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Heidi

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Owned by two housecats and a bengal

Thank you for your help so far. I will have a look to see what is coming up over the next few months. As for age - Sheba is almost 18 months & Benny is 13 months old.

I'll see how it goes - will prob be good fun.

Yvette

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In my opinion Sheba and Benny are getting quite old for theit first show, so don't be too disappointed if things don't go as you hope. I've seen some young adult bengals come to their first show, and it's just horrible to look at because they're so insecure, scared and aggressive. I think that it's particularly important for bengals to start showing as young kittens to get them used to the situation. But there are always exceptions, so it won't hurt to try, especially if you prepare the cats as well as possible by handling them like the judges do. As I said, it's always possible to list the cats as absent on the spot if they can't handle the show situation. And who knows, maybe they'll be natural show cats!

Do you have any exhibition only shows in Britain where there's no judges or competition? Those are excellet for finding out how a cat reacts to a show environment. I took one of my adult housecats to an exhibition only show to see if she could be shown, and I'm glad I did because the answer in her case was no. She was okay hanging out in the cage, but when I tried to take her out she was just horrified to a frenzy, so she got to stay at home as a pet only.

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Owned by two housecats and a bengal

I agree, the earlier they start the more easily they take to showing. But having said that, I’ve seen a few Bengals that have been shown for the first time at one year or over and taken to it like a duck to water! (In GCCF shows!)
GCCF showing, in my opinion, is a lot gentler on the cat, as they are not rushed around all day from their own pen to the holding pen, back again and so on, at least six times as they are at Tica shows. On top of this the holding pen may well have the smell of spray from a male previously held in it if it hasn’t been cleaned thoroughly, and this can be very disconcerting for a first time shower. One of my cats hated this aspect with a vengeance and got very irate and aggressive which has put me off Tica I’m afraid.
At GCCF show they are judged at their own pen and you can enter as few or as many classes as you like. Admittedly, you won’t get to see your cat judged in it’s Open class in the morning, but you can stay by the pen to watch him being judged during the afternoon in the miscellaneous classes. Though you mustn’t make it obvious that it is your cat, as GCCF showing is supposed to be anonymous! The judge writes up a report of your cat which you can view in a couple of weeks or so online. You don’t get his personal report with Tica.
Fife shows are also a good way to start of a cat. At these shows YOU present your cat to the judge at their table and are with them whilst they are judged. The only exception to this is if your cat goes on to Best in Show when the cat is taken by a steward and put into a holding pen, taken out by the same steward and taken care of by the steward on the podium whilst the judges come along to judge him. At Fife shows you also get a written report delivered to your pen on the day.
I hope this has been helpful in your choice of the type of show to try with Sheba and Benny and if you do want to go for a GCCF show, please look at my ‘GUIDE TO SHOWING BENGAL CATS’, a sticky at the top of this showing section. Any problems please feel free to PM me for further advice about showing with the GCCF.
Annie

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http://www.bengalcat-ziggianshowcats.co.uk