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Veterinary inspection - What is checked?
Legal regulations
 | In the EU it is an EU-regulation that cats must have an EU pet
passport and must be vaccinated against rabies, when exhibited in
its own country. |
| If the cat is exhibited in another EU country the cat also
must be microchipped (tattoo valid until 2011). |
| If the cat is exhibited in a non-EU country, it might also be
necessary additionally to have a Health Certificate. |
See details:
Travelling with cats.
Veterinary inspection - Different in each organization ...
In CFA it is not mandatory in the show rules that cats must be
checked by a veterinary when entering a show. The organizing club
decides, whether there is a veterinary inspection or not, and may
restrict the inspection to household pets only.
Many CFA shows are non-vetted shows.
CFA Show Rules, Issue 2006-2007:
| 3.02 After the show committee has determined that
sufficient evidence of illness exists, the show manager has the
responsibility to order the removal of any sick cat or kitten.
5.02 Procedures for shows with veterinarian inspection.
a. A copy of Article V of these Show Rules must be given to the
veterinarian for his careful review prior to his inspection of
entries.
c. At the club's discretion, veterinarian inspection may be
required of Household Pets only. |
It is also not mandatory that cats, which are exhibited, must have
certain vaccinations, such as against cat flu or against panleucopenia.
It is left up to each single club, whether additional vaccinations are
required or not.
There are also no specific rules for showing white cats.
In TICA the organizing club may decide, whether the show is vetted
or not.
TICA Show Rules, Revised 05/01/2006:
| 25.1 The show committee
or club has the option of sponsoring a "Vetted Show" or a
"Non-Vetted Show." |
It is also not mandatory that cats, which are exhibited, must have
certain vaccinations, such as against cat flu or against panleucopenia.
It is left up to each single club, whether additional vaccinations are
required or not.
There are also no specific rules for showing white cats.
In FIFe cats must be vaccinated against panleucopenia and against
cat flu:
See
FIFe Show Rules, issue 01.01.2007
Article 1.8 Conditions for an International
Show
c. That the cats have been vaccinated by a veterinary surgeon in
accordance with each country's veterinary regulations, against
panleucopenia and cat-flu and have had the required boosters, at
least 15 days prior to the show. |
The veterinary inspection when entering a cat in an exhibition is
mandatory on FIFe-shows.
There are also specific rules for white cats:
3.5 White cats
White cats must have a veterinary certificate stating that they
are not deaf. |
If a veterinary inspection - What is checked?
When a veterinary inspection is done at the show entrance, usually the
following is checked at least:
| Validity of vaccinations in the pet passport |
| Check, if parasites are present, at least check for fleas, and
sometimes also for fungus, which is visible externally. |
| General health condition. |
| In some clubs also the ears are inoculated for ear mites.
Take care that the otoscope is cleaned before using it for the next
cat! |
| Special regulations for white cats: hearing certificate (of an
audiometric test). |
Principally there is not checked so much. The check is a formal and
external check, what can be seen in that short time.
What should be required? - Some thoughts ...
| The veterinary inspection, when entering a cat in a show, shall be
mandatory in each organization.
It is alarming that the veterinary inspection is not mandatory in each
organization.
It is left to the show organizer, if cats are prohibited or removed
from the show. This is an additional burden and responsibility,
which a show organizer hardly may bear. An organizer has many other
tasks to fulfill.
It is left to the judges, whether a cat is disqualified due to bad
health condition or not. The majority of judges are not
veterinaries. This burden is a too tall order and has nothing do
that the competence of the judges is put in question. |
| It must be forbidden to exhibit deaf white cats. And thus a
certificate of an audiometric test must be absolutely mandatory.
It is surprising that one can still read in show flyers:
"A hearing certificate for white cats is not necessary!"
Read in the show flyer of Klagenfurt, Austria 27. & 28. January 2007. |
| Vaccination against panleucopenia shall be mandatory. |
| A check in non-neutered males, if they have two testicles,
shall be mandatory. |
| If a check for microsporosis with the Wood-lamp does make sense,
has to be checked and disputed, because only some few types of
fungus will be detected with that lamp.
There is still the erroneous believe that the Wood-lamp is
sufficient to proof the presence of microsporosis.
Citation from
Tiermedizin Infomationsportal: (information portal for
veterinary medicine)
"Einige wenige Pilze, z.B. Microsporum canis, haben die Eigenschaft
eine Fluoreszenz auszubilden wenn eine Anregung durch UV-Licht
mittels einer Woodschen Lampe erfolgt."
"Es produzieren jedoch nur etwa 50% bis 60% der Mikrosporumarten
eine Fluoreszenz!"
Translation:
"Some few species of fungus, for example Microsporum Canis, have the
capacity to be fluorescent when stimulated by UV-rays from the
Wood-lamp."
"There are only 50% to 60% of microsporum species having the
capacity for fluorescence."
That means, Microsporum Canis might be detected by the Wood-lamp,
but microsporum has many more subtypes. |
Wood-lamp:
It is a lamp (looks like an electric torch) which emits UV-rays.
When a fungus has the capacity for fluorescence, it reflects with a
greenish color under this lamp.
| It should be also mandatory that the cats are inoculated with a
stethoscope.
Breathing problems would be detected very fast. |
The veterinary should have his own space.
| Mostly the table for the veterinary is placed at the entrance of
the show hall, where also the cashier, the table with the
catalogues, the stands for the pet supplying companies, and visitors
are crowded, and many other things are placed there.
How shall the veterinary be able to do his job carefully and without
stress? |
| Of course, it is a question of money, to rent a show hall is not
quite cheap, and additional space for the veterinary might cost some
extra money. But, that should not be a serious argument, when the
health of the cats is concerned.
It depends on the skills of the organizer, where and which show hall
for which price is rented. Unfortunately there are quite often
political reasons based on rivalry that a show is organized just in
that city, because everyone wants to drive his concurrent from the
field.
Would it not be more beneficial for the cats, but also for the
exhibitions to organize a joined-show with other clubs more often,
regardless the show and awarding systems might be different? |
| Of course it is a question of money, veterinaries are not cheap.
And very often they request an additional charge when they have to
work on weekends.
Has somebody ever seriously tried to speak with the veterinary in
advance and to negotiate that it might be cheaper? It must be also
in the interest of veterinaries that the cats, which are exhibited,
are checked carefully. But very often the veterinary check is
considered as an undesirable duty. |
| Of course the veterinary inspection needs more time. And that might
be difficult, when the entrance is crowded with exhibitors, who want
to pay their entry fees, want to have their catalogue and already
want to start with decorating their cages.
But, is it not quite often a question of organization and timing,
when one is in needs of time? |
To work more together, to organize more shows together, to focus
more on the cats, and perhaps to give up the rituals to which one has
become used for many years, would be for the benefit of exhibitions
and especially for the benefit of the cats.
© katzenzeitung 3/2007 |
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