Showing Your CFA Persian Cat

Showing A Cat

Shows as an evaluation of a breeding program.
cat shows give the breeder an objective evaluation of his breeding program's sucess and a chance to study those cats that the judges feel are of highest merit for only when we can clearly see where one cat differs from another can we hope to effectively select the best cats for our own breeding programs.
Yet, in one sence cat shows fail to point the way for breeders. At the cat shows,importance is given to the individual, without reference to it's antecedants or it's progeny. A cat of outstanding appearance will occasionally be produced from bloodlines otherwise lacking in distinction. The converse holds true; some of the great sires of every species and breed were themselves poor specimens that could never set foot inside a show ring.
In some types of Animals exhibitions, special breeding classes are held in which a sire or dam and sereval progeny are judged as a whole. Such classes were formerly held at cat shows, but are never seen today, perhaps due to the expense involved in entering more than one or two cats.

The Purpose to showing
Shows are an exhibition of skill. They also, of course. a sort of Beauty Pageant for cats, but their primary purpose should be a test of the breeder's skill. The purebred cat is a creation of its breeder, and it is mainly to the breeder that credit should go for a win.
In practice, people show for a variety of reasons. There's nothing quite like winning ribbons,and at cat shows the ribbons fly thick and fast much to the bewilderment of casual onlookers. Unlike the Dog show and horse show worlds, where only a few take home anything but debts, it's the rare cat owner who goes home empty-handed. Championships become meaningless in the less-popular breeds, since they can be earned by default. The big guys go after the Finals,regional and national awards.But even the little guy eventually ends up with a wall full of ribbons.
Cat breederd whose friends are also in cats have a lot of fun fraternizing at shows. Novices can especially benefit by introducing themselves to the more experienced breeders there. Even the shy can get ideas on grooming and presentation by watching the experts.

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