Year 7’s Elsie May’s Purrrfect Summer
We’re so proud of one of our new Year 7s, starting this September, who is a big deal and one to watch on the pedigree kitten and cat show scene!
Talented and caring Elsie May’s main passion is collecting pedigree kittens.
Elsie is on the Young Exhibitors’ Stewarding (YES) Scheme, set up to help young people learn about cat breeds, their colours, coats and temperaments, the preparation that goes in to getting a cat ready for a show, and assisting stewards and judges during a show. She will also learn about the ‘standard of points’ for various breeds. This dictates how a cat of a specific breed should look and act, covering all aspects from eye shape to tail length to coat texture.
Stewards, like Elsie, go round with a judge, present the cats for judging, make sure the cats are happy and comfortable, check results slips from the judges and act as a sounding board for the judge. They are a key part of running a successful show. Many stewards join the The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) stewarding scheme which is the pathway to becoming a judge.
Young people are key to the success of GCCF in the future, helping to ensure that pedigree cats are bred responsibly and ethically. Most of all though, it’s about enjoying yourself and taking pride in showing your cat and sharing the joy of them with other people.
Elsie May said: “I feel so excited and proud. I’m looking forward to more shows and working up to higher awards whilst learning all about how to be a steward, which means I can become a judge one day. My dream is to breed Asian cats as well as one day maybe being a vet. When you show a cat, the most important thing is that they are happy and not stressed, so you must make sure that they have a bed, water, food and a clean blanket and litter tray in their pen. They also love to have lots of cuddles in between judging. You must also clean their eyes and ears, give them a groom and trim their paws. They also have to be checked by a vet before they go in. Maybe one day I’ll be a vet and a judge at cat shows!”
At a recent show Elsie’s kittens were a resounding success with ‘Noo’ who won both her kitten and breed class – as did another of her kittens, ‘Oaty’!
Elsie’s mum said: “When they’re kittens winning the class is just a nice thing to have but when they’re adults it’s the start of their journey to titles. Winning ‘best of breed’ means they are then judged against each other to decide who is best in section kitten. Noo also beat her brothers and Oaty to win the side class 1 section 5 kitten for under 6 months!”
Bravo Elsie-May! You should be smiling like the cat who got the cream.
Photo credit: Shirlaine Forrest.