American Cat Breeders Association / Judges
Judges
Trained for years.
Trusted everywhere.
FIFe calls its judges, “besides the cats themselves”, some of the most important representatives of the cat fancy. They carry the federation’s values into every show ring. Here’s how they’re trained, and how to start on the path in the United States.
One category at a time.
The FIFe Judges Training Programme, which FIFe describes as the most comprehensive and intensive in the cat fancy, is governed by the FIFe Rules for Judges & Student Judges. Judges qualify in the four breed categories one by one.
- Step 01
Student judge
Training starts as a student judge in a first category, under the FIFe rules and the compulsory seminars.
- Step 02
Category judge
Pass the exam for a category, then train for the next. Each judge’s profile lists the categories they hold.
- Step 03
All Breed Judge
Pass the fourth category exam, usually about seven years after first appointment, having seen at least 1,900 cats in training.
By the numbers.
From the FIFe Judges List. A judge can hold more than one category, so the category counts overlap.
Where judges live: the six countries with the most.
- 25Sweden
- 23Italy
- 22Finland
- 19Poland
- 11Netherlands
- 10Norway
Student judges.
FIFe lists its student judges by country of membership and category. The next compulsory seminar runs online this November.
11, 18, 25 & 26 November 2026
Online, in four evening sessions. It’s for student judges in their first category, and judges who wish to attend. Registration is through the form linked on FIFe’s event page.
Student judges on fifeweb.org ↗Judging in the USA.
Interested in training as a FIFe judge? The path starts with FIFe’s student judge programme. Get in touch and we’ll point you in the right direction.
- Ask the AssociationContact us →
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the eye for it?
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