for me too , I live on a small pension and some of the equipment and traveling costs to get to shows might not be financially sustainable for me.

I have to put her welfare first at the moment she is a happy cat living a quite life with her own little routine.

Yes she is in really great condition and looks beautiful , but do I want to stress her in anyway and the answer is clearly know.

I think weighing everything up showing her is not the right thing to do.

Merlin2000 said:

 
Thank you for your advice.

It as raised more questions in my mind as to weather this is a good idea.

@StefanZ  your list of things Tippi would have to contend with is very informative. I think strange noises might freak her out , she lives in a very quite house and all though she is a friendly cat and gets on with me and my friends and my other two cats I am not sure been handled by strangers in white coats would make her happy it might remind her of the vets.

From what I have read on the internet about showing cats I should have began training her to show as a kitten , at 19 month it might be to late to start training her.

She as never been bathed or had her claws clipped which also could stress her.

There is a cost implication for me too , I live on a small pension and some of the equipment and traveling costs to get to shows might not be financially sustainable for me.

I have to put her welfare first at the moment she is a happy cat living a quite life with her own little routine.

Yes she is in really great condition and looks beautiful , but do I want to stress her in anyway and the answer is clearly know.

I think weighing everything up showing her is not the right thing to do.

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Try to visit a show nearby, so you look and see how is it.  It is quite a lot of fun, and cats usually doesnt mind it. 

  Even my oldest resident managed it OK, although he is a very shy cat.   He got enough after perhaps a dozen, but managed to get his Champion title anyway.

I mean, yours isnt shy, she is used to other people, and other cats.  She will do OK.  It may be she perhaps doesnt has the show winning personality, but she will manage the show as such excellently, I do not have a doubt.

In the Pet class there are no breed description, so there it is more important to be a friendly cat enjoying the situation and the show as such.

Bathing of shorthairs isnt really necessary.  We never did with ours.    Cats are usually clean by themslves.  Just a polishing off with an mocca towel, was all we did.   Bathing, brushing etc is more important with the longhaired breeds, especielly Persians, where many judges see the preparations as an important part of their judgement.

Although nails must be clipped.  Its no big deal, no extremes, but they mustnt be visible unclipped nor apparently sharp.   The judges dont like to be cut into pieces if the cat gets into panic mode...  

If your budget and time are limited, you of course visit (and participate) just in the shows nearby.

But, if you do have nearby some other show cat owner, you can probably ride the car with them, sharing the cost for gas.   Cat people are usually very friendly, especielly if they arent directly competing against you.  

I remember an episode of My Cat From Hell where the owners made a recording of the sounds at a cat show and then played it to their cat while she ate her treats in her carrier. They thought this would get her used to the noise.

I have to agree with you though @Merlin2000  , I think a cat show would be too stressful for any of my cats. (For me too)

I saw you are considering not going after all. If you do change your minds, here are my tips!:

Please do note that cats act very differently on a show than they do at home. If you know she can have quite some temperament, you might want to prepare on her attacking the judge or even you. A frightened cat can do weird things. If she has attacked or showed aggression before, you might not want to take her to a show, as with stress her behavior will only worsen. She's quite old already to start showing, so it'll be more difficult for her to adjust to the environment and to get used to it than a young kitten would be. This doesn't mean it always goes wrong tho, some are just natural at it and some just don't bother at all.

I personally wouldn't wash her unless she's either visually dirty or her fur is seemingly greasy. If so, wash her a week or 2 before the show so the fur can get the natural oils back in. She is a short haired cat tho, so maybe a little later is possible too, I'm not sure (I show long haired cats).

You should trim her nails before the show, preferred the day before.

Make sure she has had her shots (less than one year old but at least 2 weeks old, else you aren't allowed in - at least that's how it goes here in my country and neighbor countries)

Make sure she's dewormed and given proper treatment for parasites. If they even find one little black dot on her fur, she's not allowed in. 

If you know she has some greasier furparts, like at her ears or on her belly, you can get yourself some grooming powder. Put this on her a few seconds before going to the judge, but not too much as she'll turn into a powder cloud. I've seen it before haha.

That's about it. If you do go and show her, have lots of fun! I love showing my cats, but I hate seeing it when they are stressed. If they are, I make sure to stop showing them. It's not worth it in my opinion. I don't want to put my babies through that stress again. But please note that she's a cat. She can handle quite a lot So don't worry too much