What’s In Your Show Kit?

September 25, 2025

Candilee Jackson          

Introduction

Necessary grooming items vary by both breed and coat type. Longhaired breeds generally require more items than shorthairs.

As a longtime actor, although retired from both acting and teaching, I still people-watch, assessing who they are, what they do, and their interest level in whatever they are doing. At a cat show, spectators come in all sizes, ages, and interest levels, from bored husbands who obviously enjoy dogs over cats, to teens dressed in cat makeup, cat ears, and sometimes a tail, to excited kids hoping to pet a kitty. Often, show guests are just interested in the cats, but all the accoutrements that each exhibitor drags to every show definitely sparks their interest, as well as the entire array of equipment required to showcase a single cat.

I often have a small carry-on for myself; a second, larger carry-on for my show kit; my Sturdi show shelter that’s stuffed to the gills; and, of course, a trolley of some sort to lug all that stuff from my SUV to the show hall. How some exhibitors FLY to cat shows and handle all that stuff is beyond me.

So, What’s In a Show Kit?

Every show kit is different, depending on whether the show cat is long-haired or short-haired, what the breed is, and how obsessive-compulsive one is while planning for escape or emergencies.

Disclaimer: This writing project is based on my own personal show kit aimed at a short-haired Tonkinese, and may wildly differ from what other exhibitors carry as a typical show kit.

Grooming Box:  brush, combs, anti-static spray, chamois, claw clippers, “Quick Stop” (for minor cuts), mini battery-operated razor, Q-tips, hand sanitizer, small scissors, and bay rum spray.

First Aid kit (inside grooming box): Band-Aids, triple antibiotic cream, Prid Salve,** gauze and wound cleaner, safety pins, nail file, spot remover, Tylenol, anti-diarrheal (one for humans and Albon for cats)

**Prid Salve, known in the MWR as “black salve,” has properties that pulls infection from animal bites; available at Walgreens and other drugstores.

Other common items to have handy include cattery business cards, pens, highlighters, paperclips, binder clips, paper towels, phone charger/cables, a good book or a puzzle book, CFA Show Rules, and an extra pair of reading glasses. Nonperishable healthy snacks are always handy as well.

Sturdi-Show Shelter Bag: Double show shelter, shelter zipper locks, hammock, cage decorations, food and water bowls, litter (if a special litter is needed), litter box, litter liners, litter scoop, trash bags, Handi Wipes, bathmat for shelter floor, cage cover, skirts for under shelter and grooming space, grooming setup, cat toys.

 

For more information, visit https://newexhibitor.cfa.org/show-bag/ on the CFA website .

 

 

Candilee Jackson

Candilee Jackson, BA, MPH (Oncology Counseling), is a retired musical theatre educator with 45 years of experience. She has bred Tonkinese under the cattery name Pawdancer since 2000. Winning four Muse Awards, her writing strength lies in human-interest stories and informational narratives. Writing in a “dialogue” style, CJ draws her audience in as if she were speaking directly to them.