# Showing GCCF (and TICA etc):What do I do etc?



## Furfection (Jun 11, 2018)

I recently decided to show my young Siberian cat. Went to a GCCF show.
TBH I know NOTHING about showing, basically. All I knew was to brush him, have him clean, and have non identifying pen contents etc. Now his breeders were really on the ball. International champions, hall of fame champions etc etc in his recent pedigree. And I was aware of his lines before I adopted my youngster.

Anyway, he won some 1st rosettes and premier certificate etc. And beat or drew with some poshly titled cats outside of his breed too.. ! I only entered him for the minimum 3 classes, so had I known I'd have entered him for the parallel show at the same site that day, and some more classes.
So my next question is... "so what do I do now?"

Is there a tactic to choosing competitons and which classes to enter? Do cats sometimes get better or worse with time in show terms. He's just 12 months old, and his breed grow til they are 5 years. Should I do anything to make him relaxed/extrovert in the pen and happy? Do young cats ever win the bigger titles? Or do they have to spend time "on circuit" or mature beforehand? I know the TICA style is different. Would TICA cats be completely different in judging criteria? I hear that new showers used to have a mentor at GCCF shows.

BTW he is neutered and I'm not a breeder, its just showing out of interest and fun and to promote Siberians in general to people. Many thanks all.


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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

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## Furfection (Jun 11, 2018)

Sacremist said:


> Firstly, is your cat registered with either the GCCF, TICA or both?


Both.


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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

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## Psygon (Apr 24, 2013)

One thing I didn't realize when I entered my first show last year is that the judges reports get put on the GCCF website. So if you don't know about that here is the link:

https://www.gccfcats.org/Show-Information/Show-Reports

It doesn't happen overnight, we were at a show in Newcastle at the end of May and not all the reports for that show are online yet. When they do go up they can be useful to see how your cat reacted to being judged - which I think is a good indicator of if they like being shown or not


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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

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## Psygon (Apr 24, 2013)

I didn't really appreciate how much work it is to get a longhair or semi longhair cat ready for a show :O 

With Jammy and Waffles I wipe their eyes and ears, just to make sure they are clear. Clip their claws. Then wipe them over with a pet wipe. I then place them in front of Ted who gives them a very thorough wash. Leaves their coats gleaming and silky!


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## Psygon (Apr 24, 2013)

Sacremist said:


> If I remember correctly, the price you pay allows you to enter the Open and 2 other classes, but this may have changed. You can enter more but there used to be an additional cost. I stand corrected if I'm remembering incorrectly.


Some shows seem to have three classes and the open. And yes you can enter more, but there is a maximum of 6 classes I think in any single or joint show


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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

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## Rufus15 (Dec 4, 2015)

I wouldn't bath a Sibby the day of a show, their coat is too thick. Do a test bath and groom on a week where there's no shows for a couple of weeks either side to see which day he looks best on. Some need bathing a number of days before a show.

We can't use sprays like feliway, not can we use catnip or valarian now. They also stopped allowing blankets hung from the top of the cage.

GCCF is very different to the other registries. In TICA, a cat can title within a weekend as they are judged by 6-8 different judges. In GCCF, you get one judge and one certificate per cat club (so 2 certificates and two judges in a double show).

Use your side classes to determine which judges like your cat and which don't. Ask the show manager for a show buddy from the Sibby section to help you and your next show


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## Furfection (Jun 11, 2018)

Well many thanks for all your brilliant info and replies : ))

I'll have a think about TICA too, as he was originally registered with them.

So with GCCF I only get premier certificates if my cat is in a class vs non Siberians and then gets a first place? (I understand there could be tied cats in first place yes?) I understand I then need 3 premier certificates for a title (and then the escalation of titles continues).
But just one premier certificate makes them eligible for entry in the Supreme Show in Birmingham?
They only win rosettes in non miscellaneous classes?
I thought the buddy system had ended with GCCF shows?

But in TICA, he can win a title on his first day showing?

Do people tend to have someone stand with their cats all day, or leave them alone for much of it? (obviously the hall is emptied for GCCF judging).

I think he likes showing, so he might enjoy TICA. Infact his family were shown a lot in TICA.

I'm more towards the South, so I'm thinking of fairly local shows early on, so as not to tire him out.


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## Rufus15 (Dec 4, 2015)

Furfection said:


> So with GCCF I only get premier certificates if my cat is in a class vs non Siberians and then gets a first place? (I understand there could be tied cats in first place yes?)


Cats can't tie for first place in the open or title classes, only one cat will win.

In the open class, for untitled cats, you will only be up against untitled Siberian neutered males in your colour class for the Premier certificate. For the Best of Breed, it will be neutered males, both titled and untitled, and females, both titled and untitled, Siberians in your colour class.

For Grand certificates, you will be up against all male neutered Siberian and Maine Coons.

For Imperial certificates, you will be up against all Section 2 neutered males.



Furfection said:


> But just one premier certificate makes them eligible for entry in the Supreme Show in Birmingham?


Yes, you just need to win one 1st place in an open class to qualify for the Supreme.



Furfection said:


> I thought the buddy system had ended with GCCF shows?


No, most shows still offer buddies, but you need to discuss it with the show manager directly.



Furfection said:


> Do people tend to have someone stand with their cats all day, or leave them alone for much of it? (obviously the hall is emptied for GCCF judging).


I tend to chop and change. I'll mooch around, then come back to the pen, do a bit of shopping, go back to the pen, get food or chat to friends, etc etc


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## Furfection (Jun 11, 2018)

Sacremist, your posts were really good.
Why have they disappeared?


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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

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## Rufus15 (Dec 4, 2015)

Sacremist said:


> I'm sorry, in years past, I would readily engage in petty squabbles, but I'm reluctant to do so these days. Life is too short and I've more than enough going on in my life without putting up with nit pickers, so I deleted my posts in order to disengage with such people. I don't mean you.


Is that in reference to me? If so I wasn't petty squabbling, I was offering my own advice and correcting some info that had recently changed


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## Furfection (Jun 11, 2018)

Rufus15 said:


> Cats can't tie for first place in the open or title classes, only one cat will win.
> 
> In the open class, for untitled cats, you will only be up against untitled Siberian neutered males in your colour class for the Premier certificate. For the Best of Breed, it will be neutered males, both titled and untitled, and females, both titled and untitled, Siberians in your colour class.
> 
> ...


Many thanks for your post Rufus. Apologies, my questions here will seem very stupid. But I just want to confirm things.

OK so he will only win Premier certificates when he competes vs say Siberian male neuters (or Siberians full stop)?
He will only gain a title by winning 3 Premier certificates?

What exactly is an Open Class? Best of breed ie Best Siberian or Breed first class is enough to qualify for the Supreme?

The other classes eg "best newcomer neuter" and things like that are all termed "miscellaneous classes" and are just to determine his "showability"?
Because he cannot win Premier certificates (or rosettes)?
________________________________________________________

Also, many thanks for your posts everyone in this thread!


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## Rufus15 (Dec 4, 2015)

Furfection said:


> Many thanks for your post Rufus. Apologies, my questions here will seem very stupid. But I just want to confirm things.
> 
> OK so he will only win Premier certificates when he competes vs say Siberian male neuters (or Siberians full stop)?
> He will only gain a title by winning 3 Premier certificates?
> ...


Not stupid at all. He will gain a Premier title by winning three Premier certificates in his Open class. The Open class is for untitled cats, and they are broken down into breed and colour. I'm not sure how Siberian classes are broken down but he will be against untitled neutered Siberian males within his colour class and the winning cat may be (usually is) awarded a Premier certificate.

Once he gains 3 Premier certificates, he competes in the Grand class. Grand classes are all male neuters of all colours in Maine Coons and Siberians. He needs 3 Grand certificates to gain his Grand Premier title.

Once he's obtained them, he moves up to Imperial competition. Imperial classes are all neutered males of every breed in Section 2.

Then there's the Olys but by the time you get to that you'll know your stuff.

All certificates must be awarded from separate club shows by different judges. So you can have two club shows and two judges on one day, so potentially giving you two certificates.

To qualify for the Supreme, you need one first place in an Open class as a neuter. You have that now, so you've qualified for the Supreme.

Best of Breed is between all males and females of the colour class. This includes titled cats.

Miscellaneous classes are helpful for you to see which judges do and don't like your cats.

I'm a bit confused by you saying he can't earn Premier certificates?


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## Furfection (Jun 11, 2018)

Rufus15 said:


> Not stupid at all. He will gain a Premier title by winning three Premier certificates in his Open class. The Open class is for untitled cats, and they are broken down into breed and colour. I'm not sure how Siberian classes are broken down but he will be against untitled neutered Siberian males within his colour class and the winning cat may be (usually is) awarded a Premier certificate.
> 
> Once he gains 3 Premier certificates, he competes in the Grand class. Grand classes are all male neuters of all colours in Maine Coons and Siberians. He needs 3 Grand certificates to gain his Grand Premier title.
> 
> ...


I mean he can't earn Premier certificates in the miscellaneous classes eg best non breeder semi longhair?

So if he went back to the exact same show next year and won best in class (ie Siberians) he wouldn't win a Premier certificate that would count to Premier title status?
I thougtht the only requirement for getting Premier title is to have the requisite variety of judges who'd awarded his 3 Premier certificates?

Can he get any special titles or awards at the Supreme show eg before acquiring further Premier certificates?

Many thanks for your info, Rufus!


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## Rufus15 (Dec 4, 2015)

That's correct, he can't earn Premier Certs, or indeed any certs, in a side (miscellaneous) class

If he went back to the same show next year, one would hope he'd moved up a title! Generally shows try and have different judges for different shows, but as you get higher up the titles it can be hard to avoid the same judges. Right at this moment, I shouldn't worry about the same show next year as he will likely be in a higher titled class and can therefore be judged by the same judge as it's a different level of certificate you're competing for

To get a Premier title you need 3 judges at 3 different club shows to award a certificate each to gain the title. Once you move up to the next title, you can exhibit under the same judge again. 

No, there are no special titles at the Supreme before gaining a Premier title. Premier is the first title a cat can gain

There is no best in class award, there's 1st which, more often than not, gains a certificate towards your title and Best of Breed


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## Furfection (Jun 11, 2018)

Thanks for your info.
Just one thing, on gaining his 3 premier certificates.
Obviously they have to be from 3 different judges. But they could be say accumulated at the same show over different years?

Other than that I think I'm quite clear now.
Finally I assumed non neuter categories would be harder than neuter. Is that the case?


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## Rufus15 (Dec 4, 2015)

Furfection said:


> Thanks for your info.
> Just one thing, on gaining his 3 premier certificates.
> Obviously they have to be from 3 different judges. But they could be say accumulated at the same show over different years?
> 
> ...


They could but that's an awfully long time to wait to get a single title. By showing just once a year, you risk him being unable to show as he's not used to it, and you also risk the same judge doing the same classes the following year

Neuter is more competitive than entire, as there are more neuters in shows


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## Furfection (Jun 11, 2018)

Rufus15 said:


> They could but that's an awfully long time to wait to get a single title. By showing just once a year, you risk him being unable to show as he's not used to it, and you also risk the same judge doing the same classes the following year
> 
> Neuter is more competitive than entire, as there are more neuters in shows


Having checked the site, I've found more shows that are fairly local, plus double shows. So I've found I can do far more than one show in the region per year.
I was just thinking of having him avoid long distances early on.

I didn't know that re neuters. I'd assumed the cats most conforming to type were often held back for breeding. Although I suppose some kittens develop the conforming type too.
I suppose its also useful for breeders to see their non breeding cats have "winning genes".


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## Rufus15 (Dec 4, 2015)

Furfection said:


> Having checked the site, I've found more shows that are fairly local, plus double shows. So I've found I can do far more than one show in the region per year.
> I was just thinking of having him avoid long distances early on.
> 
> I didn't know that re neuters. I'd assumed the cats most conforming to type were often held back for breeding. Although I suppose some kittens develop the conforming type too.
> I suppose its also useful for breeders to see their non breeding cats have "winning genes".


I'm glad you've found lots of shows locally 

It's almost better in some ways for breeders to have neuters out, as a form of advertisement. Neuters can be shown more easily than entires - girls need time to get back into condition after kittening and can lose condition if they call too much, and males can perhaps not have the right show temperament if they're penned to closely to a girl in heat, or they can get terrible stud tail which doesn't always go away with grooming.


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## lillytheunicorn (Nov 17, 2012)

I have a cute cuddly Male kitten snuggled in my arm who is likely staying as he has very promising type but he is related to my girls so wouldn’t be any use in my breeding programme but is too good to go. So he will stay and be shown as a neuter unless I can find a show home for him.


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## Furfection (Jun 11, 2018)

Its mind boggling how much breeders have to learn! You must have your work cut out with it all! : ) )
But to see how these cats turn out, I think it can be very rewarding. Although I'm going to stay in the non-breeder camp!


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## lillytheunicorn (Nov 17, 2012)

I prefer showing neuters to be honest, showing the entire girls is not as much fun. 

Managed to get Sheep up to International Champion with FIFe and to TICA champion which we managed by the time she was 13 months old (bar the final IC cert which she got after having kittens). I showed her after she had kittens and she just didn’t enjoy herself anymore so she has retired. 

Blue did well as a kitten at TICA and enjoyed it but went to her first adult and hated it, I think her hormones and the pheromone from the other cat made her stop enjoying it.


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