Purrfect felines in the show ring in America

The warmth and friendship of the people involved in the cat world is wonderful. Cat shows throughout the world are fascinating and it is a feast for the cat lovers.
Here’s some info about the American cat shows:

• The show is held over 2 days.
• The owners bring their cats to the judging cages and then sit back and watch the judge assess and often talk about their cat or kitten.
• The cages where the cats are held, when not being judged are beautifully decorated with colourful curtains and cushions while judging cages are not decorated in any way.
• There are 6-10 rings, making it a busy day for the judges, stewards, ring clerks, show manager, workers and the owners of the cats.
• There are All Breeds Rings and Specialty Rings. In an All Breeds Ring, the judge has both longhair and shorthair cats to assess against each other. In a Specialty Ring, the judge has All Longhairs or All Shorthairs but never the two groups against each other.
• Cats are judged on the basis of awarding points.
• Any cat or kitten who bites or scratches a judge is marked U.T.H. (unable to handle) and wins no awards and cannot be judged by any other judge on the day.
• The American style show generally awards beautiful Rosettes to the Top 10 cats. The most important thing when entering a show is – win or lose, you always take the best cat home.

(Joan E. Henderson of Melbourne, Australia has judged furry felines in Australia, USA, Bermuda, Malaysia, South Africa, Hong Kong, Philippines and New Zealand. She can be contacted at felines@hotkey.net.au)