Cat Show Preparation

From Pet Encyclopedia

[edit] Article Summary

This article has been written to help give advice and information to people taking part in cat shows.

[edit] Article Details

[edit] Show Equipment

All GCCF pens are 2ft x 2 ft squares (except the Supreme Cat show). You will need :

• White blankets or white green backed vet bed. Sewn beds, cellular blankets, or anything with a distinguishing mark are not allowed.
• White litter tray
• White food dish
• White water bowl
• Cat carrier

You can buy the above from the following places :

• Smylee pets order form
• Purrsonaltouchshowequipment

Other stuff for your show bag:

• Current Vaccination Certificates, which must indicate the identity of the exhibit, issued by a veterinary practice only (dated not less than 7 days prior to the show)
• Disinfectant to clean your pen (aerosols are banned)
• Kitchen roll
• Hot water bottle or ice packs depending on the weather (if you use these in your pen, they MUST be hidden from view by the blankets)
• Bottle of water for the cat
• Food
• Litter
• Litter scoop
• Grooming equipment
• A pen
• Your marked up schedule/copy of your entry form & confirmation envelope

[edit] Show Preparation

Your cat must have clean ears and coats free from pests and skin lesions. The tips of their nails, front and back should be clipped. Just make sure their coat is shiny and smooth (only for shorthairs :0), and they are 100% healthy.

Plan your route to the show, find out where the parking is etc, how much it costs, most clubs will put all this info somewhere in their schedule.

[edit] Show Day

• Put cat and carrier and show bag into the car and travel to show
• On arrival at the show, make your way to vetting in. Vetting in usually takes place between 7.45 am to 9.45 am, so you should aim to be at the show between those times, give your self enough time to settle your cat into their pen before judging starts at 10am. Most shows have the way to vetting in clearly marked. Your cat must be seen by one of the vets and cleared before you are allowed into the show hall.
• You will probably have to stand in a queue for a while, but as you approach the front of the queue you will see a club representative sat down with a pile of envelops in front of them. Give that person your name and they will give you your entry envelope. On the outside of this will be printed you pen number, your cats ped name, breed, dob, and a list of the classes you have entered, plus usually a place for the vet to sign to prove you have been through vetting in. Inside will be your entry passes and catalogue voucher if you ordered one. Some clubs have you collect your rosettes so you need to make sure you keep this envelop safe all day as they mark off the classes you have collected on there, and won’t hand over your rosettes unless you present them with the envelope.
• At the front of the queue, you will be pointed to the next available vet. Give him/her your entry envelope and your vaccination card, and then get out your cat and put him/her on the table. If it is your kittens first show, then let the vet know and they will be extra kind to them The vet checks ears, eyes, mouth, the coat for fleas or lesions, their bits if they are entire boys all in all just a general check over, and as long as they are happy, sign your envelope and wish you Good Luck for the day.
• Make your way to the show hall, this should be signposted, but if not just follow the crowds. At the door you may be asked to show your envelope to prove you have been through vetting in, but not always. The pens are set out in numerical order, the cats are numbered in their breed orders so Persians first Household pets last. Orientals and Siamese are towards the higher end of the numbers. Locate your pen – the number is on your envelope.
• Once at your pen, give it a good clean out, put all your show stuff in, make it all comfy for your cat then put in your cat, give them a quick groom. If you want to feed them you can, but you MUST take out your food before you leave the show hall at 10am. There will be an announcement asking you to clear the hall. Around 10 am the judges usually start congregating in a corner. You will be able to tell the judges and their stewards as they will be wearing white coats, and the judges have their name badges on them. Do not try to talk to them or feed them .
• Once you are asked to leave the hall, when everyone has gone that’s when they start judging. Some venues you are able to watch the proceedings but not all of them. This is a chance to get some breakfast or early lunch.
• They judge all the imperial, grand and open classes first, so the results for these appear first. Somewhere near to the hall there will be an area where all the results boards are set up. Early on these appear as long strips of sticky tape with the class numbers written above them either stuck to a wall or on a series of wooden trestles. As the results start appearing you see strips of paper hanging down the numbers. Locate your class numbers, if there is a strip of paper hanging below it, give it a closer look. The strip of paper will have the class number at the top and the name of the judge and all the pen numbers entered into that class, beside each pen number the judge will have written the place number and certificate awarded (if appropriate). Towards the bottom of the slip, the judge will have scribbled their initials, but right at the bottom, if it is an open class there is a space for the judge to write the pen number awarded Best of Breed.
• You will be allowed back in the hall when the judges start going to lunch around 12.30pm to 1.30pm, depends on the show. Once you are allowed back in you can feed you cat (food can stay in the pen now) and stay with them for the rest of the afternoon. The judges usually finish off their side classes in the afternoon, and you are able to watch them. If you want to ask a judge about a decision they have made you have to wait until they have finished judging to approach them.
• The afternoon can be spent, shopping at the stalls, collecting your results and rosettes, chatting to other exhibitors and of course cuddling your baby.
• Some shows have a Best In Show/Best of Variety competition. Any cat/kitten awarded Best of Breed qualifies for this automatically, if they have one. Once all the class judging has been done the judges chosen for the task then go and chose their BIS/BOV winners. Some shows give awards for the Best Adult, Kitten and Neuter in each of the breed sections, others will just pick the best of each breed section. Some shows have a line up of Best in Show pens, so if you cat is chosen for BIS then a steward will come and collect your cat and move them to the pen (some you have to do it yourself, but there will be an announcement, asking exhibitors to do it). Other shows just put the awards on the pen, they are all different, and not every show offers a BIS, but most do.
• When everything has been awarded, and all the certificates handed out the Show Manager will close the show, and you can then pack up and go home.

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