Which events happen when judging

One gets to know almost all possible facets of human life, unfortunately not always at their best side.

I was just e newcomer amongst the judges in the shorthair category and had to judge a large amount of blue British Shorthair and some few lilac British. All cats were so beautiful, that the selection for nomination was a rather difficult task. I took a lilac British male, a lovely Teddy bear. One exhibitor, whose blue British male had not been nominated by me, almost died from a heart attack and started to scream quite loud on me. I would not have any experience in British Shorthair, his male would have won Best in Show frequently. I would not breed British and should retain from judging the British. But, my lovely lilac Teddy bear won unanimously Best in Show amongst the seven shorthair judges present at the panel.

I judged red self and red tabby Persians. One exhibitor was quite nervous and arguing, if his red tabby male would also change his tabby pattern with me. The poor exhibitor had received already 4 different judge's reports, and every time his cat had another pattern, once it was a Red self with ghost markings, once it was classical tabby, then it changed to become mackerel, and last but not least the cat was also spotted. 4 CAC, but unfortunately no 3 equal reports and thus no champion title. When I asked the exhibitor for the pedigree of his cat, he was quite surprised and told me, that I was the first judge to ask him for the pedigree.

I had to judge Cornish Rex, the group of all pointed. And this can sometimes become a difficult task, in particular when the pointed cats are with white. I do remember very well on a cat, which had already very high titles and over sudden started to change its colour from one judge to the other, like a chameleon. Once the cat was sealpoint with white, once it was a sealpoint Tonkinese-point with white, once it was a chocolate Burmese-point with white. The cat rather had almost all colours from seal to chocolate with all possible points from Tonkinese-points to Colourpoint. What does an exhibitor or breeder feel, whose cat won already several titles and starts to change its colour from one exhibition to the other? Often the request for the pedigree clarifies many errors, and - believe it or not - those exhibitors always carry the pedigree with them.

The majority of exhibitors is disappointed and leaves for their home feeling sorry, when they do not win all the prizes for their cats they desired. But some exhibitors can become quite embarrassing and file complaints. Once a colleague had to judge the so called x-colours in Norwegian Forests, which are recognized now as amber colours, and asked me for a counter-signature because of the colour. I was quite surprised, because the cat had won Best in Show as Blue Golden, but had no blue colour or dark tipped hairs on its entire body. After the show I searched for the cat, and I found it in the x-colours group, named as chocolate and cinnamon, where the cat had been presented on a recognition show. I also found the very same cat in the winners' list of the year as blue golden. Sometimes judging is full of surprises.

I am always very sorry, if some colleagues talk about how ugly the cats had been they had to judge. Are there existing really ugly cats? Does not every cat appear to be the most beautiful and most lovely cat for its owner? Is not every cat a little piece of artwork of nature? One cat complies with its stand more, the other less, but each one is beautiful in its very specific way.

As allround judge I have to judge many cats of very different breeds. Thus I judge also often Manx, a lovely breed very interested in everything. I do remember well of a gorgious, quite large tabby with white male Manx, a very keen boy. First he inspected all my papers on the table and made a mass of them. At least he decided that it is boring to sit on my judge's table, jumped down and disappeared into the hall. The exhibitor seemed to know that procedure already and called for his male. And, indeed, the Manx male hopped back, stopped in front of my table, begged like a dog and jumped back on my table, as if nothing would have had occurred. This male had won Best in Show quite often. Some years later I had to judge once more a tabby with white Manx male, which looked like an image of my dear boy. And, in fact, it was his son, who had got the same keen temperament like his father.