[yingying]

One of the CCA show will be held in Toronto soon. I'm thinking maybe I can enter my cats into household pet group (CCA rule seems to be ok with pure breed cats entering HHP competition). However, I don't know what I should prepare beforehand, and whether my cats will hold a chance of getting good points. Since there is no breed standard in HHP, I wonder how do judges determine if one cat can score better than another? Any "show experts" can give me some insight please?

 

[MowMow]

For the Novice Show Person

 

[yingying]

Thanks for the link. I've read them before posting and found them not very helpful

To be more specific about what info I'm looking into:
> Household pets are judged on health, condition, colour or markings and temperament.

Health: I don't think any cat entered will be unhealthy. So every cat would have the same score. Don't know if they consider dental health? Like tartar building or so. How about ear wax?

Condition: What conditions are they looking into? This is way too ambiguous...

Color or markings: Again, what are the judges looking into? Will a cat score extra with rare coloring or pattern, like silver/golden/chinchilla/odd eyes? I've checked quite a lot pictures of HHP champions (not only in CCA). And frankly, I saw quite a bunch of cats with not-so-nice marking and plenty of them have very common coloring. Here is the 2010 HHP winners (at the bottom) at CCA, and I don't see any of them with striking coloring/marking except that blue raggie. Best Cats

Tempermant: Do judges prefer playful cat? Or affectionate cat? Or calm cat? Or cats who can do tricks? There are so many different aspect!

And last, pure breed standards always have scores for each aspect. Some features are valued higher than others. Then what's the score base for HHP? E.g., is temperment severly outweight coloring?

 

[spotty cats]

Basically a friendly, well presented cat (well groomed, clean), in good condition (not overweight or thin) and smooching the judges always seems to help lol Some judges seem to prefer a typical domestic look, nothing resembling a pedigree.

You should bath, clean the face and ears - no ear wax. I don't know if there is vetting in in Canada, here all cats must be inspected by the vet before heading to their cage first thing in the morning.

Where I live pet quality pedigree cats cannot be shown, you should check with your breeder even though it's the HHP section she may not wish for them to be shown being pet quality.

 

[maewkaew]

As spotty cats said, "condition" refers to healthy body condition, not too thin or too fat, well developed muscle tone.
Health probably would include some things like clean ears, clean, bright eyes, a healthy looking/ feeling coat. ( some of that is of course also related to grooming but for example the coat quality is also from diet)

In addition to the things she mentioned about grooming, you should clip the claws before showing. I usually do it a day before, so the edges get worn down a little.

It's acknowledged that there's no breed standard for HHPs and beauty is in the eye of the judge and admittedly subjective. So there's no standard of points about markings etc.
I think some of those HHP cats at that link are quite striking domestics. I like that red classic tabby. and the tortie. The cat who won Best, though the photo looks like just a sort of plain blue mackerel tabby, has beautiful gold eyes.
And no doubt those cats had a great personality too. Personality seems to count for a lot. They want to see a friendly cat but beyond that, it can be different kinds of personality . They do like cats who really go for the toys , but also cats who are not as energetic but love attention, rubbing their head on the judge etc.

I agree with SC that if you got the cat from a breeder, check with her/ him about showing your cat in HHPs.
Of course if it's a known purebred or purebred-looking cat adopted from a rescue , then it doesn't matter. Obviously CCA does allow cats who are / look purebred to be shown in HHPs

One thing you could do to prepare is watch some videos of judging, especially judging HHPs... and watch judging cats of your breed since the judges may instinctively handle the cat the same way they would handle that breed normally even if they are not judging the cat by the breed standard.
Then set up a table and pretend to be the judge. including play with the cat with teaser toys like the judges use... get a few different kinds - fur, feathers, sparkly stuff etc. Then if possible have friends come over and play the judge so the cat gets used to someone else doing it. After every little practice session give the cat a small treat.

 

[catloverami]

I can't add to the great tips you've already received. Make sure you get your entry form filled out and submitted a couple of weeks before the deadline. Of course you will need cage curtains to surround 3 sides of your cage (noticed on kijiji someone has some for sale in Oshawa), small litter pan, weighted water bowl, grooming combs, finishing spray. Clip nails beforehand and dull them with an emery board. A luggage carrier is handy to carry in the carrier along with all your other stuff so you don't have to make many trips. Catnip is handy to keep kitty calm if overwhelmed by the noise and bustle of a show hall.
Is the show your interested in the CCA show in Toronto at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition)? Check with the organizers if show area is air conditioned. I showed there once (and that was enough!) as there was no A/C and it was very hot and humid. The cats were all very sleepy and not animated at all. You might want a gauzy covering for the front of the cage if it's at the CNE as there are a lot of kids, who want to stick their hands inside the cage to try and pet the cats.....it's bothersome to the cats and potentially can spread disease. Cat shows held in a hall or arena are better venues as they're air conditioned, and not shown near other animals like rabbits, chickens, etc. Cats that are very friendly to everyone, like to be handled and picked up, should do well in HHP class. Good luck in showing and have fun, and give us a report.

 

[yingying]

Thank you folks so much for the great tips! I would be better prepared

Where I live pet quality pedigree cats cannot be shown, you should check with your breeder even though it's the HHP section she may not wish for them to be shown being pet quality.

Both my cats breeders don't show in CCA. They think CCA is not challenging I will ask for their permission anyway. Thanks for letting me know~ Never thought about it.

Is the show your interested in the CCA show in Toronto at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition)? Check with the organizers if show area is air conditioned. I showed there once (and that was enough!) as there was no A/C and it was very hot and humid.

Yep, that's the CNE one! I was there the year before last (missed last year), and I couldn't remember if they have AC. Don't remember it's being very hot either, but it's long time ago...

On a second thought, maybe I should let my cats skip this show and just go there by myself this year. I could use the opportunity to check the show area condition, see how HHP are judged, and get some tips from other participants. I don't feel well prepared for this year anyway

 

[spotty cats]

Just be aware it's generally better to start showing while the kittens are young, waiting another year will of course mean the cats are older and may not take to showing as well.

 

[yingying]

Yep, that's true. But I don't want to put my cats in a building with no A/C for whole day in a hot summer day. Could leave them a very bad impression for cat shows. So I feel like I need to have a "field trip" first If they don't enjoy show then I will just stop. Right now it's just for fun and education. Actually I'm not even sure if I will enjoy it. I mean, I like attending cat shows, but showing my cats is something different, especially since HHP don't have a strict standard so the outcome can be quite random.

Thanks for the advice though. I do appreciate it!

 

[catloverami]

Good idea to just go yourself and check out the show hall, judging, noise level, temperature and how the crowd behaves. Older cats in HHP usually do well that are confident, unflappable, showing interest in the surroundings, and who like to play with the judge's teaser toys. Cats that are nervous about the whole thing will just crouch in a corner of the judging cage and crouch on the judge's table and not want to stand or play.