Medjaicatz

Cat Behaviour at Shows

Don't be afraid to enter your cat into a show. Many amateurs walk away with prizes since there are so many categories of awards. Besides, most people (and cats) enjoy the atmosphere of the show as a reward in itself.  Most cats learn to enjoy showing once they get used to all the steps of the process of getting ready and going to the show. Many show cats even get used to being bathed in preparation for shows. Some cats however, never do learn to tolerate going to shows and being shown. Fear is the most common problem behavior, and aggression is often fear-induced. We all hope it will never happen. But being realistic we know that occasionally it does, and a few thoughts about why it occurs, and what we can do perhaps to prevent it, might be useful. There are several reasons why cats ‘go off' at shows.

1. Fear: Cats are extremely sensitive creatures – far more than some may realise. We tend to forget how incredibly stressful showing can be for cats. Think about what happens on show day from the cat’s point of view. It is ripped out of a warm bed, not given any breakfast (a) in case it is sick in the car, or (b) it might look too plump in the tummy; shoved into a basket, driven in a noisy vehicle to a hall where there are HEAPS of loud people, and (even worse) other strange cats, all yelling at the tops of their voices. Vetting can be an ordeal, after which it is put into a small cage for eight or nine hours, and there is no way to escape from it, or the faces that keep peering into it. How would you feel? For a young cat at its first show this certainly can be a terrifying ordeal. Stress can lower a cat’s resistance to any infections that may be circulating at the show. No wonder they sometimes get sick afterwards!

2. Touch: A cat’s sensation is so subtle it can feel if you touch one or two hairs, or a whisker. At a show strangers take it out of its cage, hold it up in front of a sea of faces, and turn it this way and that. Some of these may or may not be gentle and adept at handling cats. Some judges and stewards may be tentative, nervous, or actually scared of handling cats, especially entire males. Cats can undoubtedly detect these vibes. In the past I have seen judges (thankfully only a few) who were actually rough, and handled cats quite forcefully. If it is unlucky enough to encounter one of these, its future show career could be ruined, as a cat will seldom forget a bad experience.

3. Sound and sight: A cat’s senses are extremely acute – it can hear a mouse squeak or move, or see and catch a fly on the wing. Just image how confronting the din at a show can be to a cat! Other cats are crying out, often in distress, or perhaps in season. Any sudden loud noise, or unfamiliar sight, like people clapping, the flash of a camera, or a child running in the hall, can trigger the primal flight or fight instinct. The cat’s initial reflex is to flee. When it is restrained, the next reaction is to claw its way to freedom, or bite whatever is stopping it from escaping. Fear can transform a flaccid feline into fiend.

4. Smell: Some cats, which are used to going to shows and are able to cope with the fear and noise factors, will react to smells. Notice the first thing a cat does when placed on the judging table: it puts it nose down to sniff any smell of the previous cat. An entire male can explode into a fighting bundle of teeth and claws when it catches the scent of another male! This is a natural reaction, particularly if there is a calling female in the hall. Of course, a lot depends on temperament, and fortunately most males don’t react this way. But the odd one will, and the damage it can cause to the unwary person handling it at the time can be severe. Cat bites usually become infected because the long canine (feline?) teeth drive bacteria right down to the bottom of the puncture wound. Antibiotics are often required to avoid an abscess. It goes without saying that judges should keep their tetanus injections up to date.

The judging table is carefully sprayed, and judges' hands with disinfectant – ostensibly to kill any germs that may be passed from cat to cat. This does little except give everyone a nice feeling that the area is then decontaminated. Wrong! Disinfectant can’t kill a virus, and does little to obliterate the smell of each cat. One of the really strong sanitizers with a chlorine base may be more effective, but the cats LOATHE it – they know it’s toxic, and react accordingly! It is also very irritating to the skin of their sensitive paw pads – not to mention the hands of the stewards and judges. You can use a hospital grade disinfectant based on a quarternary compound. It has a pleasant smell and has no detrimental effects on the cats, or my hands. I also add a few deodorising drops to the spray bottle.

5. Warning signs: Most judges and stewards are perceptive enough to know that cats will give some indication that they are about to ‘go off’. They give us warning signals – IF we are observant enough to recognise them. That is, 99% of them do – it's the other 1% that you really need to worry about! Some will rumble quietly, or growl audibly, hiss or spit to show their displeasure. Others may not even give this type of warning, but astute observation of their body language, ie, trembling, eyes narrowed, ears laid back, tail swishing, or hackles rising, makes their feelings perfectly clear. Sometimes there is a tension in the muscles that can be felt only while touching the cat, which warns a sensitive handler that the cat is about to go ballistic. Often a cat may only be bluffing with its warnings. Experience or intuition can tell you whether or not it really means business, and sometimes you only have a few seconds to decide.

If a cat starts ‘huffing’ then watch out! This is the aggressive behaviour male cats use towards each other just before they attack. Never take a cat out of the cage if it is like this, and if already out, it is advisable to return it quietly to its cage immediately. Don’t wait to see if it will calm down – it won’t! Once the adrenaline kicks in there is no stopping it. When the cat starts to ‘see red’ and goes into ‘attack mode’ it cannot distinguish between ‘the enemy’ or someone it knows. Even its owner will be attacked at this stage. (This applies not only to cats, but any entire male animal can react this way under certain stimuli. We must never blame the animal – there is always a logical reason why it misbehaves.) Of course the cat will be very apologetic after it calms down (which may take some time) – but by then the damage has already been done.

Most cats are solitary, territorial creatures who hate unfamiliar cats and are wary of strangers. Neuters who do not live with another cat at home can be difficult to acclimatise to the show environment. If a cat is really nervous or timid it is kinder not to show it at all. Remember, it is your pet first and foremost – showing is secondary. Then there is the cat which has been shown ad nauseum. It expresses its frustration in the only way it knows, by using its claws and teeth, trying to tell us that it has had enough of the whole show scene, and its owner’s relentless, egoistic pursuit of ribbons and awards. It will be much happier left at home. A cat which threatens the judge or steward cannot be judged, will be marked UTH or ‘Unable to Handle’, and is virtually disqualified, so what’s the point of showing it?

6. Training:  Most cats do not enjoy being shown. A few exceptional cats are actually show-offs, either because they have a very passive temperament, or they have had excellent handling and training, but these are rare. Cats learn to trust humans only if handled regularly and correctly from birth, especially if they have been reared in a home situation where noise and children are present, rather than in an isolated cattery. If trained at an early age, if they do not have a bad experience, and their temperament is relatively placid, then they will usually accept showing calmly. Fortunately most cats respond to a quiet voice, soft touch, stroking, and gentle but confident handling, but we must never take this for granted.

At their first show it is advisable not to have young kittens judged individually – only in the litter class – as this will avoid excessive handling. Kittens can be trained at home by putting them into a show cage for short periods. Invite friends and visitors to take a kitten out, make a fuss of it, and gently put it back. Offer food rewards and toys. In this way it learns that the cage is not a thing to fear.

7. Prevention:  Spray not only the bench top, but give the front and arms of the steward’s uniform (and judge) a light spray regularly. This is because the stewards don’t carry the cats at arm’s length – most hold a cat under their arm or cuddle it against their chest. It is advisable to use a deodoriser in the disinfectant spray, especially when judging a class of entire males. This confuses their olfactories just long enough for the cat to be judged and returned to its cage without incident.

We can’t prevent cats from ‘going off’ at shows, but by using common sense, some understanding of feline behaviour and the above measures, we can at least try to make showing as stress-free as possible (for them and us) and hopefully avoid the incidence of ‘exploding cats’.