Cat agility

Last updated
An American Curl performing cat agility. PR Siriuksen EeroCurl ACS ds 09 24 1.JPG
An American Curl performing cat agility.

Cat agility is a sport in which trained cats are lured through timed obstacle courses by their handlers. [1]

Cat agility contests, like similarly themed dog agility contests, are modeled after the equestrian sport of show jumping. [1] Under the rules, cats must complete a course in under 270 seconds, completing each obstacle in a prescribed manner. Lures such as laser pointers and toys on string may be used, but food treats are not allowed. [2] The obstacles are arranged in a circle [1] and include tunnels, steps, and poles. For a typical contest, there are between six and fourteen obstacles, and the winning cats complete the course in about ten seconds. [3]

The first known cat agility contest was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico by Vickie Shields and three friends in 2003. [3] By the late 2000s, the contests were popular worldwide, [1] with approximately 40 held each year in connection with cat shows. [3] In the US, the two largest cat fancy organizations, The Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) and The International Cat Association (TICA), both hold feline agility competitions which have been met with mixed success and popularity. CFA awarded its first National Agility Win in the 2006-07 season, with the top cat in Agility competition being Zehnder's Twyla Mooner of Hitails, a blue Abyssinian female. Twyla was born in 2005 and competed in--and won--her first agility competition as a five-month-old kitten, without ever having any prior training, or practice in, running an obstacle course. [4]


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Shorthair</span> Breed of cat

The British Shorthair is the pedigreed version of the traditional British domestic cat, with a distinctively stocky body, thick coat, and broad face. The most familiar colour variant is the "British Blue", with a solid grey-blue coat, pineapple eyes, and a medium-sized tail. The breed has also been developed in a wide range of other colours and patterns, including tabby and colourpoint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modern pentathlon</span> Five-event Olympic sport

The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event is inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the ancient Olympics. The modern pentathlon was first held in 1912, and its rules have changed several times over the years. The latest structure, as of the 2020 Olympics, consists of three separate events for fencing, swimming, and equestrian, which determine each athlete's starting time in the final event. The last event, called the laser-run, alternates four legs of laser pistol shooting followed by an 800 m run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maine Coon</span> Breed of cat

The Maine Coon is a large domesticated cat breed. It is one of the oldest natural breeds in North America. The breed originated in the U.S. state of Maine, where it is the official state cat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentathlon</span> Combined sporting event of five contests

A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente (five) and -athlon (competition). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games. Five events were contested over one day for the Ancient Olympic pentathlon, starting with the long jump, javelin throwing, and discus throwing, followed by the stadion and wrestling. Pentathletes were considered to be among the most skilled athletes, and their training was often part of military service—each of the five events in the pentathlon was thought to be useful in war or battle.

Lure coursing is a sport for dogs that involves chasing a mechanically operated lure. Competition is typically limited to dogs of purebred sighthound breeds. The AKC has a pass/fail trial for all breeds called the Coursing Ability Test (CAT) and a timed 100 yard dash called Fast CAT where the dog's speed is converted to points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egyptian Mau</span> Breed of cat

The Egyptian Mau is a small to medium-sized short-haired cat breed. They are one of the few naturally spotted breeds of domesticated cat. The spots of the Mau occur on only the tips of the hairs of its coat. It is considered a rare breed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cat Fanciers' Association</span> American Cat Registry

The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) was established in the United States in 1906. The CFA is currently the world's largest registry of pedigreed cats. Originally headquartered in Manasquan, New Jersey, the CFA moved to Alliance, Ohio in 2010. The association's stated mission is preserving and promoting pedigreed breeds of cats while also enhancing the well-being of all cats. CFA's first licensed cat shows were held in Buffalo, New York and Detroit, Michigan in 1906. The association today has a known presence in Europe, China, and Japan along with its well-established activity in the United States and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriental Shorthair</span> Breed of cat

The Oriental Shorthair is a breed of domestic cat that is developed from and closely related to the Siamese cat. It maintains the modern Siamese head and body type but appears in a wide range of coat colors and patterns. Like the Siamese, Orientals have almond-shaped eyes, a triangular head shape, large ears, and an elongated, slender, and muscular body. Their personalities are also very similar. Orientals are social, intelligent, and many are rather vocal. They often remain playful into adulthood, with many enjoying playing fetch. Despite their slender appearance, they are athletic and can leap into high places. They prefer to live in pairs or groups and also seek human interaction. Unlike the breed's blue-eyed forebear, Orientals are usually green-eyed. The Oriental Longhair differs only with respect to coat length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siberian cat</span> Variety of cat

The Siberian is a centuries-old landrace of domestic cat in Russia, and recently developed as a formal breed with standards promulgated the world over since the late-1980s. Since 2006, the breed is recognised for registry and championship status with all major cat registries.

A cat show is a judged event where the owners of cats compete to win titles in various cat registering organizations by entering their cats to be judged after a breed standard. Both pedigreed and companion cats are admissible, although the rules differ from organization to organization. Cats are compared to a breed standard, and the owners of those judged to be closest to it are awarded a prize. Moggys are judged based on their temperament. Often, at the end of the year, all of the points accrued at various shows are added up and more national and regional titles are awarded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wife-carrying</span> Sport where men carry women through an obstacle track

Wife carrying is a contest in which male competitors race while each carrying a female partner. The objective is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle track in the fastest time. The sport was first introduced at Sonkajärvi, Finland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian at the 1912 Summer Olympics</span> Equestrian at the Olympics

The equestrian program at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, included five medal events. There were individual competitions in dressage, eventing, and show jumping. Team scores were also gathered and medals awarded for teams in the eventing and jumping competitions. Equestrian had been absent from the Olympic program since the 1900 Summer Olympics, making the 1912 Games the second time the sport was featured. Ten nations competed: Belgium, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the USA. Only Sweden and Germany were able to supply a full team for all three disciplines, with several countries having several riders and horses used in two or even all three disciplines. A total of 88 entries ran in the three events, with 62 riders and 70 horses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rabbit show jumping</span> Animal sport

Rabbit show jumping, also known as rabbit agility or rabbit hopping, is an animal sport where the animals are led through a course by their owners, modelled after horse show jumping. It is typically conducted in a closed, indoor arena, with obstacles scaled to suit the rabbits. Competitions have been held in the United States and several European countries. As rabbits are common domestic pets, some owners train their pet rabbits for this sport.

A cat registry or cat breed registry, also known as a cat fancier organization, cattery federation, or cat breeders' association, is an organization that registers domestic cats of many breeds, for exhibition and for breeding lineage tracking purposes. A cat registry stores the pedigrees (genealogies) of cats, cattery names, and other details of cats; studbooks, breed descriptions, and the formal breed standards ; lists of judges qualified to judge at shows run by or affiliated with that registry, and sometimes other information. A cat registry is not the same as a breed club or breed society. Cat registries each have their own rules and usually also organize or license (sanction) cat shows. The show procedures vary widely, and awards won in one registry are not normally recognized by another. Some registries only serve breeders, while others are oriented toward pet owners and provide individual as well as cattery memberships, while yet others are federations only deal with breed clubs or even other registries as intermediaries between the organization and breeders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dog agility</span> Dog sport

Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles. The handler's controls are limited to voice, movement, and various body signals, requiring exceptional training of the animal and coordination of the handler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFA International Cat Show</span> Annual cat show hosted by the Cat Fanciers Association

The CFA International Cat Show is a cat show hosted by the Cat Fanciers' Association. The Cat Fanciers' Association was founded in 1906 after it separated from the American Cat Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Cat Association</span>

The Canadian Cat Association is a non-profit organization in Canada whose mission is to promote the welfare of all cats in Canada, maintain a registry of pedigreed cats in Canada, and further the improvement of all breeds of cats in Canada. CCA-AFC is Canada's only globally-recognized national cat registry, with its pedigrees and registrations accepted by major global associations such as the Cat Fanciers' Association, The International Cat Association, and Fédération Internationale Féline. To date, CCA-AFC has registered over 190,000 cats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obstacle course racing</span> Sports discipline

Obstacle course racing (OCR) is a sport in which a competitor, traveling on foot, must overcome various physical challenges in the form of obstacles. Races vary in length from courses with obstacles close together to events of several kilometers which incorporate elements of track, road and/or cross country/trail running. Courses may include climbing over walls or up ropes, monkey bars, carrying heavy objects, traversing bodies of water or mud, crawling under barbed wire, and jumping through fire.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Agility competitions for cats gain popularity". Associated Press. 2010-01-28. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01.
  2. Brian Stillman. "Cat Agility Proves It's Not Just a Dogged Sport". ZT Pet News. Archived from the original on 2010-01-12.
  3. 1 2 3 Sharon L. Peters (2009-01-28). "Agility contests for cats? It's purr for the course". USA Today.
  4. "CFA Feline Agility: Twyla Takes the Leap". Archived from the original on 2014-10-29. Retrieved 2014-01-08.

http://agility.cfa.org/twylas-story.shtml Archived 2014-10-29 at the Wayback Machine