Cat Shows

🏆 Cat shows: from judging to ranking!

📅1️⃣ Cat Shows: Procedure and Objectives (2025)

Cat shows are an opportunity to assess the conformity of pedigree and household cats. It is an opportunity to compare them, award certificates and bring together the community of breeders, enthusiasts and international judges.

They are generally held at weekends (1 or 2 days).

➥ Admission:

A pedigree cat (from 3 months of age) or a neutered house cat (from 10 months of age).
LOOF or RIEX pedigree, electronic identification, up-to-date vaccinations.
Certificate of castration/ovariectomy required from 10 months.
A veterinary check will be carried out on the morning of the show.

➥ Typical day :

Arrival, inspection, installation of cage, grooming.
Judging, presentation of certificates.
Best in Show, Best of Best, Best Supreme at the end of the afternoon.

➥ New in 2025:

Updated show rules (January 2025) have clarified entry requirements, the points scale, and certain physical criteria linked to breed standards.

📋 2️⃣ Judging classes (2025)

The judging classes are used to situate the cat in its certification process. Each class corresponds to a status (kitten, castrated, whole), a grade, and requires a certain number of certificates to be obtained.

🔄 3️⃣ LOOF vs FIFe (2025)

LOOF and FIFe follow slightly different regulations. This comparison highlights the number of certificates, judges, countries and classes required on each side.

🌍 4️⃣ Organising cat passage

At a cat show, the passage of cats follows a strict order to ensure fair, clear and organised judging. This organisation takes into account the sex, breed, judging class, as well as the different stages of selection up to the final awards.

4.1. Passage by sex and breed

Male and female cats are judged separately.
Each breed is judged independently according to its official standard (LOOF, FIFe, WCF, etc.).
Each cat is entered in a class corresponding to its age, reproductive status and show experience (see part 2. Judging classes).
The order of the breeds is defined by the show schedule.

Example:
For the Siberian breed, we start by judging all the males in class order, then all the females in the same order.

4.2. Judging process and award of certificates

For each category, the judge awards a mark ranging from "Very Good" to "Excellent", and may award certificates (CAC, CACIB, CAP, CAPIB, etc.) which count towards official titles.
To validate a title, the cat must obtain a certain number of certificates in several shows, judged by different judges and often in several countries (see part 3. LOOF vs FIFe).

4.3. Selection of Best in Show nominees

After judging each breed and class, the best cats are selected to compete in the final stages:

Best of Breed (BOB): best cat of each breed and sex in the Champion (whole) or Premier (neutered) class.
Best Opposite Sex (BOS): best cat of the opposite sex to the BOB in the same breed.
Best of Best (BOB male / BOB female): the best male and the best female among all the BOBs.
Best in Show (BIS): final designation of the best cat of all breeds, sexes and classes.

4.4. Other specific appointments

Selon les fédérations et expositions, il peut y avoir des titres supplémentaires :

Best Kitten (meilleur chaton) : sélection du meilleur chaton toutes races confondues.
Best Neuter / Premier (meilleur castré) : sélection du meilleur chat castré.
Best Junior (meilleur jeune) : souvent pour les chats entre 6 et 15 mois.
Best Household Pet (meilleur chat de maison) : pour les chats sans pedigree ou stérilisés non inscrits en classes standards.

4.5. Practical examples of how it works

An 11-month-old whole Siberian male will be judged in the "Opening CAC" class. If he obtains a CAC, he can claim the title of Champion after validation in several shows.
A neutered 3-year-old Maine Coon bitch will be judged in the "Premier" class. If she obtains 3 CAPIBs, she may become International Premier.
The best kitten in the show (all breeds combined) will be named "Best Kitten" and will be eligible to compete for the Best in Show Kitten.
Finally, the cat judged to conform most closely to the standard, with excellent presentation and exemplary behaviour, will be named "Best in Show", the most prestigious title.