Although in Spain there are two feline clubs (ASFE, club which is a FIFe member, and CFM, which is a WCF member), I will stick to Fife ruled shows even if these are , more or less, similar to those organized by WCF. Moreover, I will refer here to cats exhibited in classes between 1 and 12.

    The first step is to get information about the date and location of feline shows in Spain. For this purpose, we can visit ASFE official website (www.asfe.net), where we can look at the "Exposiciones" section, where and when all "felinophilers" have arranged to meet.

    The second step is to decide which show we want to enter our cat, which can also depend on how much travelling we want to do.

    The website that contains the information about each show (location and date, guest judges, hotels, etc) displays a button which when pressed will permit you to print an entering form to the club's office once it is filled. Nevertheless, in case you are interested in having a look, here we enclose a blank form.

    It is important to have the following details in mind:

-Location and date where the show will take place

-Cat's full name.

-EMS code: breed and colour code (check pedigree)

-Breed and Colour of the cat

-L.O. register number (Pedigree)

-Date of Birth

-Sex: male or female (or neuter, in case of being sterilized)

-Breeder: Breeder's name and country

-Name of cat's parents with their corresponding EMS codes and L.O. register numbers (check Pedigree)

-Exhibitor's name: name of the present owner

-Exhibitor's complete address, telephone number and e-mail

On the right part of the form there is a column with a series of clasess. Mark with an X the box in which your cat will compete. As this could seem a little complicated at first, we offer below a short explanation for these classes:

    Class 12 : Kittens (3-6 months of age). If the cat is already 6 months old, it will compete in class 11.

    Class 11 : Juniors (6-10 months or youngters): all cats, aged 6 months during the show, but not yet 10 months old.

   *Observation: Classes 12 and 11 don't distinguish between non-neutered and neutered cats.

    Class 9 : Open (class 10, "Neuter", the same as class 9, with the difference that it is only for neutered cats). Only cats aged 10 months during the show compete in this class. In order to be promoted to the next class, the cat should be awarded 3 CAC provided by three different judges. The three awards can be obtained in the same country.

    Class 7 : Champion (class 8, "Premier", is the same for neutered cats). Only cats aged 10 months and older and who have been awarded 3 CAC compete in this class . To have our cat promoted, he should be awarded three CACIB, provided by 3 different judges in 2 different countries.

    Class 5 : International Champion (class 6 is the same for neuters). All adult cats who has been awarded 3 CACIB compete in this class. To have our cat promoted, he should be awarded 6 CAGCIB from 3 different judges in 3 different countries.

    Class 3 : Grand International Champion (corresponds to class 4 for neuters). Our cat will be "Grand International Champion" as soon as he gets 6 CAGCIB. For promotion, our cat should be awarded 9 CACE from 3 different judges in 3 different countries.

    Class 1 : European Champion (class 2 for neuters). Our cat will become "European Champion" when he has been awarded 9 CACE.

    Then, depending on the age of our cat, if it is the first time that we exhibit him on a show, we will choose class 12 (3-5 months), 11 (6-9 months), 10 (neuter aged 10 months or older) or 9 (non-neuter aged 10 months or older).

    Once we have done this, we should make a deposit at the ASFE bank account and send an entering form together with the written proof of the deposit to the secretary's office.

    Once bureaucracy is solved, we can start preparing the show cage.

    ASFE show cages are sized 60 x 60 x 60 cm (in other European shows, cages are a little bigger, 70 x 70 x 70 cm). To prevent our kitten from stress and cold weather, we should place curtains in the vertical parts of the cage (on both sides and on the back side). It would be a good idea to put a cushion, a small mattress or duvet on the floor which protects our kitten from the cold and allows him to feel comfortable. It is needless to say that a naked cage, in addition to stressing the kitten, fades not only the owner of the animal, but the appearance of the own show.

   Inside the cage we should place a little litter box with absorbent litter, a feeder and a waterer. We recommend the use of hanging feeders and waterers since that's the way to solve the problem of the reduced dimensions of the cage.

    Of course, it's never wrong that our kitten counts with some cozy toys inside the cage, much better if they are already known for him.

    We also cover the front of the cage with a thin mosquito net to avoid that visitors touch our cats (which apart from stressing our cat could be a transmision focal point of bacteria and virus).

    In order to get used to the idea (obviously, it is only a sample), we enclose here a photograph of our cage in some shows that we have attended. See the Cage Picture

    We already have the papers and the cage. The next thing is to prepare the cat.

    British Shorthair cat is a very easy animal to prepare taking into account that is a shorthaired cat.

    In general, having a good bath 3 or 4 days before the show is enough for his hair to look bright and loose. This is the case of an indoor cat. If the cat has access to the outdoors, he will be dirtier and we should insist that he have baths much more often.

    Before putting shoulders to the wheel, it is essential that we cut out the claws of our pet to prevent us from receiving possible scratches. We need to have everything ready and at hand (shampoo, towels, hairdryer, combs …). It is highly important that the water is warm and at the appropiate temperature before inserting the cat inside the bathtub or wherever he is going to have a bath.

    It is usually recommended a previous soaping with an adequate degreasing product to remove the most difficult dirt, a second soaping with an adquate shampoo, and finally, a colour bath (in this case, the shampoo will depend on the colour of the coat) in order to tinge and enhance the own beauty of our pet. Between soapings it is essential to talk and calm our cat so that he doesn't get too nervous.

    When the bath is over, it's important that we eliminate all the remaining water with towels, and then, use the hairdryer against the grain to remove as much water as we can. The British is a cat with a great undercoat and because of this, it will take us a lot either to wet all his hair to the root or to dry it. But blow drying the coat is essential for two reasons: first, to avoid fungus and colds, and second, because if the coat dries without the use of a hairdryer, it looks much more crushed, which will fade the presentation of the cat.

    The comb, always a metallic-toothed one, can be used at the same time as the hairdryer, above all in areas where water is more persistent. When the coat is already dry, we can brush it against the grain with a slicker brush of highly flexible teeth to fluff up the coat.

    Once the coat is clean, we will pay attention to his eyes and ears. If we usually clean them regularly, we won't probably have to do anything else. It is a question of removing the sleeps in their eyes and the cerumen from his external ears. In both cases, we will use gauze and physiological serum or any other specific product.

    A detail: the British should have the tip of the ears rounded according to the breed standard. Normally, these cats have a little brush which sharpens the tip of the ears. We can take off with our fingers, or with the help of a depilating tweezers, outlining his ears with the rounded shape, which judges ask for. If this turns out to be too difficult, we can cut it out with a little blunt shaped scissors.

    Done this, our beloved teddy bear is already handsome (or pretty!!) to be exhibited at the show.

    Although it could seem that things would be more different with the Maine Coon (due to his longest hair), this is not true. In fact, the Maine Coon coat is very different from the British coat: the hair is semi-long (not long), much finer, and the coat has only one layer. Although it is necessary to comb it a little because of the single layer, the thickness of the coat is reduced more to half. For this reason, as soon as knots form, and when they appear, it becomes easy to locate them as they occur in specific zones, which makes it easy for us to deal with them more often.

    At the time of showing our Maine Coon, he will need a good bath. Normally, we bathe cats two or three days before the show, because the coat of Maine Coon cats tends to be greasy in some parts, and if we bath him in too much advance, those parts (neck, armpits…) will be a little dirty at the time of the show.

    Of course, as we said in the information about the British Shorthair, before beginning the bath, we must cut the cat's nails and have everything at hand (champoo, conditioners, towels, combs, dryer…).

    It's recommendable to give the first bath with a good "anti-grease" (depending on the dirt of the coat, sometimes two hands instead of one are made necessary), insisting on the greasiest zones, like the neck, behind the ears, armpits and belly. In males, it is even made necessary to begin the bath applying anti-grease shampoo on the tail, leaving it to act some minutes to eliminate the tail of stallion (persistent grease that is accumulated in the superior part of the tail in entire cats, but not in neutered males).

    After this first bath, it is recommendable to give a good neutral bath, and after that, a colour bath to heighten the natural coat colour of the cat.

    Finally, and mainly, if our Maine Coon's hair has tendency to dryness, it is good to finish the bath with a good conditioner to nourish the coat, and then rinse it with diluted white water vinegar to give brightness to him.

    When the bath is over, we needto dry well our cat with towels that we will have at hand, pressing them smoothly on his body (never rubbing, you remember that the Maine Coon's hair is very fine and, being dunked, it can be entangled with facility). Immediately after that, we should begin the hair drying session together with a good comb, using it in the coat direction (never on the contrary) because we want to favour its natural fall. If we dry the Maine Coon's coat against the natural direction of the hair, its texture will be vaporous and will remind that of the Persian, which needs to be avoided at all costs to because the cat will be penalized in the shows.

    The comb used needs to have metallic prongs. Only in zones such as the neck or the tail can we use the carding to open a little the coat, although this is better to do it in the show, before the juice.

    The ears and the eyes need to be clean. If these zones of the body are dirty in a cat, they can reflect disease, reason why we even run the risk of not having our cat admitted by the veterinarian control of the show.

EMS Codes:

BRI British Shorthair