December 2017
In This Issue
Quick Links
CFA Central Office Staff
Featured Cat
Our banner cat for December is CFA's Seventeeth Best Cat in Premiership,  GP, NW  Shelbie Magic Bullet Of Nudawnz , a white American Bobtail - Longhair Division neuter.
(photo by Helmi)




DEADLINES
January 2, 2018
Breed Council/Committee ballots must be received by CFA Central Office by this date



 

It's been so very cold here for us in the South this past week! The unrepentant heat-suckers, I mean our cats, have gallantly volunteered to provide us with the extra warmth that they are sure that we need to survive. Not that I am complaining, nor just because of the additional warmth. The feel of their fur and contanence of contentment remind me that joy can be found in the simplest of things and that it is a fine thing to be warm and content.

Things seem to be quieting down just a little bit in CFA's world now that the International Show is over and we pause slightly during the holidays. I'm sure though that January will wind us all up again with the ramp up to the final four months of the show season.

 
Teresa

 

ince the last issue of our monthly newsletter, we produced Royal Canin's CFA International Cat Show which was held in Portland, Oregon.  The show had an excellent entry, lots of vendors, and more spectators than seen at this show in many years.  To produce a show of this size and caliber takes many months of planning.  Congratulations to Show Manager Pam Moser, her two assistants Mary Auth & Wendy Heidt, and the numerous volunteers who devoted their time and effort to make sure this show was such a success.   Of particular note is Allene Tartaglia, CFA's Special Events Coordinator, whose tireless efforts are an inspiration for us all.  There will be articles chock full of photos in the February issue of Cat Talk and the CFA Yearbook which will be distributed in late January.  I have seen many photos from the show on Facebook and online.  Congratulations to all the winners.  Thank you to all of those who donated sponsorship funds.  Thank you to all who attended the show.  We have signed contracts to hold next year's show in Cleveland, Ohio.  The show manager will be Linda (Komar) Murphy. 

CFA is doing well financially and we are taking advantage of this to improve our computer capabilities. We want to make sure we are serving our customers in the best way possible.  We have plans to automate some things that have been handled manually and to improve some of our current computer software.  Our IT Committee chair, Tim Schreck, has lots of plans and he will be sharing them with you in the not too distant future.  We want to make sure we provide quality, accurate services in a timely manner.

The CFA Executive Board met via conference call earlier this week and I distributed Rich Mastin's notes of that meeting.   Several of the new clubs accepted are in North America.  It's great to see growth in every area of the world. 

Speaking of growth, CFA Vice-President Dick Kallmeyer continues to provide analysis of CFA data. Dick points out that our registrations increased 8.7% for the first six months of our fiscal year (May- Oct.) over the same period last year.  " Every major geography showed a neutral or positive gain for October."  That is a significant turn-around since registrations were decreasing in Regions 1-9.  During that same period the number of entries at our shows was up 6.9% and the number of shows was up 3.3%.  In North America entries and number of shows were up 7.1%.

Our cat shows are our most important marketing tool.  When the public can see our cats in person and talk with the owners, they gain interest in both pedigreed cats and our hobby.  We want to see an ongoing increase in our shows since that usually translates into more cats being registered.  Registrations are our main source of income and is our reason for existing.

Allbreed Judge Irina Tokmakova passed away on Dec. 7, 2017, following a long battle with cancer. Irina bred Himalayans under Vita Plus Cattery since 1992.  She began judging in 1997 and guest judged for CFA in 2003.  She came to CFA under the guest judge program and was accepted as an Approved Pending Allbreed CFA Judge in February 2013.  Irina lived in Moscow and judged throughout Europe and Asia.  She judged the 2013 CFA International Cat Show in Novi, Michigan so many USA exhibitors had the opportunity to experience her judging.  She was a popular judge and will be missed.

In closing, I wish each of you a joyous holiday.  





Terri Barry
CFA Executive Director
   
 
"Congratulations" and "Thank You" are just two of the phrases that come to mind as another CFA International Cat Show has come and gone.  I am sure you have already read about our top cats on CFA's Facebook page, as well as the release posted on our website.

Again, congratulations to all those who have participated!  It was truly an international event with participants from three continents and fourteen countries.

This year's show was presented by Royal Canin, who provided gifts to all exhibitors as well as spectators.  They also presented great gifts for the Best of The Best winners.  Thank you Royal Canin!  Another special thank you goes out to Lucy Pet Products for providing litter for the show.  I would be remiss if I didn't thank Pam Moser, Show Manager; Mary Auth and Wendy Heidt, Assistant Show Managers; their entire show committee; and their numerous volunteers.   It goes without saying that many others assisted with its success: C.O.'s Special Event Coordinator Allene Tartaglia, judges, clerks, announcers, and all of the other behind the scenes workers.

Central Office would like to congratulate Shelly Borawski, who just celebrated her 30th Anniversary with C.F.A.

As we enter the holiday season, I want to wish you all Happy Holidays and to remind you that C.O. will be closed Monday, December 25th and Monday, January 1st.  

In closing I wish you all a happy and healthy 2018!  As always, travel safe to and from the shows and good luck to all!
  


Shelly Borawski Celebrates
30 Years With CFA
Verna Dobbins,
Deputy Director

We extend our best wishes to Shelly Borawski on 30 years of service with the CFA.  Shelly is the editor of the CFA yearbook and plays a crucial role in both the CFA Annual and International Shows.  Shelly is a model employee and a definite asset to CFA.  Throughout the years we have enjoyed your dedication and enthusiasm for your job.  

We wish you continued success for many years to come.


CFA Breeds and Standards
Carla Bizzell
CFA Breeds and Standards Committee Chair

ALERT - BREED COUNCIL BALLOTS

A notice was sent via e-mail on November 13 with instructions for voting on Breed Council/Committee ballots. The notice was sent out to members of each Council/Committee that has a ballot this year. The list of those breeds/division with a ballot are listed below. If you were a member in good standing at August 1, 2017, are a member of one of the listed Breed Councils/Committee and did NOT receive voting instructions via e-mail or received a paper ballot in the mail, please contact Kay Chamberlain at [email protected] or 330-680-4070 x 112. Kay is your point of contact for Breed Council/Committee matters and to request voting instructions or a paper copy of a ballot if needed. Due date for ballots to be completed on line or RECEIVED in Central Office is Midnight on January 2, 2018.

List of Breed Councils/Committee with Ballots This Year:

American Curl
American Shorthair
Balinese
Bengal
Birman
Burmilla
Cornish Rex
Devon Rex
Exotic
Japanese Bobtail
Persian (General)
Persian (Shaded and Smoke)
Scottish Fold
Selkirk Rex
Sphynx



Treasurer's Report
Kathy Calhoun
CFA Treasurer
Greetings from your Treasurer!
 
Great news to report!!   Total registration, including litter and individual registration came in slightly ahead of budget ~ 2%. Cattery registration came in 10% below budget.  Overall, total Ordinary income - all categories total is slightly below budget - 4%.  There is a reasonable expectation that the shortfall could be made up in the back half of the season.
 
Publications
Almanac (Cat Talk, Newsletters, and the White Pages) - Although, these publications are performing better than budgeted expectations, the net revenue remains unfavorable.
Yearbook - The yearbook is in a profitable position year to date but production costs will land in 2018.
 
Marketing
Revenue needs to be generated in this category from branding, sponsorship and advertising to offset current expenses.  Currently expenses exceed revenue by $21,000.
 
CFA Chicago Annual
The Annual realized $58,000 in income which is sourced from award sponsorship, banquet income, delegate fees, vendor fees, and pins.  Expenses include awards, banquet and hospitality costs, awards, publications, audio video, and hotel costs.  Expenses came in at $166,000.  The net cost of hosting the annual was $107,465 to host.
 
Central Office and Corporate Expense (Board Expense) led the in managing cost and came in significantly under budget.  These two categories combined were collectively $40,376 under budget. A condensed report is available here.
 
The Bottom Line ~ CFA demonstrated strong performance and as of the end of September delivered $108,000!       

CFA Judging Program
Melanie Morgan
CFA Judging Program Chair

Allbreed Judge Irina Tokmakova passed away on December 7, 2017, following a long battle with cancer. Irina bred Himalayans under Vita Plis cattery since 1992. She began judging in 1997. She came to CFA under the guest judge program and was accepted as approval pending Allbreed judge in 2013. She was a kind and gentle soul who loved the cats and will be dearly missed.

Advancements
Nicholas Pun - advanced to Approval Pending Longhair, second specialty

John Adelhoch - advanced to Approved Allbreed

Congratulations to both!


Cat Talk
Teresa Keiger
Editor

The December issue of Cat Talk should be arriving in mailboxes any day now!





I hope that everyone has bought new clothes, lest the 
 Jólakötturinn finds you!  (read about this fantastical feline beast in our "Su-PURR-stitions" column!)  This issue also contains the second part of our look at feline genetic testing.

I would like to remind everyone again that we are always looking for good topics and articles for Cat Talk. We don't always know about great things and ideas happening in the various regions and divisions. Have an idea for an article? Want to contribute a story?  We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]
 


With the holidays coming up, there's always that "long distance"  gift that one struggles to find. Think about a Cat Talk subscription (either print or digital) and it gets delivered directly to them. We'll even enclose a gift notification card for you!  Check  here  for subscription details!

  
Winn Logo

WINN FELINE FOUNDATION
by Lorraine Shelton


A list of donors contributing $100 or more in November can be found here.



Thank you for your generosity! Thanks to the numerous donors who embraced Giving Tuesday on November 28th, Winn will be able to fund exciting new studies on FIP, heart disease, amyloidosis, cancer, kidney disease, and many other feline medical issues in 2019. We have been excited to see many cat fanciers including us in their birthday celebrations on Facebook, encouraging their friends to donate to Winn in lieu of sending a birthday card or gift.
 
Holiday Shopping can be Win-Winn this season! Shop for everyone on your gift list this holiday at smile.amazon.com/ch/23-7138699 and Amazon will donate a portion of your holiday spending to Winn Feline Foundation.
 
Grant Awards Announced!  Five grants were awarded through the Miller Trust: investigating gabapentin dosing as a sedative in cats with chronic kidney disease, using biomarkers to diagnose reflux disease, evaluating the use of mesenchymal stem cells as a treatment for inflammatory bowel disease and chronic gingivostomatitis, and determining cortisol levels in hair and nails of cats to measure chronic stress. The cortisol study received our New Feline Investigator Grant Award established in memory of long-time CFA and Winn board member and legal advisor, Fred Jacobberger. Two Bria Fund-related projects were also approved: developing a combination antiviral therapy for the treatment of FIP and generating a novel potential FIP vaccine. An additional study was funded, thanks to an anonymous sponsor, to map fibrosis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by using non-invasive imaging (MRI). In addition, Wisdom Health has sponsored an exciting project by Dr. Leslie Lyons at the University of Missouri. While genetic testing for cats is now commonplace, most labs lack the standards and expertise to properly interpret their results. The goals of this grant are to provide DNA controls for all traits and diseases to the testing laboratories for quality control purposes and to provide a standardized template for reporting consistent and accurate results.
 
In total, almost $443,000 in grants have been funded by Winn in 2017. We cannot thank our supporters enough for making this happen! 
 
Photo and Design Contests: Get in the holiday spirit and participate in Winn's Best Holiday Cat Photo Contest!  Send a photo of your cat in a holiday setting and/or holiday attire to us. Your photo will reside on Winn's gallery page for viewing. A $50 Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to the winner in each category. Details are available here.  The deadline is 12/23. Our design contest for Cures4Cats Day, with a $250 prize for the winning entry, is still accepting submissions. Details may be found here.  

Planned Giving (tax) tip for December:
Some taxpayers who don't itemize deductions may be overpaying their income taxes.  Now is the time to review your situation to determine if you should itemize your deductions. You still have time to make last-minute changes to your deductions.  Common itemized deductions include charitable contributions, mortgage interest, state and local taxes; or medical and dental expenses.  Certain miscellaneous items such as some job-related expenses, casualty or theft losses, union dues, or tax preparation fees may be deductible.  Even gambling losses may be deductible up to the amount of gambling income.  If you are close to or exceed your standard deduction threshold, there are things you can do to increase your itemized deductions. 
 
                *You can donate appreciated stock directly to a qualified charity.  This may be a double tax benefit if there is long-term gain which would have been taxable if you sold the stock.
 
                *Charitable donations are deductible when paid.  If you already planned to make a donation next year you can make the donations before the end of this year to increase your itemized deductions this year.
 
                *Pay your taxes this year including property taxes and other tax payments which may be payable next year.
 
Note that for some taxpayers moving deductions between tax years may result in itemized deductions in one year and using the standard deduction in another.  Done properly, this can produce a lower tax burden over the two years.  If you already itemize deductions, moving deductions into this year may speed up your tax benefit and avoid the uncertainty of future changes in the tax law.  Remember that for most itemized deductions you must use the deduction in the year paid.  You should review your tax situation and make any necessary changes before year's end while there is still time.  


 
From 2017 to 2018, the Carryover States
 
As state legislative sessions come to a close and fanciers prepare for the 2018 sessions, they may wonder what happens to the 2017 state bills that did not become law.  In 23 states the bills simply die when the legislature adjourns. The 25 states that start their biennial legislative terms in odd-numbered years have procedures governing the carryover of legislation from 2017 to 2018. Another two states, New Jersey and Virginia, start their two-session terms in even-numbered years. These outlier states carryover legislation from even years to odd-numbered years.
 
Carryover states have session rules governing bills that linger in the legislature when the first session of a two-session term ends. In general, states fall into one of three categories. For many states, all legislation carries over to the new term. Wherever these bills were in the legislative process when the first session ended is where the bills will pick up when the new session begins. Advocates for all bills in these states have the entire two session term to negotiate the legislative process. The second method generally applied to carryover legislation is that the bill remains in, or returns to, the standing committee to which it was last referred in the first session. In other states, the Rules Committee reassess the bills to determine if they will carryover.
 
General rules were made to be broken, however, with some states choosing stricter rules for carrying over legislation.  Some states restrict carryover bills to specific topics and require the approval of carryover bills by resolution. West Virginia bills meeting certain criteria may be carried over if the sponsor makes a carryover request ( info.cq.com/resources/watching-state-legislatures-carry-effect ). In Hawaii all bills carryover. To make things interesting, however, carryover bills must pass a reading in the house of origin during the second session. For example, if a Senate bill passed three readings in the Senate and was sent to the House in the first year of the biennial term, the Senate must pass it after an additional reading in the Senate during the second session (Hawaii Legislative Handbook, http://lrbhawaii.org/hndbook/hbk6.html ). In California, potential carryover bills die if the house of origin does not pass them by January 31 of the second session.  In practice, a California bill that dies in the first session cannot carry over even though the file may still be in the legislature. A theoretical, but remote, possibility is that the Appropriations Committee can release a bill that has been in suspense from the first year.  Although the bill would have to have been close to passing in the first session for the release of the bill to have much effect.
 
Fanciers that advocate in any of the 27 carryover states will likely have to know how the second-year session rules work on paper and in practice at some point. A good place to look for the carryover rules is in the session laws or chamber rules (not all states have session laws) which are frequently located on the legislature's website. Other places advocates may research include legislative handbooks, charts, glossaries, and other legislative resources. It is important for fanciers to remember that even when it possible to move forward with a bill, the bill sponsors may find it beneficial to establish a new time frame by introducing an identical or similar bill instead. Understanding the nuances of how a bill may carry over into the second session, and why it may not, can save the advocate much work and prevent unpleasant surprises.


Please report legislation happening in your area to the Legislative Group -  [email protected]  
Visit the  CFALegislativeNews Facebook page to see the current legislative news.


ACATS
by Karen Lane
CFA Ambassador Cats Program Chair

The CFA Ambassador Cats send Holiday Greetings to all!

We hope you spend this wonderful holiday season with family and friends you love. Cherish the times and experiences we have all shared together. The hard work and the funny times
 that make our lives so special. We thank our CFA board and so many others for their dedication and effort spent on our behalf. Let's all take a little time and remember each other and be thankful for our friends. All of us share the love of our cats, let's be sure we share that love with each other.

Whatever holiday you celebrate, make it a merry one,

CFA Ambassador Program
by Candilee Jackson
CFA Ambassador Program Chair 


Merry Christmas!  Happy Chanukkah!  Joyous Kwanzaa!  Season's Greetings! Happy Holidays! And lastly, Happy New Year!!!  CFA's ambassadors are active throughout our world, providing information, counseling the grieving, listening and sharing kitty stories, and touching lives in a variety of venues from the show hall to senior centers, schools, libraries and hospitals.  A-Cat coloring books are still flying out of ambassador hands, and are usually gone by the half-way mark of any given show:  ambassadors are proud to be a part of this incredible outreach program!

From all of us to all of you, may this holiday season be joyous, and may 2018 bring you health, prosperity, and a "grand" time!

Region 8:  Takako and Masanari Kojima
Nishinihon Cat Club hosted its Christmas Show on December 3rd at the Act III Hall in Osaka, Japan.  Though the entries weren't as large as expected, the exhibited enjoyed an early Christmas celebration.  The club prepared small Christmas gifts for all the exhibitors.  As show manager and secretary, Takako and Masanari were kept very busy. 

"I brought four show shelters from the International Show in Portland, Oregon, for a new Japanese exhibitor. She was so happy to have a new, beautiful show shelter for her beautiful cat!" stated Masanari.

Masanari sold three Show Rule and Standard sets (Japanese version) to new exhibitors.  "Recently when Takako finds a new exhibitor, he rushes to them to sell the Show Rules and Standard because it is important for new exhibitors to have the important information about show rules, standard and so on. Next, they ask for information or useful advice from veteran exhibitors/breeders. This way mistakes can be avoided." Stated Masanari.

Many spectators with kids came to ambassador booth to pet and touch Raptor. Raptor is getting many fans in every show. 

"Recently, we find several new exhibitors have been attending our shows, and their number is increasing little by little.  We are so happy with this," said Masanari.

YFEP

by Carmen Johnson-Lawrence, Chair


Report From the CFA International Show
by Sande Kay, Northwest Regional Coordinator

The CFA International Cat Show in Portland, Oregon was great fun. Our booth was in a little different location this year than in years past, being located just feet from where spectators entered the show hall!  We were benched with the Maine Coons, very much at the forefront of spectators' activities! The visitors that stopped at the booth were many, I am afraid that we blocked the aisle at many points during the weekend.
 
Another difference this year was that instead of having one youth from the YFEP program 'man' the booth all weekend, most of the Northwest Region youth scheduled themselves and showed up for at least one day of answering spectator questions, coordinating the activities at the YFEP table, showing people around the show hall, and being available to be a last minute steward.
 
Top row, left to right: Hailey Goldsbarry, Addie Moss Bottom row, left to right: Kyra Tilton, Zaden Moss
Not pictured but participated: Michelle Bumgarner, Mackenna Goldsbarry
All the Youth involved wore shirts with the CFA YFEP logo on them, clearly identifiable, and helped with the activities at the table that attracted adults and kids to participate and ask questions about YFEP. There was a coloring contest with two overall winners from among the spectators who participated. The Youth who were working the booth got to pick the winners at the end of the weekend on Sunday. Thank you to Maureen of MT Pet Beds and Karen of Johnson Pet Products for donating the shirts for the Coloring Contest prizes. There was also a 'Cat Fact' Spinner game where spectators could 'test' their cat knowledge and win a little gift. Thank you to the vendors who donated gifts for the spinner game, and to Laura Bumgarner and Cammie, Cassi and Mark Pedersen for donating bulk of those prizes!
 
As a team, Northwest Region YFEP Youth pulled together and did a fabulous job at the CFA International Show! I am taking this moment to thank Michelle Bumgarner for help with the table display and Mackenna Goldsbarry for coming on Saturday and pitching in to steward in a pinch! Thank you also to Hailey Goldsbarry, Zaden and Adeline Moss, and Brynne Slack for running the booth on Sunday. I would be remiss if I did not mention the YFEP Youth from other regions who were at the show and showing their cats! From our busy booth Payton Gomez could be seen running around being busy herself, and we congratulate her and her HHP Gary Galivant on an awesome show!  If we have missed anyone we apologize.  Finally, a HUGE thank you to the Northwest Region, the show coordinators and Northwest Regional Director Pam Moser for all their help and support of the Youth Feline Education Program.
 
If you know a youth that is interested in the Youth Feline Education program, you may contact Carmen at   [email protected]  or reach out directly to your Regional Coordinator!
North Atlantic Region - Lynda Smith
Northwest Region - Sande Kay
Gulf Shore Region - Anne Paul
Great Lakes Region - Lorna Friemoth
Southwest Region - Kelsey Friemoth
Midwest Region - Cathy Dunham
Southern Region - Chandler Bussey
You can also visit our website at yfep.cfa.org.  
We wish all our CFA friends and family a very wonderful and safe holiday season!



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.

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Link to Avis
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Discounts Available to You!

Region 1
by John Adelhoch,  Regional Director 

It's that great time of the year when most of us are running around and getting all those presents together for friends and family. Let's not forget all those less fortunate cats and dogs in our local shelters!  Perhaps a stop at the grocery store to pick up some litter or food to bring to the shelter of your choice. Perhaps even spend some time to play with a cat or kitten. It will make you feel good too! Remember those cats and kittens need homes too!
Gary Veach and his kitten

Kudos to all those who participated in the CFA International Show. I heard that it was a success!  A special CONGRATULATIONS to Briar-Mar Ready Aim Fire!, highest scoring kitten, owned and bred by: Omar Gonzalez/Gary Veach, and to GP  Penelane Legolas Woodland Prince, 2nd highest scoring in Premiership, bred by: Michelle Lukic, owned by Charlotte Kooistra.  Thank you to both breeders and owners for representing the NAR.  
Charlotte Kooistra and her cat with Mark Hannon

As we wind up this year of 2017, I wish all our exhibitors from throughout CFA a very happy holiday season from all of us in the North Atlantic Region! See you in the New Year.

Remember these are: the Best of Times, so get out there and show!

Region 2
Terri Zittel, Regional Secretary  

What a busy end of the year for Region 2! First of all we hosted a highly
successful International Show in Portland, Oregon. The show had a fantastic
gate and the spectators were friendly and excited to have the show in region 2.
The Region 2 exhibitors were also delighted and yet disappointed that this was
a one and done event.

On December 2 nd and 3 rd , the Lewis and Clark Long Hair Specialty club held
their annual show at the DoubleTree at the Lloyd Center. This is a hotel show and
the Region 2 exhibitors look forward to it each and every year. This year was
the 46 th annual show.

We wish all of you a Happy Holiday whatever that holiday may mean to you. 


Region 3
by Kathy Black, Regional Director

The Gulf Shore Region would like to send holiday wishes to our CFA family around the world!


Region 4
by John Colilla, Regional Director
Our region is very active in social media with a Facebook page as well being a member of Pinterest. Please stop by and check out what is going on in our region here. 

Be sure to mark your calendar with our upcoming shows:
 
More information can be found online at http://www.cfagreatlakes.org/
  • Jan 20         -- Cleveland Persian Society, OH 4AB 2SP
  • Jan 21         -- Cleveland Persian Society, OH 4AB 2SP
  • Jan 27-28   -- Midwest Persian Tabby Fanciers 7AB 3SP
  • Feb 10        -- Steel City Kitties, PA 4AB 2SP
  • Feb 11        -- Steel City Kitties ,PA 4AB 2SP
The Great Lakes Region would like to wish everyone a very happy holiday season!

Region 5
by Lisa Marie Kuta, Regional Director 


Thank you to all the fanciers from all over the world expressing support
while our region is experiencing devastating wildfires. All those in the
fire areas truly appreciate all the offers of help and assistance.

Congratulations to the Phoenix Feline Fanciers for producing such a
wonderful event. It was a befitting celebration for their 25th
anniversary show.

January is the perfect time to visit Southern California! We have two
great shows during the month, Crown City on January 13-14 and San Diego
Cat Fanciers on January 27-28.
Region 6
by Mary Auth, Regional Director

The 4-ring show returns to the Midwest Region on January 6 in Lawrenceburg Indiana - an all specialty show.  Janet Marr will be your hostess for the weekend, where there is a nearby casino and a lovely small town in southeastern Indiana - the furthest most corner of the Midwest Region. I hope you will support her efforts.  It's a great opportunity to enjoy an intimate show and have fun.
 
Frontier Feline Fanciers hosted only show in the U.S. on Thanksgiving weekend in Gardner, Kansas. Three new exhibitors to CFA showed.   
 
The Feline Nines Program has been extended to the end of the show season.  In case you forgot what this Midwest Region program is:  for every ten entries in a Midwest Region show, you can apply for a $50 loyalty reward.  Details are on the Midwest Region web site. Thanks to Christina Crane for managing this program.
 
Congratulations to the Midwesterners who traveled to Portland for the International Show Presented by Royal Canin. They brought home some beautiful rosettes.  Dotdotdot's Fusion, Ocicat was third highest scoring kitten.  He is bred and owned by Roger and Nancy Brown.  Also making kitten finals were Slava Kiss Me Again - Siberian owned by Sherrie Phelps; Tylona Maximilian Miroslav, owned by Stephanie Grady; Truebrit Spiced Rum of Timberpaws, owned by the Cornwalls, Sue Weitendorf and Kathleen Lawton; Heavnzsent Golden Anatolii, Siberian owned by Wendy Brown and Shelly Finley; Toy Tricksy Frankly of Balashah, bi-color Persian owned by Susan and Jim Charles. 
 
In Championship: GRC Mayonaka's Jordan - European Burmese owned by Allene Keating; GRC Slava Imagine My Surprise, Siberian owned by Sherrie Phelps and Lucy Drury and GRC Foxykats Madeline of Jouvencebleu, Chartreux owned by Kathy Black and Monte Phillips.  In Premiership: GRP Kay-lee Perfect Storm, Korat owned by Bobbie Weihrauch; PR Slava Magnificent Love, Siberian owned by Sherrie Phelps and GRP Boberan Vandal's Midnight Hour; Persian owned by Susan Charles.
Region 7
by Jean Dugger, Regional Director




Trying to wrap up some last minute Christmas shopping, but stumped on a few gifts? Need to give a gift to someone far away? Have a pet sitter, veterinarian, office friend, gift swap that you need to get a present for? The Southern Region has the perfect suggestion AND proceeds go towards the 2018 CFA Annual!

A HoneyBaked Ham gift card can buy a lot more than just ham.  There's turkey, beef, port, side dishes, deserts (cheesecake!!) as well.



It's a great deal for you AND for the Southern Region but you must order your cards online here.   You pay absolutely nothing extra, and the region receives 20% of each sale!




Recent Shows
There were a lot of Southern Region exhibitors at the CFA International Show last month! Congratulations to our own Noralyn Heisig and her kitten Velvetkist Don't Touch My Tutu (right) for winning Best in Show honors!






Greater Baltimore Cat Club - submitted by Mark Hannon

Entry Clerk Shirley Peet and Show Manager Sarah Sieffert
The Greater Baltimore Cat Club held their annual "Santa Paws" show on December 2-3, 2017 in suburban Baltimore.  This show has long been a tradition for local cat fanciers with a number of vendors with interesting gift ideas for Christmas, an incredible raffle table, and this year a full 225 entries! 

The judging slate combined some from within driving distance and some judges not often seen in this area.  It was clearly a mix that interested the exhibitors since the show filled.  There were awards for the best holiday-themed cage as well as crowning Mr., Mrs. and Baby Santa Paws in the HHP class with 37 cats entered. Free coffee, doughnuts, and hot cider
Mrs. Claus, one of Kathy Pritchard's Ambassador Cats
added to the holiday cheer.  Many thanks to the hard-working club members who made this such an enjoyable weekend.




Upcoming Shows

There's LOTS of shows coming up in the Southern Region, so there's no reason not to be out in a show hall! Plus you'll be sure to see lots of smiling faces!

  • December 30-31 - Nashville Cat Club; Nashville, TN
  • January 6-7 - Absolutely Abyssinians Cat Cub; Jacksonville, FL
  • January 13-14 - Cat Club of the Palm Beaches; Ormond Beach, FL
  • January 27-28 - Birmingham Feline Fanciers; Irondale, AL
  • January 27-28 - Star City Cat Fanciers (also Central Carolina Cat Fanciers); Roanoke, VA
Merry Christmas from the Southern Region!

Region 8
 Kayoko Koizumi, Regional Director

We had three shows in October: M's Cat Comminuty on October 14-15, Royal Allbreed Cat Club on Oct.21, and Delight Cat Fancier on Oct.29. Each club worked hard to get good entries.
We had only one show on November 12 by Independent Cat Club.
Kobe show hall (above) and its interior (below)
 
I attended the International Show as judge and it was very exciting for me.  I saw many exhibitors and spectators from our region.
 
We will have two regional shows this season: on January 13-14, 2018 at Kobe and April 28 at Tokyo. I hope we will be able to get good entries, and more than last year.  Year by year entries in Japan have become smaller however, I feel that veteran exhibitors have been coming  back to show hall recently. I have
been suggesting to breeders at
show hall that we should not
 sell or give our cats to new owners with the condition of " not for breeding." We have to support new exhibitors/breeders so that they will be able to attend show with new kittens and cats.

We are waiting for club/cattery advertisements, entries, and vendors for the January 13-24, 2018 Regional Show.  Show hall is very big so that exhibitor will enjoy and have fun with their beautiful cats. Please come and join us!


Region 9
by Michael Hans Schleissner 

December is as always the month of the biggest event of the pedigreed cat world in Europe, perhaps the biggest globally. Moscow / Russia had their "Grand Prix" on the first weekend of the month.

In total we had 6 organizations participating. This was CFA with 115 cats entered, FIFE, TICA with 125 cats entered, ICU and M Phi A ( both Russian organizations ) and finally WCF with the largest entry. There were in total about 2000 cats entered in the show.

Royal Canin was as always the main sponsor of this event and CFA had the first time exhibitors from Florida / USA and Israel.
Be st cat in in CFA championship was, GC Lac Hong Mistral Gagnant, a Bombay male. This wonderful cat, bred and shown by Mireille Sicart from France, also became best over all. This means at the very end of the show 2 judges from each participating organization made the final decision. Once again, it was a CFA cat. Congratulations to the owner and breeder.










The sad announcement is that our wonderful allbreed judge, Irina Tokmakova from Russia, passed away this last week. We lost wonderful judge, one of the nicest persons in the fancy and a friend. Irina we will never forget you, you will be always in our hearts.


At the very end I personally want to wish you a Merry Christmas, peace and a happy and successful new year also in the name of our regional director Pam DelaBar

International Division
Dick Kallmeyer
CFA ID Chair


 
The Hong Kong contingent at the CFA International Show.
The best Championship SH in show (and best cat in Championship) Bombay CHAPTER XXI GABU , and the best LH in show,  Ragdoll FOR-REAL JACOB were from Hong Kong (2nd from left and 1st from left).
Exhibitors, Show Committee and Judges and the Chaiyo Club show in Bangkok on November 25 and 26.  The decorations were outstanding.

























Seminar attendees
Danny speaking at seminar
















Danny Tai writes: 
" I went to Nanning China (no CFA cat show yet) to held a seminar to introduce CFA and breeds to newbie! We had 63 students! More than 50 students expressed their interest to join CFA family! It was my honor to help CFA grow stronger in ID and China!
My sincere thanks to Glorian Chai and  Hao Chow  organized such wonderful seminar! Our big help and sponsor from Pro Plan! Look forward to the 1st CFA show in Nanning very soon! Keep up the good works!"



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Teresa Keiger
CFA Newsletter Editor