In fact, there exist many abbreviations in Cat Latin, and the
same thing is unfortunately called sometimes differently in the
various organizations. This starts already when it comes to identify
breeds and colors.
Some grammalogues from Cat Latin ...
Cat breeds are divided into shorthaired and longhaired cats, which
is called a category.
In several organizations also a category of cats of oriental type
exists. Simplified, an oriental typed cat is a slender cat with a
somewhat longer body, long slender legs and a head shaped in the form
of a long wedge.
In some organizations the category Longhair is divided into longhaired
cats - mostly the Persians - and semi-longhaired cats, which are all
the other breeds with a longer coat.
And in FIFe for example breeds related to each other are in the same
category, regardless of their coat length. Thus the Abyssinian
(shorthaired) and the Somali (longhaired) are in category 3, or the
Balinese (longhaired) and the Siamese (shorthaired) are together in
category 4.
You see, already the explanation, what a category is, becomes
voluminous.
A breed is divided into colors and color groups, which is called a
variety, and which is called division(s) in American
organizations. It can be hardly understood, after which criteria some
breeds are divided into varieties (color groups). It is said that they
are divided by genetic aspects (i.e. which colors are related to each
other). If someone has a closer look upon this argument and upon the
distribution of colors to color groups, one will have some problems to
explain, why the Rex cats are divided into 7 color groups, Maine Coons
are divided into 9 groups, the Sphynx now is divided into 1 group, and
American Curls are divided into 11 groups. It has little to do with
genetics, too, when smoke colors in the Rex cats are together with
non-silver colors in the same group, but in Maine Coons both colors
are in different groups. It is said that it is difficult to decide the
silver color in cats with curled coat, if it is silver or not. Has
someone ever raised the question that smoke can be seen very well also
in curled coats, if the color is bred sorrowfully? If you have a look
into the pedigrees of silver cats, no color is really well bred. And
all that breeding is based on the questionable argument that the color
is not counting in Rex cats, as they are divided into color groups. It
is overlooked that the color counts when it comes to the correct
distribution to a color group.
One has to draw the conclusion that the distribution to varieties
(divisions) or color groups is based on historic, political or what so
ever reasons, and unfortunately it has very little to do with logics.
Based on that definition of a variety a judge selects the best cat
from the variety and awards BIV = Best in Variety. That sounds
pretty simply, but it is not as simple, because in many European
federations a complicated set of rules has to be followed; for
example, it has to be taken into account how many cats are present, if
there can be awarded a BIV also for kittens or if the kittens have to
be compared together with the adults, etc. etc.
This procedure is more transparent in American federations, because
the cats are strictly separated into adults, kittens and neuters and
receive Best of Division separately, regardless how many adults
or how many kittens are present.
In some organizations there exists also a Best of Breed,
besides the BIV or the Best of Division, all cats of the same breed
compete against each other, regardless which color they have.
The more titles, the better ...
In many organizations cats have to receive several certificates
to win a title. That means, a cat must be ranked on the first place in
its group (= class). These first places are counted, and then the cat
receives a title. Depending on the title these certificates (first
places) have different abbreviations. A cat must receive three
certificates called CAC to become Champion respective three CAP for
the title Premior, 6 or 9 certificates called CACE /CAPE to become
European Champion / Premior. The number of certificates needed for a
title is different in each organization.
This system is different in American organizations, where the cat must
get three Winner Ribbons (three first places) to become
Champion. And then mostly only the title Grand Champion (= GC) exists,
for which the cat has to defeat a certain number of champions. The
number is relatively high. The points, counted according to a
complicated algorithm and hardly understandable for the novice, are
for example 200 points for the Grand Champion in CFA.
Titles are awarded separately for adults and neuters.
How many titles are existing differs from organization to
organization. One may get the impression that there is a title
inflation. It also seems not to be too difficult to receive a title,
if one chooses the right exhibition, where the cat is alone in its
group.
In some American organizations only two titles exist, the title
Champion or Premior (for neuters) and the title Grand Champion or
Grand Premior (for neuters). Such a title Grand Champion / Premior is
much harder to win, because a certain amount of champions has to e
defeated, instead of receiving a relatively low number of
certificates.
But also there the title inflation is on its way. Thus, there exist Double
Grand Champions, Triple Grand Champions, Quadruple Grand Champions,
Platinum Champions, Diamond Champions, Rubin Champions, and many more
titles.
For some exhibitors it has become a sport to get as many titles
from different organizations as possible. The prefix of titles is
sometimes longer than the cat's name itself.
That also seems to exceed the programming skills and database
capacities of several clubs, as the titles are abbreviated like in
stenography. Thus the pedigree becomes hardly readable for the novice
without a list of the abbreviations used. The only thing a novice is
able to see, if many cats are written in red letters in the pedigree.
The cat must have very famous ancestors, if those have so many titles
(?).
The judge's ring - a Holy Grail ...
Adult people jump in front of cages with their feather-dusters, and
the cats look quite astonished at them and have their own ideas in
their mind about all that.
These dusters bring money to many accessory industries and are like
long time yearned collector's pieces. There exist dusters with silver
stripes, with peacock feathers, and even dusters with baby rattles.
And if someone really wants to be stylish, he must have a blinking
pencil with a duster.
But that has nothing to do with animal trainers, because cats are not
wild animals which have to be tamed. But, it is said that the cats
will open their eyes better.
May be, the term judge's ring is derived from the ring in the circus
due to that?
Or is the judge's ring somehow connected with a boxer's ring?
Sometimes one could think so, when watching the crowded exhibitors in
front of the judge's table, who try to put themselves and their cats
on the right stage.
The judge's ring in the cat fancy is not really a ring, it is a table
with several cages behind it, where cats wait to be judged. In
European clubs very often those tables with the cages are placed on a
stage, which gives them a certain illustrious expression - or should
it be better called an elevated expression? In American clubs the
judge's rings are mostly placed on the ground floor on the longer side
of the hall, and chairs for the exhibitors are placed in front of them
in a half circle, like in an arena.
But, in all clubs the judge's ring is prohibited for the ordinary
native visitor. That means, judges are mostly not available to see
them. Whom could a visitor ask, if such an important group of experts
is already engaged and is shielded off from him?
Exhibitors, in fact, are also not available for questions about a
certain a breed, because they are in show stress.
First they have to decorate their cages - decorations in some
shop-windows would be green with envy of those cages.
Then the cats have to be trimmed, brushed and powdered again. If that
will better the grooming condition is questionable. But in any case
the exhibitor will run down, and the stress for the cat will be
increased, which looked already forward to get a little nap on its
cuddle pillow in the cage.
And then the exhibitor is busy presenting his cat to the judge. But to
whom could the visitor address all his questions?
Of course, to the exhibitor, and certainly then, when he wants to buy
a cat from him.
American rings have an advantage. If the visitors has grasped a chair
in front of the ring - against all those protesting exhibitors, he
will see the cats much better, at least. The cats are put on a little
podium placed on the table, and they present themselves really in a
professional manner. Thus one can see and hear, of which breed the cat
is, and one can see all these different colors and patterns better.
In European judge's rings mostly the view on the cats is blocked by
stewards or by exhibitors bouncing nervously around.
The judging - a holy procedure ...
How the cats are judged, indeed, remains a mystery for the visitor.
The standards, after which the cats are judged, are written in Cat
Latin and are hardly readable without any dictionary. What a cat judge
checks in the cats, remains almost unexplained and differs from judge
to judge.
Judging is a very static procedure, the object to be judged sits or
stands on a table, from time to time it is lifted up, because it is
believed that the head shape and the eyes can be seen better.
There is nothing like the judging in dogs, where the exhibitors have
to run with their dog in a ring - even sometimes they can't put up
with it. That has one advantage, one can notice defects in body
structure much faster and easier. Honestly, how shall a cat judge be
able to notice a patella luxation, when the cat lies or sits on a
table and when he is not educated as a veterinary? If the cat would
have to run, one would notice all that much easier. Or, how shall a
cat judge be able to notice a flatfoot or a problem in the hind ankle
joints, when the cat has to sit statically on a table? Anyhow, each
defect in body and bone structure has to punished as severe fault.
The bite, that is another story. The bite is described in dogs quite
detailed and is checked sorrowfully. In cats that is different. Some
organizers, but also some judges colleagues are not in favor, if
someone checks the bite. And thus it might happen, that the bite will
not be checked, when it comes to the selection of the most beautiful
cat of an exhibition, and a cat with a crooked bite might be the
winner. Twisted bites are not noticeable always only from outside, but
it is common sense that it does not disturb the esthetic impression,
if the cat is otherwise so beautiful and well groomed.
Is a cat, whose canines - a very important instrument for a hunter -
are twisted, really so beautiful? Is such an opinion not a twisted
idea about, what really makes a cat beautiful?
The criteria used to award a certificate, which cat will be in the
first place in its group, are more often disguised for the ordinary
visitor - and sometimes also for the exhibitor.
Some judges distribute the same number of points to the stop and a
short nose of a cat as for the rest of the entire head, stop and short
nose are only one part out of many parts the standard describes for
the head.
There is also a scale of point in every standard, but this scale is
often pushed aside like some relics of mathematics. If one would take
this scale of points more serious, he might notice the relations and
proportions how the points are distributed to the various body parts.
An example:
In Abyssinians the coat counts almost 50% of the entire amount of
points in almost every standard. Therefore, the coat a) must be
something very important in the Abyssinian, and b) it must be
something characteristic for this breed. But one can hear quite often:
The Aby-look is very important, which is mostly restricted to the
head, to which - including ears and eyes - only 25% of the entire
amount of points is distributed.
Another example:
In Persians about 25% - 30% of the entire amount of points are
distributed to the head (including shape of eyes, but without the eye
color). The head includes the shape, the front, the cheeks, the nose
and the stop, the jaw and bite, the chin, shape and size of the eyes,
shape, size and placement of the ears. But, despite all that, the
short nose and the stop have received an extreme importance, and both
alone sometimes will decide upon awarding the certificate, whether the
Persian cat will win the first place or not. It is, as if the head
would only be built by a very short nose and by a deep stop, as if
only a short nose and an extreme stop would decide, whether the cat is
a Persian cat or not. This is a very critical and questionable
distortion of relations to the extreme!
And a last example:
In Siamese 25% - 30% of the entire amount of points are distributed to
the head. The head includes the shape, the front, the nose, jaw and
bite, the chin, shape and size of the eyes, shape, size and placement
of the ears. But also in this breed the relations have been distorted
to the extreme, when it comes to judging. The ears have gained an
importance which is questionable. Quite often only the ears will
decide, which Siamese cat will ranked on first place and which one
not.
The cat has to be put on stage in the correct style ...
Putting on stage already starts with decorating the cage. Ordinary
curtains are not sufficient any more, they must be made of gold satin,
must have laces, paste stones are needed, and last but not least a
feather boa. Like in a doll house, a more or less decorative
sofa has to be placed in the cage. Or the cuddle pillow is placed in
the cage in that way, that the visitor can see the cat only from its
back side. Rosettes and prizes overload the side and even front walls
of the cage. And on top of the cage the cups and albums with winner's
pictures are placed - winner's pictures from whom?
And where is the cat?
Who is here put on stage?
But putting on stage does not stop with decorating the cages, it is
much more important during the presentation of the cat to the judge.
Cats with paste stones are presented, is if this jewelry would improve
the esthetics of the cat.
There a presented little Birman kittens in their lace baskets to touch
the judge's heart. Of course, the little kittens look sweet in their
basket.
Siamese cats are stretched unnaturally, because they must have a long
body.
Persian cats are squeezed, their front and hind legs are put together
unnaturally, because they must have a short body.
Sphynx cats shine oily like body builder., because their skin should
be elastic.
Some cats spread clouds of powder, that one has problems as a judge
not to sneeze. But the coat shall give a´ light and airy impression.
One can smell the heavy perfumes used and has to take care not to get
a swindle. But, it could be that a male will not smell like a male.
Some mannequins could even still learn something from cat people.
The stage, the most important thing in the world ...
In all organizations the best cats of an exhibition are selected by
the judges. The European system differs from the American system.
In European organizations the cats are nominated by the judges for the
Best in Show (= BIS). In the Best in Show the judges vote upon
the best cats. There is no ranking, the cats are only separated into
adults, kittens and neuters, for each of these groups a BIS-winner and
a BOS-winner (Best opposite sex) is voted.
But to have a BIS-winner is not sufficient, therefore also the winner
out of all BIS-winners, the Best of the Best (= BOB) is voted.
In the American system the judge selects his 10 (sometimes 15) best
cats from all the cats, he has judged. i.e. from all breeds and
colors, regardless the category (if shorthaired or longhaired,
if Persian or Oriental or not). Each judge makes his own Best in Show,
called the Final. The judge ranks the selected cats from 1 - 10
(15). Such a final is done for adult, kittens and neuters.
But to win titles has become already something common and normal.
Titles are won just by passing by. If the cat, by way of exception,
does not win a title, that can be often noticed, when the exhibitor
rushes through the show hall, keeping his head bowed, carrying
his cat somewhere under his arm and putting his cat into the cage as
fast as possible without the necessary care and love.
It is important that he/she can present him/herself on stage. There is
nothing more beautiful than to present oneself with his/her cat for
the winner's photo and to get a cup more for his/her own collection.
Eventually one might be lucky, and the TV-company is here, or the
winner's photo is pictured in some cat magazine.
And where are the HPPs ...
What are HPPs? Are these another new stylish cat breed?
HPP is an abbreviation from Cat Latin and means House Hold
Pets, as the domestic cats are called. But HPP sounds much better.
Yes, every organization decorates itself with domestic cats. "Even
domestic cats can be exhibited and may win their own BIS or their own
Final. Wonderful!"
The opinions, what a household pet is, differ from organization to
organization, differ from geographic region to region sometimes quite
a lot. In some organizations only shorthaired pets are permitted. In
other organizations pets with points are not permitted, despite the
fact, that such cats do exist quite often in southern countries for
example. And other organizations only accept neutered pets.
Also the procedure, how the best pet is selected in a show, is very
often different. In some organizations non-neutered pets compete
separated from neutered pets. In other organizations males and females
are separated.
It is a pity that domestic cats cannot win a title in several
organizations, despite the fact, that they have their own standard and
must undergo the same judging procedure when exhibited.
For which purpose is then the standard, if a pet cannot win a title?
Is demonstrating only a good intention enough?
© katzenzeitung 2/2007
