American Shorthair Show Cat
This is a cute male, American Shorthair show cat. He is a silver tabby with a bulls-eye on his side. The silver tabby pattern seems to be the most common and attractive for the American Shorthair. I see it a lot.
The show is at the Saint Paul Winter Carnival, in the USA. Behind the cat and the show judge is a sign that says the show is run by the world’s largest registry of pedigreed cats. That is probably the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA). Although TICA (The International Cat Association) say tha they are “The world’s largest genetic registry of pedigreed cats”. I am not sure what that means.
Show cats are very well behaved domestic cats. The ones that I have seen at cat shows take all the handling and fuss in their stride. They can get a bit stressed though. There are a lot of cats at cat shows. A lot of people. And a lot of noise! These conditions are not conducive to a calm cat.
Sometimes cats escape their cages and the attention of the judge or handler. They might run around the show hall with panicked people giving chase!
Sometimes there is a pole next to the show judges table with a tease on it. I think judges like to see how a cat reacts to stimulation or to check their level of athleticism. A Bengal cat climbed the pole and pearched on top at a cat show in Oklahoma, the windy state (it’s flat) . He had had enough fussing around and wanted a bit of exercise and fun. They got him down with a round of applause….
