Typical abstract of information in the CASA show catalogues:
Dear Exhibitor
Welcome to the show and thank you for the support.
We hope you and your exhibit/s will have a good day and enjoy the interaction with peers and feline friends.
If this is your first experience of a WCF show, herewith a few practical tips:
You can bench anywhere you like in the designated area. There are no reserved spaces. You are responsible for your cats throughout the day, including the litter tray, water and food, as well as handling and presentation. You may display any information or promotional material about your cat, breed, cattery, etc., but not any promotional material or brand names of competitors of our sponsor for the day.
In your envelope, you have
1. A catalogue. This indicates how your cat is entered in the standard classes. It also indicates the judge who will be expecting your cat on the table. Please familiarize yourself with the number of your cat and listen out for this number which may be called during the day, or during Best on Show. If a cat is called and there is no response within two minutes, the cat may be considered absent.
2. Two sets of number cards. The card with your name should be prominently displayed on the cage throughout the day to make the cat and cage instantly recognizable during the entire proceedings. The card without an identifying owner’s name should be worn prominently displayed whenever your cat is presented for judging in the standard classes, rings, specials, Best in Show or photographing. Not wearing the correct number with the correct cat may lead to judging error and your cat may loose out. Slide the card into the clip-on badge from the bottom. A small area will protrude from the plastic at the bottom.
3. Due to the lack of stewards, exhibitors have to be alert and ensure that your cat gets to the judges table, rings and specials on time. Your allocations, sent by e-mail indicates which of these you entered, if you don’t remember. Check at the judge’s table early on during the show to estimate where your exhibit is on the list and approximately when it will be expected. You, or a representative appointed by yourself, must present the cat, as there are not enough stewards to handle the cats.
4. Please advise the judge in the standard classes, as well as the rings and specials if a cat is absent or withdrawn. Do not inform the show manager only – the judge should personally delete the number from the list, to prevent the steward trying to locate a cat and exhibitor.
5. A judge may correct any errors on the judging sheet, but many not change the exhibit number on the sheet.
6. It is your responsibility to know which awards (titles) were given to your cat, by which judge. The judge does not know this. If a judge has already awarded a particular title certificate to your cat, please alert the judge that it is necessary to get a second judge’s signature on the show report/award, otherwise the award will not be valid.
7. Please advise the judge if your cat changed status at a show previous to this one, including a different show earlier on the same day. If this happened, the cat must move up into a different class and you have to advise the judge, as the judge would not be aware of this and will still have the cat entered in a lower class.
8. Please take all your refuse with you and ensure that your benching area is clean when you leave the show. Keep in mind that anything you leave behind, you are leaving for the show manager to clean personally.
Dear Exhibitor
Welcome to the show and thank you for the support.
We hope you and your exhibit/s will have a good day and enjoy the interaction with peers and feline friends.
If this is your first experience of a WCF show, herewith a few practical tips:
You can bench anywhere you like in the designated area. There are no reserved spaces. You are responsible for your cats throughout the day, including the litter tray, water and food, as well as handling and presentation. You may display any information or promotional material about your cat, breed, cattery, etc., but not any promotional material or brand names of competitors of our sponsor for the day.
In your envelope, you have
1. A catalogue. This indicates how your cat is entered in the standard classes. It also indicates the judge who will be expecting your cat on the table. Please familiarize yourself with the number of your cat and listen out for this number which may be called during the day, or during Best on Show. If a cat is called and there is no response within two minutes, the cat may be considered absent.
2. Two sets of number cards. The card with your name should be prominently displayed on the cage throughout the day to make the cat and cage instantly recognizable during the entire proceedings. The card without an identifying owner’s name should be worn prominently displayed whenever your cat is presented for judging in the standard classes, rings, specials, Best in Show or photographing. Not wearing the correct number with the correct cat may lead to judging error and your cat may loose out. Slide the card into the clip-on badge from the bottom. A small area will protrude from the plastic at the bottom.
3. Due to the lack of stewards, exhibitors have to be alert and ensure that your cat gets to the judges table, rings and specials on time. Your allocations, sent by e-mail indicates which of these you entered, if you don’t remember. Check at the judge’s table early on during the show to estimate where your exhibit is on the list and approximately when it will be expected. You, or a representative appointed by yourself, must present the cat, as there are not enough stewards to handle the cats.
4. Please advise the judge in the standard classes, as well as the rings and specials if a cat is absent or withdrawn. Do not inform the show manager only – the judge should personally delete the number from the list, to prevent the steward trying to locate a cat and exhibitor.
5. A judge may correct any errors on the judging sheet, but many not change the exhibit number on the sheet.
6. It is your responsibility to know which awards (titles) were given to your cat, by which judge. The judge does not know this. If a judge has already awarded a particular title certificate to your cat, please alert the judge that it is necessary to get a second judge’s signature on the show report/award, otherwise the award will not be valid.
7. Please advise the judge if your cat changed status at a show previous to this one, including a different show earlier on the same day. If this happened, the cat must move up into a different class and you have to advise the judge, as the judge would not be aware of this and will still have the cat entered in a lower class.
8. Please take all your refuse with you and ensure that your benching area is clean when you leave the show. Keep in mind that anything you leave behind, you are leaving for the show manager to clean personally.
Basic Club and Show System information, as published in the catalogues:
CASA – The first World Cat Federation club in Africa
On 1 March 2007, South Africa and the African continent joined the ranks of the World Cat Federation, when the board voted for the acceptance of The Cat Association of Southern Africa (CASA) as a member under patronage. Full membership was granted officially during the GA meeting in August 2008. Chats du Cap is one of CASA’s sub-clubs. A sub-club may hold shows, register cats and generally act as a club, without the stringent requirements of a full member club. It also does not have voting rights on the WCF General Assembly.
The World Cat Federation is one of the largest, if not the largest, Pedigreed Cat Organization in the world and is a founder member of the World Cat Congress. It is difficult to accurately determine the number of clubs, members and cats involved, as clubs register members and their cats individually and not centrally, as many of the other large international bodies do. It is not possible to directly compare figures. A visit to the website proves the impressive number of confederations, federations and clubs affiliated to WCF, the large number of recognized judges and the large number of shows taking place somewhere in the world throughout the year. Now that the African continent also has representation, WCF covers the globe for all practical purposes.
An abstract from the website summarizes it very well as follow:
About World Cat Federation
The WCF was founded on 1988 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by three clubs which were seeking for more democratic and human procedures in the cat fancy, more than other existing federations ever had. Right now the WCF consists of more than 540 clubs throughout the world covering all continents including the United States.
The WCF is registered in Germany as "eingetragener Verein" (registered association) and since the European community is ready - in Brussels as an European Federation, too.
The WCF takes part at consultations, arranged by the European parliament in Strasbourg, and is responsible for animal welfare and legislation in some working parties and hearing. A WCF member, whether it is a club or a federation, is independent in his business.
The philosophy of WCF is one of inclusivity, rather than exclusivity and it accepts all cats registered with any member body of the World Cat Congress, as well as cats registered with most of the other major non-affiliated cat organizations on it’s shows, without the need of re-registration. WCF was a founder member of the World Cat Congress (WCC) and strives for global co-operation in the cat world, while most of the local affairs of clubs, shows and registration remains with the local club, allowing for cultural differences and ensuring that most of the revenue from registrations, shows, etc. remain with the club and it’s members.
South African cat lovers have never had access to international competitions, as it was simply not practical or affordable. That has all changed now, as WCF awards (titles, as it is referred to internationally) are recognized internationally and an international award attained in South Africa would count if a cat is exhibited in any other WCF show in the rest of the world.
A cat may only receive one award per day at WCF shows and all classes are separated according to the title of the cat, breed, colour, pattern and sex (and age groups in kittens).
WCF shows are classified as National, International and World shows and are officially licensed by the board and published on the website.
WCF allows only one major award per class, to the cat awarded an Excellent 1 placing, if the cat is of sufficient quality to receive the required point score.
Due to the fact that South Africa is the only country in Southern Africa (and probably Africa) where cat shows are held, it is practically almost impossible to travel with cats to shows in different countries. South Africa is a large country compared to many other WCF countries, especially in Europe. South Africa is therefor divided into 5 different regions, which have the same status as countries for WCF show- and judging purposes. These are: ZA-010 Western Cape Province, ZA-020 Eastern Cape Province, ZA-030 Kwazulu-Natal Province, ZA-040 Northern Cape & Free State Provinces and ZA-050 Gauteng and the other surrounding provinces. The Regions are only accepted as different countries up to the title of International Grand Champion. For the Continental and Grand Continental titles, cats have to compete in a different country.
Many exhibitors also find it difficult and expensive to travel to different regions within South Africa. For this reason CASA has now introduced a unique system of “South African National Titles”, not unlike the national titles awarded in countries like Israel and the LOOF in France. This means exhibitors have the choice of either pursuing International titles for their cats, or National titles, giving cats of high quality the recognition they deserve in the form of formal titles, even if only competing within their own region. National titles are only recognized within South Africa, but will be indicated on the pedigrees of any exported offspring. A cat wanting to follow an International career up to the title of World Champion will have to stay on the International option of titles and follow through with these rules.
The International and National titles are won according to the following guidelines and rules:
Kitten Champion/Premier – 3 CACP/CAPP at national or international shows from 3 different judges. 90 points required for this award. (Kittens 3 -6 months)
Junior Champion/Premier – 3 CACJ/CAPJ at national or international shows from 3 different judges. 90 points required for this award. (Juniors 6 – 10 months)
Champion/Premier – 3 CAC/CAP at national or international shows from 3 different judges. 93 points required for this award.
International Champion/Premier – 3 CACI/CAPI at 3 international shows from 3 different judges in 2 different countries or regions. 95 points required for this award.
National equivalent: SA Grand Champion/Premier – 3 CACI/CAPI at 3 national or international shows from 3 different judges. 95 points required for this award.
Grand International Champion/Premier – 3 GCACI/GCAPI at 3 international shows from 3 different judges in 2 different countries or regions. 97 points required for this award.
National equivalent: SA Double Grand Champion/Premier – 3 GCACI/GCAPI at 3 national or international shows from 3 different judges. 97 points required for this award.
European or Continental Champion/Premier – 3 CACE/CAPE at 3 international shows from 3 different judges in 3 different countries. 97 points required for this award
National equivalent: SA Triple Grand Champion/Premier – 3 CACE/CAPE at 3 national or international shows from 3 different judges. 97 points required for this award
Grand European or Continental Champion/Premier – 3 GCACE/GCAPE at 3 international shows from 3 different judges in 3 different countries. 98 points required for this award.
National equivalent: SA Supreme Champion/Premier – 3 GCACE/GCAPE at 3 national or international shows from 3 different judges. 98 points required for this award.
SA Double Supreme Champion/Premier – 6 GCACE/GCAPE at 6 national or international shows from 6 different judges. 98 points required for this award.
SA Triple Supreme Champion/Premier – 9 GCACE/GCAPE at 9 national or international shows from 9 different judges. 98 points required for this award.
World Champion/Premier – 3 CACM/CAPM at 3 international shows from 3 different judges in 3 different countries on 2 different continents. 98 points required for this award.
No National equivalent for this award.
World Shows – One award received at a world show, where a judge from the extended board of WCF must officiate, counts as an award received in another country or continent. World shows are run according to a special set of rules and only one world show per year is allowed per country, under special license from the board.
CASA has had many successful shows already, in all the Regions. There are also several sub-clubs staging their own successful shows under CASA/WCF rules. There are many highly titled cats already in South Africa and a few cats with local WCF titles have been exported and carried on with their show career in their new countries.
The philosophy of CASA is to enjoy our wonderful hobby in a spirit of friendly competition, complimentary to any other existing cat organization and to use our energy to promote, build and improve in an environment where we feel welcome and appreciated. Let’s hope that all our members will be allowed and able to live our dream for a long time to come.
Apart from the standard classes on WCF shows, there are also additional side classes and rings which can be entered on a voluntary basis.
“Specials” are additional fun events, where cats of the same breed, or other defined category compete in a side show (or side class.) There are no specific rules and no specific titles awarded. However there is a lot of prestige associated with doing well in a special. This side class is usually judged by a judge well known to have a special interest in the breed. Winning “Best” in a special is indeed a special event, while being place very high in the scores really tells the owner and breeder of the exhibit something about the quality of the exhibit. The specials are not only fun, although that is an important part of it. This open style judging is often also very informative, with the judge discussing certain important of unique features of the breed and giving advice on some of the aspects in breeding and presentation, etc. of the breed. Cats doing well in the specials will most of the time automatically end up in the Best on Show line-up as well. There are also extra prizes to be won in the special side classes.
The WCF ring, which is additional to the standard classes, is open to any exhibit on a WCF show, and is probably the fairest system for calculating points towards Regional and National Top Cat scores and may be used in future for this additional purpose. See below the rules on the rings, as published on the WCF website.
WCF-ring
A WCF-ring may be conducted by each club, federation, which is a member of WCF.
The distribution is as follows:
Kitten-ring
Kittens with an age of 10 weeks to 10 months, regardless the class and sex.
Neuter-ring
Neuters older than 10 months, regardless the breed, colour and sex.
Adult-ring
Cats older than 10 months, regardless the breed, colour and sex.
Every cat, which was entered into the exhibition, may participate.
There may be awarded 10 prizes per ring as maximum. The minimum number of participants is 4.
If four cats participate, 2 cups can be awarded, if six cats participate, 3 cups can be awarded, if twenty cats participate, 10 cups can be awarded.
Split of the WCF-ring
Up to 39 participants the ring cannot be split, if there are more than 39 participants, the ring may be split. That means, starting with 40 participants in a ring, the ring may be split, but there must be at least 4 cats present in the second ring.
If 43 participants are present, a second ring may be organized, the split is voluntary
WCF-Master-ring
This ring is organized once per year and per country, permission is granted by the office of the WCF.
Participation in the Master-ring
In general the winners of the 1st and 2nd place of a WCF-ring, the winner of a Best in Show, the winner of Best of Best and World Champions / Premiors may participate in the Mater-ring, which is conducted once per year.
But if the WCF-rings are split, there is only one winner and the winner of the 2nd place may not participate in the master-ring, only the winner of 1st place of each part-ring can participate.
The winner of a Master-ring is entitled to be called MASTER and this title is registered in the pedigree.
Split of the Master-ring
The Master-ring may also be split in case of a sufficient number of cats present. The split is made in the way as for an ordinary WCF-ring. There must be at least 39 cats present in the first ring and 4 cats present in the 2nd ring, otherwise adult cats compete together with the kittens and the neuters in one ring.
CASA – The first World Cat Federation club in Africa
On 1 March 2007, South Africa and the African continent joined the ranks of the World Cat Federation, when the board voted for the acceptance of The Cat Association of Southern Africa (CASA) as a member under patronage. Full membership was granted officially during the GA meeting in August 2008. Chats du Cap is one of CASA’s sub-clubs. A sub-club may hold shows, register cats and generally act as a club, without the stringent requirements of a full member club. It also does not have voting rights on the WCF General Assembly.
The World Cat Federation is one of the largest, if not the largest, Pedigreed Cat Organization in the world and is a founder member of the World Cat Congress. It is difficult to accurately determine the number of clubs, members and cats involved, as clubs register members and their cats individually and not centrally, as many of the other large international bodies do. It is not possible to directly compare figures. A visit to the website proves the impressive number of confederations, federations and clubs affiliated to WCF, the large number of recognized judges and the large number of shows taking place somewhere in the world throughout the year. Now that the African continent also has representation, WCF covers the globe for all practical purposes.
An abstract from the website summarizes it very well as follow:
About World Cat Federation
The WCF was founded on 1988 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by three clubs which were seeking for more democratic and human procedures in the cat fancy, more than other existing federations ever had. Right now the WCF consists of more than 540 clubs throughout the world covering all continents including the United States.
The WCF is registered in Germany as "eingetragener Verein" (registered association) and since the European community is ready - in Brussels as an European Federation, too.
The WCF takes part at consultations, arranged by the European parliament in Strasbourg, and is responsible for animal welfare and legislation in some working parties and hearing. A WCF member, whether it is a club or a federation, is independent in his business.
The philosophy of WCF is one of inclusivity, rather than exclusivity and it accepts all cats registered with any member body of the World Cat Congress, as well as cats registered with most of the other major non-affiliated cat organizations on it’s shows, without the need of re-registration. WCF was a founder member of the World Cat Congress (WCC) and strives for global co-operation in the cat world, while most of the local affairs of clubs, shows and registration remains with the local club, allowing for cultural differences and ensuring that most of the revenue from registrations, shows, etc. remain with the club and it’s members.
South African cat lovers have never had access to international competitions, as it was simply not practical or affordable. That has all changed now, as WCF awards (titles, as it is referred to internationally) are recognized internationally and an international award attained in South Africa would count if a cat is exhibited in any other WCF show in the rest of the world.
A cat may only receive one award per day at WCF shows and all classes are separated according to the title of the cat, breed, colour, pattern and sex (and age groups in kittens).
WCF shows are classified as National, International and World shows and are officially licensed by the board and published on the website.
WCF allows only one major award per class, to the cat awarded an Excellent 1 placing, if the cat is of sufficient quality to receive the required point score.
Due to the fact that South Africa is the only country in Southern Africa (and probably Africa) where cat shows are held, it is practically almost impossible to travel with cats to shows in different countries. South Africa is a large country compared to many other WCF countries, especially in Europe. South Africa is therefor divided into 5 different regions, which have the same status as countries for WCF show- and judging purposes. These are: ZA-010 Western Cape Province, ZA-020 Eastern Cape Province, ZA-030 Kwazulu-Natal Province, ZA-040 Northern Cape & Free State Provinces and ZA-050 Gauteng and the other surrounding provinces. The Regions are only accepted as different countries up to the title of International Grand Champion. For the Continental and Grand Continental titles, cats have to compete in a different country.
Many exhibitors also find it difficult and expensive to travel to different regions within South Africa. For this reason CASA has now introduced a unique system of “South African National Titles”, not unlike the national titles awarded in countries like Israel and the LOOF in France. This means exhibitors have the choice of either pursuing International titles for their cats, or National titles, giving cats of high quality the recognition they deserve in the form of formal titles, even if only competing within their own region. National titles are only recognized within South Africa, but will be indicated on the pedigrees of any exported offspring. A cat wanting to follow an International career up to the title of World Champion will have to stay on the International option of titles and follow through with these rules.
The International and National titles are won according to the following guidelines and rules:
Kitten Champion/Premier – 3 CACP/CAPP at national or international shows from 3 different judges. 90 points required for this award. (Kittens 3 -6 months)
Junior Champion/Premier – 3 CACJ/CAPJ at national or international shows from 3 different judges. 90 points required for this award. (Juniors 6 – 10 months)
Champion/Premier – 3 CAC/CAP at national or international shows from 3 different judges. 93 points required for this award.
International Champion/Premier – 3 CACI/CAPI at 3 international shows from 3 different judges in 2 different countries or regions. 95 points required for this award.
National equivalent: SA Grand Champion/Premier – 3 CACI/CAPI at 3 national or international shows from 3 different judges. 95 points required for this award.
Grand International Champion/Premier – 3 GCACI/GCAPI at 3 international shows from 3 different judges in 2 different countries or regions. 97 points required for this award.
National equivalent: SA Double Grand Champion/Premier – 3 GCACI/GCAPI at 3 national or international shows from 3 different judges. 97 points required for this award.
European or Continental Champion/Premier – 3 CACE/CAPE at 3 international shows from 3 different judges in 3 different countries. 97 points required for this award
National equivalent: SA Triple Grand Champion/Premier – 3 CACE/CAPE at 3 national or international shows from 3 different judges. 97 points required for this award
Grand European or Continental Champion/Premier – 3 GCACE/GCAPE at 3 international shows from 3 different judges in 3 different countries. 98 points required for this award.
National equivalent: SA Supreme Champion/Premier – 3 GCACE/GCAPE at 3 national or international shows from 3 different judges. 98 points required for this award.
SA Double Supreme Champion/Premier – 6 GCACE/GCAPE at 6 national or international shows from 6 different judges. 98 points required for this award.
SA Triple Supreme Champion/Premier – 9 GCACE/GCAPE at 9 national or international shows from 9 different judges. 98 points required for this award.
World Champion/Premier – 3 CACM/CAPM at 3 international shows from 3 different judges in 3 different countries on 2 different continents. 98 points required for this award.
No National equivalent for this award.
World Shows – One award received at a world show, where a judge from the extended board of WCF must officiate, counts as an award received in another country or continent. World shows are run according to a special set of rules and only one world show per year is allowed per country, under special license from the board.
CASA has had many successful shows already, in all the Regions. There are also several sub-clubs staging their own successful shows under CASA/WCF rules. There are many highly titled cats already in South Africa and a few cats with local WCF titles have been exported and carried on with their show career in their new countries.
The philosophy of CASA is to enjoy our wonderful hobby in a spirit of friendly competition, complimentary to any other existing cat organization and to use our energy to promote, build and improve in an environment where we feel welcome and appreciated. Let’s hope that all our members will be allowed and able to live our dream for a long time to come.
Apart from the standard classes on WCF shows, there are also additional side classes and rings which can be entered on a voluntary basis.
“Specials” are additional fun events, where cats of the same breed, or other defined category compete in a side show (or side class.) There are no specific rules and no specific titles awarded. However there is a lot of prestige associated with doing well in a special. This side class is usually judged by a judge well known to have a special interest in the breed. Winning “Best” in a special is indeed a special event, while being place very high in the scores really tells the owner and breeder of the exhibit something about the quality of the exhibit. The specials are not only fun, although that is an important part of it. This open style judging is often also very informative, with the judge discussing certain important of unique features of the breed and giving advice on some of the aspects in breeding and presentation, etc. of the breed. Cats doing well in the specials will most of the time automatically end up in the Best on Show line-up as well. There are also extra prizes to be won in the special side classes.
The WCF ring, which is additional to the standard classes, is open to any exhibit on a WCF show, and is probably the fairest system for calculating points towards Regional and National Top Cat scores and may be used in future for this additional purpose. See below the rules on the rings, as published on the WCF website.
WCF-ring
A WCF-ring may be conducted by each club, federation, which is a member of WCF.
The distribution is as follows:
Kitten-ring
Kittens with an age of 10 weeks to 10 months, regardless the class and sex.
Neuter-ring
Neuters older than 10 months, regardless the breed, colour and sex.
Adult-ring
Cats older than 10 months, regardless the breed, colour and sex.
Every cat, which was entered into the exhibition, may participate.
There may be awarded 10 prizes per ring as maximum. The minimum number of participants is 4.
If four cats participate, 2 cups can be awarded, if six cats participate, 3 cups can be awarded, if twenty cats participate, 10 cups can be awarded.
Split of the WCF-ring
Up to 39 participants the ring cannot be split, if there are more than 39 participants, the ring may be split. That means, starting with 40 participants in a ring, the ring may be split, but there must be at least 4 cats present in the second ring.
If 43 participants are present, a second ring may be organized, the split is voluntary
WCF-Master-ring
This ring is organized once per year and per country, permission is granted by the office of the WCF.
Participation in the Master-ring
In general the winners of the 1st and 2nd place of a WCF-ring, the winner of a Best in Show, the winner of Best of Best and World Champions / Premiors may participate in the Mater-ring, which is conducted once per year.
But if the WCF-rings are split, there is only one winner and the winner of the 2nd place may not participate in the master-ring, only the winner of 1st place of each part-ring can participate.
The winner of a Master-ring is entitled to be called MASTER and this title is registered in the pedigree.
Split of the Master-ring
The Master-ring may also be split in case of a sufficient number of cats present. The split is made in the way as for an ordinary WCF-ring. There must be at least 39 cats present in the first ring and 4 cats present in the 2nd ring, otherwise adult cats compete together with the kittens and the neuters in one ring.
