Views and opinions invited on this..................

I have shown many kittens that have just reached the four month stage in shows only to find they have been up against 2 or three other cats that are like one week off the maximum age of 9 months and as such are so much larger and longer in coat ..Persians that is, but I expect the same 'gettting bigger' stuff applies to most breeds.

Am I the only one that gets placed third out of three in these circumstances, i.e. tiniest one in the class, or has anyone else had different experiences????

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www.selkcahcats.co.uk

That would be better gccf, size wize! Some of the side classes have that but not at all shows. Its the open that counts and not seen any gccf shows with that included, only in the miscelaneous bits

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No we are talking nearly adult Selks, so about 8 and 3/4 month so still classed as kitten, that is what I was up against with Kismet at my last show. So what I am basically saying is, is it worth paying 35 quid to show a teeny kit against another kit, for the same open class award???? or why not just wait until they are nearly adult to show them?

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Hi Chrissy,

I understand where you're coming from on this issue. but then again it doesn't get any better when 9 months old and an adult and you find you are not only against older and maturer specimens but titled cats too in the Open. My girl was up against a Grand Champion and nearly an Imperial owned by a judge/exhibitor at her second adult show and my girl beat her taking the BOB too.
If Id known that beforehand though I might not have turned up.

Just go for it.

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Nah, its diffo with kits Angelina, you have to agree. What you're on about is going for cc's but with kits why pay the full entrance fee, when you know you're just gonna get beat by sommat older? Only poss reason i can think now is purely just to get a third party opinion on your kit, i.e. the judge?

I know what you are saying when up against other adults, there are some people that show their cats non=stop when they dont need to! There is one springs to mind round here That's not right, once they have achieved a certain level they should give others a chance. I just dont want to waste money on kittens in open classes unless they separate the ages

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I know what you're saying. Perhaps it should be a reduced fee for kittens as their achievements do not count towards championship. I also see that it can be viewed as being unfair to compare a small kitten with an adolescent/nearly adult kitten. The only reason some people will enter their little kittens into shows notwithstanding the competition, is to give the small child some practise at "being in a show" and to see whether it will like shows generally. With some cats, by the time they are nine months old, if they have never been shown before, they may dislike it - then you can't show the cat. Whereas, if you start it off early and it seems relaxed, you can go on to show it as an older kitten and adult. However, I started off showing my little Kiki aged six months. She liked shows at first but by the time her third show came up and she was an adult, she stopped liking it - therefore, I stopped showing her. She only got one cc. Poor girl. Never mind - we know who the best cat is, whether the judges say so or not. Its our own cat of course. LOL

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kind regards

Ra
http://www.bobergsiamese.com/



Please look in to help them grow. Thank you.

Thanks for that Ra, it has made me have a rethink on what ages to show my kits I'm also not really bothered if a young kit is beaten by an almost adult as it is just a learning curve for the little one and not necessarily a bad mark on my little one, if you know what I mean.

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Some GCCF breed shows do split the kitten classes between ages, which is probably fairer. In siamese and oris a young kitten up against a near adult, can work in the younger kittens favour. Some lines produce massive eared kittens that they gradually grow into as they mature making them look less typey than when they were young. That gives them the younger kitten the edge in classes like that. I think younger kittens also have the benefit of the ahhhh factor. I suppose it depends on the judge, some make allowances for age in kittens and will take into account potential some don't. They won't make the same allowances when certificates are involved though on the whole and a young adult/neuter can lose out on maturity.

I think if you want a cat to have a show career then getting them used to it as soon as you can is the best thing. If they don't have the temperament for showing then they let you know that after a while anyway whether shown as a kitten or first as an adult.

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