The Turkish Van Site
Getting Ready for the Cat Show

What do you have to do to get your Turkish Van ready for their career in the show ring? The first thing to do while preparing for showing is training your cat to be amenable to the handling by the judges and the noise and activity level that they will encounter at the cat show. Shows are an alien environment and many pampered pets are terrified when they are first shown. The Turkish Van is a very intelligent breed and sometimes the friendliest of cats at home can be absolutely terrified when they go to a show. In order for a cat to do well at a show, and present themselves to others as the wonderful cat you know them to be, they must feel secure and relaxed. You can contribute to this by preparing them for a show career when they are young.

GC/TGC Pairodocs Piano Man showing his stuff to judge Paul Lahey

Getting Your Van Ready for Stardom:

Handle your kitten and get other family members, friends, and other visitors to your home to handle them also. Many different judges will handle your cat at the shows. It is best if your cat is used to being handled by a variety of people. Pretent that you are judging your cat. Stretch them out and carry them around the house. When the cat is being judged, the judge will inspect and handle all parts of the cat. They will look at their heads, feel their tails to ensure there are no kinks, check to make sure whole males are indeed intact (not a favorite of the male cats as you can imagine), and feel the musculature and boning of their bodies. Judges do this so that they may better evaluate how well each cat that they judge fits the standard of the breed. Cats that are difficult to handle (scared or wiggly) can often not be judged on all their characteristics and hence will not usually do as well in competition. Sometimes, cats will be so scared that they will act uncharacteristically by hissing or acting in a threatening manner. This is definitely undesirable in that most judges will not risk being bitten in order to judge a cat that is acting in a recalcitrant manner. Who can blame them? You want to handle your kitten as much as possible in order to minimize this possibility of this behavior at the shows. Sometimes, in spite of all of your efforts, your cat may not like cat shows. It happens and should not diminish your feelings for your kitty. Just accept that they cannot be shown and do not push them by continuing to show a cat who is obviously unhappy at the shows.

Pairodocs Jack Dempsey owned by Kris Dempsey with his first rosette

Now what do you do right before a cat show? If you are going to a cat show that requires an overnight stay, then you have to decide if you want to bathe your cat before you depart or once you arrive at the motel. If your cat gets carsick, then you have no choice in the matter.

While your Turkish Van may love diving in the tub with you, there is something about the "Cat Show Bath" that they don't always like. Make sure you thoroughly bathe your cat before taking them to a cat show. Their toe nails must be clipped (on all toes) so they cannot accidently scratch a judge (or you). Check their ears to make sure they are clean. Use cotton tipped swabs to gently remove any excess ear wax. Turkish Vans do not require extensive powdering, blow drying, clipping or other grooming techniques in order to prepare them for show. Most vans are so clean and fastidious they are almost show ready at all times. Powdering ruins their wonderful coat texture and the feel of their fur, in my opinion, although some breeders do use powders (baby powder or specialty grooming powders) on their cats. Each breeder I know uses a different combination of shampoos for their cats. These are shampoos especially made for cats and a great selection can be found at most cat shows. If your cat's coat feels greasy, it is recommended that they get a first bathing in diluted Dawn (or comparable) dish washing detergent. This helps remove the excess grease from their fur. If their coat looks a little clumpy, they should receive this first soaping in diluted Dawn (and then very thoroughly rinsed) before applying the show shampoo.

Shampoo well following the instructions (some have to sit for several minutes for best results) then rinse thoroughly with clean warm water (not too hot!!). When all the soap has been removed then you are done. Towel dry your cat thoroughly. Use that time to cuddle and reward your cat for their good behavior during their bath. Since the Van's coat has no undercoat, they dry relatively quickly. If your cat tolerates the use of a blow dryer (many hate it) then they can be quickly dried on the low setting. If blow drying is too scary for your cat, then you can continue to towel dry then comb until dry; let them air dry in a warm room (while combing out the fur periodically during the process); or place the kitty in a large carrier with a heater fan in front on low (not too hot!) blowing into the carrier to hasten the drying proess and prevent them from getting chilled. The main thing is to make bath time fun! Talk to your cat during the process and when shampooing rub in all their favorite spots. That way, they will look forward to their next bath! After they are dry, make sure to comb them out completely. This removes any dead hairs and prevents clumping in spots that may be a little damp.

More about showing your Turkish Van:

What you need to take to the show

Judging procedures at the show

 

 

 

 

 

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