Does anyone here show cats?

[cowgirljenn]

I love cats. Possibly even more than I love horses. We have four, none of them are purebred anything. But I love them and love learning about cats, seeing new cat breeds, etc.

So I thought cat shows would be FUN. I don’t have anything I can show right now (not even a Household Pet as one is too young, one too old and the other two probably wouldn’t cope). But a friend invited me to take her household pet kitten to a show (she was working at a horse show next door).

I thought I would love this - a whole day of CATS. I met a gorgeous Maine Coone and got to hold him. Met some Persians (not my favorite breed, but such a sweet cat) and learned about Turkish Vans and Russian Blues. All fun. Did a little shopping at the vendors and visited rescued kitties. I met some nice people. All fun.

But about half way through the day… I just got bored. I ended up pulling the kitten I was showing out of the show as he was growling and hissing (and thus not winning anything). Maybe if the cat was winning it would be interesting or if I was into purebred cats - but I think I just missed the point of showing household pets.

I just walked away from the show with a weird vibe that I can’t explain. While I met some nice people, some of them were REALLY rude and snotty about their cats. Is that normal at cat shows? Is it really a thing to just show off your purebred cats so you can breed more and sell more kittens? Is it normal for newcomers to not feel really welcome? Or there a point to the HHp category? Should I give it another try?

(Is this post as boring as the cat show? It probably is… but something just keeps bothering me about the experience and I can’t put my finger on it).

[Larksmom]

I don’t know much about cat shows…

but I LOFF kittehs! More than horses, [since they live in the house and are relatively ‘easy keepers’].
Maybe a cat show wasn’t as much fun was because dogs are such ‘pleasers’ and cats, well… not so much. I cannot imagine any cat really enjoying showing. Now, I guess if they are started young, maybe, but it seems like a show is against their natures. And people are people. There are different ‘types’ of people at Dressage shows than at a hunter show or eventing. Who knows.

[bdj]

There is a wicked funny documentary about cat shows called “The Standard of Perfection: Show Cats” - it’s a bit like “Best in Show” but without actors…

Also remember reading an article several years ago about someone visiting their first ever cat show - the most memorable aspects, according to them were the smell - because that many intact cats made it… fragrant, and that there were VERY prominently placed First Aid kits all over the place…

I haven’t made it to a cat show yet, though I have attended a fish show or two…

[cowgirljenn]

Funny enough - most of the cats seemed pretty ok with it. I was amazed at that part - because I am pretty positive that three out of my four cats WOULD HATE it. They would be cowering in cages growling and hissing…

Several of the cats were showing off, sweet, purring, etc. I figured my cats are just hermits (I can be, too!)…

[Shiaway]

I would never want to show my cat because I think it would just stress them out. One of my cats is a show quality cat and in fact was shown. She was a grand champion (I swear she knows it). That was before I got her (she couldn’t produce milk and thus was retired and spayed). She is Siamese. I am told that one time she grabbed the wand toy the judge uses to test their temperaments, in her mouth and would not let go of it. She is a huge character.

Anyway, I’ve been to several cat shows just as a visitor and I enjoyed it. I can’t imagine spending a whole day but I liked going and walking around to see the different cat breeds. Yes some of the breeders are snotty about their breeds but so are horse people sometimes.

And the shows usually have fun vendors with cool cat toys and stuff you can shop at. They often will have demonstrations, too. For instance, one time they had a Hollywood cat trainer come and talk about trick training cats. She was doing clicker training with them before clicker training became popular in the pet world. She trained the cats for the old Iams commercials and a bunch of movies. Oh and she trained the cat(s) who played Spot on Star Trek TNG. I’m a big Trekkie and I got to meet Spot which I thought was the coolest (I was a teenager then).

So I think they can be a lot of fun to go to and visit but don’t think I’d enjoy staying all day. But I also don’t think spending all day at a dog show or a horse show is that much fun either.

I did find my current cats by going to a cat show. I had tried to adopt from a rescue but they were really reluctant to adopt to me (I’m obviously a horrible cat owner ha ha ha, if they only knew how well I take care of my cats but whatever) and then there was a cat show in the area. So I went and talked to a whole bunch of Siamese breeders (I love love love Siamese) and found one couple that had this adult Siamese female who they described as “a leach” for affection.

And now I have Misaki and her half sister Nezumi (I named them). Misaki was the retired grand champion (her original and registered name is Apple Flower). So it turned out well because I adore them.

[Alagirl]

exibitors are a bit weird I’d think…the few that I talked to who were into dog showing certainly were a bit special…
I can only imagine how folks are showing something that is in essence anti social :lol:

If you were closer I’d loan you New Kitteh…she seems to be purebred, but alas, she does not care to be held and is on the shy side…but PURDY!

[JumpQH]

In answer to your question, I used to! I raised and showed Bengals in TICA shows, and showed one cat to her Championship. She even got a Best Kitten In Show once! She LOVED the shows! All that attention! She would really ham it up for an audience. After I got out of breeding (moved into a neighborhood that wouldn’t enjoy a yowling stud cat), I bought a Singapura to show. I showed him to a Supreme Grand Championship in TICA and did ok in the CFA shows, too. He LOVED shows! Again, loved all the attention! He had such quick paws that frequently, the wand toys would end up in his mouth or paws and an empty-handed judge would be surprised!

As for exhibitors, I think you’ll find a mix in everything - horses, cats, dogs, rabbits, pigeons, etc. I’ve shown them all and found some to be nice and helpful, and others to be CRAZY! Even in just the Bengal breed, you’d find some people who treated you like a family member, and then there were the few that stuck their nose up in the air, like you’re dirty laundry.

The Household Pet division…well, I’ve never been into it. I really don’t see the point. Some people really enjoy it, and those are the ones that go to every show. I have never shown HHP before. I wouldn’t put them through the stress, although I do have one right now who would probably enjoy the shows! She’s a real show-off.

I agree that spectators would get bored. Heck, after I was done showing, I went to some cat shows, and was bored!

If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me! I loved my cat show days!

[S1969]

[QUOTE=cowgirljenn;5752494]
Funny enough - most of the cats seemed pretty ok with it. I was amazed at that part - because I am pretty positive that three out of my four cats WOULD HATE it. They would be cowering in cages growling and hissing…[/QUOTE]

I would imagine it would be very much like dog shows – you can easily tell which dogs show all the time or grew up showing. There is always a few setups of poodles that just lounge around on the tables all day even when they are not being groomed. (My dog would be LONG gone if you just set him on a table at a dog show and walked away! And I show him!)

[MizzouMom]

Long long ago in a galaxy far far away we showed cats and dogs.

There was a feeling of cameraderie on the surface because we were all there, loving these beautiful animals, and surrounded by all the paraphenalia and procedure that goes along with owning and showing them.

Just slightly under the surface, though, there is also a lot of politics, showmanship, one-upmanship, judging and assessing going on. The A listers don’t even notice the beginners, unless the beginners are looking to buy an expensive young’un.

And I don’t mean this maliciously; it’s no different than going to horse shows where you know who the top breeders, trainers, and riders are, whatever your particular part of the horse world. And you’re either one of them, or you’re not.

So it’s possible that you were picking up that aspect of the cat fancy, and finding it less fun than you thought. And with cat shows, it’s a bit like going to a chicken show at the fair. Once you’ve walked around looking at a bunch of sleeping cats in cages OR the backsides of sleeping cats whose heads are hidden at the back of the cage, it can lose its luster.

[good_booie]

I grew up going to cat shows. My mother is one of the top persian breeders in the country. www.harwoodpersians.com is her website. The top people in CFA can be lethal. lol. My belief is people like that are in every type of environment but because cats do really nothing and are fairly non reactive or receptive to much it gives their owners lots of time to gossip, etc.

I think MIzzoumom hit the nail on the head.

Just slightly under the surface, though, there is also a lot of politics, showmanship, one-upmanship, judging and assessing going on. The A listers don’t even notice the beginners, unless the beginners are looking to buy an expensive young’un.

And I don’t mean this maliciously; it’s no different than going to horse shows where you know who the top breeders, trainers, and riders are, whatever your particular part of the horse world. And you’re either one of them, or you’re not.

this^

ftr, my two kitties are both rescues:)

[LavenderFarm]

Many moons ago, I too showed cats (was a teen then). I had what was at that time a very rare breed (Sacred Cats of Burma). Often, the judges would have to look up the standard as they judged the cat. It was a struggle, but I did achieve championships in CFA shows and had a “Cat of the Year” in the breed (dare I say it … in the 60’s).

Yes, it could get boring. I never fathomed those who brought their children along for a 2-day show. Having shown horses some, dabbled in dogs and serious with the cats, I often said the cat show people were the strangest.

good booie - your Mom has some nice Persians, especially a couple of the males.

I enjoyed it and the friends made. Cat showing is not for everyone tho and especially not for those who like lots of excitement!

[DMK]

When I got my maine coon I was considering showing him in the alter category (no interest in keeping an intact male). Part of this was because one day I wouldn’t mind breeding maine coons so I wanted to know what I should breed for and partly because (after showing horses on the line) I have a theory about showing animals, and that the degree of krazee is in inverse proportion to the amount of energy spent. Meaning if you actually have to work up a sweat (showing horses) you will have an overall lower Krazee Kwotient than if you don’t really have to move at all. Since I know exactly how krazee horse show people are, have a suspicion about dog show people (based on dog showing types telling me that Best in Show is more documentary than fiction ). Naturally I wanted to explore the depths of this theory with cat show people (zero physical exertion unless you count lint roller activity). And then 4 months later I bought a young horse, so in keeping with the theory, I was too tired to explore cat shows and my MC is not being shown. Might be a pity, his mom retired with her DM after his litter and I think dad has a DM too. But the one thing I think is true of cats and showing, is they really need to grow up in that environment to tolerate it. I didn’t see any unhappy cats in the shows I went to (albeit I hung around the MC breeders and have you ever seen an unhappy MC?), but I know there is no way I could take Zifu to a show, he’s just not been socialized to large crowds like that.

But secretly I still want to test my theory. I promised myself I can get another MC when Zifu is 5 or 6 (learning to stagger my pet ages for my mental health). Maybe then. Of course then the young horse will be 6/7 and in prime horse showing years so once again I will have an excuse to not test my Unifying Theory of Showing Animals.

[sk_pacer]

Face it, people that show anything from baking to swine can be, well, odd. I have seen what I perceived to be sane, normal people turn into soemthing quite unlike their normal selves: snooty, obnoxious, blithering idiots, etc. All show nerves.

[good_booie]

Thanks Lavender. My mom is pretty much out of serious showing and such but still has a few breeding males and females and campaign’s her kitties on the west coast with a co-owner.

[SquishTheBunny]

My cat would win for best inbred…I swear his dad was a squirrel. Squat - new breed?

I have never been to a cat show, but I could imagine there would be a lot of interesting people to talk to! Pretty cool seeing different breeds to, its not like most cats go walking down the street like dogs do.

I quite enjoy the ragdolls (not sure if they are even a real breed?!) but will stick with the Squats for now.

[Wayside]

[QUOTE=Alagirl;5752533]
exibitors are a bit weird I’d think…the few that I talked to who were into dog showing certainly were a bit special…[/QUOTE]

Yeah, the mother of a friend of mine used to breed and show cats.

She was a fruitbat to begin with, but the amount of vitriol she’d spew about the Household Pet division was really over the top. Clearly thought it was unacceptable for DSH ditch cats to be in the same building as her perfect precious pookums. :rolleyes:

[DMK]

well from a purist point of view, I could ask what is the purpose of the Household pet division. I mean the point of a conformation class is to judge the animal against the breed standard, a standard which people have worked long and hard to breed animals that attempt to meet that standard. So what do you judge in HP? How would you have a standard?

However for the purpose of attracting new participants and making them appreciate your discipline the HP classes are really important. Even more important is not being a dick to the people who choose to participate in them.

[cowgirljenn]

@DMK;5756029

well from a purist point of view, I could ask what is the purpose of the Household pet division. I mean the point of a conformation class is to judge the animal against the breed standard, a standard which people have worked long and hard to breed animals that attempt to meet that standard. So what do you judge in HP? How would you have a standard?

However for the purpose of attracting new participants and making them appreciate your discipline the HP classes are really important. Even more important is not being a dick to the people who choose to participate in them.

Good points there. I didn’t get the HHP thing going in - I mean, it would be awesome if everyone through your cat was the most beautiful in the world. But really, there’s nothing to judge it on. And the judges all said that they just pick the cats they like best (and since the cat I wsa supposed to show kept growling, he wasn’t making friends! :)).

But you are right - if someone had fun, they might buy a purebred cat and get into it. I desperately want a Norwegian Forest Cat or Siberian Cat. But unless someone dumps one on my doorstep, it won’t happen (or I guess it might if I could tons and bunches of writing work and had extra money… that’s not likely in this economy :)).

[Diamondindykin]

@SquishTheBunny;5755182

My cat would win for best inbred…I swear his dad was a squirrel. Squat - new breed?

My orangie kitty is part monkey I swear :lol: That must make him a Mocat :winkgrin:

[ET_s_Home]

[QUOTE=DMK;5756029]
However for the purpose of attracting new participants and making them appreciate your discipline the HP classes are really important. Even more important is not being a dick to the people who choose to participate in them. ;)[/QUOTE]

Kinda like the 2’ to 2’6" divisions at the A shows?:winkgrin:

But as for cat shows, I don’t think I would ever even attend one. And I am very much a cat person. But I dont think of cats as belonging in crowds of people, except the Maine Coon cats. I wonder if they are actually cats??

ET