Can declawed cats compete at Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) cat shows?

The answer is NO. I have the answer in two ways. On the CFA website they state that "At the October 1996 meeting the CFA Board of Directors also approved an addition to the show rules which disallows tendonectomy in show cats.”

Tendonectomy: the tendon that controls the claw in each toe is severed. The cat keeps their claws but can't control them or extend them to scratch. It is an alternative to declawing and almost as cruel.

So I found a partial answer on their website. But as I recall - I researched this about 6 months ago - there was no clear, in-your-face statement about declawing on their website. I would have liked to have seen one.

Anyway, I then emailed Charlene Cambell (CFA Animal Welfare - CFA Breeders Assist & Breed Rescue Pgm VP) and asked if a declawed cat was allowed to compete at a CFA cat show. Her response was NO.

Here it is:

Yes, a declawed cat cannot be shown in CFA. It is against the show rules.

Sincerely,

Charlene Campbell

So, there you have it. For the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) declawed cats are banned from competition at cat shows, which is the way it should be.

It'd be a travesty if it was any other way. 

P.S. there is also laser declawing but it is clear to me that any form of declawed cat is banned at CFA cat shows.

P.P.S. Charlene added later: 'If you search their CFA web site, they have written articles against declaw over the years!  That I appreciate.' Thanks Charlene.

Alternative cat show commentary of a Persian cat by a veterinarian

Alternative cat show commentary of a Persian cat by a veterinarian. Screenshot.

This video appeals to me because veterinarians have the status in society to have their voice heard and listened to. And there is a need to educate the public about the irresponsible breeding of Persian cats which has been going on for donkey's years with the acceptance of the cat associations. People should not be creating animals that are inherently unhealthy. Simple. Full stop. And yet it happens all the time because appearance trumps health in the cat fancy. It is worse for dog breeds. There are some horrendous stories. 

For instance, the Boxer has 74 inherited health problems thanks to unregulated selective breeding over a very long time which has reduced this breed to a living catalogue of major health issues.

Here is Ben's video on Persians.

I suppose I should not harp on about the Persian too much but it is the paradigm example of cat breeding gone wrong. Someone in the cat fancy decided in the 1950s that flattening the face of this once beautiful cat (c.f. the doll-face Persian) would make it more attractive. How did they figure that one out?

Clearly the peke-faced, punch-face in India, Persian is less attractive than the original Persian. The point is that it is more interesting looking. It is more extreme in appearance and people like something different whatever the 'product' is.

But in flattening the face they distorted the internal anatomy in the head which leads to health issues and breathing problems.

35% of Persians also suffer from PKD; polycystic kidney disease. This describes cysts on the kidneys. Not good, right? People should protest and stop buying the flat-faced Persian until the cat associations make it mandatory to breed healthy Persians by disqualifying all flat-faced ones from cat show competitions.

What kind of Bengal cat wins cat show competitions?

If you want to know the kind of Bengal cat which wins cat show competitions, you need to look at the breed standard (CFA or TICA) and while reading that have a look at a couple of photographs of two Bengal cats who have won competitions. This is exactly what I've done for this page. I welcome the views of cat breeders and judges etc. Please comment as much as possible.

Importance of the coat

Below you will see two winners. When I look at these photographs the most outstanding aspect of the anatomy which catches my eye is the coat and the nature of the markings. This is a high contrast coat and the rosettes and doughnuts ('donuts' in American English), as they are called, are very pronounced and sharp. The patterns are interesting and exotic. I think a lot rests on the quality of the markings.

Overall appearance

A cat that wins Bengal cat shows is going to be medium-to-large in size with a sleek, muscular build. The hindquarters are slightly higher than the shoulders and the "boning is substantial". This cat has a thick tail with a rounded tip. The head is expressive with a "nocturnal look". The markings are stunning with a wild appearance. The cat should be alert and active with an air of inquisitiveness but at the same time have a dependable disposition. Males are usually larger than females.

CFA cat show winner. Image: CFA

Glittering

The quality of the Bengal cat coat is unique to the breed. It is close lying, soft, silky and luxurious. Ideally it should be glittered. I've discussed that on another page (see below). The coat genuinely looks as though it is glittering as if it's been sprinkled with stardust.

RELATED: Bengal cat glittering.

Bengal cat glittering. Image: PoC.

Coat types

The CFA standard mentions two types of Bengal cat patterns and colours: rosetted/spotted tabby pattern and marble tabby pattern. The former is a coat covered in rosettes and spots with a horizontal flow to their alignment. 

The contrast between the pattern and the ground colour or background should be 'extreme' in the words of the CFA. The rosettes can be of many different shapes such as a round doughnut, open doughnut, pancake, paw print, arrowhead or clustered. These are preferred to single spotting. 

Other markings

The markings around the eyes and on the face should be strong and bold. The backs of the ears have a thumbprint. The colour of the chest and belly should be lighter than the other parts of the coat. The CFA likes horizontal shoulder streaks, spotted legs or a rosetted tail. The belly must have spots on it.

Bengal cat that has won at CFA cat shows. Image: CFA.

The marble pattern is sometimes called a blotched tabby pattern and is full of swirls. There should be high contrast between the markings and the background as for the rosetted coat. There should be sharp edges between the markings and the background. The markings are two toned. 

They say that there should be no resemblance to the classic tabby pattern and circular pattern or bull's-eye is undesirable. They are emphasising the fact that the tabby pattern of the Bengal cat is superior or different to the standard tabby pattern on a standard tabby cat. They prefer a random pattern and the more random it is the better. They like a stained-glass effect.

I've given you a flavour of how the survey relates to the coat pattern of the Bengal cat. It is complicated. There are lot of features to the coat that they are checking on. It is perhaps the most important aspect of the Bengal cat in terms of appearance.

There are many types of Bengal cat in terms of the coat type from blue mink smoke to black melanistic. I would recommend that you have a look at the CFA breed standard.

Negatives

On the negative side, the CFA disqualifies Bengal cats if the belly is not patterned when the cat is a rosetted/spotted tabby, marble tabby, charcoal tabby and snow tabby. They also disqualify when there is a distinct locket on the neck, chest, abdomen or anywhere else. If the tail is kinked or deformed the cat is disqualified. A cat with crossed eyes and 'cow hocking' with also qualify for qualification.

Just short of disqualification, Bengal cats will be penalised if the rosettes or spots run together vertically forming a mackerel tabby pattern. They'll be penalised if he or she has a circular bull's-eye pattern for the marble tabby. And if a snow tabby patterned Bengal cat has a "substantially darker point, as compared to colour of body markings" that cat will also be penalised.

Picture of ebony Oriental Shorthair show cat

This is a Flickr photograph by Terje Sund of a black (ebony) Oriental Shorthair (OSH) at, I believe, a cat show. The photographer describes the cat as a "world winner". I believe that this cat is female. The cat looks fierce but that's just chance and misleading which can happen sometimes in photography. The cat is simply opening their mouth at the same time as the photographer took the photograph. 

Black Oriental Shorthair show cat looking aggressive. Photo: Sund

It gives an impression of aggression but I don't think this is true at all. Although the ears are flat which sorta gives the impression that the cat is trying to protect them, a precursor to aggression. However, I think this too is misleading because often Oriental Shorthair cats are bred with ears that come out of the side of the head rather than are positioned on top of the head. 

This is selective breeding and it looks odd to me and I wondered why it should happen. It should be in the breed standard but it appears not to be. The ears are meant to be "very large with a broad base and pointed. They are set so that the outer edges continue the sides of the wedge". 

There's nothing in there which indicates that they should be horizontal! I'm referring, by the way, to the World Cat Federation breed standard. I have referred to that standard because I believe that this cat is in Europe and has been bred by European breeder.

I recently wrote a short article about black Oriental Shorthair cats. This is another one and I think black goes very well with this breed because it helps to outline the body shape which is very particular for this breed being very slender. The head, too, has a particular profile with a very straight line between the forehead and the nose.

The photographer describes the picture as: Black (ebony) oriental shorthair, OSH n. World Winner, females, 2010 (St. Etienne France) and 2011 (Poland). Coco Chanel's V for Vendetta.

Chinese Cat Show of Sorts

Bengal cat at a cat show Harbin China - Photo: NEWS.CN

9th July 2013: CHINA - Good news from China (as far as I am concerned). I sense a shift of attitude towards animals. Without wishing to be harsh there seems to be a tendency to treat animals as creatures to use rather than enjoy as companions, in parts of China. That is the impression I get from my travels throughout the internet. I have also been to China. Beijing, the capital of China has a poor history of treating stray animals. The cats of Beijing are sad.

However, following in the footsteps of India's first cat show, the cat lovers of China have arranged the national cat tour competition. One of the events takes place in Harbin. Harbin is the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The cat tour competition was organised by the Association of Small Animal Protection in China's capital Beijing. This has all the signs and sounds of a cat show run by a cat association and it looks like it to but the organizers are not a cat club or association, in name at least. They might be something better, a group of people who are concerned with small animal protection. They seem to be promoting their worthy and much needed cause through a cat show. There are almost no laws in China that protects animals never mind companion animals.

The Harbin event is one of many similar regional cat show events. There will be a final competition in December 2013. Cat shows and competitions can do good. They can raise awareness of the beauty of the cat and companion animals generally. They can get people to relate to cats and small animals in a different and more sensitive way. This must be a big plus for animal welfare. Perhaps the cat will lead the way to changes in animal welfare in China?

Black-and-White or White-and-Black Cat?

Here's a little dilemma. To be honest I have never given it much thought and probably shouldn't. We, who like cats, refer to black and white cats that have a coat made up of black fur and white fur. Obvious. Common sense. But have a look at this picture:

Main original photo by Mark Nockleby

In the old days it seems that when the cat had a predominance of white fur the cat was called a white-and-black cat (with the hyphens in between the words). The ground color is white with black markings on top. In fact they were considered "entirely different" to black and white cats.  In bygone days at cat shows black and white and white and black cats where exhibited and the general guide for success for white and black cats was that the black markings were evenly distributed over the white ground color in a nice balanced fashion.

For black and white cats the "chief points of excellence for show purposes are a dense bright brown-black, evenly marked with white". The classic black and white cat nowadays is what is termed the tuxedo cat and variations on it. The reference to brown-black in the quote is interesting because black fur is brown but today cat fanciers don't write about that in such an open fashion.

Note: Quotes from Our Cats and all about them by Harrison Weir. This book is available from Read Country Books (you can buy through Amazon). You can also download it for free on Kindle:

The Reasons For The First Cat Show

The first cat show in the United Kingdom was at Crystal Palace in 1871. The person who conceived the idea and managed its production was Harrison Weir. He was the first big character of the cat fancy. I think he is considered the founder of the cat fancy.

Harrison Weir

There may have been informal cat shows in England and the United States before then.  I am thinking, for example, of the farm shows in Maine, USA that included large long haired cats, the cats of Maine, the precursor to the famous Maine Coon cat.

I sense that modern day cat shows (2012) are mainly for the benefit of the cat breeders who exhibit their cats at the shows. People can visit but it's like being allowed to visit a private club with stalls attached.

It may be useful to hear what Harrison Weir says are his reasons for creating the first cat show.

He says, that his reasons were to get people who did not like cats to like them through observing their beauty and attractiveness. The idea was to get people to see the beauty in the domestic cat by observing "the different breeds, colours and markings..."

Mr Weirs says, "That is why I instituted this Cat Show; I wish every one to see how beautiful a well-cared-for cat is...." From Harrison Weir's perspective, the core reason for the cat show was to promote the domestic cat and thereby encourage people to like the cat better and to treat the cat better. Mr Weir was upset by the abuse of cats.

Harrison Weir goes on to say that he converted a friend who hated cats by inviting him to the first cat show. He met the friend while on a train going to the show! Mr Weir was nervous as to how the show would proceed. Would it be successful etc.? It was a great success.

Harrison Weir was pleased with the conversion of his cat hating friend. He says, "This is not a solitary instance of the good of the first Cat Show in leading up to the observation of, and kindly feeling for, the domestic cat."

It is clear to me that the cat show as founded by Mr Weir was about educating the public as well as allowing people to show cats. Perhaps that original purpose should be re-introduced. Modern cat shows are not about educating the public. However, there are many symptoms of ignorance about the cat (cat hatred and subsequent abuse) that would be cured with a bit of judicious education.

I would ask the cat associations to consider widening the appeal of the cat shows and introducing a section where people can learn about the cat.

Associated: The History of the British Shorthair 

Note: I have quote from Our Cats And All About Them by Harrison Weir. The book is published by Read Country Books who I believe have acquired the copyright.  I have been unable at this time to contact them for permission to quote short extracts. The quotes promote the book and do not detract. The article is educational. Accordingly, I claim fair use.

Strange Cat Show Picture 1950s

Cat cruelty? This cat fancier would probably be stopped and questioned about the possibility of being charged with animal cruelty under modern laws if it happened today (2012)! I have never seen a person carry around a cat, purebred or not, like this - unless the cat is dead or it's China - sorry China but I have seen a cat being taken to market to be killed for meat being carried like this.

The picture from Life Magazine¹ is of a Siamese cat breeder (I presume) carrying his Siamese show cats to the show in 1952. It is interesting on two counts.

J.W. Blackford carries his Siamese cats to show
Los Angeles cat 1952 (photographer unknown)

Are you as surprised as me to see this? I don't think it is as bad as it looks but it is not good particularly from a breeder or at least someone who knows cats and is heavily involved in cats.

It is not recommended for plainly obvious reasons to carry a cat like this. It could cause injury. These are show cats, purebred cats that are at a cat show to win a prize. I don't think this behaviour would enhance the chances of winning either. Mr Blackford says that Siamese cats are more muscular than most and his cats just relax when carried like this. He was criticised in another edition of Life Magazine (see picture). Note: Siamese cats are not more muscular than most.

The second point of interest is the type of Siamese cat in the picture. They are not what today I call "modern Siamese" meaning highly bred oriental shape (very slender) Siamese. These cats are what breeders would call "old-style Siamese". That was the only type of Siamese in the USA in 1952. Today there is an extensive range from super slender to more cobby or natural looking traditional Siamese.

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Note: (1) about publishing the picture here. The photo is 60 years old. Google allow people to embed the picture in their websites using the iframe tag. On that basis I have to make the presumption that I am licensed to publish it here in the conventional way using the img src tag. If someone thinks differently please contact me. The picture of the drawing is published under the same rationale.

Beautiful Norwegian Forest Cat

Photographed by Helmi Flick, here is a truly beautiful Norwegian Forest Cat. He has a nice name when he is not on the show stage, "G Baby" or "Guri". Of course his show cat name (I'll call it his stage name) is a lot longer: RW QGC/CH HattKatts Guri of ForestKatz. At the date of this post he is 7 years of age and he has a red classic tabby and white coat. And what a coat it is! This is a really stunning cat. So sweet, so NFC.

Beautiful Norwegian Forest Cat - "Guri"
Red classic tabby and white
Photo copyright Helmi Flick

I made a picture video a long time ago using Helmi's photographs and it has Guri in it. Guri is a stand out cat. Here is the video. You can see lots more beautiful Norwegian Forest Cats but Guri is the one that sticks in my mind.



Guri is a male breeding cat at ForestKatz. He has won many prizes and it is hoped that his offspring will do the same. They probably already have.

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The photo on this page is protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA).

Ruddy and Blue Abyssinian Kittens

Ruddy and blue Abyssinian kittens are adorable and Helmi is about to photograph them all together but on the second day of the Oklahoma City Cat Show it has been busier and more complicated that expected. Ken Flick had said that we would finish at 2 pm but a we had a lot of people who requested photos late in the day and we are still going strong at 3pm. The complication is that there is a storm coming and it is scheduled to come through the area at about 4 pm.

We are going to Ponca City after the show to meet with Kathrin and Martyn Stucki of A1 Savannahs. The question is whether we are going to be inconvenienced by the storm. The journey to Ponca City is less than 2 hours from Oklahoma City. It takes about 1.5 hours to pack up so it looks like we are leaving at about 6 pm. Then we go back to our hosts (Helmi's cousin) for a clean up. This all adds up to getting to Ponca City late. Anyway we did warn Kathrin that we would be late.

We are staying overnight at the home of A1 Savannahs and leaving them Monday to get back to Bedford, Texas.

For the Flicks a good cat is one that performs well in front of the camera and some are and some decidedly aren't. The better cats are usually the ones that are experienced with being shown.......Moving forward to the next day....As I mentioned, Helmi photographed 6 Abysinnian kittens at the same time. They were bred by Pat Harbert. Here is a snap shot from a video that I am making - please excuse the color cast! It is from a video and taken in florescent lighting.

Three Blue Abyssinian Kittens on Helmi Flick's
studio table being photographed. This photo has a slight colour cast.

Two Ruddy Abyssinian Kittens. Photo copyright Helmi Flick
The person is the breeder: Pat Harbert

See more on this: Two Ruddy Abyssinian Kittens

Why are there three Abys when I spoke of 6? Well, there are three more blue Abyssinian kittens, making 6 in all, and they were all photographed together but Ken and Helmi also like to reduce the number being photographed at one time and I think you can realise why! There are always some cats that are more able to perform in front of the camera and Ken tends to pick these out and focus on them. But the photo session of these kittens covered all 6 together through to individual portraits and they were adorable. Here they are waiting to be photographed:

Three Ruddy and 3 Blue Abyssinian kittens in a cage waiting to
be photographed by Helmi Flick. The 6th is on the left

Update: We are now in Ponca City and in an hotel about to get up and get over to A1 Savannahs to see their fantastic cats and meet Kathrin and Martyn Stucki. I'll get back on that and with a video on the making of the photographs of these gorgeous ruddy and blue abyssinian kittens.

The Photos: These are stills from a camcorder. There will be a video soon.

Update: Here is a video of these gorgeous kittens:

From to Home Page

Precious Show Cats?

Who said show cats were precious and had to be molly coddled (UK speak for handled very carefully and protected from the horrible world)? Well they don't really. They are just like any other cat, only more beautiful than most (sometimes, except for the over-bred "extreme type" cats, in my opinion). And here is a lovely Bengal kitten at a show enjoying himself as he or she would at home.



There is a lot of waiting to do at cat shows. And there is no better way than to play and this little one does it all the time. Bengals are active cats. They need to expend some energy. Maybe this is one reason why the breeder plays with her cat, to burn off some excess energy to make the cat more placid when being judged.

Another intelligent cat breed and one that needs our input (and who might get bored at cat shows) is the Sphynx. Here is one I met at the National Cat Club Show at Olympia in London:



Precious show cats? Nah..........

Cat Shows Thinning Out

Is it true that the cat shows are thinning out in the United States. The economy is bad and it is reported that there are less cat shows as a consequence. Cat shows are very important to the cat fancy not only as a place and event to promote a cattery (if your cat does well) but also as a routine meeting place for the breeders.

A cat show is a great place to meet fellow competitors and exchange ideas and views. This must be good for the cat fancy as a whole but I suppose the organisers of cat shows depend on entry fees and cat breeders may be considering cutting back for obvious reasons. It is more than just the fees. There is also the travel and some travel considerable distances and in addition most cat shows are over two days so there would normally be a hotel bill in there somewhere, for some exhibitors.

It all adds up in terms of cost and most breeders are not making a fortune out of the business. I'd be pleased to receive any comments from breeders on the front, the sharp end of things and who know best, if the media reports that cat shows are thinning out, is true.



Photo of Maine Coon at Cat Fanciers 2007 Show: by ~Sage~ and published under:

Cat Show in India

I have just noticed that they do have a kind of cat show in India. Actually it is a pet show that included cats, domestic cats, that is. Maybe it was more of a dog show. Dogs are more usually kept as pets in India probably because dogs can "do something" tangible such as be guard dogs. Cats don't seem to do anything but that is incorrect. Their presence is very beneficial to us, it has been proved in scientific research.


A nice picture of Namil Nadu by puss_in_boots.

The "pet carnival" took place in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. The show always takes place in Tamil Nadu, it seems. That is an extraordinary place, on the face of it, to have a carnival where companion animals are celebrated. This is because, in this state it is reported, and I have reported on this, as has this website: http://www.thaindian.com, where some farmers (a small number, I hope) eat the humble domestic cat (they are in fact, Irulas and Boers of Tamil Nadus Krishnagiri District). I dislike that immensely and I am not talking down to people or anything like that. I am just reporting what I read. These farmers think the domestic cat's blood has medicinal properties and all that kind of stuff. It is a bit like the beliefs of the Hindu swamis who wear rare animal parts, quite disgusting to me. I made a post on Some Indians Eat Cat Meat.

So, we have both the celebration of the companion animal, the domestic cat, and the brutal slaughtering of that animal (the cat's throat is cut) taking place in the same region of India. In fact the two events take place about 180 miles apart on my reckoning. Actually now I think about it, it seems like normal human behavior.

This is where Coimbatore is:


View Larger Map

Cat Show in India to Cats and the Law in India

Helmi Flicks Cat Show Calendar

Here is Helmi Flick Cat Show Calendar for 2009 and 2010 (2009 now archive material), for those of us who are fans of her cat photography. Ken and Helmi's professionalism is very high. If things change, I'll update the page.

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Cat Show Calendar 2009 and 2010:

Jan 16-18, 2009 Cherry Hill NJ – TICA Jersey State

[Jan 20, 2009 On Location Shoot, New Jersey]

Feb 14-15, 2009 Waco TX – TICA Heart of Texas Cat Show

Mar 28-29, 2009 Vinton LA – TICA Maine Coonfederacy

Apr 04-05, 2009 Atlanta GA – TICA Hotlanta Cool Cats Cat Show

Apr 25-26, 2009 Oklahoma City OK – TICA Thunderkatz

May 23-24, 2009 Wichita KS – TICA KansasKatz Cat Show

Jun 06-07, 2009 Fitchburg MA – TICA Mysticats Cat Show

[Jun 09, 2009 Private Salon On-Location Shoot – Gardner MA]

Jul 25-26, 2009 Pigeon Forge TN – TICA Southeast REGION
[Aug 01-02, 2009 Ken wrangles for Preston: Wichita Falls TX]

Sep 05-06, 2009 Orlando FL – TICA ANNUAL

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Jan 29-31, 2010 Edison NJ – TICA Jersey State Feline Fanciers

Feb 13-14, 2010 Waco TX – TICA Heart of Texas Cat Show

Mar 06-07, 2010 Providence RI – TICA Cats on the Beach Show

Mar 13-14, 2010 Denver CO – TICA Colorado Cats Cat Show

Mar 26-28, 2010 Houston TX – TICA Cat Rebel’s Confederacy

Apr 17-18, 2010 Mesquite TX – CFA North Texas Cat Show

Apr 24-25, 2010 Oklahoma City OK – TICA Thunderkatz

Jul 09-11, 2010 Houston TX – TICA Cat Rebel’s Confederacy

Sep 18-19, 2010 Wichita KS – TICA KansasKatz Cat Show

Oct 23-24, 2010* Atlanta GA – TICA *

Jul 23-24, 2011 Wichita Falls TX – TICA SC Regional

*Penciled in

Helmi Flick also likes to work at an international level and welcomes invitations. Ken and Helmi can be contacted at helmi [at] helmiflick.com. When you're probably the best cat photographer, the world is your work place. Ken wrote an article about their international cat photography experiences in Japan.

You can see Helmi and Ken working at the recent TICA Waxahachie Cat Show (Nov 22-23rd 2008).

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Previous years 2007 and 2008:

Cat Show Calendar 2007:

Jan 19-21, 2007 Cherry Hill NJ – TICA Jersey State

Feb 10-11, 2007 Waco TX – TICA Heart of Texas Cat Show

Mar 10-11, 2007 Phoenix AZ – CFA Superstition Cat Fanciers

Apr 07-08, 2007 New Braunfels TX – TICA Mission City

Apr 28-29, 2007 Oklahoma City OK – TICA Thunderkatz

May 12-13, 2007 Mesquite TX – CFA Nat’l Maine Coon Cat Show

Jul 07-08, 2007 Wichita Falls TX – TICA Maine Coon Connection

Jul 14-15, 2007 Raleigh NC – TICA Southeast REGIONAL

Aug 03-05, 2007 Grand Rapids MI – TICA Great Lakes REGIONAL

Aug 18-19, 2007 Waco TX – TICA South Central REGIONAL

Sep 08-09, 2007 Humble TX – CFA Stars & Stripes Cat Show

Oct 13-14, 2007 Tulsa OK – TICA T-Townkatz Cat Show

Dec 07-09, 2007 Corpus Christi TX – TICA T.I.F.S. Cat Show

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Cat Show Calendar 2008:

Jan 18-20, 2008 Cherry Hill NJ – TICA Jersey State

Feb 09-10, 2008 Waco TX – TICA Heart of Texas Cat Show

Mar 29-30, 2008 Houston TX – CFA World Cat Congress

Apr 05-06, 2008 New Braunfels TX – Mission City

Apr 26-27, 2008 Oklahoma City OK – TICA Thunderkatz

Jul 12-13, 2008 Waco TX – TICA Lone Star & NEKO Jr Achievers

[Jul 19-20, 2008 Wichita Falls TX – Ken Wrangles for Preston]

Jul 26-27, 2008 Orlando FL – TICA Southeast REGIONAL

Aug 16-17, 2008 Austin TX – TICA South Central REGIONAL

Aug 30-31, 2008 Arlington TX – TICA ANNUAL

Oct 03-05, 2008 Longview TX – TICA On Safari 2008

Nov 22-23, 2008 Waxahatchie TX – TICA Turkish Van Cat Show

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From Helmi Flick's Cat Show Calendar Helmi Flick Cat Photography

Cats Pilgrims and Thanksgiving

One the eve of Thanksgiving, for a cat lover it is apt to ask, "What have Cats, Pilgrims and Thanksgiving got in common?" Well, in 1620, the Pilgrims or English Separatists sailed from Southampton, England in the now famous ship, the Mayflower, on their journey to Plymouth, North America and it is pretty well common knowledge that cats were stowed on board as mousers. And, traditionally, the first thanksgiving is meant to have occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation in 1621.


A modern replica of the Mayflower - photo by Lady-bug under creative commons license.

In the 16th century cats were useful on ships in helping to protect limited food supplies from rodents. The culture of having a "ships cat" was and still is widespread. There is a sad news story, in fact, of a young person who threw the ships cat on HMS Belfast into the Thames this year. HMS Belfast (a tourist attraction now) is moored on the Thames, London, England. It is thought the cat drowned.

OK, we almost know for sure that cats came over on the Mayflower in 1620. The Mayflower was a privately commissioned ship and returned to England 6 months after arriving at Cape Cod. The journey took 66 days. It was a hard journey and the spread of disease was a constant threat.

At the time of this epic and famous journey there was no cat fancy (an organized group of people interested in cats). Nearly all cats in England at that time would have been the classic moggie or domestic shorthair cat. These cats are still the kind of cat that most people in England keep as pets. Only a small percentage of people keep purebred cats and the percentage is probably smaller in England than in the United States.


First Thanksgiving "The First Thanksgiving", painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863–1930). Published under a Wikimedia Commons license. User: Themadchopper .

Although I am speculating it is probably reasonable to say that the British Shorthair domestic cat brought over from England may have contributed to the development of the American Shorthair cat about 300 years later. The British Shorthair cat (as a purebred cat) is similar to the American Shorthair (purebred pedigree cat).

This, to me, begs the question whether there were any domestic cats in North America at the time the Pilgrims arrived. It would seem reasonable to expect that moggies did exist in North America in the 1600s but there is no record as far as I know of this. Apparently the first written record of the presence of cats in north America date from 1634 (src: Carolyn Travers, research manager at www.plimoth.org in Plymouth, Mass), 14 years after the arrival of the Pilgrims.

In which case the ancestors of the British domestic cats brought over by the Pilgrims could now be the ones that can be seen at, for example, a Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) cat show as "Household Pets". These are non purebred domestic cats that most people keep, which can be shown at cat shows.


Cats classified as "Household Pets". They are Cathy Aronstein's Household Pets, Bentley and Merlin that were at the TICA Waxahachie, Texas, cat show, 2008. The photograph is by Helmi Flick, copyright Helmi Flick and was taken at the 2007 South Central Regional.

Cats, pilgrims and Thanksgiving have lots in common and we can perhaps thank the Pilgrims for the cat fancy in the United States.

Cats Pilgrims and Thanksgiving to Home page

Cat photography with Ken and Helmi Flick

This is a post about cat photography with Ken and Helmi Flick at a cat show in Waxahachie, Texas on November 22-23rd 2008. Throughout these days I acted as an assistant to Ken and Helmi, helping to set up the studio and at the end of the day to dismantle it. If you would like to see more, you can see posts about preparation day and day one of the Waxahachie cat show.

Cat photography with Ken and Helmi Flick is exacting. There is a considerable amount of planning, organization and work that needs to take place in order to capture the kind of high-quality images created by Helmi and Ken Flick.

Ken's role is a vital ingredient in the process. Ken has built a studio table that can be dismantled, on which the cats are photographed. There are 4 flashlights. The main light is at the front (see below) suspended by a horizontal beam which is supported by two tripods at either side of the room. This allows Helmi free movement in front of the table, when photographing. This light is diffused and soft. There is a diffused light to the right-hand side as well. There is also a directional light behind and to the left, which provides a modeling edge to the cat and which picks out the body from the background. Finally, there is a small flashlight behind and below the cat which illuminates the background forming a pool of light to provide a central focus; the light falling away at the edges.

Cats are placed on a raised walkway about 12 inches or so wide. This helps to keep the cat in a confined area and positions the cat in terms of distance from the camera allowing for more precise focus and also allowing the small light referred to above, to illuminate the background. The picture below illustrates this:



The picture below shows the table in use. Helmi is photographing while Ken teases the pose out of this Bengal cat. This picture also shows the modeling light to the left and behind


Cat photography with Ken and Helmi Flick - Helmi Flick photographing a Bengal show cat at the Waxahachie cat show. The soft frontal light can be seen above Helmi's head.

On day two of the show there were some great show cats to photograph. Each cat dealt with the photographic session is their own way and some were better than others. In general, adult cats who are at their first show are understandably prone to be less sure of themselves and they can present challenges to Ken to get them in an attractive position for the photograph. Ken also says that the Burmese and the contemporary or modern Siamese, for example, can be more difficult to wrangle. While in general, Maine Coon cats, amongst others, are more amenable to being photographed.

Although some of the more experienced cats can strike a momentary pose for the camera, most of the photography is concerned with capturing fleeting moments amongst fairly dynamic movement. This has been teased out of the cat by Ken. It requires split second timing from Helmi to capture the moment, which is frozen with the flashlights. The Helmi and Ken team is a well oiled machine so there is a sort of predictability about the outcome, which makes timing easier but still very critical.

However, understandably, sometimes cats will be uncooperative in the studio. This is their right, of course. On occasion, progress can be made and a good image captured if the cat is left to her/his own devices. Rarely it is not practical to capture the desired photograph because the cat cannot be wrangled into a good position. Naturally, the cat's rights are always respected under these circumstances.

Here are two examples of how cat photography with Ken and Helmi Flick produces the desired result.


Cat photography with Ken and Helmi Flick - Ken wrangling a Bombay cat and Helmi capturing the image. Immediately after this moment the following photograph was captured:


Bombay cat - VINDOURO KALIENTE OF KATSNKLAMMS. The owner is Wendy Klamm. The photograph is copyright Helmi Flick.

The picture below show Ken actively teasing a Bengal cat into position. This was just before another great picture was captured by Helmi.



Photo above: Cat photography with Ken and Helmi Flick - Ken wrangling a Bengal cat and Helmi capturing the image. The picture below is the photograph that came out of this little session:



Photo above: Bengal cat - DGC KOSIKATZ THOTZI INDUNA INGWE - Breeder: Sherry Ellis, Owner: Jan Harrell. Photograph copyright Helmi Flick

It was fascinating and a privilege to see Helmi and Ken working. To those concerned with the technical aspects of photography, I hope you like this post and find it interesting.

From Cat photography with Ken and Helmi Flick to Helmi Flick cat photography

Helmi and Ken Flick at a cat show

Well, I'm here with Helmi and Ken Flick at a cat show in Waxahachie, Texas, which is about 50 minutes drive from Ken and Helmi's home in Bedford, Texas.

Having spent about 4 hours yesterday setting up the equipment this picture shows it in use:


Ken Flick is teasing the desired activity from a gorgeous cat, while Maranda Hull, the agent to the cat breeder, looks on and assists (when Ken needs it). The lighting for this picture is from the modeling lights on the flash lights. So this is not the lighting used for the actual photograph. The light looks brighter than it actually is. There has to be sufficient light for Helmi to see clearly to compose and time the shot but not so much that it has an impact on the photograph.

Here is the finished photograph:


Pixie-bob cat - Ansonroad Assam T - photograph copyright Helmi Flick. The agent to the breeder is Maranda Hull of Red River Bobis. The breeder/owner is Gertrud Keazor of Anson Road Cats a UK breeder based in London. Assam was 6 months old at the time this photograph was taken and is a brown spotted tabby.

Helmi and Ken use flashlight which is synchronized by light sensors. There are 4 lights in all. In the photograph 2 can be seen, one above and one to the left. There is one behind the cat to create a soft pool of light on the background and one to the right.

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See a lot more detail about how the Flicks do the photography, which was added after day 2.

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We had a steady stream of clients at this show. Watching Helmi and Ken Flick at a cat show in instructional. The level of professionalism is high. Sometimes almost every cat wrangling move by Ken produces the desired result and the cat completes his or her movement with the perfect pose and positioning, which Helmi captures. The last cat photographed was probably the best, a young and very pretty Ragdoll. The camera loved her just like, for example, the camera loved Audrey Hepburn. She was a starlet. Mind you all of them were great looking cats.

Sometimes, of course, cats are not so cooperative but always the desired result is achieved. The less cooperative cats are usually adults that are new to the cat show scene. Kittens are nearly always highly cooperative, however. Once the session is finished the photos are uploaded into a laptop computer for the client to view them in large format and then burnt onto a disc to take away. At the beginning of the session the client can see the first photographs from the camera screen.

Today we are back to Waxahachie, TX for the second day of the show. More pics and diary to come of Helmi and Ken Flick at a cat show. Update: See the diary and pictures from day 2 of the cat show.....more cat photography with Ken and Helmi Flick, which shows the photography taking place and the finished article.


British Shorthair cat - Sky - Blue grey coat and a lovely Brit SH face. She lives with Ken and Helmi and she is sitting next to me at this moment.

This morning, when I woke up, Helmi brought in a cup of tea for me. She also brought Sky, her champion purebred British Shorthair cat who looks fantastic and who has a lovely temperament. Sky is sitting on my clothes close by as I type this. It can't get better than that..................Wait Nox just walked in. He's a black Brit SH; a lovable cat and to stroke his dense and plush coat is a special experience.

Helmi and Ken Flick at cat show to home page