Socializing the Show Kitten

by Anita Klinger

Reprinted from The Bengal Bulletin, June 1996

Preparing a kitten for the show ring is an endeavor that requires time, patience, and love. This begins with general conditioning that would apply to any kitten, whether it be a pet going to a new home, a breeder, or a show kitten. I am offering some suggestions, but I realize that this might not be practical for everyone depending on their cattery setup or their time schedule.

When my kittens are four weeks old, mom and the litter are moved into the living room. I have a holding cage where they can get used to the new surroundings, but as soon as they are comfortable. I let them have the run of the living room. There are usually a couple of older kittens and a couple of adult cats in the room also. My cats are pretty well socialized with each other, and the majority of them would have no problem getting along with the mother cat and litter.

Soon the kittens are old enough to discover climbing up into our laps. This may sound like I am stating the obvious, but I think that one reason my cats are so well socialized is that they spend an inordinate number of hours just sitting in our laps while we are watching TV or reading. When I pet them I also look at their ears, their feet, their throat, all part of what a person would need to do in the course of bringing up a kitten. I make it all very casual, no big deal to the kitten, and usually they just purr. This is the most important time of all getting them used to handling.

As the kittens get a little older I start to set them on the coffee table and take them through their show positions. I talk to them and tell them how beautiful and special they are, and they seem to realize they are getting admired. If one has a problem with a position, I will go through that position more often and reward the kitten each time with a treat. In general they seem to take the tone of my voice (one of great admiration) as a kind of reward as they arch their backs up to be petted, knead their paws on the table, and purr loudly. They like the attention. I want every kitten to feel equally important, so I do the show positions with all of them, whether pet or show quality.

At this point I can usually tell which kittens will be easy to show. Some of them stay relaxed through all the positions. Some of them tense up during one or more positions, so I make a point of doing those positions more often for those kittens. The most important thing is to keep it all casual -- just get up, run through the positions, sit back down and forget about it. After a while they get pretty used to it all. Baths, nail clipping, and car rides are all on the agenda for my kittens as part of their general socializing.

For a show kitten, I set up a small wire cage in a separate room, a bright light, and a table. I take the kitten in to a "new area", put it in the cage, take it out and go through the judging positions on the table. Usually the kittens have no problem as they are used to the routine on the coffee table, but once in a while I get one that gets very upset at being taken into a "new area", away from its usual surroundings. This shows me that that particular kitten would be more difficult at shows, but if I am continuing its show training, I just think up more "new areas" to set up the judging table for that kitten.

The biggest indicator I have found as to which kittens will be happy in a show hall comes when new people come into the room. The confident kittens will be curious and walk toward the new people, looking for some attention. The kitten that runs and hides when new people come is the one that will be afraid in the show hall. It surprises me which kitten might turn out to be afraid of new people or new surroundings. The kitten that is afraid of new things will adjust to a new home and bond with its owners, but it would require diligent practice to convince that kitty to relax in a show hall.

Anyone who is purchasing a kitten with plans to show needs to select a kitten that has a purrsonality that is confident in new surroundings and around new people. Each of us who shows a Bengal is acting as an ambassador for the breed. If you have a cat that is nervous or unhappy in new surroundings, you need to be prepared to work with the kitty diligently to build confidence. Sometimes if the cat remains unhappy, it is best to not force the issue of the show hall. If you are buying a kitten with the idea that you will title the cat when it becomes an adult, first you want to try your best to get a cat that will accept being shown. Then you want to show it enough times as a kitten so that when it becomes an adult it will be comfortable in the show ring.

People who buy an adult cat that was never shown as a kitten, then take the cat to its first show are generally making a mistake. The cat is upset at being in a strange environment, at being handled by different people, and by being around other cats. If an adult Bengal is "acting up" in the show ring just because it is at its first show and is scared and upset, all people see is a Bengal acting up. If for some reason a person bought an adult that had never been shown, and they were intent on showing the cat, they ought to at least take the cat "For Exhibition Only" for a show or two to see how the cat would behave. That would give the cat some time to adjust to the situation without having to be placed up in the judging ring. If the cat continued to be upset in the show hall, the owner might think twice about continuing. I have seen, as an exception, an adult male whose owner had worked with him so extensively that at his first show he was completely at ease with the situation.

When you have prepared your kitten for the show, be on the lookout in the show hall for things that might be upsetting to your kitten. We all know the horrible noise of the roll up doors, and if you were benched near one of those with a kitten brand new to the show hall, it would be worth the effort to put the kitten in a carrier and take it away if the door was going to be rolled up. That is assuming you had enough warning to be able to do that. One time I had a nervous kitten that was just starting to settle down in the show ring. Her number was placed on an end cage, so I put her in. The white plastic divider was not taped to the cage, and it fell over, terrifying her so badly that she was set way back. Had I known that might happen, I would have asked for a different cage or asked for some tape.

Cat shows are a lot of fun with cats that want to be there. One of my cats is at his very happiest when he is being carried around a show hall, getting attention from all sorts of different people. He is convinced that I drive hundreds of miles just so that 10 or 12 different judges will offer him their toys. Hopefully your kitten or cat will feel happy and special in the show ring, too.