There should be a pinned post in this topic regarding showing. There are guidelines which include the features that the judges look for. If you cat doesn't have them, then they aren't going to do very well at the shows. You have a real cutie on your hands, but there is a LOT to deal with if you want to show your cat.

temperament is key for the comfort of your kitten and yourself. I learned this just a couple days ago.

If you read my recent post on this show thread, you can see that I just went to a show this last weekend with my "pet" girl and she did very well competition wise but was very unhappy. So she will never do another show.

Each cat has their own personality, and I learned that even a well socialized cat may not like being shown or being around other cats in one big room like that.

If you want to show her, you need to tell the breeder to get her used to being handled like she would be if she's shown. This is the advice the veteran show people and breeders gave me this last weekend as I withdrew myself from the last ring because my baby girl had enough. These experienced cat show people get their kittens very used to being stretched by the judges and being in those scary looking cages, by handling their kittens in that matter everyday and putting them in and out of a bare wire cage and giving them treats/ comforting them before and after. You can also gauge from these exercises if your cat will like being shown. I did not know any of this going into our first and last show. I assumed that since my girl was so friendly and eager to be outside of the house, that the show would be no big deal. I was wrong.

Now for the "show" quality of your kitten, I don't think is a big issue since at shows you do many different judging rings and each judge has their own opinions. One judge may think your cat meets the breed standards perfectly and another will find faults. The great thing is that you have many different rings/judges to go through in a show.

if you look up the TICA breed standards, the point system for a Bengal relies heavily on the Head type (egg shaped head, the puffy whisker pad, roundish eyes, strong chin, rounded ears) and then it goes to body (they prefer lean and muscular) , then coat (minimal rib bars and good contrast for rosettes if they have them) and then things like tail (they want medium and thick, my cat does not have a bengal standard tail her is long and skinnyish, but still won a best of breed with a judge who really like her head type and body).


Another thing I heard from the other experienced show goers is that statistically, Male cats of any breeds win / place higher more often because the breed standard is based on the male profile of that breed since they are bigger and have more prominent features. This is just what I heard though. I do not know if it is true.

I think the kitten you posted is very pretty and have great head type and would probably win alot of ribbons or at least place very high. But at the end of the day it is all about whether if the cat likes being shown or not.

Wow! Thank you so much for all the information you provided! I will definitely keep that in mind! You have no idea how much you've helped! I have a much better understanding now! Again, thanks!! :)

The handling by the judges is a must. Have you seen how the judges handle a cat? They stretch the cat out with their hands. Hold the cat from every angle to view the cat. They engage the cat in play with a toy. I would suggest you visit a cat show and observe what goes on.