Vicki Nye, co-chair

Judging Program Report from the October 16, 2023 Board Meeting

Advanced from Approval Pending Allbreed to Approved Allbreed:

Olga Grebneva-R9 Ukraine

Olga Korotonozhkina-R9 Glevaha, Ukraine

Jennifer Reding - R5 Fontana, California USA

Advanced from Associate Judge Trainee Shorthair to Associate Judge Shorthair

Ulrike Knueppel - R9 Hagen, Germany

Retirements:

CFA Allbreed Judge Yoshika Sada, submitted her retirement letter from CFA’s Judging Program on November 2, 2023, and it was accepted with regret by the JPC. Yoshika Sada, from Tokyo, Japan, bred Siamese under the cattery name of Sirfield, and joined the CFA judging program in 1999

Motion Passed: China Applicants must complete their Judging Program training outside of China.

Carol Krzanowski, Chair

The following clubs have applied for CFA membership and will be considered at the February 3-4, 2024 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 16, 2024.   

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.”

Asia Glory Cat Fanciers

President: Zheng Qitluang

Secretary: Cao Jun

Location: Shanghai, China

China AWL Cat Fanciers Club

President: Hongli Zhao

Secretary: Wen Zhu

Location: Shanghai, China

China Yangtze River Cat Fanciers Club

President: Zhou Ning (Tod Zhou)

Secretary: Zhou Jianmin (Peter Zhou)

Location: Shanghai, China

Dolce Vita Cat Club

President: Fabrizio Giovine

Secretary: Vitaly Oreshkin

Location: Obninsk, Russia

Skyway Cat Club of Tampa Bay

President: Rachel Zimmer

Secretary: Theresa Kempton

Location: St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

LIMITED SUPPLY!

Mark Hannon

Sets of ring cards are available for purchase. A set consists of numbers 1-250 OR numbers 251-450. The cards are 8 ½” x 5.5”, printed on index stock (no lamination), blue border on one side, pink border on the other, pre-collated and wrapped in plastic.

1-225 - $45 per set

226-450 - $45 per set

The cost of shipping is additional based on the number of sets shipped and location (for reference, shipping for one set in the U.S. is $12).

Contact Amber Goodright to purchase.

CFA Legislative

Kelly Crouch

New Hampshire Bill Adds Deformities in Animal Abuse Bill and Texas Rules Finalized

New Hampshire

Fanciers sometimes wonder why the CFA Legislative Group monitors bills that often have no direct effect on them, such as animal cruelty bills. The New Hampshire House Bill 1102-FN is a prime example of why we must monitor these bills. Representative Ellen Read (District 10-D) has pre-filed a bill expected to be introduced on January 3, 2024. If enacted, that bill would add a breeding deformities section to the state animal cruelty law (RSA 644:8, III ) as follows:

"(h) Sells an animal that has a birth deformity that causes suffering, such as brachycephaly, or the intentional breeding with the intent to sell, 2 individual animals with the same birth deformity that causes suffering, such as brachycephaly".

In §644.8, animal means a "domestic animal, a household pet or a wild animal in captivity." Thus, it would apply to cats and dogs with brachycephaly, causing a shortened skull. This law might include Persians, Exotics, Burmese, and other breeds. A short (and unscientific!) Google search revealed up to ten cat breeds were included in various lists of affected cat breeds. The American Kennel Club identifies 16 brachycephalic dog breeds. However, "birth deformities causing suffering" is not limited to brachycephaly. Other organizations include more breeds. House Bill 1102-FN is in pre-filed status and listed as being referred to the House Committee on Environment and Agriculture.

Texas

The proposed Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation rules implementing the changes enacted in Senate Bill 876 were approved as final on December 1, 2023, by the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation. Additional rulemaking is expected to bring the Texas rules up to date with changes in federal regulations as required by the state Dog and Cat Breeder Act.

CFA Breeders' Assistance Program

Charlene Campbell and Ginger Meeker

Once upon a time, there lived 3 very special CFA cats in need of rescue. They lived in various places in the country and for whatever reason their owners had fallen on hard times. Through multiple means, these three cats were pinpointed for rescue and rescue responded! None of us want to see pictures of seriously ill or damaged animals and we're not going to show them to you. Instead, we're including the "after" photos which were possible only through those dedicated to breed rescue and assistance. 

Dallas, a 4-year-old red/white Persian, came to rescue with multiple issues. At first, it was difficult to know what color he was due to the condition of his coat! He arrived, intact, with severe skin issues caused by ringworm and cramped conditions. Dallas also had giardia which made the skin issues even more problematic. To make matters worse, Dallas had very long-term issues with his ears presenting as 3 different bacteria in the ears, a blown ear drum and a severe head tilt. The severe head tilt and housing issues led to muscle wasting and his inability to walk. Dallas was indeed a challenge and the rescue team went into high gear. 

Fast forward...Dallas is neutered and has regained muscle strength. He is fully able to walk; a lovely Persian coat is returning, and the head tilt continues to improve. Dallas has been adopted and is pictured relaxing in his new Forever Home. Merry Christmas, Dallas.

Baxter, a 3-yr old British Shorthair, was rescued from a very small space. Baxter wasn't neutered and had all the issues that come from serious long-term confinement: muscle wasting, immobility, apathy, and depression. His left leg had exhibited problems for multiple years and hadn't been diagnosed. Baxter's owners had been saving money to do the necessary specialized surgery when a family health crisis occurred and they were unable to care for Baxter any longer. They knew Baxter needed immediate care and he came to BAP for emergency aid and adoption. 

The surgeons, involved with the rescue process, went into action. Baxter was neutered and a repair done to his left subluxated patella. Surgery alone was not enough for full recovery and physical therapists took over the care and Baxter can finally walk and investigate his surroundings as you can see in his photo here. For the first time in his life, he can go wherever he wants in the home of his adopted family. He is back to his sweet, loving, gentle, quiet nature. Season’s Greetings, Baxter!

When Collette, a blue female Persian arrived to BAP, she was a hot mess. Collete was dealing with serious upper respiratory infections including significant eye involvement, ringworm, coccidia, and giardia. In addition to the infections, Collette had an enlarged heart with two additional heart defects. Multiple treatments were started and most of the practitioners thought this was a hospice situation for her. 

Collette was in rescue for 18 months and continued to improve with the care of her multiple medical teams and good rescue care. The evidence of this outstanding care can be seen in her photo. Collette was adopted to her forever home with a veterinarian! Happy Holidays, Collette.

These stories aren't fantasy. They are reality and just a taste of what the rescuers, from front line to foster care, are doing for our cats.

CFA is the only registry which provides this unique caring service when a cat from our registry is in peril. CFA is there for our CFA felines with health info, training, and resources throughout the life of the cat. Other feline registries contact CFA's BAP on a regular basis for help and they are referred to our partners in hopes they will be able to assist. CFA's Breed Rescue and Assistance Program is possible only through donations from the CFA community and, therefore, our rescue efforts are focused only on CFA cats. However, we are available to assist any other registry to set up a similar program. 

Please consider honoring all of those involved in the rescue community by making a donation. Your donation clearly sends the message that you appreciate what is being done by these amazing individuals and groups and we THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

Donate to BAP at  https://breedersassist-rescue.cfa.org/

or use the QR code (above) to donate via PayPal, or mail a check to:

CFA BAP-BRP 

c/o Cynthia Byrd, Treasurer

1392 Robert Court

EveryCat Health Foundation

submitted by Virginia Rud

A list of our honored donors for the month of November is    available here

Tax Tips with George Eigenhauser

As calendar year 2023 comes to an end, there are still things you can do to lower your taxes for this year. If you itemize deductions on your income taxes you may “bunch” personal deductions like charitable donations into this year instead of the next to reduce your tax bill. If you itemize, you have until December 31, 2023, to donate. Cash donated to charity by then may be deductible in 2023, even if you pay by check or with credit card. You can donate appreciated assets held over a year to charity and get a deduction without paying capital gains tax (up to certain limits). If you're self-employed or have side/gig income, you might delay billing until next year. If you're concerned about estate taxes, giving assets to your heirs now may make your estate smaller when you pass away. In 2023, you can make tax-free gifts of up to $17,000 per person (going up to $18,000 in 2024). Married couples can give a total of $34,000 to each person. Giving money or assets to your heirs now might lower estate taxes later, but you must use the annual exclusion each year, there is no carryover. You have until April 15, 2024, to add money to an IRA for 2023. However, you may need to contribute to your employer retirement plans by December 31, 2023.  You should review your tax situation with a qualified professional and make any necessary changes before time runs out.

January Webinar

EveryCat Health presents “The Role of Diet in Feline Kidney Disease: What’s new; What’s known; What’s not.” with Dorothy P. Laflamme, MS, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM (Nutrition) on Thursday, January 25th, 2024, at 1:00 pm EST. 

Dietary management is a cornerstone of treatment for CKD, and the single nutrient shown to be most important for managing progression of CKD is phosphorus. This seminar will review the data regarding what is known and not yet known regarding the role of dietary phosphorus for cats with existing CKD, as well as the potential role of dietary phosphorus as a cause of CKD.

Register to attend here.

Holiday/End of Year Giving Campaign

“What Gift Do You Wish You Could Give to Your Cat?” 

Would it be a world where feline infectious peritonitis is easily and affordably treatable and where testing and vaccination make it a thing of the past? Or discovering a better understanding of diseases such as feline leukemia or diabetes? Would it be a solution to cats outliving their kidneys by putting an end to chronic kidney disease?

As you consider your end-of-year donations, we ask that you join EveryCat in Gifting a Better Future in Feline Health. Support now will allow researchers to concentrate on their efforts to solve the mysteries of feline specific diseases, nutrition, and behavioral issues which all help ensure a lifetime of happy, healthier cats. 

Make your gift online here

Reminder:

EveryCat Information and Swag available for cat shows

If you’d like to share EveryCat information and swag at your upcoming cat show, show organizers can request items to share with exhibitors and/or attendees!

Send your request to vrud@everycat.org

Include the following information:

Date(s) of show;

Expected number of exhibitors and attendees;

Contact person email and physical mailing address;

“Required by” date;

Please send requests at least 3 weeks in advance of “required by” date!

Items available include: EveryCat brochures, printed Research Updates, can lids, Save Our Cat window clings, fun stickers for kids! 

Breeding Cat Coverage

Now Available!

Protect your breeding cat with Felix:

1. Enter breeding cat’s info to Get a Quote
2. Select the optional add-on for Breeding Coverage* 
3. Click on Checkout to complete enrollment

Click here

to get started or call 1-866-FELIX-09 (1-866-335-4909).

*Coverage for accidents, illnesses and complications relating to or caused by breeding, pregnancy, whelping or nursing. Conditions and limitations apply. 

Felix Cat Insurance is underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company.

Corporate Affiliates

Code: 1000026977

or call 877-999-3223 and ask for the discount code CFA CAT FANCIERS ASSOCIATION

Discount Code # 526223

Discount Code # #U28593

Discount Code # Z926291

Click logo for information

submitted by Vicki Jensen

Lewis and Clark held their annual show in Albany, Oregon this year and it looked very successful. It was well attended by exhibitors and spectators. The show hall was nice and filled with smiles. The kitty costume contest was a huge hit and they had 2 rings full of dressed up cats to judge. It’s wonderful to see people coming back out to the shows and new exhibitors returning for subsequent shows.  Congratulations to all the winners. 

Traci Whittenberg, Regional Secretary

All of us in Region 3 are wishing you a purr-fectly meow-velous holiday season!

Meow-Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Your friends in Region 3

John Colilla, Regional Director

The Regional Fundraising Committee is designing fundraising ideas right now to start at the Ohio Persians Show Dec 9-10. We only have about 5-6 months to raise our funds so we need help from every individual and club,

The committee has come up with 2 major items for the project and we are hoping clubs can support the gift card basket. Since this request was originally put out to the clubs, gift cards have been arriving from personal donors and clubs. If you or your club has a card for the basket, I will be collecting them at the Ohio Persian Show. Would every R4 club donate a gift card to the basket? We’d sure be happy if that happened! Go as big as you can! Send the gift cards to:

 Ginger Meeker

 1244 11th St NW

 Canton, OH 44703

You can also give them to Wendy Lorch, Ginger Meeker or Jodell Raymond when you see them in the show hall. Clubs and individuals will be recognized for their donation. . A winner will be drawn at the Regional Show next June. We expect the gift card basket to “grow” over time so stay tuned for the current value of the basket. First value will be published after the Ohio Persian show.

 Another item, up for viewing at the Columbus show, is a new, black and white, queen-size Amish Quilt (value $1500). Larry Johnson has agreed to photograph the quilt for future advertising and tickets will be on sale at the show and at multiple shows throughout the remainder of the season. Winner will be drawn at the Regional Show

 We also encourage clubs to hold their own regional donation raffles, 50/50’s, buy your cats number games… be creative. Please send these donations directly to Teresa Sweeney and clearly label REGIONAL FUNDRAISING. She will keep track of the donations. Our goal is $5000 and we would hope to surpass that.

 Thank you all, in advance, for your Regional Support!

 Regional Fundraising Team

 (Wendy Lorch, Ginger Meeker, Jodell Raymond)

 Appointed Chair- Brad Newcomb

Show Report - Paws and Claws November 11-12, 2023

Wendy Goldman

Paws And Claws Cat Fanciers put on a spectacle of a show in Detroit, MI on the second weekend in November, 2023. The show filled with 225 cats and had top 15 in Kitten and Household Pet finals. 

Striking hot pink, black, and white ring decor and rosettes set the mood and commanded attention to the beautiful cats who graced the ring. The lucky felines in the finals were given prizes for their placement with every judge. Eight of these beauties even achieved the title of Grand Champion, Grand Premier, or Grand HHP and were also given a special rosette and a bottle of wine with a personalized label featuring the club's name and the date of the show to commemorate the occasion. 

Several thousand spectators from around the Metro Detroit area joined in the fun as they found a little bit of something that everyone could enjoy. Having a packed schedule with an event at almost all times, John and Bethany Colilla gave tours of the show to spectators and answered questions while introducing them to the cat fancy. Bethany multitasked like a pro also working the Red Carpet Ring presenting numerous cats to the public and explaining what makes them unique. In between all of this, she even presented the cat costume contest! The Red Carpet Ring was also occupied by Dr. Dickie, DVM as she had a Q&A session and helped educated on feline health and how to keep your cat happy. 

The highlight of the show was the all-new Cat Café. Three separate tents had cats of a specific breed in each one. Spectators waited in line for sometimes close to two hours just to get up close and personal with our special breeds. When asked why they were willing to wait such a long time, they responded that they wanted to play with cats and this was their opportunity to do it. This show sure did make a lot of people happy! 

With almost 1 million followers on Instagram, Sunglass Cat soaked up the attention from people who stopped by her booth to say hi. She was even told by quite a few fans that they came by just to meet her! 

There was so much to see and enjoy. All of the above in addition to the selfie station, banners featuring most of CFA’s accepted breeds, boxes of cat food supplied by Cat-It, and the many vendors with so many different cat products made this show one to remember!

Mike Shelton, Regional Director

Poinsettia City Cat Club held their annual "Cats in Hats" show in Glendale over Thanksgiving weekend. The show was well-attended, with the usual fabulous spectators in that location. Poinsettia City is a long-standing SW region club that has been putting on shows with this theme for over 20 years.

(photo courtesy Mark Campbell)

The Southwest Region wishes all of our CFA family a happy holiday season!

Candilee Jackson, Regional Secretary

The MWR is very excited to share Regional Director Cathy Dunham’s news! Starting a grand adventure, Cathy will be taking up the position as the lead person doing show scoring with CFA! Prior to leaving as Regional Director, she will oversee the planning the MWR awards show and banquet, as well as 2024 Annual Meeting to be hosted by the Midwest Region in June 2024.

The MWR held a fundraising show November 18-19, 2023, at the Weitendorf Agricultural Education Center in Joliet, Illinois. Managed by Jim Charles, the show enjoyed comradery, a great gate and loads of feline fun! As part of the region’s fundraising plan, Holly Mueller created a gorgeous banner of MWR exhibitors, and the banner was revealed at the Joliet show. Funds generated from this show will help offset MWR costs for the 2024 Annual Meeting to be held in Coralville, Iowa, in June 2024.

Frontier Felines Fanciers presented “Cats On Holiday” at the Johnson County 4-H Building in Gardner, Kansas, on November 25th. The show was managed by Mia Yili Xu and Jim Charles. For exhibitors, a food truck was on hand with delectable selections for lunch. The highlight of the show was the club’s annual costume contest.

“Christmas In The Ozarks” was the theme for the Show Me Cat Fanciers show on December 9, 2023, at the Newton County Fairgrounds, in Neosho, Missouri. This annual one-day show, managed by Janet Moyer, welcomed a number of spectators who were delighted by the lunchtime cat costume contest.

Kenny Currle - Regional Director

Cat Club of the Palm Beaches held their annual December show December 2-3 in Sanford, FL. The show hall was packed with enthusiastic spectators both days.

On Sunday, the club continued its tradition of honoring one of the judges. This time, the honoree was Kenny Currie, for his ongoing support of the region and its clubs, both personally and as regional director. 

We hope that cat fanciers all over the world enjoy the holidays, and wish everyone peace and prosperity in 2024.

right: Yaeko Takano(Jugde) & Alex Luk Chun Lap(Trainee)& Honoka Kametani(Show Manager)

Trainee with Yaeko Takano

far right: Yaeko with the highest scoring cat in Premiership

Pam DelaBar, Regional Director

 Season’s Greetings and Happy Holidays. Pray for Peace.

Hong Kong

Galaxy Cat Club Show

Virginia Liu

Galaxy Cat Club hosted our club’s debut show on Dec 3, 2023, namely, Pro Plan x Galaxy Cat Club A Bright Future CFA Championship Cat Show.

The show was held in Kai Tin Shopping Center, a busy shopping mall in the city center of Hong Kong. We had 86 cats of 25 breeds, HHP included, entered into this show. The flow of spectators was sheer unstoppable. Countless feline enthusiasts of all ages, plenty of whom were first-timers to a CFA cat show, were awed by the meticulously groomed show cats in the benching area as well as at the judging rings. Even wheelchair-bound senior citizens who would otherwise have little chance to attend a cat show had it not been held in their neighbourhood gathered around the judging rings enthusiastically as our respectable judges took their time to explain how to appreciate the grace and beauty of various cat breeds and the breed standards to the spectators.

What made our show special was the eye-catching arch entrance with two huge standees featuring two of last season’s locally-bred National Winners (a Maine Coon and a solid white Persian) stunningly designed by our club’s designer Terry Cheng. It virtually set the stage for the immersive experience that awaited them. What’s more, we published our club’s first issue of “Cats Time” magazine to be distributed freely to the spectators and the exhibitors in the show venue. 500 copies were made and almost all copies had been given away by the end of the day! In this magazine, there are three feature articles contributed by judge Suki Lee (on CFA), breeders Virginia Liu and Vivien Lai (on Maine Coons and Persians respectively). There are also adverts of local CFA catteries, cat supplies and cat service providers etc.

At last, we would like to express our greatest gratitude to our main sponsor Pro Plan, and to judges Darrell Newkirk, Kathy Calhoun, Suki Lee, Edward Maeda and Pattama Weeranon. As a CFA affiliated club, Galaxy Cat Club will continue to host fabulous CFA shows to spread our love of pedigreed cats across the territory!

Royal Canin Breeders' Seminar

Suki Wong - ID coordinator- Hong Kong

Thanks Royal Canin for the cat healthcare seminar for CFA breeders in Hong Kong on 25 November 2023. The seminar provided a lots of information about the nutrition. Excellent sharing from the speakers Mr. KH Chiu Royal Canin Pet Professional Pillar Manager, the nutrition master, and Dr. Kaylen Kwan Senior Veterinary Surgeon. The venue, Park View hotel, a Pullman Hotel was beautiful with a full sea view of the Victoria Harbour. The lunch was fabulous. . Thank you Royal Canin Marketing Director Sharon Lam and Pro & Vet Assistant Manager Alan Huang. Looking forward to having more events with Royal Canin in 2024.

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