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- Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
- Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!csc.ti.com!tilde.csc.ti.com!tms390!david
- From: david@tms390.micro.ti.com (David Thomas)
- Subject: Re: Cat show
- Message-ID: <1993Jan3.211907.7539@tms390.micro.ti.com>
- Organization: Texas Instruments, Houston
- References: <1i60lnINNt0f@news.umbc.edu>
- Distribution: na
- Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1993 21:19:07 GMT
- Lines: 72
-
- cs431109@umbc8.umbc.edu (cs431109) writes:
-
- >I just went to a cat show today and wanted to make a few comments. First,
- >if you love cats and have never been to a cat show, GO! You will see some
- >of the most beautiful cats in the world. And some of the "show" breeds,
- >like the siamese, look much better in person than in picture.
-
- >One thing I don't understand is how the owners get the cats to be
- >so well behaved and friendly. The judges pick them up and turn them
- >around, and even blow on their fur -- yet the cats behave themselves.
- >One Somali I saw was even flexing its paws in delight as it was being
- >judged! How do breeders get their cats to tolerate strangers and being
- >around so many other cats?
-
- Most breeders get their kittens accustomed to being handled by people
- from birth. They start taking kittens to shows when they are four months
- old. At that age, most kittens aren't afraid of anything for more than a
- few minutes. Also, the pedigreed cats come from long lines of show cats,
- so to a certain extent, the breeders have been selecting for this temperament
- in the show hall.
-
- Some cats never learn to enjoy the show hall. You usually don't see them--
- they are sold as pets or just stay at home.
-
- >There is one drawback though -- the owners don't want you petting or
- >touching their cats since you could spread disease from cat to cat. It
- >was pretty tough being around all those gorgeous friendly cats and
- >not being able to pet them.
-
- You can, if you know how and when to ask. You might not want to simply
- walk up to an exhibitor and say, "can I hold your cat"? Rather, strike
- up a conversation first by asking the exhibitor some questions about their
- breed. These are cat people--they love to talk about their cats. Once
- you have established a dialogue, then you can ask if you could hold the
- cat. There are good times and not-so-good times to try this. Wait until
- later if a) the cat has just been carefully groomed and is about to go to
- a judging ring, b) the cat (or the exhibitor) is obviously not in a good
- mood, or c) the cat (or the exhibitor) is asleep. Be patient and observant.
-
- Many exhibitors will keep a spray bottle of Nolvasan (or equivalent) at
- their cage so that spectators can disinfect before handling the cat, just
- as the judges do between cats. Look for it. Always ask to spray your hands
- before handling the cat, even if the exhibitor does not require you to.
- It shows that you know and care, and helps you gain the exhibitors trust.
-
- Some cats are more suitable for handling than others. In particular,
- exhibitors of longhair breeds may be reluctant to let you handle their
- cats simply because they will need ten or fifteen minutes of grooming
- after being handled. Some breeds tend to be nervous, and the exhibitor
- has to control the amount of stress, otherwise the cat will rebel before
- the weekend is over. Finally, some of the biggest cats (some Maine Coons,
- for example) simply don't feel stable in a person's arms and would prefer
- standing on the grooming cart.
-
- >A few messages ago, someone asked about cats that were like the wild
- >cats. I forgot to mention to them the Ocicat, which looks like an
- >Ocilot. The Ocicat is a beautiful spotted cat that looks very wild.
-
- Neat cats. The Ocicat and the Bengal are both spotted breeds that have
- a "wild" look. Unlike the Bengal, the Ocicat does not have any wild
- ancestors.
-
- >I've also fallen in love with yet another breed -- the Somali. They
- >are a long haired Abyssinian, and look like wild foxes.
-
- Beautiful. The sorrel Somalis in particular look like red foxes.
-
- I'm glad to hear you had a good time. Cat shows also raise a lot of
- money to support local shelters, neuter/spay programs, and veterinary
- research to benefit cats.
- --
- David Thomas Texas Instruments (david@wotangate.sc.ti.com) (713)-274-2347
-