Sexist Cat Fanciers’ Association bars boy calico cat from winning at cat show

With tongue in cheek, I’m alleging that the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) is being sexist when it bars male calico cats from winning at cat shows. You may know that male calico cats are very rare. It is said that they are 1 in 3,000 and when they are fertile they are even rarer. This describes a beautiful Maine Coon whose name is Dawntreader Texas Calboy. He lives about 30 miles outside of Dallas. His owner and breeder is Mistelle Stevenson. She has 12 adult cats and three kittens in her home at the moment.

Sexist Cat Fanciers' Association bars boy calico cat from winning at cat show
Beautiful, rare Calboy (calico boy)

They say that Calboy should have been born a girl. They didn’t realize he was a boy until his second week of vaccinations at the veterinarian.

Calboy is a “Chimera“. They are born with two sets of DNA. The veterinarian in the video says that they are created when, in the womb, there are non-identical twins and the fertilized eggs merge.

Sexist Cat Fanciers' Association bars boy calico cat from winning at cat show
Diagram by Sarah Hartwell creator of Messybeast.com

Winning Cat

This beautiful cat meets the CFA breed standard and he is undoubtedly stupendous. The judges agreed. Then the judges said; well, if he was a girl he would have made the final and he could have been awarded best in show. The CFA consider a male calico cat to be the result of a ‘genetic defect’ which is detrimental to the breed.

As Stevenson so accurately states the CFA adjusted their rules to stop “all boys dressed in girls colors” to be shown at cat shows. They can never earn a championship and it applies to all breeds of domestic cat when there is a combination of male cat and calico colors. I presume too, by the way, that it applies to tortoiseshell cats.

Calboy can still compete at CFA cat shows in the household pet class or perhaps the agility categories.

Stevenson wistfully says that she wishes the CFA would just regard him as what he is, a beautiful boy cat with a beautiful coat. It is not his fault that he was born a boy.

Comment

Personally, I would disagree completely with the CFA (I would). Nature made him what he is. He is a rare cat. He is a beautiful cat. He complies with the breed standard. He’s special and I think it is incorrect to describe him as a ‘genetic defect’.

Sexist Cat Fanciers' Association bars boy calico cat from winning at cat show
Stevenson and Calboy. Photo: video screenshot

It is interesting that we have all evolved to where we are today through genetic defects. It is the mutation of genes, making false copies, which has resulted in the gradual evolution of humankind and all animals over hundreds of millions of years. This is nature. It is natural. Therefore Calboy represents a natural event and “genetic defects” are to be admired not denigrated. He should not be classified as a second-class cat citizen in the show cat world. The CFA have got it wrong.

And my final criticism is that the CFA are being sexist. Without justification they are barring a boy from winning at a cat show and stating quite clearly that if he was a girl he could win. If we were discussing humans this would unquestionably be a sexist remark and there would be uproar!

Source: nbcdfw.com

7 thoughts on “Sexist Cat Fanciers’ Association bars boy calico cat from winning at cat show”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. Sue them I say 🙂

    I totally agree with your comment. The word ‘defect’ is wrong and as you say the genetic and physical defects of the Shynx or the Manx (for example) are genuinely a problem whereas there are no health issues whatsoever with this cat.

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