Showtime Elegance: the Art of Grooming Your Cat for a Show

Depending on the breed of your cat, grooming your cat for a show is not as simple as bathing your cat and clipping her nails before the show. But it doesn’t have to be overly complicated either. The most vital part of getting your cat ready for showing is maintaining a healthy and well-groomed coat whatever it takes for your breed. It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes regular maintenance and good nutrition.

How to Present a Well-Groomed Cat at a Cat Show

You should always present your cat in a well-groomed manner. Grooming and presentation is important in all classes, but it is especially important in Household Pet/Companion Cat class where there is no specific structure and standard to use to judge the cat. Doing your best job grooming your companion cat for the show ring can give her the edge on her competition.

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Brushing

Regular brushing and combing tangles but also distribute natural oils through Kitty’s fur, giving her a shiny appearance. You need to brush your cat’s entire body, including areas she might not appreciate – like her belly and tail. Work with her fur, brushing in the direction the coat grows, concentrating on one section at a time. Kitty needs to be tangle free before you move on to the all important show bath.

Eyes

There are a lot of things that you need to stay on top of day to day to present a really beautiful cat in the show ring. Keeping her eyes clean and healthy is one of those things. The morning of the show you’ll need to clean your cat’s face using a damp white facecloth or cat-safe wipes. But you’ll need to remove any discharge daily to keep her face clean and stain-free.

There are several tear stain removers specifically designed for cats on the market. These products are formulated to effectively remove tear stains without causing any harm to your cat’s delicate skin and eyes. Look for effective products that have a proven track record of successfully removing tear stains on cats and preventing their recurrence.

Related Post: Tear Stains in Cats

Ears

Clean ears are especially important for household pets because it is one thing that judges can actually check and most of them do. Check your cat’s ears regularly for any signs of redness, discharge, or odor. Make sure your furbaby doesn’t have wax, dirt, or debris in his ears. 

Wash his ears with ear drops when you do his bath. Then use ear wipes to clean the visible part of his ears before the rings start.

Trim Kitty’s Nails

Show rules specifically say that all nails, front and back, need to be trimmed. This is for the judge’s safety (and yours too if Kitty flips out while you are carrying her back and forth to a ring.)

You don’t want to clip them short enough to “quick” her, but you want to do more than just take the pointy part off. 

Look at your baby’s nail. Clip at the top of the C that is formed by her claw. You want to have a nice blunt end to her nails. Check her claws the morning of the show if you do your show grooming early in the week. You’d be surprised at how quickly those claws can get sharp, especially in kittens. 

Use a set of clippers that is easy for you to use and designed for pets. Make sure your clippers are sharp so they snip the claw and don’t crush it. 

Related Post: How to Clip Your Kitty’s Claws

Bathing

This is what really separates a well-groomed show cat from the average cat. A real show bath is an actual bath, with water and a good quality cat shampoo appropriate for his coat. This is not the time for dry shampoo or some sort of waterless foam or gel “bath”.

No matter what type of coat your cat has, a bath is essential. It gives your cat the shiny, luxurious fur the judges want to see.

Don’t settle for a cheap pet store shampoo, human shampoo, or dish soap. Get a good cat shampoo designed for your cat’s coat. Don’t use anything with heavy conditioning. Cats don’t need it.

Personally, I’m a fan of Chris Christensen’s Top Cat product line. Many of my groomer friends like Chubbs Bars. If you have Persians, look into Castlebaths Anna line. I used to use it when I showed my doll-face Persian in Household Pet. 

The key to a good bath is the rinsing. You need to rinse thoroughly between each product you use. Rinse until the water is clear and then rinse more. Rinse, rinse, rinse and then rinse again. You can’t rinse too much. I add a little diluted cider vinegar to the last rinse and then rinse that out. The coat should feel “squeaky clean” and have some resistance when you run your hand over it wet. 

Trial and Error When Grooming Your Cat for a Show

There is a trial and error process in grooming show cats. Some cats look best immediately after being groomed so you want to do them as close to the show as possible. Other coats need time to settle after grooming and need to be washed a few days before the show. My Ocicats should be done Wednesday, my household pet is best done on Thursday and, ideally I wash the Ragdoll on Friday.

Even your water can make a big difference. I used to wonder why my Persian looked so much better when I washed him in the hotel instead of at home. I finally figured out that my water at home was really hard and it affected how my products were rinsing out. He was left with residue in his coat. I switched products and got a better result.

Your breeder should have hints and tips. Talk to other exhibitors of your breed that are showing great looking cats and get good comments from the judges and see what they use. Sometimes a judge will give you helpful tips after the show if they think  you need help with grooming.

Example of a Show Bath Routine

This is what works for my current cats. My show cats are a chocolate-point mitted ragdoll, a black and white household pet, a cinnamon ocicat and a chocolate ocicat. This is what we use to groom them before a show. You would want to swap out the products and steps to suit your cats.

• Top Cat pre-bath degreaser
• Top Cat Clarifying Shampoo
• Wonderful Whites shampoo for the ragdoll and my household pet. 
• Gorgeous Golds shampoo on our ocicats.
• Top Cat Body Boost
• Top Cat Finishing Rinse

Towel dry the short hairs breed. Wrap them up in a warm towel. Replace the towels until Kitty is dry. I very lightly spray Chris Christensen’s Precious Drops on both my household pet and the ragdoll before towel drying my short hair. I blow dry the ragdoll with a high velocity pet dryer. Make sure Kitty is dry all the way through and comb as you work to prevent tangles or curls from developing. I start blow drying from tail to head to dry the undercoat and build volume. Then I blow him out from head to tail. 

I keep a dry shampoo product for cats and an anti-static spray in my grooming bag for the show hall. We have a chamois to shine up the ocicats.

Breed Specific Grooming

Some cat breeds require specific grooming to look their best at a show. For example, Persians need their face shaped to feature an open expression. Trimming the fur around the eyes and shaping their cheeks gives them the desired rounded look. Learn how to do this when Kitty isn’t in the middle of a campaign. It takes time for his fur to grow back if you mess up. I learned the hard way.

The Cornish Rex needs to have his marcel wave looking perfect, and the Selkirk Rex has to have perfect curls. You wouldn’t want to blow dry a rex breed, you’d get frizz instead of the lovely curl. There are products that improve the curl.

You’ll learn by experience – and hopefully your breeder’s able assistance the first few shows – what products and processes work for your kitty’s specific needs. It isn’t unusual to spend hours grooming a Persian but an Ocicat or Oriental might be fifteen minutes and done.

Summary

With the variety of coat types and textures, even among cats of the same breed, your choice of products will be something you will have to learn for yourself. No one product and process fits all types of coat. Ask your breeder and fellow exhibitors what they use and how they use it. Practice with your kitty but don’t try something new the week before a show. 

From regular brushing and bathing to facial grooming and nail trimming, every aspect of grooming enhances your cat’s appearance in the show ring. You can’t ignore Kitty’s grooming for weeks and hope to make up for it with one show groom. A perfectly presented show cat starts weeks before the show, not the night before.