jobie
Petz Walker
Posts: 96
Petz Versions: 4
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Post by jobie on Jan 12, 2019 22:05:36 GMT -5
Hello! I'm having a heck of a time getting my cat, RC, to place in shows. My poses just aren't good enough I guess. xD I've read the guides and I've been zooming in making sure her legs are aligned, but I must be missing something. Sometimes she has that extra line on her front leg, but I can't get a pose where it's not there? Here are some of her best poses (I think?). Any advice on what I'm doing wrong or what I need to look for? My other cat is doing fine in the show ring, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong with her. Maybe because of her Cali looks and personality? This is the pose I've used for shows a few times. Set 1: I think this is the best set, with the left one being the best? But I'm not sure if it's better than the current one I'm using? Set 2: Her eyelids are extremely uneven here, but I want advice on her alignment and tail mostly. Set 3: I think this is the worst on alignment for the front legs.
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Post by Ratqueen on Jan 13, 2019 13:10:32 GMT -5
Calicos are not easy. They present 3 different difficulties some other breedz or mixies might not have:
1. The Calico personality often produces uneven eyelids, which an experienced judge should not count as a fault in most cases. However, if there is another Calico-personality cat in the show you entered and his/her eyelids are more even, it should place higher than the uneven-eyelid one. So, of course, you will want the most even eyelids as possible to give your cat the highest chance in any show.
2. The front legs. Calico's front legs (recognizable by their width and slant) never align 100%. They will always show a tiny bit of the other leg's black line behind, either on the left or right side. The question is how much. Again, an experienced judge will know what is achievable for a Calico front leg (it's usually a few pixels of line, no more) and want your cat to be as close to that as possible.
3. The Calico tail. That tail doesn't curve as much as others, and sometimes shows a little *unwanted* bend at the end. A good judge will know what is achievable for the Calico tail when the cat is optimally aligned. So, the Calico tail should be curved evenly all the way to the tip (even though it doesn't curve a whole lot), without any part of it being straight or bending the other way, even slightly.
My quick opinion about your poses above:
First line: Cat is not optimally aligned, as it shows a bit too many pixels to the right of the front leg. This also transfers to the tail that doesn't seem curved as much as desired.
Second and third lines: These four poses have the best alignement overall, which I can pinpoint to the front legs alignments showing the least pixels from the other leg. So then I look at the tails and find the 2 on the left have a slight bend near the tip, which is a fault in my book. Out of the other 2 on the right, the top one has the most even eyelids, so is favored over the other one since their tails' curve are basically identical.
Fourth line: These poses show a bit too many pixels on the left side of the front legs, but they're acceptable for a Calico leg (but since I know it can be better, as in the 2nd and 3rd lines, I will personally count it as a slight fault). But, because the cat's alignement is slightly more to the left (which is why pixels show on the left of the front legs instead of the right), it makes the tail appear as having a better/stronger/more even curve. The one on the right has a better/more even curve *for a Calico tail* in my opinion, so I prefer it.
All in all though, I think the right-hand pose on the second line is the best: least amount of pixels showing on the legs, best/most even tail curve for a Calico tail, acceptable eyelids.
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jobie
Petz Walker
Posts: 96
Petz Versions: 4
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Post by jobie on Jan 13, 2019 20:02:10 GMT -5
Of course one of my favorite catz is a difficult breed. xD Thank you so much! It is so hard to tell with the legs for me when it gets down to whether or not there are too many pixels or not. And I was thinking the tail was better in the left poses because of its curve. I really appreciate your opinion and advice for this, thank you!!
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Post by Thor on Jan 14, 2019 20:53:45 GMT -5
I want to say this was also super helpful to me as well, as I am currently posing a Calico type breed. Thank you so much for the time you've put into explaining things, RQ <3 (for some reason I thought they were easier than Honey Bears, but I prefer my Honey Bear now.... x3)
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