Instructions for First -Time Exhibitors
Finding a Show
Attend a Cat Show:
One way to decide if you want to enter your cat in a show is to attend one to see what happens and to learn about showing a cat. This gives you the opportunity to meet with the exhibitors, watch how cats are judged, how and when they get to the judging rings, and to watch how the exhibitors groom their cats during the show. Cat show flyers are handed out at shows, and you may notice them on top of exhibitors’ cages in their benching area. Benching is a term that describes the cages which owners are assigned to house their cats during the entire show.
When you attend a show and pay the visitor entry fee, you can ask for a particular breeder’s benching area at the show, or if the show has benching by breeds. Talk to the exhibitors or the show manager to find out when the next show will be taking place and if you can have a flyer for an upcoming show. The exhibitor may give you their flyer because the information is also available online at the various cat association web sites.
Check the Cat Fanciers’ Association Web Site:
The Web Sites have show schedules you can check to determine when and where shows will be held. Most have links within the schedules to the show flyer, which also have links to online entry forms for Household Pets and Pedigreed Cats. You will also need to e-mail the entry clerk at the address listed on the flyer or on the web site schedule to be sure your entries are received.
The Houston Cat Club, incorporated in 1949, is affiliated the Cat Fanciers Association: http://www.cfainc.org
Is your Household Pet Cat or Kitten eligible for entering for competition at a cat show?
Kittens must be 4 months of age to compete. If your cat will be eight months old on or before the first day of the show, then it is considered an adult, and must be spayed or neutered. All cats and kittens should be current on their shots, and you should bring a copy of their rabies certificates.
It is almost impossible to determine how your cat or kitten will react to the environment of a show hall and being carried to and from rings past other cats they have never seen before – until you get there. Practice with getting your cat familiar with being confined in a carrier – take it for short drives or go to Pets Mart or your Vet. If your pet is aggressive towards strangers or becomes uncontrollable after being confined you may not have a good experience and it may need more training before it is ready to tackle a cat show.
Household Pets do not have written standards, and the judges will be looking for clean, well groomed coats, clean ears, clear eyes and good personalities.
Pedigreed Cats have written standards against which your cat will be evaluated against that description and against the other cats within your cat’s breed, age, and sex-including spays and neuters. The breeder from whom you obtained your pedigreed cat should have provided you with the registration information needed for showing your cat.
Find more information at the CFA NewBee Program