Introduction:

　　The full name of CFA is: The Cat Fanciers’ Association, INC.

　　CFA is a non-profit organization registered in the United States, established in early 1906. Initially, CFA was a very small group, but it has now become the institution with the most registered purebred cats worldwide. Currently, CFA organizes more than 400 shows annually around the world, with over 30 different breeds participating.

　　The purpose of establishing CFA:

　　1. Improve the welfare of all breeds;

　　2. Promote and improve the breeds recognized by CFA;

　　3. Register cats;

　　4. Formulate and issue cat show rules;

　　5. Organize cat shows conducted under CFA rules;

　　6. Enhance the welfare of breeders and participating cats;

　　Competition rules:

　　CFA is currently the world's largest purebred cat registry organization. At CFA cat shows, besides groups for CFA-registered cats, there is also a Household Pet group to allow non-CFA registered cats to participate, thus promoting cat welfare.

　　The following brief introduction hopes to give everyone a preliminary understanding of CFA's competition system.

　　At CFA cat shows, cats are divided into four groups for competition:

　　1. Kitten group (Kitten) for kittens aged four to eight months that are registered with CFA.

　　2. Championship group (Championship) for unneutered cats aged eight months or older registered with CFA.

　　3. Premiership group (Premiership) for neutered cats aged eight months or older registered with CFA.

　　In the Championship and Premiership groups, cats are further divided into Open Class, Champion / Premier, and Grand Champion / Grand Premier classes for competition.

　　Open Class

　　Cats participating in their first cat show or those who have not been upgraded to Champion must participate in this group. Cats earning four Champion Winner’s Ribbons in the Open Class can be upgraded and join the Champion group competitions; these four ribbons must come from at least three different judges. Note: In CFA international regions, due to fewer shows, four ribbons are sufficient for promotion, while cats in other regions require six ribbons for promotion. Grand Champion Group cats that accumulate 75 points can be upgraded to compete as Grand Champions. Note: Outside international regions, 200 points are required for promotion. As with any competition, there are awards, and different colored ribbons represent different awards.

　　Using the Championship group as an example, the Seal Point Siamese judge will select first to third place male and female cats in the Open Class, awarding blue, red, and yellow ribbons respectively, with the highest score receiving the Winners Ribbon. Similarly, judges select first to third place in the Champion and Grand Champion groups; the highest scoring Champion cat is crowned Best Champion and receives a purple ribbon.

　　The six Seal Point Siamese cats that win first place across different levels and genders will compete for Best of Color, receiving a black ribbon. If a first-place winner at a certain level/gender wins Best of Color, the second place at the same level/gender will join the other five first-place winners to compete for Second Best of Color.

　　There are four color divisions in Siamese cats - 1. Chocolate point, 2. Seal point, 3. Lilac point, 4. Blue point. After Best of Color and Second Best of Color are determined in each division, the cats compete for Best of Breed honors, receiving a brown ribbon, and Second Best of Breed receives an orange ribbon. The same competition structure applies to each breed. Finally, judges conduct a final competition among all Best of Breed and Second Best of Breed winners, selecting the Top 10 Cats.

　　Award ribbon colors within the same breed:

　　First Place Male/Female: Blue

　　Second Place Male/Female: Red

　　Third Place Male/Female: Yellow

　　Open Class Winners Ribbon: Red, white, and blue stripes

　　Best of Color: Black

　　Second Best of Color: White

　　Best of Breed: Brown

　　Second Best of Breed: Orange

　　Best Champion: Purple

　　4. Household Pet group (Household Pet) includes non-CFA registered cats, both kittens and adults, with a minimum entry age of four months; adult household pets aged eight months or older must be neutered to participate. Household Pet group competitions are the simplest with no specific appearance standards, so different breeds compete together.

　　Judges score cats based on health, condition, and performance.

　　The Household Pet group Merit Award ribbon is red and white striped.

　　The brief information above hopes to help everyone gain further understanding of CFA cat shows and enjoy both the cats and the judging process in the future.

　　Note: The biggest difference between CAA and CFA in competition rules is that after the lowest level judging, the meaning of black and white ribbons differ: CAA's black ribbon indicates first place in the color group of the same class, and white ribbon indicates second place in the color group of the same class, whereas CFA's black ribbon represents overall first place in the color group (including all classes such as Open, Champion, etc.), and white ribbon represents overall second place.