This an image from times gone by. It is a photo of Mrs H. Cattermole, a cat show judge, judging Sealeigh Grey Knight. The cat looks like a moggie. She wears a white coat as if she is behind the counter at the local butchers. She has a fag in her mouth. The ash probably split over the cats. She’s grabbed the poor cat’s tail and with the other hand has quite forcefully retrained him. He accepts it with good grace. He is used to it and is unfazed. He wants to go home though.
The hat is interesting. In those days they wore hats far more often but to continue wearing it while judging cats appears strange by today’s lifestyle.
It was taken at Olympia in London. It has been demolished. It was in Earls Court, west London.
Show cats learn to accept the manhandling, the noise and commotion of a cat show. But it must be stressful. Their owners keep the cats in large, fancy cages with curtains to block it all out. Sometimes the cats sleep in their litter tray inside the cage for comfort. They want their smells to surround them. Some cats find the whole thing too much and run away or hiss. They are not going to win an award as they are not cut out to be show cats. It isn’t just about an outstanding appearance. These cats have to accept all this strange human activity.
Cat show judges apply the breed standard when gauging the quality of a cat. It seems to me that they can assist in creating a change in the appearance of a cat breed. If an individual cat of a cat breed has pronounced features such as unusually large ears and the judge deems the cat to be a winner, she can start a trend for large ears in that breed.
The breed standard is quite ‘elastic’ in the way that it can be interpreted. This allows for a gradual change in the appearance of a cat breed over decades as has happened with the Persian, Siamese and now the Maine Coon which is also going the way of extreme breeding with pronounced features and overall size.
The public are allowed at cat shows. The cat fanciers are a breed unto themselves. They are a particular sort of person. If you do visit a cat show it is as if you are an uninvited guest to a house party or a private club. Cats show are by the cat fancy for cat fanciers and pain the arse bystanders are tolerated.
SOME MORE ON CAT SHOWS:
