JUDGING PRINCIPLE
As its name indicates, traditional judging comes from the Old World, the birthplace of feline science and an area where this style of judging is still widely practiced.
In traditional judging, cats are presented individually by their owner to the judge, who examines the cats and issues a written report for each one on a form prepared by the organizing club for this purpose. This form is printed with the breed, color, sex, age, and class in which the cat is shown. The judge's comments are important, since they guide the breeder's efforts by highlighting his cat's strengths and weaknesses and are based on the judge's specific knowledge of each breed and its distinct features. After this report is issued, a rating and title are awarded to the cat if it shows sufficient merit. If several cats are shown in the same category, they are ranked against each other and the title is awarded to the best one, provided that this cat is considered of sufficient merit according to the standard.
RATINGS
The following ratings are awarded: excellent, very good, good, insufficient.
In the event that four cats corresponding very closely to the standard are shown in a single class, the following ranking might occur: excellent 1, excellent 2, excellent 3, excellent 4.Only the cat ranked excellent 1 can aspire to the title corresponding to the class in which it is shown.
TITLES
Titles are awarded to adult cats registered in a genealogical book according to the terms of the various associations and countries. The minimum age is 9 or 10 months.
Unaltered and altered cats are eligible to participate. Altered cats compete in classes reserved for them, as they cannot, or can no longer, be used to improve the breed.
Titles are awarded based on the standard, not on the cats present. If no cat is of sufficient merit, the judge can elect not to award a title in a particular class.
Apart from a description of the ideal cat, all standards include a point score based on 100 points, which is used as a reference for ranking qualities and faults and helps highlight what is essential for a breed. The titles awarded to adult cats take these points into account, and judges apply this scale of quality. Thus, a cat obtaining 88/100 points based on the standard could aspire, according to the regulations of France's Official Feline Stud Books (LOOF), to the titles Champion and Grand Champion, but not to International Grand Champion. Since the hierarchy of titles depends on the federation, it is best to consult the regulations for each in order to get an accurate scale for the attribution of titles. However, it must be noted that beyond the strict point score, judges look at the overall picture. Today, the attribution of a CAC (Certificate of Aptitude for Standard Champion 88/100 pts) is considered as corresponding to the level of conformation; in other words, the cat fits the breed standard and is free of major faults. In contrast, a CAGCE (Certificate of Aptitude for European Grand Champion, 99/100 pts) should be awarded only to a cat that is virtually perfect.
BEST OF VARIETY
Once titles and ratings have been awarded, the judges take the best cats in each class and award the "Bests."
Best Of Variety: best of breed and color, both sexes and all ages. Ex.: Best Black Exotic Shorthair, Best Red Tabby Point Birman, etc.
When there are not enough cats competing in the same breed/color category, colors can be grouped together.
Ex.: best Burmese, all colors.
BEST IN SHOW
In most federations practicing traditional judging, cats are divided into main categories based on their morphology and hair length.
LOOF: longhairs (Persians), semilonghairs, shorthairs (including Exotics).
FIFe: category I (Persians and Exotics), category II (semilonghairs), category III (shorthairs and Somalis), category IV (Siamese and Orientals).
The best cats in each category are awarded the Best In Show.
LIST OF BEST IN SHOW TITLES AWARDED BY ASSOCIATIONS AFFILIATED WITH THE LOOF:
- Best Male
- Best Altered Male
- Best Female
- Best Altered Female
- Best Young Male, 6/9 months
- Best Young Female, 6/9 months
- Best Young Male, 3/6 months
- Best Young Female, 3/6 months
Associations affiliated with the FIFe do not award Bests to altered cats.
The Best In Shows are chosen by the panel of judges qualified to judge the breeds in competition and no longer only by the judge who chose cats in preliminary judging.
After this choice, the judges select the best cat of the Best In Show in each category: This is the Best Of Best.
In some shows, judges may select a Supreme Best, or best cat in the show, all breeds and all categories.
HOUSEHOLD CATS
In cat shows, a special class called "household cats" is reserved for non-pedigreed cats.
The purpose of this class is to recognize the delightful "mixed breeds" that live in our homes and are the origin of many feline breeds. Of course, there are no standards for household cats. They are judged on how well they show, their nature, and their appearance. They are ranked from first to last, with the first winning the title Best Household Cat In Show.
Household cats must be altered.
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