Purrfect Paws Catwalk

WELCOME TO THE CFA SHOW WORLD

A CFA cat show is composed of a number of separate, concurrently running, individual shows held in the various judging rings throughout a show hall. Each ring is presided over by a different judge, who presents his or her own awards independent of the decisions of other judges.

Every cat entered in the show is evaluated by each judge. E.g., if there will be 8 rings per weekend, your cat will be evaluated by 8 different judges. After a judge has examined all the cats in the competition, it is time for the finals, where judge presents the Top 10 cats in show.

Breeds:

All breeds are divided into two groups:

• Longhair
• Shorthair

Show categories:

• Kittens (KIT) – for unaltered or altered, pedigreed kittens between the ages of 4 to 8 months
• Championship (CH) – for unaltered pedigreed cats over the age of 8 months
• Premiership (PR) – for altered pedigreed cats over the age of 8 months
• Veteran (VET) – for unaltered or altered, pedigreed cats over the age of 7 years. Veterans are only eligible for awards in the Veteran class
• Household pet (HHP) – for non-pedigreed cats over the age of 4 months. If they are over the age of 8 months, they must be neutered or spayed
• Miscellaneous – for those breeds just starting the process for recognition with CFA
• Provisional – the next step after Miscellaneous for breeds wanting recognition with CFA
• Novice – for CFA-unregistered cats, of either sex, altered or unaltered, 8 calendar months old or over on the opening day of the show whose color and breed is CFA registerable as the breed being shown, and who do not have a temporary registration number. Qualifying rings are awarded and upon the cat’s registration with CFA, these points will be posted to the cat’s record towards its Champion/Premior title. However, cats competing in the Novice class may not go on to compete as Champions/Premiors. Novice class cats are not eligible for National/Regional points and are not included in counts determining the number of cats present in any class.

Registration:

For a cat, who is not yet registered in CFA, to be competitive and earn and claim additional points beyond the qualifying rings, there is an option via a Temporary Registration Number (TRN). The TRN is viewed just as a permanent CFA Registration number, all CFA Show Rules apply, the only difference is that the TRN cat has a 60-day time period from the first day of the first show entered to compete and earn points. To keep all achieved points, you must begin the registration via pedigree process during these 60 days to continue showing with CFA. To apply for a TRN, a 4-generation pedigree is required.

There is also an option for a permanent registration via pedigree, which is done based on the registration rules for each breed and requirements vary based on the breed.

Show classes

Championship classes:

• Novice class – for unregistered cats in CFA, 8 calendar months old or over on the opening day of the show whose color and breed is CFA registerable
• Open class – for CFA registered cats with either a temporary or permanent registration number of a color accepted for Championship competition
• Champion class – for cats that have completed Championship in CFA, and for which the required Championship claim form and fee has been submitted
• Grand Champion class – for catswith either a temporary or permanent registration number that have completed Grand Championships in CFA.

Premiership classes – for altered cats:

• Novice class – for unregistered cats in CFA, 8 calendar months old or over on the opening day of the show whose color and breed is CFA registerable
• Open class – for CFA registered cats with either a temporary or permanent registration number of a color accepted for Premiership competition
• Premier class – for cats that have completed Premiership in CFA, and for which the required Premiership claim form and fee has been submitted
• Grand Premier class – for catswith either a temporary or permanent registration number that have completed Grand Premiership in CFA.

Non-Championship classes:

• Kitten class – for any kitten, male or female, altered or unaltered, not less than 4 months but under 8 months of calendar months old on the opening day of the show
• Household Pet (HHP) Class – for any domestic kitten (altered/unaltered) or altered cat entry. Cats in this class are eligible only for awards in the Household Pet Class
• AOV (Any Other Variety) class – for any registered cat or kitten, the ancestry of which entitles it to Championship or Premiership competition, but which does not conform to the accepted show standard (e.g., coat color). A cat with disqualifying trait(s) as listed in the breed standard is not eligible for competition in AOV class
• Exhibition only class – for any cat or kitten for which an entry form has been received, and for which a listing appears in the show catalogue, but which is not scheduled for handling in any ring
• Other classes:
  • Veteran class
  • Provisional breed class
  • Miscellaneous (Non-Competitive) class
  • Agility competition

Show titles:

• Champion (CH) – at least 6 Qualifying Rings required
• Premier (PR) – at least 6 Qualifying Rings required
• Grand Champion (GC) – 200 points are required (a cat shown in the Open/Champion Class will compete for Grand Championship points in any type of ring). A cat must have at least one win of Best/2^nd Best or 3^rd Best Champion or a final award of Best-Fifteenth Best Cat in either a CFA Specialty or Allbreed final
• Grand Premier (GP) – 75 points are required (a cat shown in the Premier Class will compete for Grand Premiership points in any type of ring). A cat must have at least one win of Best/2^nd Best Premier or a final award of Best-Fifteenth Best Cat in either a CFA Specialty or Allbreed final

Awards:

At the completion of the show season, a cat will be credited with the points from its highest number of individual rings as set in the show rules addendum. During the show season, cats are competing also for such prestigious titles as:

• National Winner (NW)
• Regional Winner (RW)
• Best of Breed/Division (BRW)

Show season:

• Starts with the first weekend in May
• Ends with the last full weekend in April

Ring types:

• AB (Allbreed) – all cats, regardless of coat length or type, compete for the awards.
• LH/SH (Specialty) – only those cats of similar coat length (or type) compete for awards
• SSP (Supreme Specialty) – a competition, where judge will award both specialty finals for longhairs and shorthairs, and an allbreed final made up of those eligible from the specialty finals to be in the allbreed final
• OCP (Open, Championship, Premiership) – an allbreed competition where a judge will award Best AB Champion through 10^th Best AB Champion