Some of the latest reports are that COVID-19 will be with us for years, and we should create a plan based on the assumption that COVID-19 is here to stay. The latest mutation to the virus is Omicron. Fortunately, it seems to be producing milder symptoms even though it is highly transmissible to others, including those that are fully vaccinated. Trying to stay current with the CDC guidelines is a challenge. The SCOTUS has heard oral arguments on the mandates imposed by OSHA and their ruling could be presented to us any day now.

As a nurse, I am a proponent for getting vaccinated.  I do understand that some people that is their choice to make decisions on what medications and shots you get. I support that too! However, you must realize the consequences of your choice.

During the last week we were informed of a breeder’s passing and the horrible aftermath of a hoarding situation. The circumstances around her passing are not fully elucidated, but we know that she is no longer with us. CFA’s BAP-Purebred Rescue group are on this. They are heading up the vetting and placement of the cats that have survived. It is a very tragic and sad situation. My hat is off to all those that work in animal welfare. Some of the scenes are just beyond belief.

It takes lots of money to have a successful event around this type of rescue. I have been kept up to date and know that many of you have sent in donations. It is very easy to donate. The link to BAP: http://www.cfabreedersassist-rescue.org/ Click on the donations link. You can stipulate that your donation goes toward helping the Havana Brown cats that were recently rescued.

Everyone that maintains a breeding program should develop an end of life plan for your cats. This is especially important for those of you that do not have a spouse or SO. You can share that plan with a friend, then if the unexpected would happen, you will have directed what is to be with your precious animals.

If you know of anyone having issues, please convince them to seek help. Our BAP program is set up to help!

More shows are being scheduled and many are opening their doors to spectators. Omicron is still on the upswing, so protect yourself. Wash your hands. Social distance, when possible. Wear an appropriate mask that is securely fitted to your face. Above all, be safe!

CFA Show Rules require a cat/kitten to be shown at least once in the region of final assignment to be eligible for a Regional award in that region. The show’s region is determined by the location of the show, not the region a club has been assigned to for club membership purposes. For the 2021-2022 show season, kittens which aged out before a show was held in their owner’s region of residence are exempt from the in-region requirement.

The shows only calendar for exhibitors is accessible from the home page of CFA’s website, https://cfa.org, by clicking on the button labeled “Show Only Calendar” in the right-hand column below the large cat banner at the top of the page (see below).

The calendar includes breed summaries, show flyers and other information provided by the club. Also included are icons for early bird discounts, photographer, etc. (see below).

Please keep in mind we can only publish information the show management provides. To facilitate clubs sending CFA the information, a link is provided at the top of the shows-only page. The “Submit Show Flyers and other Show Information” link will direct you to a page where you can upload a show flyer, show/breed counts and other information to be published (see below).

Happy New Year to everyone from the CFA Judging Program! Our roster of judges is starting to dust off their cat toys and page dividers, and we are looking forward to judging the most beautiful cats in the world.

We would like you to be aware of a few items of information:

• CFA Allbreed Judge Gene Darrah has extended his leave of absence from December 31, 2021, to May 31, 2022. We look forward to welcoming Gene back to the ring next show season.

• This spring, a Breed Awareness and Orientation School (BAOS) will be held via Zoom. The exact dates and cost will be announced soon. It will be a three-day school.

• Last, all CFA judges and associate judges pay their judging fees by January 1 each year. We are reviewing the roster to make sure that everyone is in good standing for relicensing at the February board meeting.

On behalf of the CFA Judging Program Committee and all of our judges, we wish you all a fantastic show season and success in your breeding programs.

The following clubs have applied for CFA membership and will be considered at the February 5-6, 2022 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 January 20, 2022.

As stated in the CFA By-Laws - 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.”

Exotics Fans Club

President: Luk Chun Lap (Alex Luk)

Secretary: Leung Man Yee Gloria

Location: Ma On Shan, Hong Kong

Hong Kong Cats

President: Leung Man Yee, Gloria

Secretary: Luk Chun Lap (Alex Luk)

Location: Kowloon, Hong Kong

Hong Kong Devon Rex Society

President: Andy Yeung

Secretary: Au Siu Wai, Patrick

Location: Tai Po, N.T., Hong Kong

Starboard Cat Club

President: Terutoshi Shirai

Secretary: Aya Kaji

Location: Nagoya, Japan

As most of you have heard, a fellow cat fancier has tragically died in an auto accident in the Midwest.  Animal control was called into the situation because of remaining cats in the home and the cats were all relocated to a triage center in the area sheriff's office. Our breed rescue arm was called into assist and has been diligently working to facilitate the sheriff's department in getting these animals treated, vetted, cared for and recorded.  A team has been mobilized with veterinary assist, rescue/foster groups tagged, and plan has been put in place.

Now, we need YOUR help. This kind of situation requires an enormous amount of funds. Will you please take a minute and reflect on the plight of these animals, and reach deep into your heart and donate today. We cannot do this without you, your clubs, your regions.  We are a 501c3, so all donations are deductible. Please donate today. Ask your club to donate - let us stand together for the good of the cats.

You can send your donation via http://www.cfabreedersassist-rescue.org/donations.html  , making a note for HB Rescue to earmark for this rescue.

Or send your check to :

c/o Cyndi Byrd , Treasurer

1392 Robert Court

Brea, CA 92821

Nicole Turk, Social Media Coordinator

Just in case your family and friends do not already know what a pedigreed cat fanatic you are, we’ve developed over 460 fancy cat posts for you to share on social media to prove it.

Starting with the Abyssinian and concluding with the Turkish Angora, each breed will enjoy an alphabetically-ordered week just for them and those that breed, love and support them. CFA’s Breed of the Week social campaign started recently and will run hot for forty-six (yes, 46) weeks on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. 

Although not a pedigreed breed, Companion Cats with unknown or non-standard ancestry are celebrated in CFA just the same.

Join us in celebrating each breed while educating our followers and expressing appreciation for the preservation breeders who protect them. Each FB and IG post was developed specifically with pedigreed cat lovers in mind and are shareable, educational, supportive, and fun. You can show off your own magical breed of course, and also fascinate others by sharing information about every CFA breed. 

Shareable content includes:

Perhaps you have a video you created, a fantastic photo you took, a book you wrote, a picture you painted, or a monumental achievement? 

We’re happy to share your posts and possibly highlight them.  

Please tag your FB, IG and TikTok posts with #cfacats and @cfacats during the appropriate breed week.

Questions, comments or ideas? Feel free to email me. dbobby@cfa.org

Remember that the last two issues of your Cat Talk subscription will have a sticker and/or a renewal card that your subscription is about to expire. It's not always exactly in sync with your eCats account. Don't miss an issue of Cat Talk and renew when you receive a notice.

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.

As our shows continue to increase, the Ambassador Cats have already been seen at some shows in Region 3 and Region 7.

Sweeping changes are going to be happening with the Ambassador Committee. Starting next season, May, 2022, all Ambassador Cat and Pet Me Cat will be the same. All of the cats in CFA's largest feline outreach program will be called CFA Ambassador Cats.

The committee has already started putting ideas together about a new look for our cages and renewed energy within our program.

We are welcoming Jodell Raymond back on the CFA Ambassador Cat Committee. She is one of the founding committee members of the CFA Ambassador Cat Committee.

Members of present Ambassador Committee are Mariane Toth, Jim Flanik, Joel Chaney, Jodell Raymond, and myself.

If anyone is interested in being an Ambassador Cat, please contact Mariann Toth at

Ringing in 2022, you may wonder what happened with the 2021 legislation we monitored. Before reviewing the updates, let's look at the new year to help put those "end-results" in perspective. Unlike odd-numbered years, only 46 states will have regular sessions. Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, and Texas skip the even-numbered years. For the other states, many sessions will begin this month. Several states allow bills to carry over from 2021 to 2022. But not all legislation will have the momentum to leap across sessions. And for other bills the authors may still find it advantageous to file it under a new number instead. Thus, bills may not always die at the end of the session and appear unresolved. Click here to see an updated chart of 2021 legislation not previously updated. It includes legislation from Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Utah.

In addition to the monthly What’s Hot pieces conveniently published in the CFA Newsletter, the CFA Legislative Group also has a Facebook news page and a Wordpress blog site with useful features. The CFALegislativeNews Facebook page posts describe and link to information about new legislation, publications, and developments. You may always forward these to your own friends to expand our reach, and please send us news from your area to legislation@cfa.org. On the CFA Legislative Group Blog, we post chronologically the monthly What’s Hot pieces as blog entries. These are always available for reference and are handy and searchable as issues develop over time. There are also occasional topical discussions of developing issues that only appear on the blog, as well as additional pages on the site. These include the APHIS Exemptions Flow Charts in addition to a Resources page with articles authored by the CFA Legislative Group that have been published elsewhere, generally Cat Talk Magazine.

What's Hot………… Federal and State Legislature Sites, Part 2

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.

A feline health symposium presented by EveryCat Health Foundation,

in conjunction with Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at the

University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine

Calendar year 2021 is over but are still things you can do before the April 18, 2022 filing deadline (April 19 in Maine or Massachusetts) to help with your taxes. You have until April 18, 2022, to make tax deductible contributions to a traditional IRA (or non-deductible contributions to a Roth IRA). With Keogh or SEP plans you may be able to take a filing extension to October 15, 2022 and make your 2021 contributions before that date.

You can start now to make things easier when preparing your return. Make a list of documents you need to complete your return, such as W-2s, 1099s, mortgage interest statements, ACA documentation, and the like. Gather up your financial records, receipts, or other tax information accumulated during the year, so they are together. Be sure to have documentation for any sales of stocks, bonds, or other assets during the year, including your purchase price or other tax basis. Make sure you have documentation for your charitable contributions or other deductions. Watch your mail and inbox and make sure not to miss any tax documents sent you by third parties. If any documentation is missing try to get copies now, don't wait until your return is due. Starting your homework now may help make things less stressful when preparing your return later.

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.

Congratulations to Vermont Fancy Felines and Fleur De Lys Cat Club for a very enjoyable show for exhibitors, judges and spectators. The show featured a breed showcase on Saturday and Sunday, that were well attended. Special thanks to Iris Zinck for volunteering to do Saturday’s presentation.

The show had several new and new to CFA exhibitors. Happy to say they were interested and excited to be asked to join local cat clubs. Hopefully by next year we will be able to see the return of all of our Canadian exhibitors.

Many readers may remember Bobby, red silver tabby and white Turkish Angora bred by Iris and Bob Zinck and owned by Kim Langille and one of the stars of the CBC/Netflix documentary Catwalk: Tales from the Cat Show Circuit. Bobby and Kim paid a visit to the show and while he is retired from exhibiting, he will continue his 'show career' as an Ambassador Cat. 

Happy New Year to all from Region 3. We hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season.

We closed 2021 with a return of our traditional Christmas show put on by Show & Tell Cat Club. This has become a seasonal favorite and this show was no different. For those who didn’t make it, we missed you!! For those who made the trip to enjoy our traditional pot-luck lunch, gift exchange, cage and person decorating contests, we hope you all had a great time!! See you all next year.

For the first time in quite a while a clerking school was held in Region 3. Since the Show & Tell show was held on a Sunday, we were able to get a space in the same facility to have the school on Saturday. Eight attendees came to the school and a few were even able to assist in rings the next day. We are very excited to see our number of clerks in the region on the rise!!

We’ve kicked off 2022 with BIG HOUSTON!! 10 rings of fun & fellowship in a convenient hotel show at the Hilton Houston North near the airport for the convenience of exhibitors and judges alike!! From check-in to waving good-bye, this show ran smooth!! Great shopping center just outside the show hall with all the vendors to supply your every need/want!!

Please, everyone continue to stay safe and healthy!!

That’s what it felt like coming into the Ohio State Persian Club December 11th-12th in Columbus. I might be a little biased, but this show has always been near and dear to my heart, and this year I have to say it may have been one of the best shows this club has had yet. Although, of course we missed having spectators It was definitely one for the books. This year the club went with a whole new theme and that meant all new decorations! The homemade wreaths were a labor of love and were a vision of sparkly goodness. From the beautiful winners ribbons to the adorable little gnomes, the show had all the feels of being right in the North Pole. For years this show has been known for their cookie table and I’m pretty sure we all left a few pounds heavier while we gorged on all the delicious delights!

The raffle this year was outstanding! We actually needed two tables to fit all the amazing raffle donations. Sunday the show did a 50/50 raffle, with over $400 won and some donated back to the club. The show also did a raffle for a $50 Visa gift card as well as a few raffles for exhibitors to pick out their favorite gnomes. The club members put their heart and soul into making this show, not just a cat show, but a place where we could all escape the world for a while and feel a little bit lighter. Without all the wonderful exhibitors and their beautiful cats we would be lost, so a huge thank you to all who helped support our club by donating prizes, cookies and simply by being there. Also, to all the amazing judges who handled our cats with love. A special thanks to Annette Wilson for filling in on such short notice. I think it’s safe to say the club couldn’t be more proud of the turnout and we cannot wait until next year to do it all again!

Although we were all over the moon about the show, the loss of Dawn Skupin this past week wasn’t far from our minds. Dawn and her husband Mike were a huge part of our CFA family, and her sudden passing weighs very heavy on our hearts. All of us at the Ohio State Persian Club send our love to Mike and Dawn’s family during this very difficult time.

Again, without the hard work of this club and its members, the judges and the exhibitors, the show would not have been the success that it was.

Thank you to all involved

The Southwest Region had their sixth show this season.  It was Crown City Cat Club first show since the pandemic it was a fun show with music and games that gave away gift cards and prizes. They even had root beer floats. All had a great time.

On another note Brian Trip is going to be forming a committee to plan the Regional banquet and show. If you are interested in helping on this committee please contact Brian at bjtripp2@gmail.com

The Midwest Region will begin their VCC fundraiser on January 29. Look for information at vcc.cfa.org

Happy New Year from Region 7. We wish all of our CFA friends peace, hope, and especially health in the new year. Our region has quietly ushered in 2022, but things are about to get REALLY busy here!

Looking back over the past year, I am proud to say that the Southern Region was able to donate $500 each to 15 clubs to help support their shows during a time of entry uncertainty, shows closed to the public, and increased costs. Many thanks to everyone who supported our fundraising efforts which allowed us to make these contributions to our clubs!

Japan Shaded Fanciers had their annual Christmas show on December 27, 2021 in Tokyo.

On January 9, 2022 we had regional show at Asakusa Sangyo Boeki Center with 122 cats attending.

Exhibitors really enjoyed this new year’s show. There were two exhibitors who dressed in kimonos. Before in Japan people used to celebrate by wearing kimono on the new year day. Recently, people do not wear kimono year by year, because western clothes are very easy and comfortable to do lots of things. The younger lady had gorgeous with long length sleeves kimono; the older lady wore a chic kimono with short length sleeves. Long length sleeve means the wearer is not married and short length sleeve means she is married. This is traditional clear rule of kimono.

Exciting news for Region 9 Europe. Thanks to the efforts of Al Andalus Cat Club and Club Felino Espanol, CFA shows are returning to Portugal! We are all looking forward to the first weekend in April in Lisbon, Portugal.

Feel free to contact me at  tkeiger@cfa.org