FIFe Cat Shows

by A C Batchelor

Vormark Bygade 46, Vormark, 5874 Hesselager
Denmark
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This originally appeared on the TICA website as Part II of a series.
Copyright@2001 by Anthony C. Batchelor. All rights reserved.
This article or parts thereof may not be changed or reproduced in any form without my explicit, written, permission.

In most of Europe, cat shows for pedigree cats are held under the auspices, and hence the rules, of FIFe which is short for Fédération Internationale Féline. Each individual country (about 39 at this date, 2001, including those in Europe) has its own head organization which is a member of FIFe and is responsible to FIFe for the correct registering of cats and the conduct of shows in its country. However, the actual running of individual shows is normally by a local club with its own officials and helpers. Judges, although members of local clubs, are checked and appointed only by FIFe.

Each cat starts its show life classed as a kitten, or as a cat between 6 and 10 months, or as a neutered or fertile cat older than ten months.

Respectively those classes are called:

In the Kitten and Junior classes, it is not necessary to gain certificates to eventually move up to the higher classes. That move is purely based on age. However, a cat can only move from the 9, 10 and higher classes, once it has gained the appropriate certificates to complete its achievements in each class. Also, if a cat starts its certificates- gaining career as a fertile cat and is then neutered (referring to both male and female), then it has to start over in Class 10 no matter if it has achieved the top award as a fertile cat. Note that all even numbered classes are for neuters and all odd numbered classes are for fertiles. The classes are not split by sex.

Thus, cats entered after they are 10 months old, all start in class 9 or 10 . To move into classes 7 or 8, a cat has to get three judges certificates for the breed type in that class and each certificate must have been given by a different judge. The FIFe judging rules specify certain standards and faults applicable to that cats breed and a minimum number of points have to be obtained to qualify for a certificate.

To move into higher classes there are increases in the number of certificates needed (and the judging points for each certificate) and also certificates have to be awarded in more than one country - first two and then three. Always there must be at least three different judges names on the certificates in each class.

When a cat is initially registered (by the breeder) it is usually as a kitten (there are age limits) and has to be as one of a recognized FIFe breed. It is given a registration number and a breed number which appear in its own pedigree book together with its ancestors for three generations back. There are obviously a lot of rules to safeguard against potentially unhealthy breeding and dilution of the breed itself. Under special circumstances cats can be entered in the new breed section while the breed is undergoing the acceptance procedure. All the recognized breeds are split over four convenient groups (categories) for cat show and judging purposes and these are:-

The category names that FIFe uses are slightly different, but I have used more convenient names for explanation. This grouping is only for convenience in organization and stems from the early days of cat shows. The category is not part of the actual judging decision for each cat, except insofar as the judges themselves qualify to judge and specialize in one or more categories.

So, as far as your cat itself is concerned, it is classified as a particular Breed, and as one of the normal color varieties. Then for entry to the correct level of achievement it will have some certificates that entitle you to enter it for its individual worth in a particular Class. Finally, your cats entry for judging convenience will be catalogued in a particular Category to be judged by certain qualified judges. In FIFe the breeds in each category are:

Within each breed there are recognized Color Varieties, and in some of the breeds those are organized into Color Groups. For example, this can range from only one color variety for the Chartreux to over 700 for the Rex with its seven groups! Not to be left out, the Maine Coon has nine groups - I lost count! It sometimes seems that every odd kitten born in a litter has a breeder pushing for a new breed type to be awarded! There is also a House Cat category.

The Judging

Judges work with the assistance of one or more stewards, who may themselves want to be trained as judges, and each judge has an 'examining' table with a number of judges cages around it. A list is posted by each judge giving the cats in the order of judging, and that will be, as far as possible, in Breed order for that day. Depending on the individual clubs, the cats may be taken from their own cages to the judges cages by the stewards, or by their owners. In any case, the stewards will keep track of which cats have and haven't come at the right time, and will make announcements accordingly. FIFe rules state that the show organizers must do their best to make sure that each owner has adequate warning. Here is perhaps the biggest difference from the American shows, in that, for the judging of each cat as an individual in order to qualify at that show for a Breed certificate, only one judge sees a cat once. There is a limit of 40 cats per day for each judge. However, for the overall positions against other cats for that show, further judging takes place, and I will describe that later.

The cat shows themselves are of three main types. The most common in Europe is the two day show. As cat breeds are divided into those four general categories, a two day show has two categories shown and judged on each day (hence my wife and I have a cat in Category 1 and a cat in Category 3. so we can show both on the same day) and so there are two judgings for BIS (Best In Show) for two categories each day and then an additional one on the second day where the BIS cats from each day compete against each other for the overall BOB (Best of Best). Often, the four FIFe categories can seem a bit strange at first to newcomers and the general public who come to the shows; for example, Category 1 is officially Exotic and Persian, but is often catalogued and signposted as Longhaired. As the look of an Exotics coat is short and a Persians is very definitely long, the question frequently arises as to why they are both judged together. Similarly, Cornish Rex cats have much of the look of a Siamese in appearance, but are not in the separate Category 4, Oriental Cats.

The next most common type of show is for the smaller clubs where it is held on only one day with all four categories on that day. The last of the main types is the two day show where all categories are judged on both days. This gives the opportunity to get two separate certificates at only one location. There is another type of show called a 'Border Show' which is effectively a two day, two certificate show, held in towns on opposite sides of a border so exhibitors can get their two certificates in different countries on the same weekend!

FIFe rules specify in general terms the type of show cage to be provided, with definite minimum standards for type and size. Most countries allow some form of cage decoration by the owners and this usually takes the form of drapes back and sides with a nice mat for the cats comfort. Some owners like to provide a top cover as well and a photo album to show off their pride and joy through the years. Pride of place on top of the cage often goes to past trophies! Cages are frequently laid out in long rows back to back which makes for overcrowding and difficult access for the public, but nowadays some clubs always try to arrange cages in a square so owners can be inside, and there is comfortable space to walk around outside the cages.

The actual running of the shows conforms to a fairly standard procedure in most countries, so it is normally quite easy to participate in different countries even if an owner does not know the language. In fact, FIFe has three official languages, and all officials and judges must be able to use one of those even if it is not their native language. Judges reports must be written in one of the official languages, which are for each show, French, German and English plus the official language or languages of the country where the show is held.

The Show

When you first decide to enter your cat for a specific show, then you must send in a standard application form giving all your and the cats details - name, address, breed number, pedigree number, judging group and so on. You cannot enter for any FIFe show unless you are a member of an officially recognized cat club in your own country of residence. A week or so before the show you will receive confirmation of your entry and the times the show is open for arrival, the public opening times, judging times and so on. You are not allowed to take your cat out of the show (its cage) until the official closing time, assuming all judging is finished by that time. There will also first be a time set aside for the cats veterinary inspection and if you don't get there by that time, then your cat is automatically disqualified as no cat is allowed onto the show premises unless it has been checked by the official vet. Various vaccination certificates have to be shown to the vet and they vary according to the country. It is very important for an owner to check through their cat club (and official vet if necessary) on the changing regulations in force at the time. For example, recently there have been cases of some countries government vets arbitrarily deciding that certain breeds are 'undesirable' and the inspecting vets thus being obliged to impound a cat to stop it being shown, and even to have a fertile cat forcibly neutered before being allowed to travel home to enforce that countries own rules! Another job for the FIFe lobbyists!

After the vet check, then you will get a catalogue and a paper stating which is your cats cage. Each show tries to organize the cages in groups according to breed, but normally you can ask in advance to have two cats in a double cage or in a convenient location for wheelchair access and so on. After finding the right cage number, then comes the pleasant job of installing the cat, meeting the neighbors and friends, finding water and cat litter supplies and all the little jobs to be done before exploring the venue. The most important first job is to check the catalogue to see which judge your cat has been allocated to, to give time to have the judge changed if necessary to fulfill the 'three different judges' rule.

As most venues are laid out differently, a journey of exploration to find the most important areas is vital as early as possible:- toilets, cafe, judges areas, your cats place on that judges list, the dealers stands and any special offers etc.

Now the fun starts! I will talk about my Cornish Rex Athos to describe what happened at his last show. I first checked the show catalogue to make sure that Athos was correctly described and that the allocated judge was OK for him to meet the 'different judges' rule. If not, then now was the time to track down the secretary and change the judge! Having settled that, then I found the right judges table and checked where on the list Athos' Breed appeared. That gave a rough idea of when Athos should be in the judges cage, which will have his catalogue number displayed on it nearer the time. He was some way down the list, but most cats above him were in Breeds with small numbers at that show, so I had to check back after about an hour to see how the list was going. This was a 'take self' show, so a couple of cats before him, I carried him to show the steward that he was present, and she wrote his number on a cages label, and I deposited him inside to wait his turn.

When Lone, his judge that day, was ready for Athos, then I placed Athos on the (cleaned) table in front of Lone and she found the part completed blank report ready to look at him. As the FIFe rules award points out of a 100 for different aspects of a cat, she worked him over in a particular sequence, writing down her comments in the right place on the judges report. Of course the owners and judges talk to each other, and most judges present the cat to the other owners and public standing around that particular table, talking about the good and bad points of each cat. Lone described Athos as a 'teenager' by which she meant that he eats too much, but is Junior enough to grow out of it!

When Lone finished with the report, then it was signed and put to one side ready to go to the secretary for listing in the official show results, and eventually to be collected by me with the right official stamps. Now came the exciting part! Later in the show Lone would have to nominate cats in each category that she judged, but only if she considered that such cats would stand up to comparison against cats nominated by other judges. So, she considered that Athos was both good in himself as a Cornish Rex, and might realistically compete against other male, sterile, Category 3 cats at the final judging. However, she had yet to see all of her list, so said that she would want him back later.

Back to his cage to compare notes, relax, chat, shop and eat!

Then it was early afternoon and Lone wanted Athos back together with her other provisional choices to make comparisons. Remember that he would not be judged against the rest of his Breed, but only in the right section of his Category. So, she had to compare various groups of the cats she had judged potentially good, and then nominate one of each to go to final judging. She still liked Athos, so he was her final nomination to compete for Best In Show of Sterile, Male, Short-haired. By the way, although there are very many color varieties in the Rex breed standard, at most shows here there are never the required minimum of three in one variety, so she did not have first to select a Best In Variety (BIV) before judging for her Nomination (NOM). If in any class there are more than three of a particular variety, then the BIV has to awarded first and only those BIV cats can then be judged for NOM.

Other judges were doing the same thing from their lists, and so the running results lists gradually accumulated the certificates awarded and the nominations. Not all shows have all the possible groupings, but, provided there is a minimum entry for each grouping, there will be for each of the four Categories:-

Adult fertile male

Adult fertile female

Adult sterile male

Adult sterile female

Junior cat

Kitten

There are House Cats and other classes such as Veteran, Pensioner, Litters and so on with extra classes to please all the owners, the organizers and the public at each show. Often there is a public vote for, say, the prettiest cat.

Around 4 o'clock, after the judges short break, everyone gathered in front of the stage where all of the judges were arrayed behind their own table. Stewards were of course on hand to make sure that the cages nearby had the right occupants at each stage of the process, with the first group all ready. The judges had a list of all the nominated cats, and also a list of which judges (by their qualifications) were to judge each group. So, the judging started with anxious owners all a quiver. For all of the categories listed above, the stewards carried a cat onto the stage and placed it one at a time (!) on each judges table in turn. The judges on the call of the shows secretary, then held up a card with their favorite cats number on it for that grouping so one cat could be chosen. After the Best In Show for each separate male and female grouping was voted, then the male and female were set up against each other and the BIS and the Best Opposite Sex (BOX) chosen. Each as good as each other.

Thus Athos was eventually picked as the Best of the castrated male, shorthair group. A Best sterilized female, shorthair, was then chosen and she and Athos judged between them for the Best In Show of that group. The female got it, a Burmilla so she is BIS and Athos is BOX. The award is effectively equal, unless one or both cats owners wanted to go back on the Sunday for a second judging for Best of Best for the whole show. Neither did. Athos's award, apart from the title was 2 kg of cat food; a cup almost as big as him with his title engraved; a ribbon also with his title. So you can see that the final judging is a lengthy process, with plenty of time for photos and oohs and aaahs!

So, to clarify matters a little more, here are most of the various titles and their abbreviations. I won't give all 20 FIFe classes, as the ones numbered from 20 to 11 are not in the mainstream of individual certificate awards.

I will give the paired classes, where the first shown is for fertile and the second for non-fertile. There is no distinction between male and female. I will give the English version for each certificates name. The certificates are for each breeds standard, with the minimum number of points increasing for each class:

The Top Awards:

European Champion (EC)   Class 1 - The Tops!

European Premier (EP)   Class 2 - The Tops!

FIFe American Champion (FAC)   Class 1 - Specially for American shows

FIFe American Premier (FAP)   Class 2 - Specially for American shows

Overall for each Show:

BIS and BOX (Best In Show and Best Opposite Sex)

Each individual group of NOM (Nominated) cats is judged for BIS and BOX. In some cases (see earlier explanation), the NOM cats have first to be selected for BIV (Best In Variety). None of the BIS/BOX cats are 'better' than any other, but if so decided, each show can put ALL the BIS/BOX cats up for the end of show judging for Best Of Best. However, be warned, it is only the owners who want to stay available whose cats are judged for that.

WW (World Winner)

These are the BIS cats at the yearly World Show where only cats who have achieved certain minimum qualifications in the previous year can compete for that title. There are WW awards for each BIS.

SW (Scandinavian Winner)

This is similar to the World Show, but only for Norway and Sweden. It began due to the constraints of quarantine in Sweden and Norway. The best Norwegian and Swedish cats were unable to travel to WW shows. Therefore, the SW show was created. There are SW awards for each BIS.

Additionally, as in most countries, as each cat moves on to its next Class, our national Cat Club magazine publishes its new title with a photograph and a list of awards. Cumulative points each year can qualify a cat for special awards both for individual clubs and nationally and internationally.