[Tylt33]

Are cat shows diminishing in terms of numbers of people showing cats? I just left my first show in about five or six years and it was about half the size of the last one we attended (same group and same location). Also, out of the breeders I remembered (five+) none of them were in attendance. Has the economy put a crunch on cat shows?

 

[spotty cats]

Makes sense in times of economic troubles that luxuries are cut from the budget.

Over here our shows have the same numbers, actually a few more, than past years.

5-6 years is a long time between shows, some breeders only manage a couple of years before retiring while others will breed for decades.

 

[doodlebug]

Showing is expensive; entry fees, travel expenses etc. It also requires breeding which is expensive. Medical fees, testing for genetic issues, maybe stud fees, purchasing new bloodlines. A portion of the costs are typically offset by selling pet quality kittens, but in a poor economy there is little or no market for them. Yes, the economy has a major impact on expensive hobbies like cat showing.

 

[Tylt33]

That makes sense. I just wondered if it was specific to California or if it was everywhere. It was kind of sad to see a cat show in a major city with only seven kittens entered, and many breeds not being shown at all. Bengals/Ragdolls/etc. were there in decent numbers, but even then there was only one snow bengal competing.

 

[LaurulFeatherCat]

It is everywhere in Pennsylvania, I know that. I love cat shows.

 

[Tylt33]

I love cat shows too! We drove 3+ hours round trip and only ended up staying for about an hour. There wasn't much to see. Last time the show occupied three rooms; this time it was only one room. I hope the economy picks up for a multitude of reasons.

 

[spotty cats]

It was kind of sad to see a cat show in a major city with only seven kittens entered.

I would have to think that's unusual.

Could it be the end of the season, or beginning of the season where many aren't coming as they don't need the points?

Or there's a bigger show happening elsewhere that folks have travelled to. There could be a big show coming up that people are saving up for instead.

Some breeds have seasons too, so the girls might be busy with kittens. Boys might have terrible coats etc. Mine call and breed year round and don't have coat issues, but I've got shorthairs.

 

[Tylt33]

I would have to think that's unusual.

Could it be the end of the season, or beginning of the season where many aren't coming as they don't need the points?

Or there's a bigger show happening elsewhere that folks have travelled to. There could be a big show coming up that people are saving up for instead.

Some breeds have seasons too, so the girls might be busy with kittens. Boys might have terrible coats etc. Mine call and breed year round and don't have coat issues, but I've got shorthairs.

It was a TICA show and I checked the CFA calendar as well and there is noing within two weeks either direction within 500+ miles. The city it was in has a million or more people within a 30 minute drive. Maybe it is the season? The last shows I went to were October and January. Even the couple we went with that aren't major cat fanciers wondered out loud why the show was so much smaller than usual.

 

[doodlebug]

I would think that a fall or winter show would be much better attended than a June show...graduations, weddings etc. would definitely eat into the number of people available to attend.

 

[LaurulFeatherCat]

The biggest cat show I ever attended was in Tampa, FL, in the convention center of a huge hotel. There were more than 2500 entries, and, of course, there were hundreds of cats of all breeds available for sale. The show was in late June and of course that is prime kitten time. I saw cats there fore Europe and one German breed had golden brown fur that stood up one inch tall on end all over the cat's body except for his tail. The fur was so very soft, it felt like petting a lady's make-up brush. And the cat was a huge tom, with a cobby body and a big round head with huge ears and eyes.

Before going to that show during our vacation, we had only been to shows with cats that had two or three hundred cats entered, and other shows with as few as fifty or a hundred cats. The Tampa show was a regional CFA show. The little shows in my home state of PA had been TICA or CFA, depending. My room mate and her kids decided to buy a beautiful little straight eared Scottish Fold queen we named Fiona. She was a red tabby with white non-breeder, pet only twelve week old kitten and the most affectionate little girl you could ever want. Her only problem was she cried all the way home on the car trip from Tampa to Pennsylvania. Fiona was bought for Pam's daughter's, Sherry's graduation present. I learned to love British Shorthaired cats through bringing Fiona home.

I really miss going to cat shows. There are so few of them now.

 

[Fran]

I think the economy has taken a big toll on shows in California - I noticed the same thing last year in my hometown for the annual CFA Halloween show, and it made me sad. Maybe shows are still big in larger cities, I hope so...

Fran

 

[Dave_ph]

Oh My Bunny. What a reduction from 2,500


Also, why was this only mentioned now the weekend AFTER this happened. I need prior notice people.




By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune
Published: June 24, 2012 Updated: June 24, 2012 - 12:00 AM
TAMPA --

About 230 cat competitors from throughout the country are battling for recognition this weekend at the Tampa Convention Center

The event is also sponsored by The Cat Fanciers' Association.

 

[maewkaew]

The economy has definitely had an effect on cat shows. but 7 kittens would be extremely unusual, in my experience.
OK, I checked the show report and i see it wasn't QUITE as low as that -- it was 7 longhair kittens. The total ranged from 14 to 17 depending on the ring. But yeah that is certainly a low kitten count.
It looks like this was an "alternative format" show, with 4 rings AM and 4 rings PM and some of the judges were judging Specialty in AM and Allbreed in PM or vice versa. And there is a limit to how many cats a judge can judge per day. ( & it counts each time they judge the cat). So that would have meant a 125 cat limit for that particular show.

 

[LaurulFeatherCat]

We haven't had a cat show in our area for more than a year. We would have to drive to Pittsburg or Philly to see one now. We used to have three or four a year in our area. The shows were never more than fiften to a hundred cats, but I really miss them.

That cat show with 3000 cats I attended in Tampa was a fluke. We saw it advertised on the marque as we drove past and decided on going there instead of the museum we were hunting. That was in the late 1980s when cat shows were everywhere. It was an amazing experience to see so many breeds in the same place.