The final of the international cat exhibition “Golden Grand Prix of Belarus – 2026” takes place in Minsk

The largest in the country Minsk club of cat lovers "Mr. Cat" celebrates its 25th anniversary. The anniversary is timed to coincide with the international cat exhibition “Golden Grand Prix of Belarus – 2026”, in which 188 representatives of the cat family from Belarus and Russia take part, the correspondent of the Minsk-Novosti agency reports.

Ears, legs and tails

In total, more than 30 breeds were presented at the competition. They brought even single copies from Russia, such as Chausi.

Chairman of the Minsk club of cat lovers “Mr. Kot” Vitaly Kuzako, who is a member of the jury team of the competition, told how four-legged handsome people are evaluated:

- We work according to the rules of the World Cat Federation WCF. There are certain standards for each breed. For example, a British Shorthair cat’s ears must be medium-sized, wide-set and slightly tilted forward. And the Maine Coon - wide at the base and have a vertical supply. Experts evaluate all the features of the animal: the shape of the head, eyes, ears, body, length of the tail and limbs, proportions and other characteristics.

In addition to demonstrating appearance, pets participate in special rings. There, experts assess the nature of the animal and once again examine the external. Aggressive manifestations, dissatisfaction, unwillingness to show themselves can affect the assessment. An animal that calmly behaves in the ring, openly shows its merits and goes to contact an expert, gets an advantage.

The winner of the exhibition will receive a cup. This honorary award is an indicator of the status of the animal, nursery and breeder. Absolutely all participants of the exhibition will leave with gifts: food, couches, houses and other goods for animals.

The story of one cat

Three-year-old cat Jessica, one of the exhibitors, came from Moscow. She represents the aboriginal breed Kuril Bobtail at the competition. Long-haired beauty took first place in many nominations. According to her owner, professional breeder Olga Terentyeva, Jessica is almost perfect: she has a compact but heavy body and a backbone, high legs and a short ponytail.

“The Kuril Bobtails were found by geologists and military in Soviet times on the Kuril Islands closed at that time,” Terentyeva said. Only in the 1990s enthusiasts organized expeditions and took out the first 15 animals. The cost of such kittens is an average of 800-1000 dollars.

Exhibition programme

Until 18:00 there is an entertainment program for visitors. Every half hour on the central stage, the contestants compete in different categories. Experts will tell the audience about the features of cats, and in the final ten will be determined the best.

Activities from the exhibition partners are organized for children: a win-win lottery, quests and tasks with questions for which you can receive gifts.

The program will end with the Best in Show competition – the jury will select the best animals in four categories: among hairless, shorthaired, semi-longhaired and longhaired cats. And, finally, determine the “star of the exhibition” – the owner of the Grand Prix.

Photo by Sergei Pozhi