The first cat show in the
United States took place in Madison Square Garden,
New York City in 1895. In the US, each judge has a separate ring with cages. The cats are brought up to the judge, who removes each cat in turn and then replaces them when they are done. Spectators, including the owners of the cats, are present and in the audience. The cats' owners are given a number for each cat and are responsible for getting them to the ring when they are called.
CFA cat shows and titles The US
Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) is the world's largest
registry of pedigreed cats and the predominant pedigreed cat registering association in North America. While no two shows are identical, CFA cat shows follow certain procedures and guidelines: A CFA cat show actually consists of a number of simultaneous cat shows running at the same time within the same place. Depending on the size of the show, there are anywhere from 4 to 12 "rings" (or miniature shows) which generally run one to two days in length. Each "ring" has its own judge who independently scores cats and awards the top 10 places (or top 15 depending on the size of the show). Rings are of two kinds: • "All Breed" rings allow cats of every breed approved by the CFA to be judged. • "Specialty" rings separate cats into one of two types: "Long Hair" category include cats like Persians, Maine Coons, and other long-haired cats. "Short Hair" include Burmese, Sphynx, American Short Hair and other short-haired cats. Points are awarded to cats based multiple of their placement within each ring combined with the number of cats that the cat has "beaten" in the ring. • At the end of each show season, the top 25 cats in the country with the most points for the show season are awarded the coveted title of "National Winner" (NW). • Cats in the top 25 of their "region" (usually several states) are awarded the prestigious title of "Regional Winner". • Adult cats which are not neutered and achieve a point ranking of over 200 points are awarded the title of "Grand Champion". • Neutered cats can be shown in a class called "Premier" and achieve the title of "Grand Premier" once they have achieved a point ranking of over 75 points. • Cats which meet the standards of the breed as confirmed by six judges at one show are awarded "winners ribbon" by each judge and are awarded the lowest title of "Champion" or "Premier". • Kittens from the age of 4 to 8 months compete in a separate "Kitten" class, and are also able to achieve the title of "National Winner" and "Regional Winner", but can not become Grand Champions or Grand Premiers until reaching adulthood at 8 months of age. • Adult cats being shown at a show with no existing title are referred to as "Open". File:Catjudging.jpg|Judge handling a cat at a cat show File:Showcage2.jpg|Typical cat show benching cage in the US. Cats wait here until their owners are called to enter them into the ring. File:Catshow.jpg|Fancy cat show benching area decorations File:Bastian on the judge's table.jpg|Non-pedigree cats like this
domestic short-haired can also compete and win at cat shows. ==See also==