Hello everyone.
Im new to this forum and after losing my 14 year old mogster last year and doing lots of homework on this shy retireing breed hopefully will be getting a baby in approx 5 weeks...
I am hoping to show but not breed at the present time..( have plans in my head to get another show/breeding girl next summer)
I have shown & owned dogs for a very long time and I understand cat land is very different.
Do I need specific cat cages bowls etc to show?
what exactly would I need to show a bengal and where would I purchase the required items?
oh and also, were do you get the schedules from...
in dog land we would find them at other shows, or find them advertised in Our dogs... is it the same?
Thanks guys xx

Welcome to Bengal ownership!

I show my cats regularly, but the advice I can give is limited to GCCF shows. The list of shows is here http://www.gccfcats.org/showsnew.html . Your cat will need to be GCCF registered to be shown at a GCCF show.

You can use only white litter trays, food bowls and blankets (or vet bed). You can feed your cat before judging starts but you need to remove the bowls once the judges come in (in case the food identifies the exhibitor I suppose!). You can buy these things pretty much anywhere (particularly the vet bed and white plastic bowls). Failing that you can buy them at the shows before judging starts.

The owners of the website you just indicated are regularly at the GCCF shows with their cat goodies.

Good luck!

Oh, and you get schedules from the club that is running the show - just follow the link (if there is one) from the GCCF list of shows and you should find a schedule and entry form on the club website.

Hi,
Don’t know about Bengals being shy and retiring …. I would say that they are completely the opposite in fact!!
I don’t breed and never intend to but I am a very enthusiastic shower. Unlike dogs, who pretty much will get involved in anything with gusto, cats are very, very different.
You might say you are getting a couple of cats for showing but at the end of the day, you can only show a cat IF it will let you! I have seen so many disappointed owners who have shown their kitten or neuter and found that it doesn’t take to it. Some try despairingly, show after show, never listening to the cat or taking any notice of the judge’s critiques, before finally resigning to the fact that they must just love the cat as a pet. It really is heartbreaking to see their dissapointment.
My girl was three before she suddenly decided that she’d had enough, so I stopped showing her straight away. That was with the GCCF. Sometimes I think, ‘shall I try her again with Tica or with Fife’ but as yet still have not made any plans to. The three organisations are so different in their show formats that some cats take to one but not the others.
On the other hand, I've been very lucky with her brother, Ziggi, who is nearly seven and has gone from strength to strength on the show bench and has been the most wonderful show cat I could ever wish for... and he is also my very best friend!!
NO breeder can assure you that a kitten you buy will be a show cat. They will sell you a show quality kitten, which will be of superb type but they cannot guarantee the outcome of its show career. This is not their fault, as more than anything they would like to see their cats on the show bench, promoting their cattery and promoting the breed. So what I’m saying is, don’t EXPECT that you new kittens will take to it, your breeder will give you guidance as to the kitten they think is suitable, but at the end of the day I always say, let the kitten choose you. After all, it’s the relationship that you will be enjoying together for the rest of your life that is the most important thing, not the amount of rosettes it puts on your wall!
BUT … if they do take to it, then hopefully you will have years of pleasure as your cat gains confidence and you get the thrill of seeing them gain titles as they win their certificates.
Although I don’t breed, I do know that if you intend to go into breeding and get a stud cat, you will have to have enough room outdoors to build a suitable cat enclosure for him to live in. You will also have to buy a cat that is on the ACTIVE register, as that is the only way you will be allowed to breed from it. Otherwise your kitten will be sold with a contract that you will have to sign to ensure that you have it neutered at the appropriate time. Maybe a breeder on this forum wouldl be better to advise you on that aspect of buying a kitten.
I hope all this will be helpful to you and good luck with your new kittens when they arrive and good luck at the shows! Take a look at my website which you might find interesting as it's taken from a pet and show-cat owners point of view.
Annieco
www.bengalcat.me.uk

Hi Annieco,
Thanks for your reply..
I didn't actually mean bengals are shy and retiring.. (Twas a joke!)
I keep forgetting you cant read a joke.. it has to be said..
You website is great,
you live in gorgeous area, perfect for the animals.. ( and humans!)
I understand what your saying about showing etc, it the same for dogs..
I know its part luck, part training, part genetics, part diet etc.
i think i have found the right genetics, and the right look..
The character is certainly there..
so once I get the critters home - I will train them, socialise them, handle them etc.
either way, the show thing is fun.. a day out with like minded peeps..
a shopping day for cat stuff

The baby girl will be hopefully be my foundation queen so studying pedigrees and the look of each of the cats in the pedigree.

I will post some pics of the pair of reprabates once I get clearence from the breeder..