There are two sorts of people who attend GCCF cat club shows — visitors and exhibitors. (I’m not forgetting - or dealing with here - the band of volunteers who plan and run the show, of course, or stall holders with wares to sell or representatives of clubs and charities). The long list of cat breeds are covered by two sorts of show: All Breeds Shows run by Area Clubs and Breed Shows which specialise in a particular breed as do the clubs which organise them. The Supreme Show at the NEC Birmingham is the GCCF’s own show and has special procedures which I won’t deal with here.
When a club starts up, it has to run Exemption and later Sanction Shows at which awards are limited. When the Governing Council decides that the new club is able to run one, it authorises it to run a Championship Show — which I concentrate on here, though most of the procedures are the same for Sanction and Exemption Shows..
A club cat show usually opens to the public at 1230-ish. By then the judges will have decided Open Class results. You may spot a judge, accompanied by a steward, each wearing a white coat and pushing a little trolley from pen to pen. You’ll see the steward lift a cat onto the trolley for inspection by the judge who’ll make notes which will form a report later. It’s the rule not to interrupt the judge during this process.
But I’m leaping ahead.
At the door, you’ll be asked to pay an entry fee and may buy a catalogue. Entry fees are usually about £2 (sometimes with concessions). You’ll be given a little sticky-back label to wear: this will allow you to go in and out of the hall at will. Catalogues are bound books which list every cat exhibited, its breed, colour and pattern, its parents, owner and its breeder — they may cost four or five pounds but are very useful if you intend to buy a kitten. Every class into which a cat is entered is listed so you can see what competition each faces.
Definitions of classes are given in the catalogue. There are three basic sorts: Open Classes in which cats and kittens of the same breed, sex and (probably) colour and pattern are judged against similar cats and kittens, Grand and Imperial title classes where similar cats which have a title (like ‘Champion’) are judged to find the one which merits a Challenge Certificate, and lastly Miscellaneous Classes (sometimes called Side Classes) whose definitions are given in the catalogue.
You’ll notice immediately on entering the hall that each cat or kitten is housed in a pen whose contents are white. This is done so that judges see every cat against the same background. Each cat has a vet bed like a carpet, a blanket bed, a litter tray, a water bowl and a food dish. Later, the owner may give a cat a toy but only one. The pen has a number which corresponds to the catalogue listing. There’s no name or pedigree on the pen - these details are kept from the judges until their task is over. The pen label may have the breed and colour of the cat on it but — if not — you’ll need a catalogue to find out exactly what you’re looking at. The cats’ pens are arranged in long rows on trestle tables, the first section housing Persian cats. The other sections (‘Varieties’) follow: Semi-Longhair, British Shorthair, Foreign, Burmese, Oriental, Siamese and lastly Non-Pedigree cats — often called Household Pets. Please don’t be tempted to touch the cats: everything possible is done to ensure that no infection passes to or between cats. That’s why you’ll see judges cleansing their hands with antiseptic gel between handling cats.
You’ll probably find that many cats’ owners are close to them. Please feel free to ask about their exhibits and cat breeding and showing generally. While the owner may not be a breeder, you’ll be sure to be put in touch with one if you ask. By the way, you can’t buy a kitten directly from the show but you might be able to do so or book one from the breeder afterwards.
The results of judging are posted on little slips of paper on a board. They are in long rows, in the same order as the classes in the catalogue. The judge will have written the placing of each cat against its pen number. Some of the bigger classes will go down to 6th place perhaps, some you’ll see may have only one entrant. The judge will have compared not only the cats in the class but each cat against a ‘standard of points’ — a written list of attributes that the breed must exhibit. Sadly, it may happen that a sole entrant is placed second despite there being no competition because it lacks quality. The first placed cat (not kitten) in its Open Class may be awarded a Challenge Certificate if well up to the standard of points. In Grand and Imperial Classes only the best cat is placed and, if good enough, is awarded a certificate — the runner up may be awarded a Reserve meaning that, if for any reason the winner is disqualified, the certificate will go to that cat. On the results slips you may see letters instead of placings. ‘A’ means absent, ‘WC’ (wrong colour) means the cat is not of the colour required for the class — something which happens to kittens whose colour is still developing. ‘WH’ means that the challenge certificate available hasn’t been won. Hopefully, you won’t see ‘CNH’ which means that the cat couldn’t be handled and therefore wasn’t judged. Rarely, a cat is disqualified because it or the owner has broken rules.
As the show goes on, rosettes will be given out to higher placed cats - usually a red one for a class winner. Rosettes are also given for Best of Breed (BOB) cats - those selected from a wider range of cats than from a single class. Towards the end of the show you’ll see Challenge Certificates on the pens — gold for the unneutered cats and silver for the neuters.
Back in the hall, you may find that further judging is taking place. You may have noticed the letters BOB at the bottom of a judging slip. At many shows, judges look again at all the BOB cats and decide whether they should compete for honour of being Best in Show (BIS). Sometimes, this is done openly on a stage. Stewards bring competing cats to a group of judges who then vote for the best of them. To be fair, Adults, Kittens and Neuters are in separate classes here. And each of the varieties of cat is judged: for each, the adult, kitten and neuter is compared to find the Best of Variety (BoV). At some shows, the judging goes further to select the Best Exhibit from amongst all varieties. In the end, the cats judged Best in Show often find themselves in special pens with prizes and trophies.
Cat shows usually end at 5-ish. The hall is colourful with rosettes galore. It sounds like a short day but some of the cats may have been brought a hundred or more miles to attend — and they have to reach the hall by about 8.30.
Ideally, you’ll have had plenty of help from your cat’s breeder or perhaps from an experienced exhibitor before this show. Make sure you have packed your Show Kit, some food, some bottled water and documents (more of which later). If possible use a top loading cat carrier, preferably one made of plastic coated wire mesh. Show Kit consists of a two foot square white vet bed, one or more white cat blankets, a white open litter tray, white water container and a white food dish. Don’t panic if you can’t put a Show Kit together before the show: most shows have stalls where you can buy it.
You will know from the Show Schedule that judging will commence at 10-ish. But you have to be there much earlier, firstly to allow your cat to recover after a journey but also to give time for ‘Vetting In’. Aim for 8.30 to 9am if judging starts at 10.
The purpose of vetting is to ensure that a cat which is ill, out of condition (perhaps after nursing kittens), injured, infested with fleas or mites or likely to spread infection doesn’t enter the hall. Rejection happens seldom.
The first person you’ll meet at the hall will be a club official who’ll ask your name and check that your cat is entered for the show. You’ll be given an envelope carrying the cat’s details against a pen number and the list of classes entered. You should check that the details are correct. Clubs arrange for a number of qualified vets to examine exhibits. There’s likely to be a queue. While waiting have ready your cat’s vaccination record. Without this, you’ll probably be turned away. The vet will check the details before examining the cat. If all is well, the vet will sign your envelope. You then move to the hall where a club official will check the envelope before directing you to your cat’s pen. If you can, place your cat carrier (with cat) on top of it so that it can look around rather than be closed in at floor level.
The pen is two feet square and two feet tall. Start by wiping the inside surfaces. Most exhibitors use a Flash (or similar) disposable Phenol-free wipe. Put the vet bed in, the filled water dish, the filled litter tray (it’s not obligatory to have white litter but many use it), then the blanket bed. Next to go in is your cat. Put some food in the white bowl but don’t forget: the food bowl must be removed before judging starts - and no toys may be left in the pen at that stage.
You’ll find room under the trestle table for your baggage and empty cat carrier. Remember that the latter may be used by a steward to take your cat for Best In Show judging - if you’re showing two really good cats you may need two carriers.
A little more on documentation. If you’ve acquired a cat recently — especially a kitten — it may have been entered for the show before it’s registered with the GCCF or transferred to your name. By show day, you should have that registration (‘pink slip’) or transfer certificate. You must take these to the show manager and make sure that ownership/registration details are recorded.
By 10am, your cat should’ve got used to the hall. The show
manager will then tell exhibitors to leave the hall. Don’t forget that food
bowl.
You can now buy a catalogue. Check that your cat is correctly described — if not you’ll have to approach the show manager as soon as the hall reopens.
Judging of the Open, Grand and Imperial classes is done first in the absence of exhibitors. In some halls there are galleries from where you can watch judging but you won’t be allowed into the hall. Judges' results start going up on the board before you’re allowed back in. Though officially you should be on call until the hall doors open, most people disappear for a late breakfast. When the hall doors open to the public, you can feed your cat, give him/her a cuddle or whatever. But you mustn’t take the cat away from the pen for long because side class judging will still be going on. Until the end of the show you should be within call of the show manager.
Results are placed on your pen in the form of an award card which gives the class, pen number and position - first place gets a red card. Some show managers have rosettes dished out, some require you to take the award card to a table where you collect your rosettes - you must present your vetting in envelope to do this.
If you’re a member of a club which supports the show and which awards trophies, there’ll be a card telling you if you’ve won one.
If you’ve won a challenge certificate, check that it’s correctly filled in and signed by the judge.
Most shows finish officially at 5pm but sometimes exhibitors are told that they can leave a little before. If you leave before the show manager closes the show, you will be disqualified and forfeit any award, certificate or trophy. Clearing up requires disposal of litter, water and food - you’ll find bins around the hall to take it.
All that remains is to wend your way home, tired but happy.
This article may be downloaded in pdf for personal use but may not be reproduced on another website without the author's permission
You will need to have Acrobat Reader on your Computer to Download/Run/View & Print this file.
To download Acrobat Reader click on the Adobe logo: