Trends in the showing of selected breeds of cats in Poland

The development of modern felinology has been influenced by the formation of federations bringing together lovers of purebred cats and the growth of the cat show industry, which has also led to the emergence of many new cat breeds. These breeds arose mainly as a result of single-point mutations and the deliberate crossbreeding of domestic cats with wild felines, which are referred to as hybrid breeds. Among the breeds resulting from mutations are Devon Rex (DRX) cats, and among the hybrid breeds are Bengal (BEN) cats.

The aim of this study was to analyze the exhibition history of selected purebred cat breeds (BRI, BEN, RUS, and DRX) at cat shows in Poland organized under the auspices of The International Cat Association (TICA) and the Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) - to compare the exhibition history of breeds with a long-standing history (BRI and RUS) with breeds that emerged in the 20th century as a result of point mutations (DRX) and a hybrid breed (BEN).

The analysis was based on show catalogs from the two federations (TICA and FIFe) covering the period 2012-2024. The analysis considered the presence of individual breeds at international purebred cat shows, gender distribution, show classes and categories, and the frequency of specific coat colors. The analysis accounted for the time factor (2012-2024), federations (TICA and FIFe), and their interaction on the specific traits analyzed.

A stable presence was demonstrated for breeds with a long-standing breeding tradition (BRI) and a new hybrid breed (BEN), alongside a clear increase in the exhibition of DRX cats (P<0.05). In 2020, there was a sharp decline in the exhibition of purebred cats, which was associated with restrictions on organizing mass events during the Covid-19 pandemic. In terms of gender distribution, female cats are exhibited more frequently than male cats, reflecting the natural structure of purebred cat breeding. The influence of the factors considered on the prevalence of most age categories, gender distribution, and specific coat colors was demonstrated (P<0.05).