CFA President Darrell Newkirk |
After nearly 18 months we are seeing a decrease in the morbidity and mortality rates from the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC has just updated their mask and social distancing guidelines. People who are fully vaccinated need not wear a mask nor social distance, except in crowded conditions such as public transportation. It is recommended that you continue to wear masks when you are in a crowded situation, e.g. traveling by air, bus, and trains!
Plans are going smoothly for a successful CFA Virtual Annual meeting. Practice sessions are currently being held and we are getting some good feedback from those that are attending those practice sessions. Thank you Central Office staff for the work you are putting into this endeavor.
We have over 300 registered delegates for our Virtual Annual meeting, thus meeting the quorum requirement set forth in the CFA Constitution. The Amendments and Resolutions have been posted on the CFA website. Please review them. As I have stated in prior messages, our constitution is out of date and does not comply with New York not for profit law. Additionally, our articles of incorporation are outdated and they are presented for ratification.
Enjoy the beautiful summer weather and see you next month on the Zoom Virtual Annual meeting!
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Allene Tartaglia, CFA Executive Director |
The 2021 Virtual Annual
All things about the Virtual Annual can be found here
Be sure to participate in at least one of the practice sessions in preparation for this year’s Virtual Annual. The complete schedule of sessions is located online here . The link specific to the Zoom meeting is included for each practice session. Anyone can attend any session and you can attend as many as you’d like. The sessions are grouped by time zone on the chart. You’ll learn basic Zoom meeting functions and have the opportunity to practice voting. Details regarding delegate check in (on Tuesday, June 15) will be reviewed in addition to other material. Each practice session is scheduled for an hour. A discussion forum is available to post comments regarding the pre-noticed amendments and resolutions In conjunction with the virtual Annual will be meetings normally associated with an Annual: board meetings (Thursday and Sunday) and the meetings the board has with Breed Council Secretaries and ID reps on Saturday. A schedule of events will be available soon on the Annual Meeting page. Be a part of CFA history - - Be a part of the 2021 Virtual Annual!
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Carol Krzanowski, Committee Chair |
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The following clubs have applied for CFA membership and will be considered at the June 17, 2021 CFA Board meeting. Anyone wishing to submit comments regarding the applicants should do so in writing and send the comments to Committee Chair Carol Krzanowski no later than June 1, 2021.
As stated in the CFA Constitution - Article III - Membership, Section 3 - Election to Membership: "If negative information is submitted regarding the applicant, the information will be provided to the applicant with enough time for the applicant to prepare a written rebuttal prior to board consideration.”
Aisha Cat Fanciers’ Club
President: Chen Chen
Secretary: Zive Hsu
Location: Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
China Kiwi Fanciers Cat Club
President: Wenni Huang
Secretary: Ye Xinyao
Location: Wuhan, Hubei, China
Fast Fish Cat Fanciers’ Club
President: Tu Pei Wen
Secretary: Zhang Chun Chun
Location: Shanghai, China
Supreme Cat Fanciers Club
President: Xu Hang
Secretary: Li Niu Yi (Vincent Lee)
Location: Chengdu, Sichuan, China
True Love East China Fanciers Cat Club
President: Giu Rui Min
Secretary: Sun Wan Qiu
Location: Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
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Can you imagine! You have been invited to a very special event. A luncheon with a person you admire and respect. Some friends are going to be there too. You are excited and happy but it is going to be out of town so you need to make special arrangements. You start thinking: “I need to get time off my responsibilities. What might be the current travel restrictions? What to wear and pack? Who is going to take care of my cats while I am away?” There’s lots to do, but worth the effort to attend.
As the special date approaches you contact the organizers of the event to be sure you have the right date, time, and location. You don’t receive a response, but these are people you know and trust so it’s ok.
A family member contacts you that they are having an early gathering for your great aunt’s 90th birthday but it is on the same date as the luncheon. You contact the organizers again and get no response. You said you would be there so you have to pass on the birthday party as much as your great aunt was a special person in your life.
The luncheon’s date gets closer and closer and you still have no response from your emails and calls to the organizers. You call the hotel where it is to be held, and discover it was canceled months ago. No one had bothered to let you know. Disappointment, frustration, sadness.
Unfortunately, this scenario is getting all too common for your CFA judges.
CFA Show rule: 16.05: In the event a show is cancelled after licensing or after contracts have been signed for judges, the show management must immediately notify all judges under contract, the regional director and the Central Office. In the case of a show in the International Division, the club must also immediately notify the appropriate International Division chair.
There are many reasons why a show may need to be canceled or changed. It is courtesy and a show rule to communicate with all parties involved. There have been far too many instances of lack of contact with contracted judges even after several attempts to reach show personnel by the judges. Judges have been directed to contact the regional director for assistance if needed. If a club is working out details or unsure about the show, please just let your judges know the situation. We want to support the clubs and enjoy our love of cats together.
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Have you been enjoying our "Fur Names" column, where staff writer Nancy Kerr features the story (with photos) of various cats' names? Who doesn't love a great cat name story?
Do YOU have a cat with an interesting, funny, cute story behind his/her name? Nancy would LOVE to feature it in an upcoming column. Contact her at nakerr68@outlook.com
We know that you have had THAT special cat in your life - the one who captured your heart. Laurie Coughlan's column "My Special Cat" is that love letter you write to your cat and tell everyone just what he/she meant to you. Share your special cat with everyone by emailing Laurie at LECoughlan@aol.com
The thought of having to write something have you nervous? No worries! Both Nancy and Laurie will do the writing - all you have to do is tell them your story and provide a high res photo.
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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?
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CFA Mentorship/NewBee Program |
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Kathy Black, Mentorship/NewBee Coordinator
CFA has a long history of mentoring new breeders and exhibitors through unofficial and official programs. I am so appreciative to those who helped me at both my first show, and with the beginnings of my breeding program. Navigating the waters of exhibiting and breeding can be overwhelming, and we lose many newcomers because they do not know where to turn for help.
The Mentorship and NewBee programs were combined with the current Board/President. We view this as a win/win for both programs.
To better match protégé and mentor requests, we recently provided a form for everyone to complete. This data is not shared outside of the program, only used to provide those seeking a mentor. We encourage all breeders and exhibitors regardless of experience to become Mentor Associates. Helping others with your knowledge and experience greatly improves the showing and breeding experience for a new person. It is also rewarding to see the growth and excitement of a new exhibitor/breeder.
When the information is received to become a protégé, that person’s information is forwarded to the Mentorship coordinator in their region of residence. They match the protégé with a mentor of the requested breed. We receive several requests each week, and I thank those coordinators for their work in finding a mentor for the new exhibitors. Also thank you to all who take on the Mentorship role. You are a vital part of the growth of CFA and the preservation of our breeds.
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Karen Lawrence
Two new breed books are on the horizon thanks to a collaboration of The CFA Foundation (USA) and The Harrison Weir Collection (New Zealand).
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THE DESCENDANTS OF BASTET
By Karen Lawrence
374 pages of images and text, plus approximately 17 pages of comprehensive indexing and bibliography
This book weaves together what is known and what can be confirmed regarding the history of the Abyssinian cat, in intimate detail using pedigrees, progeny reports and historical records, starting with that first mention of Zula in 1872. Many quotes and anecdotal tales from printed newspapers and magazines are included to enhance the stories of the individual cats, their progeny, and their show results. The book also includes chapters on colors recognized by CFA after the first century, as well as a chapter on Somali history.
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A PERSIAN RHAPSODY IN BLUE
By John Smithson
546 pages of images and text, plus approximately 35 pages of comprehensive indexing and bibliography
This book features a rare look into the pre-history and establishment of the Blue Persian Cat - from the first recorded importations into Europe in the 1620’s to a detailed development in 19th and 20th century Britain. It includes many new images of Blue Persian cats, not published in well over 100 years. In-depth coverage, of Foundation bloodlines and famous strains. A must-read for serious breeders and lovers of the Persian Cat.
Each book will have a limited first edition print run. The expected release date is during July, and pre-orders are being taken for the books until May 31, 2021. As the books have not yet been printed, pricing and shipping costs are not known at this time. If you’d like additional information on either of these books, please email Karen Lawrence at info@FelineHistoricalFoundation.org
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Legislation - What's Hot... |
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Kelly S. Crouch, CFA Legislative Information Liaison
Sharon Coleman, CFA Legislative Legal Analyst
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AB 702 - California Breeder Licensing Bill Update
California Assembly Bill 702 by Assembly Member Miguel Santiago (D-53) of Los Angeles to require all cat and dog breeders to obtain breeding permits from local jurisdictions had been set for hearing in the Assembly Committee on Business and Professions on April 27 ( click here). However, the hearing was canceled at the author’s request, and the bill did not meet its April 30 deadline to be reported to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations.
Before the scheduled hearing, George Eigenhauser, CFA Legislative Coordinator, submitted a Position Letter in opposition to the bill. CFA was included in the Registered Opposition list in the Committee Consultant’s Analysis which quoted from the letter as follows:
“This bill fails to recognize the practical and commercial differences between cats and dogs. While large scale breeding facilities for dogs exist, most commercial breeders have little or no interest in cats. Cats housed in large facilities are prone to the rapid spread of respiratory and other contagious illnesses. Instead, most cat breeders are hobbyists raising cats in their homes. Raising kittens in a home environment is the best possible way to provide healthy and well suited pets for the public. It allows the public to inspect the cats, and the home in which they were raised, prior to purchase. It would be impossible for many breeders who raise pedigreed cats to comply with this bill, even if they could get a business license, because of the many uncertainties - each jurisdiction can charge a different fee so it would be hard for breeders to anticipate annual costs. Since most cat breeders raise their pets at home, obtaining a business license is sometimes impossible because of zoning restrictions in residential areas. Inspections to assure compliance will require government intrusion into people’s homes, and even their bedrooms.”
For now, resident fanciers can relax. The Legislative Group will inform fanciers if any additional actions on AB 702 are needed.
Recent CFA Legislative Group Blog Posts:
What’s Hot…. Chicago Lawmakers Contemplate Licensing All Breeders in Lieu of Better Solutions Just to Fix a Loophole in the 2014 Ordinance on Retail Pet Shops
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EveryCat Health Foundation |
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submitted by Virginia Rud |
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We’re “Springing into Action” in May
Nearly 400 million cats bring joy to their human companions across the world, and although cat ownership continues to grow, health research for cats remains underfunded compared to many other animals. Together we can change that.
Join us by springing into action this May and advancing feline health studies that benefits my cat, your cat, pedigree cats, shelter cats, community cats - every cat! Your financial contribution makes our vital work possible. And, thanks to the collective passion for cats and personal dedication of our EveryCat team, up to $100 of the gift you give today will be matched!!
May Webinars
We have 2 great webinars planned for May.
Join us on May 20th, 2021 at 1:00 pm EDT for "If You Have a Cat, Thank EveryCat: Always WINNing for Cats". Members of the Board of Directors will be discussing who EveryCat Health Foundation is, where we’ve been and where we’re going in the name of advancing feline health. Speakers include Dr. Drew Weigner, President of EveryCat, Jackie Ott Jaackola, Executive Director, Dr. Vicki Thayer, Director Emeritus, and Vickie Fisher, President-Elect, among others. Hear about the advances that have been made in FIP, genetics and HCM, for example, because of EveryCat funding. Reserve your seat today!
Join us on May 27, 2021 at 1:00 pm EDT for "Starting Strong: Nutrition for Your Kitten". a webinar with Kara M. Burns, MS, M.Ed, LVT, VTS (Nutrition), VTS-H (Internal Medicine, Dentistry). The post weaning period through the first year of life is a critical time for development. It is important for the veterinary team, cat fancier, and the pet owner to provide a strong nutritional foundation to help to support the growth and development of the kitten throughout this demanding period. This presentation will review the nutritional assessment, the key nutrients for a healthy kitten, and how to feed to achieve healthy growth, optimize trainability and immune function, and minimize obesity.
Save the Date!! June 9th and June 23rd for the June webinars! Watch for more information!
Miller Trust Grant Request for Proposals
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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. |
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Code: 1000026977
or call 877-999-3223 and ask for the discount code CFA CAT FANCIERS ASSOCIATION
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Sharon Roy, Regional Director |
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Finally, some great news in regards to Region 1 shows! States are beginning to open back up again and we have shows already scheduled in May, July, and August. See details on all shows at https://cfa.org/event-calendar-list/. Welcome back to Region 1! |
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Terri Zittle, Regional Secretary |
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Sadly, we have lost two more members of our region.
Vicki Franks along with her husband Mike, showed Siamese under the cattery name of MVable. Since their move to East Wenatchee, WA they have been fairly inactive. Vicki was instrumental in finding our Longview, WA show hall. We had our first show there in 2005 -2006, the show season that GC, NW MVable Mithril of Dizzy Paws was CFA’s Second Best Siamese and Twentieth Best Cat in CFA.
Our second loss was Vern Gilliam, husband of Lu Ann. The couple showed cats in the Northern California area of our region. Vern was always helping out the clubs and shows in any way that He could. He was a very dear and kind man and will be terribly missed by all of us.
Region 2 is planning to hold the annual Picnic on August 14, 2021. The location is Hudson- Parcher Park in Rainier, Oregon. The usual events of fundraising auction, potluck and Pam’s famous bingo game. It will be good to see everyone after more than a year of “stay at home.”
Emerald Cat Club is busy finalizing the first Upper Northwest CFA Cat show in more than a year’s time. The date of the show will be October 16 & 17 in St. Helens, OR. Entry will be limited due to the pandemic restrictions. More details will be available later.
Finally, a late Happy Birthday to Wain Harding! We are all hoping and praying that he is doing well.
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Paula Noble, Regional Secretary |
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Spring has sprung!! May is National Pet Month here in the U.S. so if you’re thinking about an extra special toy or treat, now is the time to spoil your pets!! |
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The 2020-2021 show season is over and a new one has begun. Region 3’s final show this season was the North Texas Cat Club with Show & Tell Cat Club 10 ring back-to-back in Mesquite, Texas. (thank you, Mike Altschul, for the photos!) We used the region’s new cages which offer rear entry capability. This helped reduce physical activity in the rings and we have received many positive comments from judges and clerks.
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Many parts of the region are still unable to have shows due to local COVID-19 restrictions so please keep those folks in your thoughts and prayers. We continue to hope those restrictions ease up as more and more people become fully vaccinated. Stay safe!! |
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John Colilla, Regional Director |
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The Great Lakes Region fundraiser for its 2022 Annual in Louisville, KY will be wrapping up next month, with the winner being announced at the 2021 Annual. The prize is a quarter carat diamond solitaire pendant on a 18" 14K Singapore chain.
Tickets can be purchased online by contacting Nannette Schindler at: njschindler@hotmail.com. Tickets will also be available when shows resume in Region 4 and at select shows in other Regions.
Tickets are a donation of:
1/$5.00
4 tickets/$10.00
10 tickets/$20.00
The region will also shortly be selling 2022 Annual pins.
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Howard Webster, Regional Director |
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Another month has passed, and we are in a new show season.
Region 5 has a special predicament. In some parts of our region, there is STILL a limit to how many people can gather in one place. Hopefully, that will end soon.
We have a new problem with shows now. We no longer have a cage company to set up and tear down the shows. The region could purchase the cages and the trailer, but we still don't have a person to do the work. Until this problem is solved or settled, the region will be unable to hold a show.
We are currently in negotiations to purchase the cages for the region, but we still need someone to set up and tear down, as well as be responsible to taking and removing the cages to their storage area (we have an offer for storage space). If anyone knows someone who would like a good paying part time job please contact me privately at clowntwn2@aol.com.
To all of the mothers in the CFA, I hope you had a pleasant and happy Mother's Day!
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Candilee Jackson, Regional Secretary |
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Many congratulations to the Three Amigos (Tornado Alley/Cats Kansas City, Frontier Feline Fanciers, and Topeka Cat Fanciers)for hosting a wonderful end-of-season show, Sunday, April 25th in Gardner, Kansas. The show filled with 150 wonderful cats and kittens, and brought together many MWR friends for the first time in over a year.
right: NewBee received a gift from the clubs at the show
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The MWR offers sincere congratulations to all the winners for the abbreviated 2020-2021 show season. A special round of applause is given to Jim and Susan Charles (Susan shown left) for their historical regional achievement: Jim and Susan captured Best Cat in ALL THREE pedigree division in the same year!!!
The MWR will host a gala luncheon, Saturday, June 5th, again in Gardner, Kansas, to celebrate the region’s winners. Awards will be presented along with an OTRA video production compiled by Jim Charles.
As a final reminder to regional winners, photos should be submitted to Paul Patton ( hosta664@comcast.net) for the awards booklet and slide show. Additionally, any pictures for the OTRA production should be sent directly to Jim Charles through jimchar3@reagan.com. |
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Kenny Currle, Regional Director |
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Within the past month, the Southern Region has been fortunate enough to have two successful shows. New Vision Cat Club had their show in Plant City, FL April 24-25 and wrapped up the show season with several cats earning their grand titles. |
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Sunday brought a remembrance to New Vision club members Marianne Byrne, a Bengal breeder and Persian pioneer in CFA, and Sharon Rogers who also loved the Bengal breed and had last season's BW. Because of the generosity of Kim Everett-Hirsch and Melody Boyd, the show had tasty mini-cupcakes, perpetual trophies for top winners in all classes, and fabulous decorations!
photo by Mary Kolencik
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Rebel Rousers and Ocicats International kicked off the new show season the first weekend of April by producing a joint show in Lawrenceville, GA. Jacqui Bennett organized a "Pay It Forward" silent auction to benefit the region's regional awards this year. Items included show curtains, cat beds, Sturdi cages, play pens and raised $1150. |
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Yukiko Hayata, Regional Director |
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We had the Something Hearts Cat Club show on April 17 at Tokyo. On the left is a temple in Tokyo named Gotokuji. It is famous for all of the maneki neko that it has. People believe that these cats bring happiness and good luck |
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The regional show scheduled for April 25 in Kobe was cancelled on Saturday evening, just before the show. The situation of COVID-19 in Kobe, Osaka, and Kyoto was very serious by then. The Japanese government declared that we could not use show hall at Kobe. The regional director and staff were so busy informing all parties involved about the cancellation of the show by Sunday morning. Fortunately, they could inform everyone by Facebook, email, and phone. One judge was in the Shinkansen at that time, however she was able to return home from Kyoto to Tokyo. We had a very busy day! |
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We appreciate all exhibitors understanding and corporation of this sudden cancellation of the show.
We hope we will be able to have the 2021~2022 show season without mask!
Kyoto is beautiful in the spring! This is one of its famous azalea gardens.
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Pam DelaBar, Regional Director |
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Thanks to Justin Meier, Region 9 Europe has a WhatsApp account and group. We are using it to notify all of our clubs of upcoming monthly Zoom meetings and to get other important messages out quickly. |
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Teresa Keiger
CFA Newsletter Editor
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