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BURABYLLA CATTERY |
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About Shows On this page, I hope to explain the terms used and how Cat shows run. The examples used are for QLD as other states may differ in several ways. Shows are generally conducted by individual clubs which are affiliated with Cat Councils but sometimes the Cat Council itself will conduct a show. The two major Cat Organisations in Australia, ACF and CCCA, both have Annual shows which are conducted, in turn, by their affiliated state bodies, in rotation, each year around Australia. These shows are regarded as the "creme' de la creme'" of shows and many exhibitors travel interstate to enter them. What documents you need to get your cat in a show To show a kitten or cat, you must produce an Official Pedigree and Official Pedigree Cat Registration Certificate. This is NOT the registration that you get from your local City or Municipal Council. Domestic cats must have a certificate to show it has been desexed. Entire (not desexed) Domestic cats cannot be shown over the age of 6 months. The Pedigree and Registration certificates will show the kittens/cats proper or Pedigree name. The first part of this name is the Prefix. This is the Cattery name of the person who bred the animal. For example, the prefix of our Koko’s proper name is Burabylla. The prefix is a registered cattery name that is unique to that cattery and cannot be used by another cattery. The rest of the proper name is either what took the breeders fancy or they may allow you to choose this part of the name if the kitten is chosen before it is registered. Many show cats have a “Pet” name which bears no resemblance to their proper name. Many proper names bear a mention of the parents. Koko’s proper name, Kobikobana, is a reference to his Dam (mother) Kobi Rae. Storm Cloud is in reference to his Sire (father) Storm Boy. Entering a show To enter a show, the entry forms are attached to a Show Schedule which show all the relevant details of an up-coming show including where it is held, by which cat club, Judges officiating, costs etc.
Entry forms are normally completed 2 to 3 weeks prior
to a show. This allows the organisers to have the catalogue and
other paperwork completed in time.
Show Schedules can be obtained from the
organisation running the show. Generally a phone call to the show manager will get one
posted to you or they may be obtained via web sites of
the Cat Councils in QLD being
QFA, CFCCQ,
QICC, and
FCCQ. What goes on at a Cat Show. Vetting-In When
attending a show, some organisations have vetting in.
This means all cats/kittens are checked by vets prior to them being
allowed in the venue proper.
Any signs of injury or sickness will mean instant disqualification and the
cat/kitten must immediately be removed from the venue. Exhibits Each cat or kitten entered in the show is called an Exhibit and are given an Exhibit Number in the Catalogue, which details all exhibits entered, including the names of the breeders and exhibitors. If the breeder is the exhibitor, they will be listed as the Breeder/Exhibitor. If the owner is not the breeder, they will be simply listed as the Exhibitor. Catalogues can sometimes be purchased at the door but are generally only purchased by exhibitors with their entry. Some cats or kittens may be entered as Exhibit Only, which means they are not competing and are there for display only. Judges. Each Cat Judge is fully qualified to assess the breeds under their licences according to the Breed Standards which detail all aspects of what "standard" the exhibit should be. Judges are Contracted months, or sometimes years, in advance, to officiate at Cat Shows. It is not unusual to see Judges from overseas or interstate officiating at local cat shows. "All-Breeds" Judges can assess all breeds, where other Judges may be Group 1, Group 2, Group 3, Group 4 only, or a combination of any of the 4. Judges are unaware of the names or breeders or owners of the exhibits at the time of Judging. The paperwork which the Judges use show only the exhibit number, breed, sex, colour and age. Australian cat shows are classed as "open shows" where the Judge assesses the exhibits in front of the exhibitors and general public. Most Judges, especially Australian-trained ones, will speak about the exhibit they are assessing at the time. This gives the breeders a good idea of what the Judges think of their cats and can be quite entertaining. In other countries some shows are classed as "closed" which means that the assessments are done out of sight of the exhibitors and results are only known when awards are placed on the exhibit's cages. Stewards Stewards are people who have been trained to handle exhibits correctly and assist the Judge during the ring. If you want to become a qualified steward, a voluntary position at shows, most councils conduct Steward/Ticket Writers courses. Ticket Writers Ticket Writers assist the Judge during Judging by checking certain details of the exhibits at the Judge's request and semi-completing some awards ready for the Judges to sign as results become known. Rings For each Judge officiating at a Championship Cat Show, there is a ring. Each ring covers all exhibits entered in the show. So, in a 3 Ring show, each exhibit will be assessed by 3 different Judges. In some shows, the rings are shared by one or two Judges, depending on the number of exhibits entered or the availability of Judges. Groups. There is a breakdown of the exhibits at a show into Competition Groups. Group 1 (Pedigree) is for the Longhair breeds and their dirivatives such as Persians, Exotics, Maine Coons, Birmans etc. Group 2 (Pedigree) is for Siamese, Oriental, Balinese etc. Group 3 (Pedigree) is for the Shorthair breeds and their dirivatives, such as Abyssinian, Somali, Burmese, Burmilla, British Shorthair, Scottish Fold, Russian, Devon Rex etc. Some councils in QLD are now placing the Group 2 and 3 cats in one Group titled Shorthairs, due to the lower numbers of Group 2 exhibits at shows, so in these shows the actual Competition Groups are Longhair and Shorthair. Group 4 (Non-Pedigree) is for the Domestic or unregistered family pet. Groups do differ in some states so, for a full list of the Pedigree breeds recognised by the main Cat organisations in Australia, please take a look at the following links for ACF Inc. and CCCA Inc. Classes Each of the Pedigree Groups are then broken down and Judged in Kittens, Cats and Desexed classes. Kittens, pedigree exhibits under the age of 9 months. Cats, pedigree exhibits over 9 months of age and have not been desexed. Desexed, pedigree exhibits over 9 months of age and have been desexed. Group 4 kittens and cats compete together, remembering that Entire (not desexed) Domestic cats cannot be shown over the age of 6 months. Top Ten The Judge will assess each exhibit in a class and make their decision on placings in their Top Ten exhibits. 1st, also called Best in Show (BiS) 2nd, also called Reserve (Res) 3rd and so on to 10th place. If numbers of exhibits are low, some QLD organisations will only have a Top 5. Organisations in other states have a Top 5 which is different to this. On occasion, if the exhibit numbers are large, they may also extend Top 10 to Top 15. The Judge will also place whichever of the exhbits in the individual breeds shown has achieved their Best of Breed (BoB) in that Judge's ring. Awards Certain awards are given by the Judges at the end of their assessment of each class of Cats and Desexed as well as Domestics. Kittens do not compete for the following awards. Challenges Challenges are issued to exhibits who are assessed as being the best example in their breed, sex and colour in group during the ring. For example: a Brown Burmese Female can win a challenge over another Brown Burmese Female if the Judge assesses the first one as being the better example of the two. Depending on which state you are in, each challenge awarded is worth 11 points, except in the case where there are two or more competing for the same challenge when the points increase by one point for each competitor. Challenge = 10 points + 1 point if only one exhibit Challenge = 10 points + 2 if two cats competing. Challenge = 10 points + 3 if three competing etc, etc If an exhibit happens to win Best in Show in that ring, then the challenge is worth 20 points except there are no extra points per competitor in class. These points accumulate at shows and that Brown Burmese Female can be granted the tile of Champion upon getting 60 points. Males need 70 points, but this depends on which organisation the cat is registered with. Points keep accumulating from challenges over further shows until the next title is achieved and then the next and so on. (Female) Champion (Ch) - 60 points Grand Champion (GC) - 120 points Double Grand Champion (DGC) - 180 points Bronze Double Grand Champion (BDGC) - 280 points Silver Double Grand Champion (SDGC) - 380 points Gold Double Grand Champion (GDGC) - 480 points Some organisations within Australia do not have a point system for challenges. They require a certain number of challenges per title gained and these cannot all be from one Judge. In QFA, the GDGC or higher titled exhibits then compete for Platinum Challenges. To compete for these, the exhibit must compete against the same sex exhibits in all breeds within their group. For example, a GDGC Abyssinian male may beat a PDGC Burmese male to win a Platinum Challenge. 10 Platinum Challenges can then have the title of Platinum Double Grand Champion (PDGC) bestowed upon the exhibit. Then another 10 Platinum Challenges are needed to attain Sapphire Double Grand Champion (SapDGC) Then another 10 Platinum Challenges are needed to attain Ruby Double Grand Champion (RDGC) Then another 10 Platinum Challenges are needed to attain Emerald Double Grand Champion (EDGC) Then another 10 Platinum Challenges are needed to attain Diamond Double Grand Champion (DDGC) Challenges are not automatically issued if there is only one example in that class. Judges can withhold a challenge if the exhibit is below the standard, there is a fault with the exhibit, if it is entered incorrectly under a different colour or if the exhibit cannot be handled and assessed without injury to the Judge or Steward. ACF Award of Merit (ACF AoE) An ACF AoE certificate is issued by the Judge for the best male and female, best neuter and spey, in group. The main difference between this and a Platinum Challenge is that ALL exhibits in the group compete, not just the titled exhibits. For ACF AoE award selection, the Shorthair Group is split back into Groups 2 and 3. In ACF affiliated coucils, exhibits do not have to have any title to win an ACF AoE, whereas in CCCA affiliated councils, only titled exhibits can compete for a CCCA Award, the ACF AoE equivalent. 10 ACF AoE certificates entitle the exhibit with ACF AoE preceding any existing title. The ACF AoE titles also progress with 10 required for the next upgrade. The accumulation of titles per certificates is as follows: ACF AoE - 10 certificates ACF Bronze AoE - 20 certificates ACF Silver AoE - 30 certificates ACF Gold AoE - 40 certificates ACF Sapphire AoE - 50 certificates ACF Ruby AoE - 60 certificates ACF Emerald AoE - 70 certificates ACF Diamond AoE - 80 certificates Once Challenge points are accumulated for a Higher Title, it is up to the owner to send the required paperwork and fees to the council to have any title upgrade granted. ACF AoE upgrades are submitted directly to the ACF Inc. Secretary with the appropriate paperwork and fees. After all that, to have a cat titled ACF Diamond AoE, DDGC, you would have one very special cat indeed, who would have to have competed in, at least, 80 rings, probably many, many more unless it won in every single ring it was entered in. Some shows will have the Judges make a decision on Supreme Exhibit which is the top exhibit in all groups in their ring. Some show may even have a Supreme in Show which is the best across all rings in the show. Prizes Prizes vary from show to show. Generally, in a 3 ring show, prizes would be a sponsored product, normally Cat food, from one of the Cat Food companies, rosettes supplied by the club or council conducting the show and another sponsors product, normally Cat Litter from one of the Cat Litter companies. Some clubs have Crystal, Glassware or other assorted prizes, where others may have trophies, it can all depend on who sponsors the rings. Sponsorship cannot always be secured from companies so the clubs normally purchase prizes in this event or take donation of prizes. Of course the challenges and ACF AoE awards are given as well in each of these rings. Sponsors product is supplied free of charge from the sponsoring companies in return for promotion of their product at the show venue and in show advertising such as the Catalogue. We are always very grateful to these companies for their assistance. Some clubs conduct more than 3 rings with a 4th generally being a challenge only ring. Meaning that only the challenges and ACF AoE awards are given out. Show conduct All cat councils have show rules which detail technical aspects and ettiquitte required. We ask that any visitors to these shows respect certain courtesies when at a cat show. Please turn off mobile phones. The sudden noise of a phone ringing can startle exhibits. If Judging is in progress, don't walk into the ring where the Judge or steward may be handling exhibits. Please keep children under control. Kids running around or yelling can upset exhibits and or the owners. Don't poke fingers through the cage doors as you may inadvertently be passing a nasty bug through touch. If you want a closer look at the cats or kittens, wait till after the Judging has been completed and ask for the owner. Most breeders or owners are more than willing to discuss their cats. Enjoy the show and ask questions of the breeders and exhibitors. They are more than willing to help people have a better understanding of their breeds. Cat fancy organisations generally hold shows once a month or more. These can be part of an Agricultural Show or a totally autonomous show in a venue such as a hall. In QLD, cat shows are held almost every week. We highly recommend that you take a look a couple of these shows before making a decision on what breed of cat you want. |
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