Welcome TICA Friends!

As we approach the end of the year we want to remind you to cast your ballot for TICA President/Vice President and Breed Committee if you haven't already.  Voting began last month and will close on December 15, 2017. 

Remember, a  high turnout makes TICA more representative and ensures a strong and solid future for the organization.  Your vote is an important way to advance the issues you care about and a chance for you to choose the representatives you think can best achieve the results you want to see within TICA. 

In this issue check out TICA's involvement in Pet Night on Capitol Hill and information on the first-ever cat show held in Istanbul with TICA's help, among other great news.

Let us know what you think about the stories in this month's issue and tell us some of the topics you'd like to see in a future issue by emailing us  at newsletter@tica.org.

TICA Welcome Two New Clubs
 
Help us welcome the Mid Atlantic & Pennsylvania Pet Lovers club and the Cat Fanciers Club "Neva" located in Saint-Petersburg, Russia into our ever-growing TICA family!


Voting is Now Open!
Cast Your Vote for TICA President/Vice President 
 & Breed Committees
 
The 2017 TICA membership election is now open! Be sure to cast your vote by December 15, 2017 at 11:59 PM CST.
 
Voting is an important, meaningful way to advance the issues you care about and is a chance for you to choose the representatives you think will best achieve the results you want to see within TICA.
 
Eligible voters should have received an email on October 31 with a link to vote. Do not share your voting link with others. Each link is unique to individual members. Please contact Leslie Bowers in TICA's Executive Office if you meet voting requirements and did not receive an email to vote.
 
The online ballot includes details related to each proposal item for review before casting your vote. Voters can view position statements for each candidate here and our recent "Ask the Candidates" newsletter for a information on where the candidates stand on issues that impact you the most.
 
This year, TICA elections are being handled by Election-America, a full-service election management organization. They have managed complex elections on six continents with millions of votes processed annually. Voting will be conducted by secret ballot and counted only by Election America.
 
Again, we appreciate your dedication to TICA and thank you for your vote! If you have any questions about your ballot, membership or election guidelines email us at ballot@tica.org or call (956) 428-8046.
 
For technical assistance with the voting process or to request a paper ballot, please contact Election-America at Help+TICA@election-america.com or call (866) 384-9978. The deadline to request a paper ballot is Tuesday, November 28, 2017.

L to R:TICA's Anthony Hutchinson , Jane Brunt DVM, President of the CATalyst Council & Mark McConnell BVMS, MRCVS President of the American Animal Hospital Association
L to R: TICA's Anthony Hutchinson , Annie Peters, President, Pet Partners President Annie Peters, & Brad Fuller also of Pet Partners
  

TICA Participates in Pet Night On Capitol Hill
 
Some might say Washington is full of animals, but on October 4, pets literally took over Capitol Hill during Pet Night 2017.
 
Hosted by the  Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI)  and the  Pet Leadership Council (PLC) , Pet Night brought together members of the pet industry, including TICA Board member Anthony Hutcherson, with our elected representatives for a discussion on the importance pet ownership has on the quality of their owners' lives.
 
The night gave elected representatives, industry leaders, the veterinary community, animal welfare advocates and research organizations the opportunity to learn about the importance of pet ownership in America. Participants from the AKC, APPA, Purina, AVMA, and Bayer, among others, discussed the growing scientific evidence that pet ownership has on the improved wellbeing for both people and animals.
 
Hutcherson represented TICA by taking part in the ongoing discussion of preserving the right to raise pedigreed cats, legally own more than three felines, and exist as a registry.
 
He also discussed the benefits of continued collaboration between registries, academia and industry with Dr. Marta Castelano DVM & PhD Director of the Cornell Veterinary Biobank and with congressional co-sponsor Rep. Kurt Schrader (D - Oregon 5th District) a Cornell Alum.

Members At Work

Kodak, a 7-month old Abyssinian, owned by Jennifer and 11 year old Katie Hardin, anxiously watches his competitors in the iCat agility ring during the recent Pittsburg Pet Expo TICA World of Cats sponsored by Dr. Elsey. Kodak was the winner over 44 other competitors. He also went on to become MVP during the event by  working the TICA booth as the "pet-me" cat while visitors talked to TICA's Vickie Fisher about the organization, cats and agility.  

TICA was again a proud partner and participant in the 2017 American Association of Feline Practitioners "Innovations in Feline Handling Lab" w/ HHP and Bengal, Sphynx, Persian and Scottish Fold. The event, held October 19-22 in Denver, CO was the largest meeting of cat veterinarians in the U.S.

Have you worked on a project that helps promote better care and understanding of cats? Or did your media report on your event? We'd love to hear about it and share with other TICA members. Please send photos and information about any projects you are working on or media clips to Newsletter@tica.org

    ASK TICA
Q. I need to purchase a new sofa but am afraid my new cat will shred it to pieces. Is there anything that will prevent my cat from putting his paws to the couch?  
 
A.  I t's hard not to tempt your cat with a sofa's soft, sloped sides that look ever-so-scratchable. However, there are a few fabrics to consider and others you will want to avoid when picking out a new couch.
 
It's best to avoid nubby textiles. Rough or coarse fabrics as well as loose-weave or looped upholstery on vertical surfaces are the worst when it comes to tempting your feline to file his claws. When cats claw, they are looking to remove the outer layers of the claws as new ones grow, making a stretch on a rough vertical surface enticing.
 
The best way to stop cats from scratching furniture is to avoid it altogether. When your sofa is covered in a tightly woven fabric like sued or a synthetic indoor-outdoor material , your cat will have a harder time getting his claws into it, and hopefully the sofa will become much less interesting to him.
 
However, it's always best to create a diversion altogether. Thick carpet or bound rope scratching posts often   create the most appealing scratch-able and attackable surface. Products such as Feliscratch by Feliway redirects cat scratching onto the scratching post. In most cases it is a matter of distraction-giving acceptable alternatives to not deny them this daily ritual. 

Do you have a question to ask TICA about breeding, shows or anything about cats in general? No question is too big or small to ask. Just send your question to Newsletter@tica.org  and we will answer your question in a future issue of the newsletter.





Istanbul Holds  First-Ever  Cat Show 
with  the Help of TICA
           
Last month Turkey held its first-ever cat show.
 
Organized by a new TICA club, the event included 122 cats from around Turkey and abroad to be named the most beautiful cat in Turkey.
 
Held at Vadi Istanbul Shopping Mall, judges included Jane Allen, Vlada Beninya and Valentine Tessens.
 
Best Adult Cat was awarded to a Bengal owned by Marie Eve Bedard from Lebanon. Best Kitten was presented to a Burmese owned by Nadezda Paltseva from Russia. Best Altered Cat was bestowed on Anna Dalkılıç cat from Britain. Best Household Pet was bestowed upon Rüveyda Yılmaz's cat that she found on the street and adopted.
 
Each winning cat was awarded a cat-scratching house.


Aeris: The Short Film Helping Conquer FIP
 
After two young filmmakers lost their Bengal cat to Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) they were determined to do something about it. So, they made a movie to celebrate their kitten's life, educate others about the disease and to raise money for future research. 
 
"Aeris," a short film written and produced by Paul Castro Jr. and Aly Miller compassionately chronicles their twelve-day journey spent trying to defeat the horrible disease that eventually took Aeris' life.     
 
The short film premiered at New York City's Lincoln Center last month to a sold out crowd and rave reviews. It is also being screened at various film festivals that serve as fundraisers for the Winn Feline Foundation Bria Fund, which raises dollars for FIP studies. 
 
To contribute or learn more about the Aeris project, please visit Castro and Miller's Kickstarter page.

Cats Take Over 
the Internet

Did you know the hashtag #CatOfTheDay has 10.8K tweets! 

Join TICA's Twitter feed today and start chirping about your cat  https://twitter.com/ticacats

Watch cats aboard Sanctuary & Yoro Railway's first-ever cat cafe train.

Move Over Cat Cafes, Japan Introduces 
the First-Ever  Cat Cafe Train 
 
The Japanese kitten café Sanctuary just took cat lounges to a new whole new mobile level.
 
To raise awareness of stray cats and encourage adoptions, Sanctuary and Yoro Railway joined forces on September 10 to create the first cat café train.
 
The special two-and-a-half-hour train ride from Ogaki to Ikeno Japan gave passangers the opportunity to play with 30 rescue kittens, all of whom were scheduled to be put down before Sanctuary rescued them to take part in the special cat adoption event.
 
For a fee of 3,000 yen (US $27), passengers were offered food and mountainous views along with the opportunity to play with kittens, who ran back-and-forth on train benches and napped on the laps of joyous riders. Once announced, it took less than a day for the 80 passengers to sell out the locomotive.


An Update from the WINN Foundation

Winn's inaugural Cures4Cats Day
was held on October 21st at the American Association of Feline Practitioner's Conference in Denver.  The day served as Winn's annual day of awareness dedicated to research funded by the organization, the critical need for evidence-based medicine, early-stage biomedical research, and  feline  health answers.  Merck Animal Health sponsored a presentation by Dr. Margie Scherk in honor of Winn's 50 Years of Advances in Feline Medicine.
 
Cures4Cats Design Contest - C reative cat lovers are sought to design a Cures4Cats graphic. Information can be found here
 
Giving Tuesday is November 28th - In recent years, the Tuesday following Thanksgiving has unofficially become "Giving Tuesday". Consider Winn as your charity of choice. Winn has funded over $6 million in health research for cats at more than 30 partner institutions worldwide. As a 501(c)(3) organization, donations to Winn are fully tax deductible. T ogether we can find answers to help cats with FIP, HCM in different cat breeds, amyloidosis, cancer, CKD, and many other diseases.
 
Winn supporters who donate $25 or more during November on Winn's secure donation page will receive a Winn car magnet or 50th Anniversary book.
 
Make it Black Cat Friday! 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.
 
Miller Trust and other grant awards will be announced soon! Watch for the press release regarding our recent grant awards from the October grant review meeting. Five grants were awarded through the Miller Trust for a total of $127,868. Two Bria Fund-related projects were also approved for $55,500. Two additional research proposals were approved for sponsorship totaling $45,590. Contact info@winnfelinefoundation.org for additional information.
 
Winn's soft cover 50th anniversary book is available to order here. The book highlights the important feline health advances made possible through Winn-funded research and features a cover by Jamie Perry called "No Place Like Home." 

See the 13 one-of-a-kind cat houses created by L.A. top architects and designers

Architects Create One-of-a-Kind Cat Habitats for L.A.'s Homeless Felines

Los Angeles' top architects and designers helped LA's homeless cat population last month by designing one-of-a-kind cat houses for the exhibition Architects for Animals® "Giving Shelter." The event served as a benefit auction to raise money for FixNation, a nonprofit that spays and neuters homeless cats.
 
Twelve architectural teams built 13 one-of-a-kind cat houses, ranging from  a cathedral-inspired perch with faux stained-glass windows and a scaled-down disco ball to an origami-inspired cat shelter made for indoor and outdoor use that provides a comforting, private and protective space for one or multiple cats.
 
The shelters were displayed along with 28 cat food bowls decorated by feline-loving celebrities-including Jay Leno, Charlize Theron, Beau Bridges, Elvira, William Shatner, Clint Eastwood, Tricia Helfer and Morgan Fairchild.
 
Participating design firms this year included Abramson Teiger Architects; d3architecture; ES-EN-EM; HLW; HKS; HOK; Perkins + Will; Knowhow Shop; Kollin Altomare Architects; RNL now Stantec; Standard Architecture | Design; and a collaborative project from Formation Association, Terremoto Landscape and Arktura.


In This Issue
TICA Quick Links

Motel 6

Stay connected with the world's largest genetic registry of pedigreed cats.

Like us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter  View our videos on YouTube

Newsletter@tica.org | http://www.tica.org
306 E Jackson
Harlingen, TX 78550