by Andrej Brummer Showing Your Siamese Cat Andrej Brummer 2009 Ultimate Siamese Cat Secrets

Transcription

1 The Showing your Siamese Cat by Andrej Brummer

2 Special Report Content Showing Your Siamese Cat Introduction To Showing Your Siamese...Page 3 Your Cats Wellbeing at a Show...Page 4 Entering and Preparing for a Show...Page 5 Preparation for the Show...Page 6 What You ll Need for Your Siamese Show Set-up....Page 6 Siamese Cat Grooming Secrets...Page 8 History and Development of Siamese Show Cats...Page 9 Modern Siamese Cat Show Breed Standards...Page 11 A Perfect Modern Siamese Cat...Page 12 The Ideal Point Colouration...Page 13 Penalties and Disqualification...Page 14 Traditional Siamese Cat Show Breed Standards...Page 15 A Perfect Traditional Siamese Cat...Page 16

3 Penalties and Disqualification...Page 17 Introduction to showing your Siamese Showing a Siamese cat can be a very rewarding exercise for the discerning Siamese owner. You can achieve prestige and status by owning a prize winning Siamese and also enter into the wonderful world of the Siamese showing circuit which is a very satisfying and sociable hobby. However, do not think that owning a champion Siamese will be your ticket to instant fame and fortune. Ribbons or perhaps a cup are the trappings of cat show success rather than prize money, its best we clear that up right at the start. The rewards your do get will be an even closer bond with your gorgeous Siamese and also the pride and joy you get from yours and your cats achievements. It also pays to mention here that the exercise of showing your cat is not cheap. To start with you need to have a pedigreed, show quality Siamese exhibiting all the desirable traits (and none of the undesirable ones), then you have the costs of maintaining your lovely specimen in top condition, followed by travelling costs, cages and other specialised equipment, accommodation at shows, and sometimes expensive entry fees. But all the networking you will do as well as finding out more about this amazing breed, not to mention the friends you will gain make it well worth it. If you cat does well you can also enter into some potentially lucrative breeding deals and further your self as a budding Siamese breeder. In my experience the pride you get when your Siamese does well makes it all worth it. Owning a prize winning cat is a great accomplishment to be proud of. Cat shows are also an excellent way to make contacts with breeders, which could help you with sourcing your next kitten or finding a mate if you want to breed your cat. Cat shows are also instrumental in finding out the most up to date trends regarding the Siamese breed.

4 Your cats wellbeing at the show A question I get asked a lot is will my cat enjoy being shown? Now this is totally debatable and up to the individual cat, some cats seem to enjoy the attention they receive by people at a show, this is especially true for Siamese cats. Most cats seem to at least tolerate the goings on of show day. Other cats that are more shy and nervous don t seem to enjoy it at all, and perhaps if your Siamese falls into this category you should consider the cats happiness over and above your desire to show your pet. A typical day at a cat show for your Siamese involves being couped up in a small enclosure for long periods of time, so pay attention to you cat, they will let you know when they are unhappy. European shows are commonly 2 days in length while most north American shows can be up to 3 days.there are a lot of unfamiliar smells, sights and sounds which can alarm your Siamese. Ensure the cat has a few of its favourite belongings around it and keeping it company is the best way to minimise stress for a novice show cat. As a general rule of thumb the younger the cats are when exposed to the show scene the easier they will adapt. Before you enter your Siamese you should go to a show first as a spectator to familiarise yourself with the proceedings. This will give you a valuable insight into what to expect in terms of how the event is run, conditions, potential stressors for your Siamese and numbers of competitors.

5 Entering and preparing for a show You will fist need to find out the organisers behind the show you want to take your Siamese to, this can be done easily on line or in various cat publications. These organising bodies usually publish a list of the shows they are responsible for annually, and you may need to purchase this information for a small fee. Once you have this information you will be able to contact a representative for each show a few months in advance to find out the schedule of events which will contain the classes of cat that can be entered, show rules and the qualification requirements/show standard for each cat class. You will need to pay careful attention to these qualification requirements and make sure your Siamese meets every one or else you may be disqualified. For example the rules on altered or unaltered cats and age requirements if you are showing a kitten. The rules should be meticulously read and understood to avoid any nasty surprises on show day. If all requirements are met by you and your cat go ahead and submit an entry form (usually at least a few weeks before show date) and pay your showing fee. If you have any questions at all, no matter how silly you think they may be; do not hesitate to contact the shows organisers or the event clerk. Basically all show organisers, after they have received your entry and fee will send you back confirmation of your entry, you will need to check the details carefully to ensure they match with your original entry, this is especially true if the show catalogue has already been printed, if you have made a mistake here and not notified the organisers immediately you may even be disqualified. Once again, if in doubt; ask. It is important to note here that you will be showing a pedigreed cat so therefore you will need to know its breed number, breeder, parentage and date of birth. All of which you should have received when you got your Siamese. You can take this information with you to the show in case you need it.

6 Preparation for the show The key to a successful showing is in the preparation. You will need to do more than just comb your cat and shut the door behind you! Your Siamese s coat should feel perfect and look its very best. It is a good idea to arrive at the show at least an hour or so before judging begins. When you and you cat get there find the entry clerk and they will give you a cage number and a designated placement, now you can go and set up you cage. It is always a good idea to identify where the judging ring is, so that when your number is called you can get there quickly and easily, however at some shows the judges come around to your cats pen to judge, taking the cat out to thoroughly examine its condition. There will be ample time to look around the show yourself, its always a good idea to go with someone who can look after your cat while you are away checking out the competition and talking to the experts and other competitors. Everyone is always very friendly and it is a wonderful atmosphere, just don t get carried away enjoying yourself and miss your cat being called! What you will need for your Siamese show set up: A cat showing cage/pen: This is the most important item, as you cat will be shown in this (except when the judges physically go over your cat, or call you to a judging ring. Check the show guidelines to find out which will occur at your show). It is a good idea to dress the cage up and make it look professional and complement your cat (for examples colours to match your Siamese s coat or eyes, you could even think of a theme). You can use show curtains cut to the inside of the cage, which other than showing off your cat greatly help minimise distractions and fights from neighbouring competing cats. You can make your own (in colours complementary to your cat) as elaborate as you want or simply just pin up sheet or towel

7 material. Its also fun to get matching blankets, pillows/bed, feeding bowls to complete the picture. Cat transporter: You could technically use the cage for this but a transporter is a great idea and will come in handy for other occasions as well. The best items are airline carriers because of their washability and sturdiness. Cats can escape from cheaper items especially those made of cardboard. Ensure that whatever you buy has adequate ventilation and is washable. Grooming equipment: As Siamese are short-haired a brush or chamois is much more effective for grooming than a comb. The brush is to give you cat a last minute touch up before judging. Ideally you will have already washed and brushed your cat a few times in the preceding week. Claw clippers are also a must; many shows stipulate that your cats claws are clipped as part of the rules, this is to prevent judges getting scratched when handling cats. Clipping claws yourself is very easy, clip as far down the claw as you can, being careful not to cut the quick (pink bit at bottom of claw). Other items for your cat show kit: Decorations for the cage (hint: you could think of a theme) A favourite toy (will make your cat feel at ease) Vaccination certificates Pedigree information (breed number, breeder, parentage, date of birth) Kitty litter (most shows will provide litter) Litter box (must be white if showing in the UK) Blanket (must be white if showing in the UK) Your cats favourite food and bottled water Water and food bowls (must be white if showing in the UK) Cage lining (newspaper is good) Cleaning products and disinfectant for cleaning up accidents White ribbon (I.D. tag), string and scissors

8 Siamese Cat show grooming secrets: You will want your Siamese cat to look its best at the show, other than watching its diet in the weeks leading up to the show a good grooming regime will work wonders. As Siamese are quite slender and shorthaired, grooming requirements are relatively minimal. Subtle grooming works well, paying particular attention to the ears, which can be carefully trimmed (interior hairs) to accentuate their large size, a very well regarded trait. Simply get some blunt scissors and carefully trim long hairs away leaving the rest short, uniform and natural looking. This will exaggerate the size of the ears. You can also trim away other unruly long hairs from the body to enhance the elegant look of your Siamese. The Siamese coat short be short and glossy and the underlying musculature sleek and firm, other than ensuring you cat is eating optimal amounts and varieties of food in the months before the show you can ensure he or she is getting plenty of exercise, a good way to do this is to train your Siamese to walk on a lead. You should brush your Siamese the day of a show, so the coat is lying flat and uniform and looks great. When you brush your Siamese be careful, gentle and do so once a week, the Siamese coat is quite delicate and many experts agree that excessive brushing can damage the colouring of the coat. The best kind of brush to use is a rubber once from a pet store, this type of brush will do the least damage to your cats coat. A commonly used method to get rid of loose hair from shorthair breeds without brushing is to wet your hands and stroke you cats coat backwards a number of times, all the hairs to be shed will stick to your hands. I recommend bathing your cat at the start of the week before a show using a good shampoo, human ones are fine. This will give the coat a chance to regain its natural look from skin oils while skill remaining clean and sweet smelling. The key here is (much like humans) to find a product that wont frizz the coat up, this may take a few dry runs in the weeks preceding the show Some Siamese never need a bath, but ultimately its not going to hurt!

9 Some Siamese totally hate baths, if your show cat is one of these a common trick is to rub corn (maize) starch thoroughly into the coat this will remove loose hair, dirt and excessive oils before the show. Simply brush the remainder of the corn starch out after a few hours. You can also purchase a number of products that work as coat conditioners, and improve the look of your cats coat. There are many professional products, you should try a few out if you are interested to see what works best with your cat. A lot of breeders also use Witch Hazel on their cats. Unfortunately there seems to be no top choice with these products, some work with some cats and some work with others. Ultimately the features your Siamese will be judged for are a result of good breeding and condition, but with a little effort on your part you can enhance your cats chances at the show. A good idea is to find other Siamese exhibitors at the show and ask them what they do to prepare their pets for show day; this should give you a few extra tips. History and development of Siamese show cats: Originally, when the Siamese cat was brought from Siam (Thailand) to Britain well over a hundred years ago for its stunning, contrasting colouration pattern and personality that proceeded to take the western world by storm, the breed looked markedly different from what we now term as the modern Siamese body type. These cats have the traditional Thai name of Wichein-Maat, which is the name of a cat from an ancient Siamese poem. These original cats, now termed traditional are much like the cats walking the streets of Thailand today: long bodied, medium sized, bulky to slender, graceful, fit looking cats with a slightly wedge shaped head, watery blue eyes and large but not (disproportionably) so ears. The rounder head shape of these early Siamese gave rise to the term apple heads when comparing them to the modern cats, this breed was also only recognised in Seal point. Basically their sizing had a fair amount of variation from slightly slender to bulky but was not extreme in any way like the modern body type. Many also had kinks in their tails (remember

10 the story of guarding the royal rings) and were crossed eyed. Both of which were genetic traits consequently bred out. In 1886 a breeding pair of cats were imported that polarised Siamese cat fans worldwide. These kittens had wedge shaped muzzles and less round heads and more elongated bodies. This new more dramatic looking Siamese won a lot of fans and breeders started importing this modern variant, which formed the base of the breeding pool in Britain. It is said that all of the Siamese cats in Britain today are descended from 11 original cats from Siam. By the time World War 2 was ending the popularity of Siamese cats was massive. Breeders and show judges had increasingly come to favour the modern Siamese variant. This resulted in selective breeding for elongated, tubular bodied, fine boned cats with narrow triangular heads, long fine legs and tails, very large ears and wedge shaped muzzles. This is how the more extreme body type came into fancy. As a result in this shift in favour from traditional Siamese to modern Siamese breed standards for cat shows were rewritten by the worlds major cat organizations to reflect the traits of the modern Siamese and shift away from the traditional body style. This meant that traditional Siamese were no longer highly regarded in the showing ring and breeders who persisted with this type were no longer competitive in competitions. It was also around this time that the accepted show point colourations were extended to include Seal point, Blue point, Chocolate point and Lilac point. The huge demand for Siamese cats that was sweeping the USA by storm in the 50 s and 60 s was met by indiscriminate breeding which resulted in more and more traditional Siamese cats around further polarising popular opinion on body types and leading to a misconception about the quality of the breed at this time. These cats were not fondly looked upon in the show circuit and by many Siamese aficionados who believed that the general public was overlooking proper body type in favour of impressive pointed colouration caused by the Siamese heat sensitive genetic mutation causing dark colouration in cooler parts of the body. This all lead to further polarisation of the Siamese cat show crowd. In the UK their were still a handful of breeders who continued to breed and register and thus keep the traditional Siamese variant alive and saw success with cat lovers who appreciated the more moderate and less extreme looking Siamese cat. But by around 1985 traditional

11 Siamese had pretty much disappeared from cat shows. This organization of traditional Siamese breeders fought to preserve the genetics and educate the public about this less extreme Siamese. Consequently the public was further confused by the question of what a real Siamese looks like. Today we see the two Siamese breed types existing together although the modern Siamese is vastly more popular as it is perceived as a living work of art by the Siamese cat show set. Organizations such as World Cat Federation and The International Cat Association now recognise a second Siamese breed category being the traditional Siamese. This new breed category is called Thai (or Thaikatze in Europe) and they are considered the original Wichein Maat cats imported from Thailand. So once again the traditional Siamese can be found at a cat show alongside a modern Siamese but is now recognised in a different class. Modern Siamese cat show breed standards: A total possible score of 100 is made up as follows: 1. The head (20 possible points): this includes a profile which is elongated and flat (6 points), size, wedge shape and fineness of muzzle (5 points), ears (4), distance between eyes (2) and finally chin (3). 2. The eyes (10 possible points): this includes placement, size, shape and angle. 3. The body (30 possible points): this includes body size and structure (12 points), tone of musculature (10), legs and feet (5) and finally the tail (3). 4. The colouration (30 possible points): The colouration of the body itself (10 points), colouration of the points: points must be matching in colour and have a high colour

12 coverage, the skin of the underside of the foot and nose must also match the points (10), deep blue eye colour (10). A perfect Modern Siamese cat by show standards: Generally a perfect looking Siamese is an elegant looking elongated cat with a tubular body, fine bone structure and average size (males are larger), it is graceful looking but has toned musculature. Legs and tail are long and taper to a point. The cat is toned and muscular looking and has no fat or loose skin. The head is average sized directly relative to the body; it is shaped like a long wedge: the head is a triangular shape beginning from the nose flaring out up to the ear tips the shape is not broken at the whiskers, the cats bone structure is immediately evident behind its whiskers. Its eyes are not spaced less than 1 eye width apart and are perfectly clear. The perfect Siamese ears are overly large (with no long hairs inside) and taper to a fine point from a broad base, the ears should complete the triangle shape started from the nose. The top of the skull is flattened with a straight line from nose tip to skull apex, the nose is dead straight from the forehead with no deviation and no eyebrow ridges are evident. A perfect Siamese muzzle is very delicate looking and in the shape of a wedge. Its jaw is of a average size and the chin should be perfectly aligned with the cats nose, the jaw should be neither jutting out or jutting in. The neck is long and slim looking. The coat of your perfect Siamese should be short, delicate and shiny. It should lie flat and smoothed down against the body. Colouration of the body should be even over the entire body; some point patterns allow for delicate shading, allowances are also commonly made for older cats being of darker shade seeing as Siamese darken with age. There must be a striking contrast between the coat and the points (by definition are; tail, mask, feet, legs, ears), there should be no lighter colouration (or different colour) in the hair of the points and hair should be uniform in point colour right up to the margins of the point. The mask should

13 cover the entire face and not travel passed the top of the head, the facial mask should connect to the ears by thin bands of darker fur. Perfect Siamese paws should be also delicate, small and egg shaped. The cat must have the correct amount of toes (five in each forepaw and 4 in each hindpaw). Legs should be like a supermodels; Long, slender and graceful. Hindlegs should be higher up on the body than the front legs and longer. The legs should also be directly proportionate to the body in regards to size. The Ideal Point Coloration Four point variants are widely recognised for entry into Siamese shows. These are Lilac; Blue, Chocolate and Seal point colourations. Each of these colourings has its own set of standards for judging. All variants are expected to have eyes of deep, intense blue. A Lilac points body would be uninterrupted pure white; the points should be light grey with a pinkish tinge. Paw pads and nose leather should be pink to slightly purple. A Seal points body colouring can be pale fawn through to cream and should gradually fade to lighter colouring on the stomach and chest. The points are seal brown with the paw pads and nose being seal brown too. A Blue points body colouring is white with a cold bluish tinge, which gradually shades to pure white on stomach and chest. The points are deep blue with the paw pads and nose being dark grey. A Chocolate points body colouring is pure ivory white and has no shading. The points are a warm chocolate brown with the paw pads and nose being browny-pink.

14 Penalties and disqualification: Certain, undesirable Siamese features will be penalised, and others can even result in disqualification. Of course it really pays to know what these are before going to the trouble of entering your cat into a show. Penalised features include: the Siamese body being out of condition (squishy and soft feeling) and the skin of the paw pads and nose not matching the points or their colouration being blotchy. Even the sternum protruding (xiphoid process) will result in a penalty for your cat. More serious Siamese flaws will result in disqualification, such flaws include: a Siamese who is sick or in bad health, an anorexic looking cat, non- blue coloured eyes, breathing through the mouth instead of the nose, tail kinks, cross eyed, white feet and toes, unusual number of toes and a non typical Siamese coat for example long or curly hair. It is also important to note here that your cat can be disqualified from the show for general, non-breed related issues. This includes biting and aggression, malformed tail, cats showing evidence of tampering (trying to deceive judges) and other things. Make sure you are familiar with the rules of your specific show to avoid any nasty surprises.

15 Traditional Siamese cat show breed standards: The traditional look, or Thai Siamese cat has finally come back into favour and now has its own set of cat show breed standards like the modern Siamese body type mentioned above. It is a much less extreme looking cat than the modern Siamese and has therefore found favour with people who love the look and characteristics of the breed in a more typical cat body type. An ideal looking traditional Siamese cat is very much like what you would see in a pointed cat walking the streets of Bangkok, it is intended to be the living incarnation of the ancient Wichen Maat featured in Thai legends. It is not supposed to look extreme in any way but represent the Thai lineage that physically differentiates it from western breeds. The head is more rounded than the modern Siamese but still has a distinctive wedge-shaped muzzle and short coat. It is breed to be harmonious and balanced in both look and character. A total possible cat show score of 100 is made up as follows: 1. The head (40 possible points): this includes shape of the head (10 points). Forehead, profile and nose (5 points each). Ears and eyes (4 points each). Muzzle and chin (7 points). Eye colour (3 points) and finally neck (2 points). 2. The body (35 possible points): this includes torso size and structure (10 points), bone structure and legs and feet (8 points each), the cats musculature (4 points) and finally the tail (5 points). 3. The coat (25 possible points): The colouration of the body itself (12 points), length and texture of the coat (13 points)

16 A perfect Traditional Siamese cat by show standards: The head of a perfect Thai cat is not at all extreme looking, it is not angular and narrow like its modern cousins. It is still in the shape of a modified wedge but is longer than it is wide. Eyes must be blue, the deeper the colour the better. The top of the ideal traditional Siamese cats head is rounded (hence the comparative term apple head when comparing with the modern look). The muzzle is wedge shaped to give it the traditional oriental look. The nose has a very gentle curvature from the forehead (outwards above the eyes and inwards below) to its tip but is almost straight in profile. The neck is average in length and girth. The ideal muzzle is average sized but can tend toward long, it is wedge shaped and had straight sides that taper toward the nose. The tip of the muzzle is fairly rounded and not so delicate in structure as the modern Siamese muzzle. The chin in profile should be exactly in line with the nose and should be average in appearance. Ears should not be oversized like the modern look but are medium to large sized with a broad base and delicately curved tips. Ears should be angled out about 35 from the centre of the top of the head. The inner ear base should be directly over the middle of each eye. The perfect traditional Siamese coat is very short, close lying and feels smooth and delicate to the touch. The coloration of the body should be an even very light almost white color, with a slight tint of the point coloration and no shading. Points should be dense in color and even, tail, mask, ears, feet and legs should all match perfectly with no white or flecks of other colour. Point colors should match the shows appropriate color class and be contrasting with the rest of the coat.

17 The body should be well muscled but not tubular; it should be long and graceful and not small or delicate in size. The cat should not be flabby or have excessive loose skin around the belly region. Bone structure should be average with firm but graceful musculature without excessive bulk. Legs are medium in size and also graceful, feet should be egg shaped, averaged sized and in keeping with the proportion of the cats body. A perfect tail is exactly as long as the torso and tapers to a fine point. Penalties and disqualification: Most of these characteristics are in keeping with the above penalised and disqualified traits of the modern Siamese breed type. In fact most characteristics that would mean a disqualification for the modern body shape (above) are the same for the Thai cat/traditional Siamese. Your cat should have almond shaped eyes and will be penalised for eyes that are too circular or too oriental looking. There will be a penalty if the ears are too small or big and if they are angled out too far from the head and are not placed close to the top of the head. If the muzzle is too rounded or oppositely too angular a penalty can be awarded, as when the body is too tubelike and elongated or too short and squat. And finally because the very short, shiny, close lying coat is such a defining feature in the traditional Siamese cat if there is too much fluffy undercoat your Siamese will be penalised as well. Characteristics that will result in a disqualification for you are: xiphoid process (protruding sternum under normal handling), a crossed eyed cat, which is considered a serious genetic flaw and obvious tail flaws. Again if your Siamese behaves aggressively to the judges he or she will be punished with a disqualification!