Many people are making decisions on getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Some are being forced to get vaccinated or face the loss of employment. I am fully vaccinated, but I had a breakthrough infection of COVID-19. Thankfully my symptoms were very mild and I had to do was isolate for 10 days. I recovered quickly and have not received my booster shot. Please talk to your doctor and discuss the risks and benefits of the vaccination. Being a nurse, I am well aware of the your right to refuse the vaccine based on health issues, religious considerations, and a host of other reasons why you may not want the vaccine.

Many shows are still requiring people to wear masks in our show halls, depending on local requirements. Some of our shows are starting to welcome back spectators to our events. When you get a good vibe from them, encourage them to join our organization and then become a mentor to them. We are seeing the mentors being fully utilized at many of our shows. Thank you to all those that are helping to get a NewBee matched up with a mentor. This will encourage the NewBee to stay with the hobby.

Reaction to the board’s decision on an end date for Catshows.us has caused much discussion in the cat world! Thank you to all that have contacted Allene Tartaglia and your board members. We need that continued input to make sure that the updated CFA website has all the information available for our exhibitors, allowing them to get the best result when searching for a cat show to enter. Allene is still compiling your comments!

Please stay safe and healthy.

Please consider the following:

We hope you will keep an open mind and give the revamped show calendar on the CFA website a try when it’s available in several weeks. Rather than releasing numerous updated versions of the show calendar as changes are incorporated, a fully revised version with all the enhancements will be released in November.

Thank you, again, for providing your input. Once the revised version is released, we’d like to hear from you again as we continue to refine the calendar and make it a user-friendly tool for you.

The following clubs were accepted at the October 2, 2021 CFA Board meeting:

Beyond Love Feline Fanciers, International Division - China; Ningbo, Zhejiang, China

China Ace Cat Club, International Division - China; Chengdu, Sichuan, China

Grassroots Cat Fanciers - Region 6; Angola, Indiana, USA

During the October 2-3 Board Meeting, the Board approved the 2 following Leave of Absence requests.

CFA Allbreed Judge Wain Harding, leave of absence: August 20, 2021 through February 20, 2022.

CFA Allbreed Judge Gene Darrah, leave of absence: August 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021.

CFA’s temporary Guest Judging Program for US domiciled Associations, will expire on October 31, 2021. This includes CFA clubs contracting judges from TICA, ACFA or CFF, or CFA judges accepting assignments from TICA, ACFA or CFF.

During the October 2-3 Board Meeting, the CFA Board advanced the following judges:

Mie Takahashi      

Laura Gregory (Longhair – 1st Specialty)

Pam DeGolyer (Shorthair – 2nd Specialty)

Here is an update on our newest candidates. The trainees in ID-other, from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand are working on handling training, and can see the finish line! They will do another set of handling videos and mock finals, and then complete a test, which includes show rules, judging program rules, and show mechanics material. They will have a closing interview where they will be asked questions by our coaches. We hope to have the CFA Board approve them at their next meeting.

At the last board meeting, the board was presented with the applicants for the second round of China Associates. There were more excellent applicants than we could accept, but the board voted for the following candidates. They will begin training in the next weeks.

The committee is excited to work with all the Associates to complete their goal of getting in the judging ring!

  At its October 2021 meeting, the CFA Board approved several changes to show rules. These rules will all take effect at the beginning of the next show season.

  This article discusses the show rule changes that were passed, all of which go in effect at the beginning of the 2022-2023 show season. Normally, that would be May first, but since the weekend of April 30-May 1 is a split weekend, it is actually in the 2022-2023 show season. The last show weekend of the 2021-2022 show season is the weekend of April 23-24, 2022.  With that, here are the changes that will apply to all show seasons starting the weekend of April 30-May 1, 2022.

At their October meeting, the CFA board passed a proposal from the June annual to change the male DM requirements from 15 qualifying offspring to 10 with a stipulation that the male has produced at least one grand since January 1st, 2016. Central Office is searching records to identify males that meet the new requirement. Once ready, the list will be posted in a newsletter or CFA news announcement so that people can check for their cats. CO will not automatically send certificates to the retroactive DMs because the addresses of owners may have changed. However, the owner may request a certificate. Further instructions will accompany the announcement when CO completes the search.

Did you know you can advertise your cattery and its accomplishments in Cat Talk?

Did you know readers from all over the world can subscribe to Cat Talk online via Magzter ?

Did you know vendors and small cat-related businesses can take advantage of special advertising pricing?

Check out our pricing, or contact Teresa Keiger for more details.

After a short recess this summer, the Virtual Competition Committee is back in business with a new CFA VCC event, this one featuring an “extra” conformation ring for blue cats (ALL colors are welcome to enter the other conformation classes and 8 fun classes; see event site for complete details). Entries close October 25 at 8 pm EDT. For complete information please visit the event site.

We are also looking to expand the VCC committee by one or two people, as we have found that many of the clubs interested in putting on a VCC do not have the person-power to handle all the related tasks. With a larger committee, we can take on a bit more and should be able to provide increased assistance to clubs interested in holding a VCC. If you’d like to find out more about the VCC Committee, please reach out to Iris Zinck, chair. And if your club would like to learn more about what’s involved in putting on a virtual event, you can write to Iris as well.

The Mentorship/NewBee programs have been very busy. People are being welcomed and guided during the cat shows with the help and coordination of our Regional Mentorship/NewBee coordinators. Making the new exhibitor’s first show a positive experience greatly enhances their entering a second show.

The Facebook page is very active with 5-10 people a week asking to join. Please complete the questionnaire if you are interested in joining the Facebook page. Unanswered questions on the application will not be approved. There has been a little slow down in people asking to be paired with a mentor, but remains very active. If you are interested in working as a protégé with a CFA mentor, complete the application at Protege Application – The Cat Fanciers' Association, Inc (cfa.org)

We need more mentors to work with the new breeders and exhibitors. Some of our Mentor Associates are working with more than one protégé and the Regional Coordinators need more names to chose from. If you are willing to help a new exhibitor or breeder, please complete the form at Mentor Associate Application – The Cat Fanciers' Association, Inc (cfa.org)

Thank you for helping our new exhibitors and breeders learn about CFA!

Some Massachusetts legislators are again trying to regulate cat breeders with proposed Senate Bill 1322. If enacted, personal catteries or kennels with five or more intact females used for breeding and selling the offspring would have to be licensed.

Click here for the complete article

What's Hot………… Illinois Pet Shop Law Amendments Signed; Horry County, South Carolina: Proposed Ordinance Revisions Include Pet Shop Sale Ban with Restricted Rescue Definition

Please report legislation happenings in your area to the Legislative Group – legislation@cfa.org  Visit the CFALegislativeNews Facebook page and the CFA Legislative Group Blog to see the current legislative news.

EveryCat Health Foundation's 5th annual "Cures4Cats" Campaign will highlight feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or HCM, the most commonly diagnosed cardiac disease in cats. The goal of the campaign is to promote awareness, provide information and education, and gather enough donations to fund much-needed HCM studies.

Watch EveryCat Health Foundation on social media during the weekend of October 16-17, 2021, for some live stream videos, informational posts and see some of the faces of HCM.

Through a generous matching sponsorship provided in loving memory of "Bu", your gift to the 2021 Cures4Cats Campaign will go even further, with the first $30,000 being matched, dollar for dollar.

Help us meet our goal by October 31st, and fund additional studies on Feline HCM.

To make your tax-deductible gift, click here

Not all estate planning involves making changes to your Will or Trust. Assets held in a manner that lets you name a beneficiary will generally pass directly to that person (or charity) outside of your probate estate. These assets may include life insurance proceeds, IRA accounts, certain annuities, pensions, or 401(k) plans. For example, you could name EveryCat Health Foundation a beneficiary to receive your IRA account upon your demise. Even bank accounts, credit union, or investment accounts may allow you to name a “payable on death” beneficiary to receive the asset upon your passing. Assets held in joint tenancy, often called joint tenancy with right of survivorship, may pass to the surviving joint tenant(s) when you die. Be sure to ask your tax advisor about rights of your surviving spouse if applicable. And please make sure you advise your attorney about all your assets when discussing your estate plan.

Our friends at Motel 6 would like CFA to continue to receive the 10% discount at participating locations by using the new updated reservation code of CPOAPHHT. There is a dedicated reservation site for CFA at www.motel6.com/en/cp/cfa.html or you may call 800-466-8356.

Welcome back to all of our Canadian exhibitors.  The border between the US and Canada is opening in November. Region 1 cannot wait to again see all of our friends from the Canada!

The Great Lakes region fundraiser show this past weekend in Mansfield Ohio was an amazing event! The show hall was clean and spacious. There was a lovely concession with a variety of delicious home cooked food to choose from. During the show John Colilla took a moment to recognize the past 2 years of Region 4 winners and their cats, which was followed by some yummy cake.

In addition we had our regional meeting to discuss both our upcoming regional banquet and show and our annual to honor the upcoming winners. The regional show and banquet will be held June 11-12, 2022 in Erie, PA at the beautiful Bayfront Convention Center. The show, banquet and hotel are all conveniently located in one place. Two weeks later get ready for some more celebrating at the Annual banquet in Louisville Kentucky. The weekend will start with a Friday night hospitality night, followed by Saturday exertions. The formal banquet will be Saturday night and will be a Kentucky derby theme, so get out your best hats for the the contest! Clearly lots to look forward to! Oh and of course, we got to see tons of beautiful kittens and cats this weekend , and most importantly got to spend time with our friends. Thank you so much to everyone who helped to make this weekends show run so smoothly. And a big thank you to all exhibitors who donated raffle items and who helped raise money for our region. All in all the show was a huge success!

The region currently has a couple of fundraising events going on for the 2022 Annual in Louisville. We’ve extended the raffle of the ¼ carat diamond pendant (originally to be drawn at the Houston Annual) until the Louisville Annual. Tickets will be available at various regional shows. Tickets are a donation of:

1/$5.00

4 tickets/$10.00

10 tickets/$20.00

Contact Nannette Schindler to purchase.

We also now have two different collectable 2022 CFA Annual pins. The larger one is $50.00 and will entitle the buyer to a free drink at the banquet cocktail hour.

(up to a $7.00 value)The smaller pin is $20.00 (picked up) or $25.00 shipped.

The buyers of larger pins can either pick it up at a show, or at the annual, or have it shipped to you. If you want it shipped to you, please add an additional $5.00 to the purchase price to cover shipping costs.

Contact Nannette Schindler to purchase. She will ship pin(s) out upon receipt of payment. Payment can be made by cash, check, or PayPal. The Paypal address for payment is njschindler@hotmail.com

Be sure to mark your calendar with our upcoming shows at http://www.cfagreatlakes.org/

The Midwest Region came out of summer with a BANG! Lots of shows this fall offering exhibitors a great opportunity to show off their kittens and cats.

The Twin City Cat Club has their 88th show in the books for 2021. Spectators were welcomed to the show hall in Crystal, Minnesota. This widely popular show featured a stuffed animal contest judged by Mary Auth, and Hello Kitty welcomed one and all with open arms.

Our regional celebration is being held in conjunction with the Cotton States' cat show on Saturday, Nov 6. Just a reminder that, in the style of Southern hospitality, EVERYONE is welcome!! Do let Teresa Keiger know if you will be attending so that we'll know approximately how many people to expect.

Plan to pick up a wristband in the show hall or at the door. Location: Holiday Inn - Infinite Energy Center Hours are 6-8, with hors d'ouevres and beverages available.

TODAY is the last day to sponsor one of our winning cats! https://cfasouthern.org/sponsorships-2021/

We had Terrestrial Cat Fanciers show on September 12 and Japan Tonkinese Cat Club show on September 26. Both shows were held as one day, six ring show in Tokyo. Entry of both shows were pretty good!! We are still having hot and humid days and exhibitors and cats are really waiting for the coming of the Autumn season.

In Autumn, we have many wonderful events all over Japan.

Do you know Japanese traditional flower arrangement called “ ikebana”? In Kyoto, there was big exhibition of ikebana by Mishyoryu-Sasaoka at the very famous temple, Seirei-in Monzeki. This temple has historical special relation with Imperial of Japan.

Regarding COVID-19, on the beginning of October, Japanese government did cancel the emergency alarm all over Japan. We can go out with mask and have meal in the restaurant with family or friends. We need not to show vaccine passport or other certificates of COVID-19. However, most people are very careful of next pandemic since nobody knows the reason why suddenly the number of infected persons dropped.

On behalf of the Persian & Exotic Cat Club (PNECC), I would like to announce that we have hosted a fun show and breed seminar at a pet-friendly shopping mall on 12 September 2021. We had 24 cats entered the show. We were very glad to have Royal Canin & Unipet as our event sponsors. Kit Fung & Suki Lee were the judges at this fun show. Ring judging was based on CFA mechanics as a way to educate people about our standards and to channel them in to CFA.

Feel free to contact me at  tkeiger@cfa.org