The Show Business (Part two)

Experiencing your first cat show can be both stressful and exciting. In all the days events, don't forget to feed, water and care for your precious partner. Curtains for the cages are a beneficial privacy guard and help calm your kitty. And of course, don't forget to bring a litter box along! Once you've arrived, the first thing you must do is register with the entry clerk before you can really get settled. After that, all your cat will need is a good final going over with his brush.

Here comes the judge

No matter what, don't worry. Your cat can detect your anxiety and will react based on your demeanor. Here's how it will go: the judge will take each cat out of its cage, set it on a moveable table for a good look at its features and demeanor for about 90 seconds, then replace it in its cage. After all the cats in a ring have been looked at and compared, the judges may pace in front of the cages and give every cat in the ring a final look. And that's about it. The judges form their decisions right there, and awards their ribbons. Then, you'll return your cat to his previous cage away from the judging area so that the next batch of cats can be evaluated.

What happens next? For many, it's on to the Finals. That's when the judges invite the ten or so most outstanding cats in a category to come forward and then compete for the top ribbons. At this point, the judge will often hold up each cat to the audience, and explain the finer points of what makes each a winner.

Receiving a Finals ribbon is a real honor. But it is by no means the end. Each Finals ribbon is given a point value by the awarding organization; when these points are combined with winnings at related cat shows throughout the year, they can result in regional and even national titles.







Ready to start?

If participating in a cat show sounds like fun to you, then there's just one thing to do now: join at least one cat registry. That's an organization committed to cats and cat shows, which typically maintains records about breeds and bloodlines. All cat shows are held by cat clubs that are affiliated with one cat registry or another.

Once registered, your cat may enter any show affiliated with a registry of which he's a member. There are many, many to choose from. In selecting a registry, be sure to look over their goals and bylaws; and make sure there are affiliated clubs in your area, since it is the clubs, and not the registry, that actually presents the cat shows. For local and international club contact information, the online "Cat Cabana Library" (at http://petstation.com/catclubs.html ), as well as local pet shops and cat breeders, should be of more help to you. Overall, you want to have fun and enjoy meeting new people and cats.

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