The Cat Show 

Welcome
Welcome to the cat show!! We hope you will enjoy looking at all the wonderful cats we have on display. We have pedigreed cats and household pets being exhibited at our show. These cats are judged by our professional Judges that are licensed with the American Cat Fanciers Association. 

The Show
Each day there will be four (or more) rings running concurrently and each ring acts as a separate show. Each Judge works independently of the others, and every cat entered will be judged in every ring. A cat may win Best Cat in one Ring but may not always win the same award in another Ring.

Our rings are divided into ALLBREED and SPECIALTY. In an Allbreed ring, all cats compete for various awards. In the Specialty ring, the cats of like coat length, either longhair or shorthair, compete for various awards. Our cats are judged in five different classes: 

• KITTEN class is for pedigreed kittens between the ages of 4 to 8 months.
• CHAMPIONSHIP class is for unaltered pedigreed cats 8 months of age or older.
• ALTER class is for the pedigreed cat over 8 months of age that has been spayed or neutered.
• NBC (new breed or color) for 1) pedigreed cats, whose breed or color is not yet accepted for the championship class or 2) cats that are either in the experimental or probationary status of working towards being accepted as a championship breed.
• HOUSEHOLD PET class is for mixed-breed or non-pedigreed cats. All household pets must be altered by the age of 8 months.

The Breeds
The American Cat Fanciers Association, ACFA, recognizes 50 breeds for championship competition.

Each of these breeds has a written standard, which every Judge is familiar with and by which they evaluate the cat.

The Awards
All classes of cats (except for NBC’s) compete for year-end awards. These awards are recognized at the Inter-American and the Regional levels. A cat must compete in at least 16 rings to be eligible for a regional award and 24 rings to be eligible for an Inter-American award.  The top 24 rings are scored, unless the cat has competed in fewer than 24 rings, in which case the top 16 rings are scored.

In the Championship class, adult cats and alters compete for champion and grand champion titles. Each cat starts at the OPEN class level, where s/he will compete against other cats of the same sex, color and breed. If s/he places FIRST, s/he will receive a blue ribbon, SECOND place is a red ribbon and THIRD place is a yellow ribbon. The WINNERS ribbon, a red/white and blue ribbon, will be given to each first place awarded in the open class. A cat must receive four Winners Ribbons for each championship claimed. After all cats of one color are judged, a BEST OF COLOR award is given, which is a black ribbon, and a SECOND BEST OF COLOR is given, which is a white ribbon. After each breed is judged, a BEST OF BREED and a SECOND BEST OF BREED ribbon is awarded. These ribbons may be any desired color or combination of colors with appropriate wording that the host club desires. Once a cat receives 16 winners ribbons and six finals under six different Judges, s/he becomes a GRAND CHAMPION. [Whole cats must have two finals 10^th Best Allbreed or better, Alters must have two finals 5^th Best Allbreed or better.]

After a Judge has handled and evaluated all the cats in a class, s/he will present his/her top cats. In the Allbreed ring TOP TEN is awarded. In the Specialty ring, if there are less than 25 longhair or shorthair cats then TOP FIVE is awarded. The Class win, BEST CHAMPION, is also presented. In the event there are more than 25 cats entered by class, then TOP TEN is awarded and no Class win is awarded.
 

KITTENS compete with other kittens of the same sex, color and breed for first, second and third place. They also compete for best and second best color and breed. Kitten wins are for year-end awards; they do not earn titles.

HOUSEHOLD PETS are all judged together regarding color, age, and sex in the Allbreed rings. They are divided by hair length in the Specialty rings. There is no written standard for HHPs, but they will receive a merit award if the cat reflects good health and condition. Allbreed Judges award TOP 10, if less than 50 catalogued entries and TOP 15 if there are more than 50 catalogued entries. Specialty Judges award TOP 5 if less than 25 catalogued entries and TOP 10 if more than 25 catalogued entries. All Judges award Class Wins: Best and 2^nd Best Royal, Best and 2^nd Best Supreme. The points that a HHP wins go towards year-end awards and titles.

If you own a pedigreed cat, kitten, or alter, or a loveable household pet, you too can become part of the excitement of an ACFA cat show. Be sure to check out the Show Calendar for upcoming shows in your area.