I like this video because I don’t really like cat shows as they are very much about humans having fun in showing off the appearance of cats but are the cats having fun? Or are they stressed?
Do cats like being herded into noisy cat show halls with tons of people milling around gawping at them and being handled by complete strangers who discuss their appearance!? 😢. In my opinion no. Well, some cats accept it and some might even like it but my bet is that most of them at best tolerate it. This guy hated it.
And for me there is too much of a focus on appearance. Humans are obsessed with appearance which is not good. It leads to bad human behaviour such as black cats and old cats being left on the shelf at cat shelters. The pretty cats get adopted and the less attractive shelter cats can end up being euthanised (killed actually). I won’t go on as I become boring.
At cat shows, the breeders and handlers keep them in large cages with curtains around them to try and keep them calm before they are hauled off to the show ring for handling and discussion by the show judges.
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With that introductory rant it is no wonder that the occasional cat strikes back and says enough in enough. This black cat who appears to be random bred (moggie) hated being handled by a stranger. He/she was anxious. Perhaps even frightened.
The cat would have been disqualified from the competition I guess because their aggression would indicate that they did not have the necessary affable character to be a good show cat. Fair? I think not!
Here is the video. I think you’ll find that most of the comments on TikTok are supportive of the cat just like me.
This black cat was probably shown in the pet category. Cat shows do allow non-purebred cats to compete as it widens the number of participants and gives ‘ordinary’ pet owners a chance to show off their cats. Don’t bother! 🤢.
At one stage in the cat fancy, Bengal cats, were difficult at cat shows and there was a specific demand that they demonstrated a nice character or they’d be disqualified. It was during the early stages of the Bengal breed’s development and I think the cat fancy was anxious about the character of this wild cat hybrid as the wild cat element made the cat more aggressive than normal. Things have changed but the Bengal at F5 level still has some wild cat genes and can be a little more agressive than is typical of moggies, I think it is far to say.
These are my personal views and I respect the views of others even if they are the polar opposite.
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The video has been downloaded (as allowed by this user) from the ‘justmycatlife’ TikTok channel. Thank you.
LMAO! I think this pretty kitty has just retired from the show ring. 🙂 That is a cat that has probably not been socialized with strangers. As for the judge putting hands in the air the cat more likely thought it was going to be hit and went on the offensive. Poor baby.
Yes, I enjoyed the video. Typical me. Four legs better than two attitude by me. But I don’t like cat shows if I am honest to myself. Too much anthropocentrism to use a long word.