The Pet Owners Corner

August 27, 2026

Dear Cattalker: I wonder if you ever considered televising cat shows like they do dog shows? It seems that could develop a lot of interest in both cats and showing. 2 Anonymous People

Dear A P: That is a great question from both of you. If you have visited a cat show and compared it to a dog show, I am sure you found a large number of differences. While dog shows build to a climax of Best in Show by picking the best in various groups such as herding, hounds, toy, etc., cats are not grouped in the same way. Most of our shows do not have a Best in Show because there are several judges (usually 6 or 8) who pick their “Best” winner from each of the four groups that compete independently: Kittens (4 to 8 months), Championship (intact breeding cats 8 months and older), Premiership (spays and neuters 8 months and older) and Household Pets/Companion Cats (all non-pedigreed cats 4 months and older). It is normal for those “best” awards to vary from ring to ring. In some very large shows (such as the CFA International Show), an overall Best in Show is selected. CFA has live-streamed parts of cat shows and the Best in Show presentation from the International Show in the past, but the interest has mainly been other cat fanciers. But it just does not hold the same level of interest for the public to see 25 Maine Coon Cats judged or 20 some Persians and so forth in 6 or 8 different rings.

If you or anyone out there has some suggestions for making our shows more TV- friendly, please offer them. Publicity for our shows and attracting new breeders is certainly high on our list of priorities.

Pet Owners Corner is designed to answer common questions that pet owners may have. Answers will be simple and straight forward. No questions are too silly to ask; if you have that question, others probably do as well. No medical advice will be given because diagnosing and treating is not possible without a proper veterinary examination.

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