Transcript What is ICAT? Prepared for World Cat Congress, June 2005

An introduction to
International Cat Agility Tournaments
World Cat Congress Annual Meeting
Christchurch, New Zealand
June 6, 2005
Presented by Kay DeVilbiss, President, TICA
© International Cat Agility Tournaments LLC 2005
What is ICAT?
ICAT provides a new category of cat competition
In ICAT competitions cats negotiate an agility course, designed
to display their speed, coordination, beauty of movement,
physical condition, intelligence and training, plus the quality
and depth of their relationship with their owner, who trains
them and guides them through the course
ICAT embraces the
following
3 ideals, which are
ICAT’s mottos:
Cat agility is fun for
you AND your cat
Play with your cat
every day
Focusing on the
beauty from within
History of Dog Agility
Dog agility made its debut at the Crufts Dog Show
in London in 1978, as a spectator amusement
between judgings
It was modeled on equestrian
stadium jumper competitions
It is the most rapidly growing
dog sport in the world
ICAT started 25 years after dog agility started
Exhibitors and spectators get caught up in
watching the lively, athletic race of the cats and
their handlers through the agility course, just like
they do at dog agility trials
History of ICAT
ICAT was authentically organized in 2003
by four cat show friends:
Vickie Shields,
Adriana Kajon,
Shirley Piper, and
Kathy Krysta
With horse, dolphin, dog and cat show
backgrounds, the ICAT founders knew how
beautiful cats could be when in motion, and
how to train and condition their animal friends
The first “proof of concept” ICAT event was held in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, in October 2003 at a
TICA cat show hosted by Enchanted Cat Club, of
which Vickie and Adriana are members. ICAT and
cat agility were a huge success!
This is Paparazzi, a Himalayan kitten, completing the first ever Clean Run
on an ICAT cat agility course! Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 2003
Many more ICAT shows followed, mostly at TICA
shows, but also CFA, ACFA, Independents, FIFe and
solo cat agility shows, in the U.S., Canada and Europe
What does ICAT do?
Registers cats - Pedigrees or registration
elsewhere are not needed. All cats are equal
and welcome in ICAT events
Nemo, a 10-year old domestic, the winner
in Florida, August 2004
Keeps a record of timed runs of Cats, Kittens,
and Junior Handlers at all scored ICAT events
Personal Best Time,
Faults, and
World Ranking
Timed Clean Runs
toward Agility Cat
Title (9 required)
Cat's Name
Breed or Domestic
Owner/Handler
Zoom
Bengal
Laurie Ann Bone
9:97 Seconds,
0 Faults,
World Record
8 Clean Runs
Packer
Bengal
Ree Hertzon
14:50, 0, 2nd
4 Clean Runs
Kodiak
Household Pet
Ann Shelby
20:00, 0, 3rd
2 Clean Runs
Shadowfax
Russian Blue
Amanda Bright
27:25, 0, 4th
2 Clean Runs
Dray
Abyssinian
Rene Knapp
28:08, 0, 5th
7 Clean Runs
Kurosawi
Japanese Bobtail Jeanne Johnson
28:64, 0, 6th
5 Clean Run
Durango
Turkish Van
Deb Hayes
36:19, 0, 8th
2 Clean Runs
Autumn
Abyssinian
Bruce Alexy
36:28, 0, 9th
2 Clean Runs
Cody
Maine Coon
Paula Dekartz
36:37, 0, 10th
2 Clean Runs
Trains and certifies
ICAT Agility Officials,
through apprenticing
sessions with ICAT’s
Agility Official Trainers
Trains the handlers.
Training the people
is just as important
as training the cats
Fast cat, slow handler
The social structure of the domestic cat is
a colony, not a pack, and thus the training
approach is different than with dogs
Agility Cat titles are awarded when earned by
adult cats over 8 months old
While kittens enjoy chasing toys and playing, they
aren’t truly professional agility cats, so kittens are
scored for time and awards, but not titles
 Kittens chase toys,
have lots of fun, learn
navigation of obstacles,
and get great exercise
Experienced adults plan 
ahead and are guided by
hands, toys, or target sticks
Designs and tests cat agility obstacles and
courses, gets veterinary approval, and
publishes the specifications for building them
3 levels of
difficulty, and
advanced
games
3' apart
Double Tunnel
12' long
3' apart
Weave Poles
enter either side
Tunnel
6'
2 Rail Jump
1' high
3' apart
3' apart
Tunnel
6' long
Platform Jump
1' apart
AGILITY
ARENA 32' x 32'
3' apart
Double Tire Jump
Finish
Ramp 1
Ladder
2" legs
Ramp 2
Low
Single Tire
Jump
3' apart
3' apart
Double Hoop:
Height top of lower edge 26 cm
Distance between tubes 5 cm
Tunnel
6' long
Start
6'
3' from fencing to obstacles, all the way around
Maintains a website, www.catagility.org, with
photos, discussion group, show reports, training
info, equipment and course drawings, newspaper
and magazine articles about ICAT cat agility
In summary, ICAT generally does everything it can
to encourage healthy, happy cats and playful catand-human interactions through ICAT cat agility
James and Spirit
Suzanne and Ziggy
Seth and Dancer
Who can hold ICAT events?
All cat associations and clubs (TICA, FIFe, WCF, SACC,
ACF, NZCF, CCA, CFA, ACFA, CATZ, GCCF, TCF, CFSA,
Independents, etcetera), all specialized cat agility clubs
(as in Canada), all shelters and humane societies, and
others -- as long as ICAT rules and course plans are
followed, for consistency of ICAT events around the world
Russelsheim, Germany, October 2004
Agility Cat Canada club holds 6-week training and practice sessions at
a community center, and now has some of the best agility cats in the
world, including the World Record holder, a cat aptly named Zoom
Strasbourg, France, November 2004
Good on ya, mate! A clean run!
Benefits of ICAT
The benefits of having ICAT as part of
the regular cat activities extend to:
Clubs
Cats
Owners
Associations
Benefits to Clubs
Increased regular ring exhibitors for your shows
Increased spectators, and happier vendors.
ICAT is great for show publicity, in magazines,
newspapers and for TV because it is visually
exciting
Supports club goals by
encouraging, healthy,
happy cats, and respects
the well-being of cats
A whole different group of people might become
cat fanciers and club members
Benefits to Cats
Health and happiness, respect, and encourages
bonding with owners
Household pet or mixed breed cats -- the majority
of cats owned as pets worldwide -- compete in
ICAT on equal footing with pedigreed cats, and
earn the same titles and
recognition in tournaments.
Being loved is what matters
Educates public about how
intelligent, beautiful, trainable
and companionable cats are
Benefits to Owners
Development of a close relationship between cat
and owner doing a fun, stimulating activity with
your cat at home and at shows
Worldwide competitions are the same
Excellent activity for children,
wholesome, educational
Earning ICAT Agility Cat titles
Increasing kitten sales if potential
buyers appreciate a kitten having
a family full of ICAT winners,
indicating a mentally and physically fit family of cats
Benefits to Associations
Encourages cat fanciers to work together to
promote the health, sound structure, welfare
and exhibition of all cats
Encourages the caring,
responsible ownership and
breeding of cats
Encourages a positive image
of cats as intelligent, elegant
pets, increases interest
Brings new people into the cat fancy, and increases
registrations for the associations
That’s beaut!
Cheers, Cheerio, Goodbye, Thank You
www.catagility.org