December 2016
In This Issue
Quick Links
CFA Central Office Staff
Featured Cat
Our banner cat for December is  GC, NW KITTIES LAND CHRIS, a blue and white Scottish Fold - SH male. Photo by AmyWorks

 




Central Office Holiday Schedule

Central Office will be closed on December 26 and January 2 so Associates can spend the holiday with family and friends.

DEADLINES

Club fees and membership lists must be RECEIVED in CFA Central Office by January 3, 2017 for a club to be considered in good standing. 

Club fees and membership lists must be RECEIVED in CFA Central Office by February 1, 2017 to be eligible to vote for the CFA Directors-at-Large.


CFA Catalog Changes

CFA webmaster Kathy Durdick reports that the  catalog.cfa.org site will soon have a new look! It will now have a new payment gateway (see Terri Berry's Central Office report) AND is mobile-friendly!

Please email Kathy at webmaster@cfa.org should you have any problems with the new design.

 

I am quite sure that only the other month we were still concerned if we were going to make it through the summer. Now here in the US we're looking at an Arctic blast that will be sure to have all of the kitties competing for lap and blanket space!

Here's wishing all of our Newsletter readers a joyful holiday season and a bright and prosperous New Year. I know that 2016 brought wonderful memories to many people; others are looking forward to what awaits in 2017. Regardless, our cats will still be quite assured that we are really here just to serve them - and perhaps they are right!
 
Teresa

 


CFA's big event this past month was our very successful Dr. Elsey's CFA International Cat Show.  We were worried about the entries but the last few days we were open we were inundated with entries.  We wound up with over 700 entries which will make this the largest CFA show this season.  Many thanks to those who entered and especially to the many who helped make this show such a success.  Just to single out a few of those people I want to acknowledge the efforts of our committee chair Rich Mastin, CFA Special Events Coordinator Allene Tartaglia, show manager Jim Flanik, and his assistant show managers Joel Chaney and Megan Hiemstra, and to our entry clerk Monte Phillips. Thanks to Dr. Elsey's, our primary corporate sponsor, and to our other sponsors both corporate and those within the cat fancy.  A show of this magnitude is only possible with the help of many, many people.  There will be articles on the show in the February issue of Cat Talk as well as in the Yearbook which comes out at the end of February.  Next year we are moving the show West ... to Portland, Oregon.  It has been a long time since the show has been on the West Coast and I know the fanciers in that part of the world are excited to have the show closer to home. 

Those of you who interact with the CFA Central Office for licensing shows, club dues, ballots, and more have had good experiences working with Michelle Fergason.   Michelle found a job outside of CFA that better suits her interests and while we are sorry to see her go, we wish her well.  We have hired Melissa Watson as her replacement and she started training this week.   We are interviewing for additional staff in our registration area.  The current staff has been working extremely hard to process your registrations within our standard time frame but the increased number of registrations makes that more difficult without additional help.  Registrations are our core business and we are happy to see our registrations continue to increase.

Our Treasurer, Kathy Calhoun, reports that CFA is doing very well financially.  You will soon receive news from her with specifics.  Last year ended with a record profit for our organization and Kathy reports, "Overall CFA is tracking $85,000 ahead of last year."
The holidays are upon us.  I hope you have an enjoyable holiday and good wishes for a terrific New Year.

Terri Barry
CFA Executive Director
    
 
Well another International Cat Show has come to a close. First of all, congratulations to all those who participated! And a special tip of the hat to our winners. Winners were announced, for additional details see the post on CFA's website 

I also want to take a moment to recognize our sponsors who help make the show possible each year.  A special shout out to Dr. Elsey our naming sponsor!  You probably already know that Dr. Elsey supplies litter to all of the exhibitors. But, did you know Dr. Elsey also passes out their litter product to spectators attending the show as well as the shelters that attend? 

Also, thank you to Royal Canin and their generous sponsorship and free gift during the show.  I hope you were able to stop by the Royal Canin's booth and have your photo taken!

Meanwhile, were you able to take advantage of Sturdi Products show specials, another sponsor with whom we are proud to be associated?

In addition, I want to thank our Show Committee, judges, clerks, announcers, and the many "behind the scenes" workers who made the CFA International Cat Show a positive experience.  A special thanks to John and Megan Hiemstra for taking time from their busy schedule to make an appearance on TV 4 to promote the International Cat Show. In case you missed it the broadcast, here is a link to it.

But before we completely close the books on 2016 C.I.S., I wanted to share this Facebook posting from Saving Cats & Kittens in Michigan.  As you might already know, we try to make available...at no cost...space to "no kill" cat shelters at all of our shows. For Novi, MI, we hosted Saving Cats & Kittens. One of our Facebook postings highlighted the shelter. We are proud and delighted to announce this response from the shelter:
Saving Cats & Kittens in Michigan  Saving Cats & Kittens in Michigan is very grateful to CFA International Cat Show for the opportunity to attend the prestigious event in Novi. We found loving homes for eight beautiful cats at the show! Everyone at CFA was wonderful to work with, and we look forward to attending more local events in the future.

On another note, I wanted to mention that you will notice a change to our CFA Catalog "check out page."    When checking out of our catalog for ordering items such as brochures, pamphlets and/or miscellaneous payments to CFA you may notice a new look.  The old shopping cart (Virtual Cart) was acquired by Spark Pay.  The new appearance is cleaner and easier to use.  The new site offers additional features which include the ability to create a user account where you can view your purchase history.  Both PayPal and credit card payments are accepted.  Spark Pay is an improved and more secure version of what we have been using.

Just a reminder that Central Office will be closed on December 26 and January 2 so Associates can spend the holiday with family and friends.
 
As I close, I would like to extend a special wish to you and yours this holiday season. May your days be filled with cheer and warm memories.  As always travel safe if it's to a cat show or over the river and thru the woods to grandma's house.  Happy Holidays to all!!!



New Procedure for Handling Emergency Show Format Changes
by Carol Krznowski


Effective immediately, a club needing an emergency show format change must notify Central Office of the change and submit the revised judging contract(s) to Central Office as soon as practicable. Clubs are no longer required to obtain CFA Executive Committee approval for such changes, regardless of when they occur.
 
Previously, if a club was notified of an emergency requiring a change in format/judging assignments less than 30 days in advance of the show, the club was required to contact a member of the Executive Committee to obtain approval. Central Office could handle format change requests received with a postmark of at least 30 days prior to the show, but not those changes that occurred within the 30-day window.
 
At the October Board meeting, the CFA Board revised Show Rule 4.04.d. and removed the requirement for clubs to request Executive Committee approval for emergency changes that occur less than 30 days before the show. The change permits Central Office to handle all such emergencies and was to be effective May 1, 2017. The Board felt it was practical to implement this change right away, and at the December 13, 2016 CFA Board teleconference, the Board voted to make this rule change effective immediately.
 
The complete text of the rule change can be found beginning on page 90 of the October 2016 CFA Board meeting minutes.



CFA Charitable Giving

Tis near the end of the calendar and personal fiscal year. Individuals are taking stock of both their personal lives and upcoming tax status.  Others have a tradition of giving back to their community, or making donations in lieu of gifts.
 
There is a saying that "Charity begins at home." As a member of the CFA family, we would like to suggest that individuals seeking to make donations take a look at programs close to home when making these gifts.
 
Programs include:
 addresses issues, related to legislation, of animal rights/animal welfare, dog and cat population dynamics and other concerns, that may impact CFA and cat fanciers, at the local, state or federal level. Its funds have helped oppose legislation or regulation that is detrimental to the activities of CFA participants.  Contributions are not tax deductible.
 
 
The Winn Feline Foundation 
The research that Winn helps to fund has literally been lifesaving for cats - both pedigreed and domestic. Its education program (including the popular Winn Symposium at each CFA Annual) keeps feline health professionals as well as breeders informed of the latest advancements in feline health care.  A 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization
 
 
The CFA Breeders' Assistance Program
Helping breeders in need due to circumstances beyond their control, such as loss of home due to acts of nature, unexpected changes in personal situations or illness/disability, or other incapaciting situations that leave cats in need of care.
 
The CFA Foundation  
Conservator of the history of both cats and the cat fancy. Its collection includes cat-related books and magazines, cat figurines and artwork, and prizes from shows held at the beginnings of the cat fancy.  Its latest endeavor is The History Project (
http://www.cat-o-pedia.org/ ), a collaboration of CFAF and the Harrison Weir Collection to create an online encyclopedia of the history of the early cat fancy and those cats and people who were there.
Accepting both monetary and unique and historical items related to the cat fancy. A 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization
 
 
It's a way to do good, and help organizations that are close to your kitties' hearts.

CFA Judging Program
Annette Wilson
Chair, CFA Judging Program Committee


At the December 13, 2016 Board Meeting (teleconference), the following judges were advanced:

John Adelhoch to Approval Pending Allbreed

John Hiemstra to Approved Allbreed

Congratulations!



CFA IT Program Report
Tim Schreck
CFA IT Program Chair

The new Entry Clerk program is now being released for January Shows.
If you are a January entry clerk and have not received access information it will be coming within the following week.
For those that did not attend training documentation will be included in your email with access.
Please give yourself time to get accustomed to this program as it does work differently that the AECFA program.

Just to remind anyone entry clerking for a January 2017 show you will have to use this program or something other than AECFA since it will no longer be supported after January 1 2017.
If you have further questions please let me know at tschreck2003@yahoo.com so we can get everyone up and running on time.

Thanks for your patience and cooperation as we make this transition.
Cat Talk
Teresa Keiger
Editor

The December issue of Cat Talk should be arriving in mailboxes any day now. (reports are that they're a little slow in delivery due to the holiday mail influx). We hope that you enjoy all of the kitties' letters to Santa! It seems that many of us are missing a purr or two this holiday season, and our section on pet loss during the holidays addresses some issues. And "Dear Catty" dispenses some feline holiday advice!

Cat Talk magazine is a great (and easy!) gift to give to your veterinarian, pet buyers, or cat fancy friends. It's available in print here, or online via Magzter



Wagging Tailz - id bands and collars for kittens and puppies

Winn Logo

WINN FELINE FOUNDATION
by Vicki Thayer DVM , Winn Executive Director


A list of our donors contributing $100 or more in November is available  

   
Miller Trust research grant awards announced 
Winn announced in November 
five grant awards through the George Sydney and Phyllis Redmond Miller Trust for    $124,495. The projects are: 
 
Characterization of mineralization and expression of osteogenic proteins in feline kidneys with and without calcium oxalate uroliths. (MT16-004)
Principal Investigators: Jody Lulich, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, Eva Furrow, VMD, PhD, DACVIM; University of Minnesota; $12,000
     
The effects of oral anti-inflammatory glucocorticoids on glucose homeostasis and fluid balance in clinically healthy cats. (MT16-007)
Jessica Ward, DVM, DACVIM; Iowa State University; $24,975
 
Carboplatin-impregnated calcium sulfate hemihydrate beads: A cost-effective, local treatment for feline injection site-associated sarcoma. (MT16-010)
Principal Investigators:  Heidi Phillips, DVM, DACVS, Elizabeth Maxwell, DVM; University of Illinois; $29,169.
 
Structure-based design of a novel subunit immunogen for development as a feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) vaccine. (MT16-014)
Principal Investigator: Gary Whittaker, PhD; Cornell University; $30,273
 
Susceptibility to dermatophytes and asymptomatic carrier state in Persian cats. (MT16-015)
Principal Investigators: Aline Rodriguez Hoffman, DVM, PhD, William Murphy, PhD; Texas A&M University; $28,078
 
One additional grant was awarded with Winn funding: 
Characterization of the fecal microbiome and metabalome in cats with IBD and low-grade alimentary lymphoma. (MTW16-018)
Principal Investigator: Jan Suchodolski, DVM, PhD, AGAF, DACVM; Texas A&M Gastrointestinal Laboratory; $23,450
 


Winn Holiday Photo Contest
Please share a photo and story about your cat for our  annual Holiday Photo Contest. "Winn" a $50 gift certificate for Best Holiday Attire and Best in Show photos! Join the festivities with your cat in its best attire by visiting our Photo Contest web page
 
Ways to help Give for cat health this holiday season
Please remember to select Winn as your charity of choice when you use AmazonSmile , IGive , and Giving Assistant
 
An important Planned Giving (tax) tip for December 
They say the only certainties in life are death and taxes.  But with the recent elections, tax policy changes are on the horizon.  Among the proposals by the Trump administration is that itemized deductions may be capped.  If so, that may mean smaller charitable deductions available in future years. 
 
However, donations made before the end of 2016 still receive their full value regardless of any tax law changes in the future.  Donations of appreciated securities before the end of this year will still receive double tax benefits; you get your charitable deduction while eliminating any capital gains taxes otherwise due on the sale of the securities. 
 
The future is unknown.  To avoid uncertainty you may accelerate your planned giving into 2016 to take full advantage of current tax benefits.
 

For any questions, please contact info@winnfelinefoundation.org





 
State and Local Proposals Move into 2017: New Jersey, Florida, Tennessee

As 2016 winds down, several recent What's Hot topics appear to be moving on to 2017.  Of these, the only state bill is New Jersey Senate Bill No. 63 that debuted in February What's Hot, continued in March and May and with potential impact on fanciers, single topic reports in June and October.  At last report, the bill had been awaiting action in the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. 
 
In November, there was significant action on both S 63 and its companion bill, Assembly Bill 2338 that had remained in its introduced form in the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.  On November 14, both bills were transferred to the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee.  This committee amended both bills identically.  Both received the same committee votes of 4 ayes with one abstention.  Being identical can be a significant procedural step as companion bills advance in a legislature and move forward toward eventual concurrence.  Both bills have been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee which is not scheduled to meet until 2017 unless otherwise determined by the Speaker. The current November 14 version of S 63, called the "Third Reprint" is available   here .
 
The current content is explained in the Committee "Statements" that are now identical in content except for procedural references "as substituted" for the Senate bill and "as amended" for the Assembly bill.  These bills revise existing law, the "Pet Protection Act," that already requires consumer protection provisions for pet shops.  It also defines pet dealers as, " any person engaged in the ordinary course of business in the sale of cats or dogs to the public for profit or any person who sells or offers for sale more than five cats or dogs in one year."  This legislation would revise the pet dealer definition to include BOTH pet stores and pet dealers and to further define pet dealers as is engaged in the ordinary course of business in the sale of cats or dogs to consumers in the State for profit; or sells more than five cats or dogs in one year to consumers in the State in non-face-to-face sales.  A new definition of "non-face-to-face" sales is also included.  This is the familiar sounding concept underlying the 2013 change in the federal Retail Pet Store Rule.  That Rule allows both an exemption from USDA licensing for cat and dog fanciers with four or fewer breeding females and unlimited non-face-to-face sales.  In its current form, Section 5 of S 63 leaves no doubt that "pet dealer" includes " the pet dealer if the pet dealer bred or raised the animals and must have a current USDA license in order to sell the cats or dogs he has bred or raised.  New Jersey does not currently regulate cat breeders at the state level, making this bill a concern to fanciers should it be enacted in its present form that would require USDA licensing for some breeders who are otherwise exempt.  There are also additional requirements and restrictions, and everything would be further defined in future rulemaking by the designated agencies.  Now removed entirely is the restriction of pet stores' sales to only shelter, pound and rescue sources.  Additionally, animal rescue organizations are defined, and registration and state licensing would be mandated for them.  
 
Note that the "Pet Protection Act" is cited as   NJ Rev Stat § 56:8-92 (2015)  and more information is available from the Division of Consumer Affairs here . The Department of Health Office of Animal Welfare has a summary of animal laws and much more general information at this website  .
 
The November What's Hot spotlight on Pinellas County, Florida (Gulf Coast, Clearwater area, population about 950,000) also focused on the inclusion of breeders within pet dealer regulation.  The proposed ordinance amendments, applicable county wide, are now under additional revision.  These were presented to a small audience of fanciers and activists at a Community Workshop on Wednesday morning, December 7. 
 
The August What's Hot focused on proposed amendments to the Montgomery County, Tennessee County Code that sought to increase revenues through a number of licenses and permits that would be burdensome to pet owners and probably counterproductive.  Situated along the Kentucky border in western Tennessee, Montgomery County is the 7th largest county with the 5th largest city, Clarksville.  The proposed revisions are still pending in a committee of the 21-member County Commission.   



Please report legislation happening in your area to the Legislative Group -    legislation@cfa.org
Visit the CFALegislativeNews Facebook page to see the current legislative news.


ACats

by Karen Lane
A-Cats Program Chair
 

The CFA Ambassador Cats and their very special people wish everyone a wonderful holiday season. We hope this holiday finds you spending time with family and the friends you love. We all look forward to 2017 with renewed energy, and great expectations for our program and for the well-being of CFA. All of us thank our officers and our board of directors for making our association work. More importantly, we thank all of our CFA staff at Central Office, who are there for whatever problems we create for them. A special thank you to Mark Hannon, who breaths life into our program; and to Teresa Keiger, who puts all of our dreams into reality.

See you all in 2017 at our CFA shows

CFA Ambassador Program
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happiest of Holidays from our house to yours!  The Ambassadors of CFA wish everyone a joyous holiday season and a healthy, prosperous New Year!

Ambassador Update:  I've always loved the title of Hillary Clinton's book, It Takes A Village.  This small statement encompasses so many things, and the Ambassador Progam IS the village for CFA.  Recently, Region 1 needed the new Pet Me! Cat banner, and there were two of them "hiding" somewhere in someone's garage.  Since we ordered two for each region, there aren't many left in storage at Central Office.  Many thanks to Chris June, Diane Coppola and Marilyn Conde for their detective work on locating them and making sure the banners into the right hands for upcoming shows.  Ladies, YOU ROCK!!!

Region 3:  Janis Walkingstick
Gulf Shore Region held a "jail and bail" FUNdraising show in Rosenberg, Texas, on December 3 where judges were taken into custody and held ransom for bail money.  There was a great deal of laughter, great fun, and money raised for the region.  Many thanks to the judges who played along and helped line the region's coffers.  The next fun show for the region is scheduled in Cleburne, Texas, on December 17th... come out to a terrific show known for "a whole lotta food!" 

Region 5:  Shari Millar
Region 5's Glendale show, following Thanksgiving, is always a fun Cat-n-Hat show. Despite the terrible storm, which most Californians are not used to on the sunny coast, the gate of families still came in a steady stream. Several had lost their cats, and many came out of curiosity of what a cat show was all about. Several of us made a special flight up to Portland, Oregon, for the Lewis & Clark show, a personal favorite, which tripled their gate this year. "This show is always a busy Ambassador show, second only to Del Mar, which I hear will be even larger this year!" reported Shari.

Region 6:  Candilee Jackson
A lot of pre-Christmas fun was had by all at the Frontier Felines Show in Gardner, Kansas, on "small business" Saturday following Thanksgiving.  The holiday décor brought Christmas cheer to exhibitors, judges and spectators. The show was well attended, and the cats beautiful and the fellowship above par!  Many spectators were first-show attendees, so ambassadors answered a great of questioning regarding "what's going on?"  It was terrific so see so many Region 3 faces in the show hall!


Corporate Affliates
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 OAPHHT.  There is a dedicated reservation site for CFA at https://www.motel6.com/en/cp/cat-fanciers-association.html or you may call 800-466-8356.

526223

OAPHHT

CATFAN9
Budget Car Rental
  #U285933 
Link to Avis
 #U285933
 #2818011005


     

Discounts Available to You!

Region 1
by John Adelhoch,  Regional Director 

Well it goes without saying that here in the NAR we are already getting that cold and snowy weather. Traveling to the shows can become difficult on some days, so let's give it our best effort to support all those coming up.

Once again Dr. Elsey's CFA International Cat Show was a premier event of the feline world. CFA's crème de la crème of cats and their exhibitors were out there exhibiting their very best. Our Region had an excellent exhibitor turnout, as I would have expected, given how we all want to support our Region. Special kudos to Briar-Mar's Playing with Fire, Best Kitten in the Purple Show, owners Omar F. Gonzalez and Gary Veach and GP Daydream Avalanche, Best Premier Purple Show, Owner Erin and Joy Dey. Congratulations!

Straight and Curl CC and Finicky Felines Society will have their annual holiday show in Lebanon, PA, December 17thand 18th, with all those holiday treats, goodies, goodies, and Santa!

As we all enter into our own holiday season may I take this time to thank all of our exhibitor and clubs for all the efforts they contribute to making our region throughout the year a success.
Remember these are the good times!
Cheers
John 


Region 2
Terri Zittel, Regional Secretary  

Lewis and Clark Longhair Specialty Cat Club held their 45th Annual Show on
December 3 & 4 at the Double Tree Hotel-Lloyd Center in Portland, OR. It is a
Northwest favorite and I think this year was possibly the best ever. We had 212 entries
and 108 exhibitors. Decorating for the Winter Holidays was everywhere in the show
hall. The sounds of laughter and having fun was heard all over the hall both days.
Neil Quigley, our newest AB judge
doing his HHP Final


The club had hired a publicity firm to advertise this year's show. It was in anticipation
of the International show that will be held in Portland in 2017. One dollar of the
spectator fee was designated for the Cat Adoption Team. The results were fantastic and
the club raised $1400 for the group. The Cat Adoption Team is Portland's largest no
kill shelter. The Lewis and Clark club members also sponsor cats from the shelter to
participate in the Household Pet Division.
Chad Inks in his winning sweater

Another addition this year was the Ugly Christmas Sweater contest. It was won by  Chad Inks. Chad got to take home $50.00. Again this year the raffle was phenomenal.
It was all in all a terrific show.

January 7th is the date for the Responsible Cat Fanciers of the Northwest. The first  show of 2017 is held in Chehalis, WA. This 6 ring one day show benefits cat purebred  rescue in the upper Northwest. The club always has a fun theme and this year it is
"Treat Yourself". Pat Decano will be trying out the new show entry software and we  are all excited to see how that goes. Both Marianne Clark and I have shows in  February so we are very interested. January 21st is the first No Cal show of 2017. The
show will be held in Stockton, CA. The theme is "Winterfest - Skating On Thin Ice".
This is always a great show.

The Northwest Region wishes all of CFA a Happy Holiday and a great New Years.



Region 3
by Kathy Black, Regional Director   

Leesa Altschul leads Brian Pearson off to jail!
After having months without a show in the Texas area, the region turned out for a fun day on December 3, 2016.  The pouring rain was not going to dampen the spirits of our show! With 177 cats and boasting the largest championship count for the weekend, the region enjoyed a full day of antics, fabulous cats, great judges, and loads of fun. The show was full of laughter and there were smiles all around. Brian Pearson was arrested and yet made his $200 bail in a manner of minutes. 


Sister Mary Katherine


Kathy Black dressed up as Sister Mary Katherine to judge the cat costume contest. The raffle table was so full it was difficult to see all the goodies there (although the alcohol was a very popular item). Cyndi Gutierrez was cooking away in the kitchen and making everyone in the show hall hungry from her cooking.
Jimmy Thompson & Donna Hinton


















The region was profitable from this show largely from the exhibitors, donations from clubs, clerks, and everyone being free with their spare money for the contests, raffle, and fun.

Congratulations to the new grands and all the winners. Our next fundraiser will be on our traditional date in October.




Region 4
by John Colilla, Regional Director
Show Report
 
Ohio State Persian Club
The second oldest club in CFA history held their annual holiday show December 3/4, 2016.  The club always puts on quite an event.  Club members bake cookies and they are free to all who attend the show. The raffle is fabulous with many high end items and everyone was waiting with baited breath for the tickets to be pulled.  Ring decorations showed our holiday spirit and the club members did a fabulous job decorating. 

The competition was tough and the top cats in the country were in attendance.  There were many smiles and happiness throughout the show hall all weekend.  This is what showing is about and Region 4 shows remain successful due to the collaboration of many involved.
 
 
 
To All exhibitors, have a very Happy Holiday Season with your family, friends and cats. If you are traveling, we hope your journey is safe and uneventful.
Be sure to mark your calendar with our upcoming shows:  
More information can be found online  www.catshows.us/greatlakesregional/  
  • Jan 21 - Cleveland Persian Society, Parma, OH  4 AB; 2 SP
  • Jan 22 - Cleveland Persian Society, Parma, OH  4 AB; 2 SP
  • Jan 28-29 - Midwest Persian Tabby Fanciers, Monroe, MI  7 AB; 3 SP; 10 HHP (Back-to-Back)
Region 5
by Lisa Marie Kuta, Regional Director 

Thanks to the clubs and exhibitors whom made the Poinsettia City and
Phoenix Feline shows so wonderful. So festive and fun!

As we head into January, we're gearing up for a busy run of shows here in
the Southwest. First up is Crown City Cat Club with "Monkey Business" on
January 10-11. This is a 10-ring show in Ontario, CA. The next weekend
in Honolulu Hawaii the Cat Fanciers of Hawaii's show. The month closes
with the San Diego Cat Fanciers' annual event in Del Mar--eight
competitive rings, agility, education rings, tons of vendors and
spectators!


Region 6
by Mary Auth, Midwest Regional Director
Kuan Jin Windup Toy of Snowmyst plays the part well of a green creature and won first place

Holly McCreary was snappin' away at the Gardner, KS show Thanksgiving weekend, making sure all the winners of the cat costume contest were captured on "film."  Top winner was an Oriental alligator (or crocodile or lizard) owned by Ruth West.  She took the big traveling trophy. Brian Pearson did the honors and served as the judge.
 
The creative juices behind this show was Allene Keating, who is also the Midwest Region Planning Committee chair who, along with her team, is organizing the 4-ring shows in the region.  Next up - January 14 and 15 - also in Gardner, KS.  This time two 4-ring shows are back to back to give you an option to just enter one show or the other or both.
 
Ruth West_ owner of the oriental green creature_ takes home the big trophy with Brian Pearson hamming it up.
Saintly City Cat Club is scheduled for January 28-29 in St Paul on top of Winter Carnival. A new CFA annual program will be introduced at the show. Remember Minnesota knows how to do winter - so enjoy the festivities. 
 

Region 7
by Jean Dugger, Regional Director

The Southern Region was well represented at the CFA International Show, and we are so proud that two of our own ended up competing for the "best of the best" with BEST awarded to Cinema's Liberace of Calcat, shown by Kerry Ury and Cyndi Lewis (show below), and 2nd Runner Up awarded to Velvetkist Designer Genes shown by Noralyn Heisig (right). Congratulations to both of these beautiful Persians and their breeders and owners!!















The Southern Region has been in full "cat show" swing since, with Santa Paws Cat Club holding their show in Baltimore the first weekend of December, Dixieland Silver & Golden and Southern Dixie Cat Clubs holding their shows in Richmond, Virginia this past weekend. We are excited that the Nashville Cat Club is holding their New Years Eve show! What a great way to start the year!

The Southern Region planning committee has been hard at work ironing out details for our 2017 Regional! As a reminder - the regional will be held in Roanoke, Virginia, and the 2018 regional in the Washington, DC / Maryland area. This allows for the additional planning time needed to secure a suitable location in the upper part of our region in 2018.

Roanoke is a beautiful city nestled in the Appalachian mountains, off of Interstate 81, home of the Star City Cat Club, who has hosted shows in Roanoke for as long as I can remember. The cat fancy has a great relationship with the Holiday Inn, and the Roanoke Civic Center, just one exit away, is the location chosen for the show. It is easily accessible and should be a great place for our exhibitors. In addition, other cat friendly hotels are nearby, to give more choices.

You are welcome to subscribe to our Southern Region newsletter and keep up on all the happenings down south!

I want to take this opportunity to wish all of our CFA family the Merriest Christmas and Happiest New Year! In the spirit of the season, remember what is truly important, and share your knowledge with someone else! Donate some of that "unwanted" cat food to a local shelter, and get a special treat for yours at home. Most importantly, remember why we do this - it is our mutual love, admiration and devotion to our feline family that makes us fellow cat fanciers. Share the love!!
Hope to see you at a SOUTHERN REGION CAT SHOW soon!!! Y'all come!

Region 8
by Edward Maeda, Regional Director


I am proud to announce our New Year regional show. We will hold it at Tokyo Industrial Trade Center Taito-kan in Asakusa, Tokyo this coming January 7-8 2017.
This is a 6×6 show including 2 Super Speciality rings. We have invited judges Kathy Calhoun and Robert Zenda from the U.S. Please join us. We hope for many entries to this show.

Also we lost many important persons in this year: Mr. Kenji Takano, Ms. Kazuko Akiyama, and most recently Ms. Chirato Bess Higuchi. I hope these persons have a good rest in peace.

Next year, our region will have a memorable year,as it is the 25th year since CFA accepted region 8. I appreciate everyone who has helped the Japan Region for this long time. Thank you very much.

Region 9
by Michael Hans Schleissner 

Moscow, Russia - 4th December 2016
Moscow Cat Fanciers - total 116 entries

We are happy that the Royal Canin Grand Prix 2016 took place 3rd December 2016 in Moscow, Russia on at the well-known place Crocus Expo, located just outside the Moscow ring highway MKAD.

The CFA club Moscow Cat Fanciers with president Natalie Balueva is a long term CFA presence at this major multi cat organization event. This year the following CFA judges were on duty: RD Pam Delabar (Finnland), Chloe Chung (China), Michael Schleissner (Germany) and Irina Tokmakova (Russia) - we always can rely on Dmitry Gubenko (Rolandus guest judge, Ukraine) and local guest judge Olga Belyaeva. The Russian antibiotic (aka. Vodka) shows good effect the 'DD-CC' (double-digit cat-count) virus got defeated and Moscow Cat Fanciers successfully contributed 116 entries to this major cat event

Our RD Pam Delabar lives the friendship with other cat organizations - Pam Delabar returned the favor and accepted the invitation from Artem Savin, president Russian ICU cat organization.
The big final of the Royal Canin Grand Prix is not to be missed! Each of the 6 cat organization present nominates their best cats (kitten, championship, and premiership) to enter the central stage to evaluate the Royal Canin Grand Prix winners.

Our RD Pam Delabar reports a real success for CFA and the CFA breeders:
TWO of the Royal Canin trophies went to CFA cats!

Best Cat: GRC Dar-Liz Bambi
(male red tabby&white Exotic, own. Zoya Shula)
Best Kitten: Dark Diamond's Mady Me
(a tortieshell Exotic, own. I. Samuolene)


International Division
Dick Kallemyer, International Division Chair 
The International Division had great participation at the Dr. Elsey's CFA International Cat Show with 11 Best of Breed winners and top winners:
  • YATFUNG'S COBRA JR!!! OF GLAM-REX (Hong Kong), 3rd best SH kitten in the purple show
  • HOOBEE WAKAKA (Hong Kong), 2nd best Championship cat in the purple show
  • KITTIES LAND BLUE FIRE OF TEDDY CAT (China), Best kitten in the red show
 
Start planning for the Asia Cat shown in April, 2018 in Thailand.  This is planned to be the CFA's largest International Division show ever!
 
The Sawasdee Cat Club held their first show in Nakhon, Thailand on December 12
Club members and government officials at show opening ceremonies.


Best of the Best Trophies and Rosettes
 
The show commemorated the death of the King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand


Have a question or a comment about the CFA Newsletter? 
Feel free to contact me at  tkeiger@cfa.org
Thank you for being a subscriber!

Teresa Keiger
CFA Newsletter Editor