We saw the following breeds: Persian, Bengal, Abyssinian, Maine Coon and others that I can't identify. Here are some of the beautiful cats at the show:
According to the CFA (Cat Fancier Association), judges at cat shows compare cats to their breed standard which they have established for every cat breed. These standards specify how an ideal cat of a breed would look and act. Obviously the more standards a competing cat fulfills, the better it will score.
Here are the classes of cat judging:
Championship: Cats that are not spayed or neutered who are at least 8 months old.
Premiership: spayed or neutered cats that would otherwise qualify for the championship class.
Provisional: This includes cat breeds on a temporary basis that the CFA has not yet fully recognized.
Kittens: Cat are between 4 and 8 months old regardless of whether they are spayed or neutered.
Miscellaneous: Includes breeds that have not yet achieved provisional status. The breeds can be exhibited at shows but can not compete for awards.
Veteran: Cats are at least 7 years old.
Household: Any cat that has not been declawed but has been spayed or neutered after 8 months. These cats are not judged by breed standards. The judges critique the cats in the household category based on physical condition, beauty, personality and show presence.
We watched several judging sessions. Several of them are being judged at the same time. Male and female cats are judged separately. The cat owners must spend a lot of time at these shows. They are well prepared with everything the cat needs to keep calm and safe.
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| Getting an overview of the cat |
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| Checking out the lovely fur |
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| Come on, look my way kitty |
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| Who's pulling my tail? |
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| Judge checking out the cat's features |
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| Judge is observing how the cat interacts with a toy |
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| After a hard day looking pretty. Nap time! |
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| Certainly a beauty but I wouldn't want to meet this guy in a dark alley! |
It was a very interesting and educational afternoon. After we had seen all there was to see, we sat in the arena stands just watching. Suddenly, someone on the arena floor yelled, "Cat loose!" Well, you have never seen so many move so quickly. All the doors to the arena floor were shut within seconds and people were frantically searching under tables, etc. The cat was found and caught within a minute and the atmosphere of the show slowed down again to a calm pace.
The show included a variety of vendors selling cat products or cat-themed products. At the show, I met two different vendors which I found very interesting. One was an charity organization that was selling items, mostly cat themed, to raise money for the Medical Fund for special needs animals, started by Tiny. Now, Tiny was a very large cat that was dropped off at the Fredericton SPCA. To read about Tiny's story click here. Tiny has since passed away. Anyway, I asked at the table if they needed any assistance making some of the crafts such as mug rugs that they were selling. They asked if I knew how to crochet. They had sealed bags of crocheted balls that were filled with catnip. They didn't have anyone any more who could make them. Well, I said, "Yes, I do crochet and I would be willing to make some for them". So all I do is crochet two halves of the ball and they will stuff them with catnip and sew them together. Nice and easy.
At another table was a young woman who had written a book from the perspective of her cats. She was selling her book, "From Where I am Sitting... A Collection a Cat Tales". This was Trish MacWebber's first book. It was an interesting narrative of her cats and how we think they think. Some interesting thoughts about life, happiness and death. I did buy a copy and of course, I had her sign the book and dedicate it to Gimli. Here are two photos of Gimli who still lives in Ontario with Anne.
We had a great time. There are so many different things to do in the City. You just have to keep your eyes open for them.
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