The world of catshows

One day in a catshow

The cat show is the place where breeders and individuals like to get together to share experience, love and passion with respect to their cats. It is a friendly environment for meeting and friendship. The public, visitors and lovers of cats, search any useful information but also appreciates the contact with breeders. We like to show our cats as they represent to us the essence of our way of being and living. The cats compete for obtaining titles, but also can win a prize. As and progresses in the course titles, cats will have their qualifications after graduation. Their highest qualification will resume on the pedigree of their offspring.

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It should be noted that Belgian law prohibits the sale of animals in the catshows.

A feline race, with all its morphological characteristics and personalities, reflects the temperament of its owner. It is calm or speeded, cat or race that it represents, reflects the nature of the person holding it.

You, who own at least one cat, know the importance of the relationship you grow with it. It is essential to maintain an exchange in your life together. Select a specific race thus meets the expectations and character of each.

The preparation

The cat show day is coming. In fact, a cat show is primarily a beauty contest. It is therefore imperative to show your cat in the most beautiful finery. Breeders and judges can come from all over Europe and even the world..

A judge is also a cat breeder. It therefore has a breeding experience. In order to judge, he followed all the steps of a comprehensive training on different cat breeds and succeeded brilliantly every exams (theoretical and practical) in each race.

In order to participate in an show, you should consult the calendar of exhibitions clubs to select the date and place of your convenience. You can follow this link : AGENDA OF EXHIBITIONS (see left menu). Once found, you can register either "online" directly via the website of the organizing club, either by mail or by fax. You have to give all requested information, contact details and all your cats data. You will receive a confirmation informing you that the room address, time of veterinary control and eventually the possibility of restoration. If an error on your data or have any questions, please contact the club. As soon as possible, you will have to pay to register your cat to the bank account of the club. You will have proof of payment on the day of the show.

Before you can participate in a catshow, your cat should be completely healthy and free of parasites (internal and external). It must be in order of vaccination. For an exhibition abroad, in addition to a usual vaccination, the cat must be vaccinated against rabies (vaccination with a term exceeding 21 days), it must be identified (microchip) and be in possession of his European passport. In addition to its good health condition, your cat will be in its best. Its claws, front and rear, will be clipped. Cats with medium-length hair or longer must have a clean coat and no node. Be sure to clean your cat's ears.

The day before the show, preparation of luggage must be careful to not forget anything. You must consider the welfare of the cat because it is not to forget that whole day locked up in a cage can be long and painful for some cats. You will need to take at least : a cushion (cage base) where he can rest, a bowl for water, a bowl for his usual food, his favorite toy, and a litter box and a bit of graver (in case ...). To look pretty, but especially to avoid contact with the cat in the neighboring cage, curtains can be placed inside the cages.

You can attach clear plastic in front of the show cages. This in order that your cats are not affected by the public. Indeed, children as well as grownups fun to pet all the cats in their path ! What constitutes a vector for contamination by certain bacteria and other .... In case you have a personal cage, depending on the model, some elements mentioned above may not be required. In both cases, cages decorations are welcome.

First case : cage of the club

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If personal cage :

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If the catshow is placed under a theme (either by Christmas) :

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The day of the cat show

After driving more or less long, you need to find the hall where the show will take place. You have a time range for the entrance, which is very often between 07:00 and 09:00 (consider the time range of veterinary control on your confirmation). You will pass first to the reception to receive your catalog and it will be verified if it were not actually fulfill the right to your cat registration. Sometimes, the queue at the checkout is long and you have to wait.

Then, the prerequisite is the veterinary control. You must show the vaccination healthy book (European passport) for your cat, and the proof of payment of the entrance fee. The papers and documents will be checked and the cat will be performed by a veterinarian.

Between two cats, the veterinarian will take care to disinfect the hands and analysis table. The opinion of the veterinarian is final. If your cat has an "anomaly" medical, he can not enter the showroom.

Hopefully, the vet will use his stamp on your show documents. Now just passed the first step and you can access to the the location that they give you in the hall. It is divided into "squares" named by letters (A, B, C, D, E, F, ....) Each comprising a number of numbered cages.

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Each cat is entitled to a cage. It is possible for you, upon registration of the cat, to request an additional cage in order to give more space to the cat. You must in this case pay extra. . It is also allowed to bring your own cage, known as "personal cage." In this case, you must report it when registering your cat, mentioning exactly the length of your personal or cages. The organizing club will provide the necessary space. Before you "drop" the cat in the cage, it is advisable initially to place all the elements for its comfort (cushion, curtains, bowls, litter, ....).

Then the fawn can take possession of his field of the day. There will not be very happy the first quarter of an hour to see the first half hour, but then, seeing that you are at his side, he will be a reason and begin to lie down and sleep. If your cat throughout the day remains stressed or nervous, it means he does not adapt either to be in a cage or to noise and tumult. In this case, it is advisable not to impose later, another show day and let your cat in the the quiet in your home.

Again, an alternative is possible, according to the club where you sign up:

Either: assessors are planned in such a case they will collect you from your cage to ask you to come to present your cat to the judge, according to its number.
Stay near your cage as an assessor will call you in order to present your cat to the judge. Each judge is assisted by an assessor. It is him who comes to warn you in time to your cage you specifying the name of the judge to go to find.

Either there is no assessor :
So in this case, the operation will be explained to you well before the start of judgments. You will have to head to the serial numbers of bearing panels. These numbers correspond to the numbers given to your cat for the event of the day. You'll have to look for the numbers given to your cat(s) on one of these tables. You find also the name of the judge who will examine your cats. And the place you occupy in his schedule. It will be enough then to check the progress of the judgments of individual judges. Indeed, it is obligatory to follow the order of numbers. When your turn comes, either, on the first picture, you will need to remove yourself cardboard bearing the number of your cat and be able to present it. Or either, on the second photo, each judge delete your number to your visit, so making place for the next cat.

The judge, based on standards issued by the feline federations will evaluate your cat and will give its assessment. It will fill a cardboard judgment that will be handed to you at the end of the catshow by the secretariat. A breed standard is a detailed description of the morphology and appearance of a cat that would be perfect for the race it represents. Every point, every detail of each cat is judged and compared to the standard.

Judgments are made by group length hair: long hair, half-long hair, short hair. Each breed is judged according to its own criteria. Finally each of the feline breeds will be divided into coat color. Sex cats will also be a distinction in the criteria. If two or more cats of the same breed, same color, same sex competing for the same title, only the best ("beautiful") will receive an "excellent 1" and will win the title. The others will be "untitled" and will receive: Excellent 2, Excellent 3 ......

Besides the title as the judge permits or not, an award may be given to cats that have caught the attention of the judge. This is the Best in Variety (BIV) when there are at least 3 cats of the same breed and the same color. If there are not these 3 cats, the judge may grant a special prize. BIV and PS are at the discretion of the judge who will decide to award a prize or not depending on the quality of the cats presented. Be attentive to the calls to the microphone because it may be that your cat is called to receive his prize on the podium.

When putting your Special Award or Best in Variety, it will ask you to let us know a little your cat and the breed you have. Do not panic, we are at your side.
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And the show must go on .....

It will be the same for the "nominations" for Best in Show. Your cat, if it is "nominated", will be recalled to compete with other cats of the same sex and same age (or categories) but of different races. Or even race in case of "special race".
For each category of hair, there will be a BIS for adults (male, female, neutral male, female neutral) for kittens {baby (in Belgium: baby kitten = between 10 and 14 weeks, male and female) ; kitten 3/6 months (male, female) ; kitten 6/9 months (male, female)}. Note that in France, kittens under three months can not be presented in show. Among the BIS for each of the hairs will be chosen a Best of Best. And finally, each BOB can compete for a Best Supreme.


The various Best in Show, Best of the Best and the Best Supreme will be presented on the podium. Cups and bags of kibble accompany the price deserved winners feline.
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Following issuance of the Supreme and Best before return, the assessors will bring you the judgment paper of your cat . This jugement paper shows the judge's discretion for your cat, title (if issued) and board the possible price. Wait, do not forget it, because it will not be sent.

All prices given are only cups, rosettes, kibble bags, and other gifts. There can be no question of granting cash prize !

A cat show day usually ends shortly after 06 PM. It'll be back to your cat in its transport cage to pack all your things and restart back home.