So you'd like to
show your Ragamuffin? 
For Show Schedules: ACFA - www.acfacat.com
CFA - www.cfainc.org AACE - www.aaceinc.org CFF - www.cffinc.org
TICA - www.tica.org
The RagaMuffin is Championship in ACFA, AACE, CFF & UFO.
RagaMuffins are a Miscellaneous Breed in CFA.
RagaMuffins are accepted for Registration in TICA.
Helpful tips for the perfect show bath for your muffin!
The very first item on the agenda should be the nail clipping. Clip them just as short as possible....front, dew claws AND the back claws, too! The judges always appreciate the short claws and you may well appreciate it too, as you proceed with the bath! lol The next thing is to clean the ears thoroughly. Hopefully, no one has ear mites....but should you notice a black, grainy, gooky substance in the ears....take them to the vet for an Ivomectin treatment right away. You certainly don't want your baby to be suffering with creepy crawlies in the ear nor do you want to be embarrassed by taking a kitty to a show with parasites! A thorough cleaning, an Ivometin shot now and another in two weeks is all that is needed. The old way of treating with ear drops twice a day is/should be history! Of course, you want to be sure that kitty has no fleas. Advantage a week prior to the bath will insure that you are flea-free. And, don't forget that kitty could pick them up at the show, so Advantage will protect him while at the show, too. Wouldn't want to bring home any hitch-hikers!
Now....we are finally getting to the bath! Nails are clipped....ears are cleaned. Take a soft, damp cloth and wipe kittie's face well. Pay close attention to the eyes and nose. There are those little creases around the nose that sometimes collect dirt, so be sure those are cleaned. Be sure there is no "sleep" in the corners of the eyes. You will want to do this again just before the show, plus during the show before each ring. If your kitty is a whole male, pay close attention to the tail. Does he have stud tail? It's that icky, sticky stuff on the top of the tail that just absolutely doesn't want to be removed! If he does have stud tail, it would be a good idea to start treating that area as soon as possible to have it under control by the time you are ready to bathe. There are a couple of things you can do to start working on it. One of the most effective is to use Fuller's Earth (generally available through compounding pharmacies....they may have to order it for you.) It's not terribly expensive, and will last a long, long time. Most of your chain drugstores dont' have it and can't get it. Boys will tend to have the stud tail starting to return between bath time and show time....working a little of this into the tail and then brushing prior to show helps a lot! Be sure that it is ALL brushed out before taking your boy to the ring! If the judge picks him up and there's a little pile of powder left in the cage, they will automatically deduct points! And, for those who don't know.....girls can have stud tail, too! So, pay close attention to those tails! You can also start working on the tail a week or so ahead by putting just a few drops of baby oil into the goo on the tail. Work it in with your fingers until the hairs are separated. Then, work some Goop (described a little later) into the tail...rinse well with warm water. Follow this with a washing with Dawn dish detergent. Rinse well and repeat. You may need to repeat the Goop, too. It's really important not to use too much baby oil and even more important to clean it all out! If you start doing this and using the Fuller's Earth, you shouldn't have any trouble with the tail on bath day. If you let it wait and build up, you're quite likely to have a bald tail when the bath is over!!! Using a mechanic's waterless handcleaner....such as Goop....wipe it all over the kittie's coat from the neck to the tip of the tail. You do not need to work it into the coat, just put it ON the coat. This breaks down the waterproofing that a cat naturally has and will allow you to get him wet much easier. It will also help to remove the oils that are in the coat. When you are finished you want an oil-free coat...one where each hair separates....so this is a very important step. Let this stand for just a couple of minutes and then rinse well. Now for the bath itself.... There are as many theories on what shampoos to use as there are shampoos! Usually the first bath should be with Dawn...again, to remove all the oil that is in the coat. Dilute the Dawn in a little water and microwave it for a minute or so. It is believed that warming it makes it work even better... There are some tricks to applying shampoo, too. Dip a damp washcloth into the solution and wipe it over the cat from neck to tail. Then, take a small brush....a fingernail brush, a small hairbrush, even a small scrub brush works well....never suds the coat using your finger tips as this can tangle the coat and break the hairs of the coat. Run the brush through the coat all the way down to the skin. The bristles will take the cleaning solution to the skin and clean and separate each hair...cleaning it far better than if you rumpled it with your fingers. After you've run the brush through several times, rinse well. Now, kitty should be basically oil-free and you can go to the shampoo..... If your kitty has white on it, or if the kitty is blue, silver or shaded using a shampoo called Shimmering Lights works wonderfully well. It really whitens the white and also intensifies the contrasting colors as well. This shampoo can be bought at most stores, like Wal-Mart or beauty supply stores. There are some other shampoos that enhance the color, too...such as Tomlyn's Fiery Bronze for reds and browns...and Black Sapphire for blacks. These can be bought through Revival Animal (www.revivalanimal.com). Shampoo with the shampoo twice, rinsing well after each application. Now, this is an important step....a white vinegar rinse. If you have a place where you can immerse the kitty, that is definitely the best way to go. With kittens, I use a stock pot, fill it with water, a couple of glogs of vinegar (probably 1/2 cup to a gallon or so) and immerse the kitty right up to the neck. Keep him in there until the coat floats....then, you know that all traces of shampoo and soap have been removed. If you're bathing an adult, you probably don't have anywhere that you can completely immerse him. I put some water in the sink and put as much of him in there as I can and then pour the vinegar solution over the rest of him. There are no conditioners or texturizers required for our kitties. Take kitty out and give it a thorough clear water rinse. Ring well....lol I always hold them up and run my hands down them....kinda like wringing out the wash! Just removing as much water as possible. Wrap your baby in a thick towel and just hug him for a while....absorbing as much excess water as possible. I usually take a second towel and do the same. They love this little time of loving and the more moisture you can remove, the faster the drying time will be. You can use a regular hair dryer for drying....If you have a kitty that takes well to blow drying, that's great. They are few and far between! lol But, if you do, blow the hair against the grain. You want it to stand up. What I usually do is to blot them as much as possible and then put them into a carrier. Never use more than a "warm" setting as you don't want to overheat the kitty. The velocity of the air moving around him is more important than the heat.... After he's been in the carrier for about 10 minutes, take them out and fluff the fur with your fingers. When fluffing, be sure to fluff that on the legs and feet as well as the body. You want that fur to dry standing away from the body as much as possible. On the legs, it gives a substantailly boned look which is desirable. You can take you little comb...a flea comb works great for this and just comb it "up". Repeat this procedure until he's dry. He should be silky clean, fluffy and beautiful. Each hair should be standing by itself.... It's utterly amazing what a good bath can do! A practice bath is strongly recommended to be sure that you have the procedure down "pat" prior to the actual show bath. That way you know what to expect, how long it takes, etc. Generally show baths are given on Thursday prior to the show so that there is a little bit of oil returned to the coat....just enough. One thing that is often left unsaid....when you return home, remember that he has been exposed to heaven knows what at the show! A good bath with a bacterial/fungal shampoo is a really good idea! Health Guard from Revival does a good job after the show. If you're unable to bathe them after the show, you can spray them with Trifectant and that works well, too. When you go to the show, you will want to take Fuller's Earth, some baby powder (for powdering spots that have gotten "tacky" like behind the ears)...that is if the fur is white! lol Also some static spray is handy once in a while ...your combs and brushes, of course. Cotton balls, wash cloth, waterless shampoo (in case he gets "something" on him) a small towel to dry with, treats. Of course, cage curtain, litter box, water from home, food, food dish and water dish. Ask your vet for a couple of Centrine tablets in case kitty gets loose stools. This will stop it pronto!
What to expect at a cat show
A cat show is composed of a number of separate, concurrently running, individual shows held in the various judging rings throughout a show hall. Each show is presided over by a different judge who presents his or her own awards independent of the decisions of other judges. Hence, a cat which is chosen Best in Show by the judge in Ring 1, may not always be give the same award by the judge in Ring 2.
Every cat entered in the show is evaluated by each judge, and judged according to a written standard for its breed (with the exception of the Household Pet Class, for which there is no written standard). The standard is part blueprint because it describes the ideal specimen for the breed, and part constitution because it can be revised by the members of the breed council. A breed standard is precise enough to allow judges to evaluate cats accurately, and flexible enough to leave room for differences in interpretation between judges of keen eye and good intention.
Individual rings can be classified as either allbreed or specialty. In an allbreed ring all cats, regardless of coat length or type, compete for various awards. In a specialty ring only those cats of similar coat length (or type) compete for awards.
After a judge has examined all the cats in
the allbreed competition - or all the cats of similar coat length (or type) if he or she
is doing a specialty ring - it is time for finals: the curtain call wherein the judge
presents the top ten cats in show. The moment every cat show exhibitor lives for is that
moment of exhilaration when your cat is held aloft and proclaimed "Best Cat in
Show"!
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