Cat Fanciers

• The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) began in 1906 and, as of December 2009, it is the largest pedigree cat registry in existence. The CFA holds a number of cat shows annually.
  
  

Show Breeds

• The CFA recognizes over 40 breeds as show worthy. This list includes the Maine Coon, American Shorthair, Persian, Bombay, Egyptian Mau and Siamese among several others.
  
  

Fun Fact

• Even mixed breed cats can compete in shows.Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Powi) (Per Ola Wiberg
  
  Cats need not be pure breeds to compete in a cat show. The "Household Pets" category has no breed standards and is open to domestic pet quality cats.
  
  

Classes

• Competitive cat classes include the Household Pet class, the Kitten class, the Championship class, the Premiership class, the Provisional class and the Miscellaneous class.
  
  

Classification

• Cat shows are classified as "all breed" or "specialty." An all breed show includes several coat types, while a specialty show will only involve cats that have similar coats.