In your opinion, do your cats enjoy being taken to a show or do they merely tolerate it?
I have very briefly considered it as a possibility for Thomas when he is older but would never want to do anything that caused him great distress. Of course if he was stressed id not go again but what are your thoughts on this?

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Hi Jo well the first advice i can offer is if you are perhaps considering showing him then the sooner you can start the better as they then get used to being handled and get used to the noise etc etc....You will very soon know if your cat isnt going to take to showing and if he doesnt like it then its completely wrong tto try to force them into it as it wont work, one of our Raggies just doesnt like being shown so we stopped taking him. On the other hand, if your cat enjoys being shown it will be obvious to you he will be happy around people will enjoy being handled and will be a happy purring kitten/cat in his pen, The signs will be ovious to you if they like it or not. Ozzy loves being shown and he loves to come out of his pen and Sue will hold him up for people to see he just adores the attention, why not give it a try you have nothing to lose , its a great day out you will im sure make lots of new friends and meet lots of breeders.good luck with your choice.......Chris

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Coda seems to like it - she is young so gets tired by the end of the day but loves the fuss - most of the time she just sleeps or watches the world go by.

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I think it depends on the individual. You should start to try showing him in order to see if he enjoys it. I know some cats who love going to shows, and others that get really stressed.

I have one cat who really isn't keen and I know he isn't keen because he doesn't like travelling. He'd be fine if he didn't have to get in a car. Each cat is different - some bathe in the attention and you do see cats who are visibly upset by the experience which is sad.

As above - some love it, some tolerate it and some hate it. My Snowshoes do revel in the attention and all that I've taken to shows have sat at the front looking out at everyone. My stud boy doesn't travel well and didnt show until he was an adult, however he does really like interacting with people and always gets lovely comments. The Judges do remark on the temperatment so you will know if your boy reacts OK to the Judge handling him.

I'd echo that it may be beneficial to take him young to get him used to the atmosphere. It is a really good day out and I find that it gives me more one to one time with the cats than I get at home, what with the washing and ironing and the school run and all the other day time demands on my time. If you go to a local show you'll be home in time for dinner and a cuddle on the sofa anyway.

I'm sure someone would mentor you if you were to enter

I took my 15 week old to his first show on Sunday. To be honest, when I signed up I was kind of half hearted about it thinking that I didn't want to put him through the baths and then the stress of the show. I thought I would give one a go and see how it went.

I was dreading giving him his first bath as he freaked out when I first tested him in a little shallow bath of water a couple of weeks ago. How wrong I was. I wouldn't say he absolutely loved his bath, but he didn't hate it....it did kind of look like he enjoyed it.

Then on Sunday I was so worried in the morning that he was going to absolutely hate it. Again, how wrong was I. Initially he was scared with so many people and noises around but after he settled in his pen and was made a fuss of, he came out and sat on laps purring away. When he was called I sat at the front with him on my lap rather than put him in the pen and he was so intrigued by everything going on.

I think we both actually enjoyed the day, even though he did sleep for a large portion of it

Do go with someone who can mentor you, if possible. I went with my breeder and it made everything so much easier for me

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I assume to find a mentor I'd need to join a cat club?
Sorry for the Silly questions. I have never looked in to cat shows before so all very new to me. I've shown rabbits so I know about judging to breed standards etc

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usually people use their breeders as mentors and if a decent breeder shoulld be happy that you want to show one of their cats

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You don't need to join a cat club, no. The breeder will sometimes mentor, but anyone can do it really. Where are you based? If you drop me a PM, I can let you know which shows I'm attending in the next few months, and if you're anywhere close, I'd have no problem at all talking you through the day and giving you a hand.