Thought I would give a little guidelines on some differences between a show cat vs a pet cat in purebreds in case some are looking for the difference or getting into breeding.
What should you look for in evaluating a pet vs. show? In many purebreds, you might have a hard time evaluating a litter of kittens into pet or show. First of all, the breeder should be the most critical of their own cats. They should know the written standard inside and out, show their own cats, talk to other breeders, and see just what is out there - they should not be "cattery blind". A person that breeds their cats and thinks they are great can only prove that by being around other breeders in the show ring. They should also be studying pedigrees and knowing what lines produce the Grand Champions of their breed.
Its not good enough for a cat to only have champions or grands 4 or 5 or more generations in the past - when you are shopping around for a top show cat or breeding cat, you want to see champions and grands in the first 3 generations! That means your cat is close to the written standard and should produce more show types then pet types.
When breeding cats, the same applies - you look for top quality. Its very hard to "breed up". The differences in pet and show are little things. Maybe the ears are too big or too small; maybe the body is too long (in the case of persians/himis). Maybe the color is faded. Maybe (with rexes) the coat is not as curly as it should be. These pet kittens are good kittens, just that they should not be shown or bred. Its minor things. But a good breeder will be critical in evaluating their kittens they produce. If they are not breeding cats to the standard and to improve their own cats, they should not be producing more kittens to basically sell as pets.
When a person goes looking for a purebred to show, they too should be almost as informed on what the cat looks like as the breeder is. They should know the standard as well. Not just take the breeders word "this is a good show cat".
When I was showing my cats, I would sit in the front row or near the sides to listen to the judges "critique" the cats and kittens. Good breeders usually have an "eye" for type - they know the standard well enough to tell good from bad examples.
While a breeder may not like the style that is currently being shown, if they want to show and breed, they almost have to have more extreme cats then desired. Otherwise, all they do is produce mediocre cats and have to sell them as pets, cause they just are not gonna win in the show rings.
So stop and think about WHY you are breeding or WHY you want to show. We (as breeders) have an obligation to produce top quality cats whether they are in the show ring or a fancy pet - not just to produce purebred cats.
What should you look for in evaluating a pet vs. show? In many purebreds, you might have a hard time evaluating a litter of kittens into pet or show. First of all, the breeder should be the most critical of their own cats. They should know the written standard inside and out, show their own cats, talk to other breeders, and see just what is out there - they should not be "cattery blind". A person that breeds their cats and thinks they are great can only prove that by being around other breeders in the show ring. They should also be studying pedigrees and knowing what lines produce the Grand Champions of their breed.
Its not good enough for a cat to only have champions or grands 4 or 5 or more generations in the past - when you are shopping around for a top show cat or breeding cat, you want to see champions and grands in the first 3 generations! That means your cat is close to the written standard and should produce more show types then pet types.
When breeding cats, the same applies - you look for top quality. Its very hard to "breed up". The differences in pet and show are little things. Maybe the ears are too big or too small; maybe the body is too long (in the case of persians/himis). Maybe the color is faded. Maybe (with rexes) the coat is not as curly as it should be. These pet kittens are good kittens, just that they should not be shown or bred. Its minor things. But a good breeder will be critical in evaluating their kittens they produce. If they are not breeding cats to the standard and to improve their own cats, they should not be producing more kittens to basically sell as pets.
When a person goes looking for a purebred to show, they too should be almost as informed on what the cat looks like as the breeder is. They should know the standard as well. Not just take the breeders word "this is a good show cat".
When I was showing my cats, I would sit in the front row or near the sides to listen to the judges "critique" the cats and kittens. Good breeders usually have an "eye" for type - they know the standard well enough to tell good from bad examples.
While a breeder may not like the style that is currently being shown, if they want to show and breed, they almost have to have more extreme cats then desired. Otherwise, all they do is produce mediocre cats and have to sell them as pets, cause they just are not gonna win in the show rings.
So stop and think about WHY you are breeding or WHY you want to show. We (as breeders) have an obligation to produce top quality cats whether they are in the show ring or a fancy pet - not just to produce purebred cats.