Non-Purebred Cat Shows?

[xlovey]

I'm new here, so sorry if I'm posting this in the wrong place

So the other day, I was browsing this board, and I happened upon some threads talking about cat shows. I've never really been interested in showing cats, mainly because I'm not a big purebred person (not that I have anything against them, I'd just rather rescue a poor, needy kitty, plus show quality purebreds are expensive!), but a couple of these threads mentioned that you could also show just regular old mutt-cats in their own categories. I think all of the cats I have now are a bit old to get them used to something like this, but in the future this could be something I'm interested in.

So my question is, what could they possibly be judging them on? To my knowledge, purebred cats would be judged on how well they fit their breed standards, but if a cat isn't any breed, I don't understand how that would work. Would it just be on how pretty they are? 'cause that seems awfully subjective. Anyway, thanks for all your help

 

[Willowy]

From what I understand, cats in the Household Pet class are judged on things like how well they're groomed, how generally healthy they look, how friendly and easy to handle they are, if they're in good shape (good muscle, not overweight, etc.), interesting markings, etc. Looks do count but are not the most important thing.

HHP cats must be spayed/neutered if over 8 months of age. CFA shows do not allow de-clawed cats at all. TICA shows do allow de-clawed cats in HHP class only.

 

[xlovey]

Oh I see, that's interesting. On a related note, does anybody know of cat shows in Washington state? I'd like to go to one. I tried to look it up, but couldn't really find anything specific

 

[rad65]

You just have to google "cat shows washington" and these are the official sites that popped up.

http://ticamembers.org/calendar/

and

http://www.cfanorthwest.org/showCalendar.php

The CFA website in particular lists tons of shows in washington. The TICA website listed a few, about every other month in washington.

 

[ducman69]

Dogs have performance/talent competitions. Be nice to see something like that for kitties too.

Just obstacles or puzzles for em to figure out, but I suppose motivation may be an issue since unlike dogs you'd have to demonstrate how its worth their while, heh.

Mine will do almost anything for greenies though!

 

[GoldyCat]

Washington is in the CFA (Cat Fanciers Association) Region 2. The CFA website is kind of a mess right now trying to navigate it. You can find the show schedule here, but it doesn't indicate where each show is located. It looks like the next Washington show is March 26, titled All Chiefs No Indians. If you click on that show it will give you time and place and an email for the entry clerk.

You can also go directly to the CFA Northwest Region website. Click on Show Information to find the calendar. Some of the shows have links to a show flier which contains more specific information. Entry fees can be kind of steep, but once in a while you find a show where the HHPs (Household Pets) have a special reduced fee.

CFA also has information on HHPs with links to information about entering shows in general.

You might want to go to a cat show as a spectator at least once before you enter your kitties. Ask lots of questions. I'm not in Region 2, but I've always found that the people in Region 5 are very friendly and eager to help new exhibitors.

Good luck.

 

[xlovey]

Originally Posted by Ducman69

Dogs have performance/talent competitions. Be nice to see something like that for kitties too.

Just obstacles or puzzles for em to figure out, but I suppose motivation may be an issue since unlike dogs you'd have to demonstrate how its worth their while, heh.

Mine will do almost anything for greenies though!

I actually have seen videos of cat agility before, I don't think it's official or anything though

Thanks for the links everybody!

 

[xlovey]

Oh, one more question. Would you recommend going to a CFA or TICA show? It might be just an opinion, but thought I'd ask anyway

 

[GoldyCat]

I've never been to a TICA show, so don't have an opinion on that. I got started with CFA simply because they had shows scheduled at times and places I could get to easily.

 

[nekochan]

I started showing my household pet cats as kittens in CFA but I decided to show in TICA instead once my cats became adults, mainly because in TICA the household pets earn actual titles just like the purebreds (there also were more TICA than CFA shows in my area.) My girl Harley is now a Quadruple Grand in TICA.

 

[goldenkitty45]

Most of us have started with showing household pets and the moved to purebreds (some stick with HHP's). I've done both. All the major associations have a class called household pets (CFA, TICA, ACFA) or if you are in a foreign country, its known as "companion cats".

The only requirements are spay/neutered if 8 months or older on the day of the show and CFA bans declawed cats. ACFA and TICA allow them but don't encourage the practice.

HHP's should be well groomed, in good shape (not too thin or too fat) and have a friendly personality. If you need more help, just go to the breeding section for getting your cat ready for show - we'll help you out with questions.