How To Tell If Your Cat Will Enjoy The Show Experience?

[Dinosnores]

Hi everyone! I visited my first cat show this weekend (CFA) and had a blast. I didn't realize people could show their non-pedigreed cats in the Household class, and I'd love to try it out with my boy, Spooky. However, I want to make sure that Spooky would have a good time and I'm not quite sure how to tell without dragging him all the way out to a show and risking him hating it. Are there any smaller show-type experiences where I could take him to see how he'd react?

Spooky is a very friendly and confidant cat and doesn't mind being picked up and held by strangers. He also isn't startled by loud noises. It's more the hundreds of other people and cats and being confined to a cage for hours that I'm afraid will upset him.

 

[abyeb]

Hi there! I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed your first show experience! After my first show, I was going through the same thought process with my cat, Charlie. I thought I would have a lot of fun showing him in the household pet class. But, he doesn’t like being picked up and held by strangers, and he is startled by loud noises, so I decided against it.

From your description of Spooky, it sounds like he could have the purrfect personality for a show cat! You never know for sure until you try, though. Something you can try is to invite friends over to run through a “mock judging” with Spooky. Have them pick Spooky up, put him on a table, play with him, and handle him just like you saw the judges do at shows.

I’ll attach links to some helpful articles about showing cats:

What Is Grooming A Show Cat Like?

Ready, Set, Show

Showing Household Pets

 

[posiepurrs]

Good advice. I also suggest taking him anywhere you can to get him used to strange noises, different smells and places. One thng to remember, household pets are not judged according to a breed standard like the show cats. so the more amenable and well groomed your boy is the better.

 

[Dinosnores]

Thanks, you guys! I'm going to give the "judge handling practice" thing a try and see how he does. I'll have to look up some articles on how to groom a cat for a show, as the only thing I can think of are making sure his eyes and ears are clean, giving him a comb, and trimming his nails!

 

[lutece]

If you put him in a cat carrier or crate at home, does he scratch and scratch and cry to be let out, or does he settle down and wait patiently? If he is able to wait patiently to be let out of a carrier, he will probably do fine in a benching cage at a show.

You will want to bathe him before the show so that he is very clean. For shorthair cats with a typical coat, you can bathe pretty much any time in the week before the show. I usually bathe mine 5-7 days before the show.

All claws on all four paws must be clipped; I usually clip the claws early in the week before I do the show bath. Then just before I leave for the show, I recheck each claw and clip again if necessary.

 

[Dinosnores]

He used to cry a lot when he would have to be in his carrier for vet appointments, but now that he knows it's temporary, he just waits it out. When I moved to a new apartment, he did cry a little on the drive over since it was about 1.5 hours. It seems like he would be fine if I could habituate him to the concept of being in a crate for a few hours at a show.