July 2017
In This Issue
Quick Links
CFA Central Office Staff
Featured Cat
Our banner cat for July is CFA's Second Best Cat in Premiership, Regions 1-9, GC, GP, BW, NW Curlfect's Aphrodites Of Marcus, a chocolate silver patched mackerel tabby and white Devon Rex spay. 




DEADLINES

August 1 - The deadline for Breed Council/Committee membership applications or renewals and payment of fues is August 1, 2017.  If you need assistance in completing the application or if you did not receive renewal information, please contact Judy Minich in Central Office at JMinich@cfa.org.


CFA in the News
LiveScience recently featured CFA's top cats for 2016-17 in its story on what it takes to be a winning cat. CFA allbreed judge Teresa Keiger spoke with Mindy Weisberger on the criteria that judges use when evaluating cats.
A photo gallery of CFA winners included excerpts from their breeds' standards.
 

The CFA Annual has come and gone, and for our readers in the Northern Hemisphere, summer has arrived in full force! Remember to take extra precautions for your cats while traveling in this heat!

In this issue of the CFA Newsletter you'll read a lot of information on the Annual. Kudos to the folks in Region 6 for making us all feel welcome in Chicago, and to the Central Office staff and everyone else involved in making it another successful event.  As always, it was wonderful to see so many smiling faces from all over the world!
 
Teresa

 

I have been traveling more than usual the past three months.  I was in Las Vegas for the World Cat Congress event in late April, two weeks later I flew to a show in Shanghai, China.  I reported on both of those trips in last month's edition of our newsletter. 

In mid-June I flew to the south of France for a week- long Royal Canin event.  There were 200 cat breeders from around the world who had been invited at Royal Canin's expense to listen to educational seminars on a variety of interesting topics. We also attended an extravaganza of a dinner for the roll-out of a revision of Royal Canin's Cat Encyclopedia.  Each of the major cat associations pitched in to help update this book.  Melanie Morgan provided CFA's input and it is much appreciated.  I saw CFA breeders from Europe and Asia as well as many breeders from other associations.  I flew over with the TICA President, Fate Mays.  We were the only USA guests present. Many thanks to Royal Canin for hosting this event and including me.

A few days after returning from France, I flew to Chicago for our Annual Meeting.  Our CFA Central Office staff and the Midwest Region worked well together and the event was a huge success. Thanks to everyone who helped.  Notes from the assorted business meetings were distributed and I hope each of you have read them and are familiar with what took place.   Results of this year's board elections were announced.  Congratulations to Kayoko Koizumi who was elected to finish out Edward Maeda's term as Japan's Regional Director.  Edward resigned due to health problems and we understand he is doing better and plans to resume judging soon.  This year we reduced the number of Directors At Large from seven to five.  Congratulations to the winners.  Thanks to the departing board members for your past efforts.  Those departing plan to continue contributing to CFA in other ways.

The Board felt we needed to step up our support for the CFA cat fancy in China.  The International Division Committee was broken into two committees:  ID-Asia and ID-NonAsia (Central & South America, the Middle East, etc.).  ID-Asia has two co-chairs: Dick Kallmeyer and Wain Harding.  The new committee for outside Asia's chair will be appointed soon.  In an effort to help the Chinese follow our Show Rules, they are being translated into Chinese and we expect to have them available by the end of August.  We are translating other CFA material into Chinese to assist our breeders and exhibitors in China.   The Board also approved a proposal from Pam Moser to provide additional assistance to the Chinese shows by having a representative attend eight shows at CFA expense.
The Board also adopted some measures to help our show-producing shows.  The surcharge returned to the Regions was raised from 25-cents per entry to 50-cents per entry.   The Board also voted to provide each Regional Director with $1,000 to help fund an additional show in each Region.  This can be a Regional Show or a club's show.  This is in addition to the recent increase in CFA sponsorship for each show which was raised from $500 to $1,000. The Board acknowledges that our Regions and our shows need some help.

Our next big event is the CFA International Cat Show which is being held November 18-19 in Portland, Oregon.  Be sure to put that on your personal show schedule.  Show Manager Pam Moser and her committee are hard at work and promise us a terrific show with a memorable gate.  Stay tuned for details.

I encourage you to support our clubs by entering some shows this summer.  Best of luck to each of you in achieving the goals you have set for yourselves.




Terri Barry
CFA Executive Director
    
It was great to see everyone and to have such a nice turnout for our 2017 Annual.  Congratulations to all our "top cats" for the 2016-17 season, and a very special round of applause to all the participants in the 2016-17 shows.

I also want to thank CFA Midwest Region 6, our hosting region, for their diligence and hard work and for giving so generously of their time.  From participating in the Family Feud to becoming a member of the Cool Cat Crew, a good time was had by all!  A "tip of the hat" to regional director Mary Auth and her committee for all the work they did to assist in making this Annual very successful.  

I would also like to say a special thank you to Allene Tartaglia, Shelly Borawski and Verna Dobbins for all their work leading up to the Annual as well as the long hours and the behind the scenes efforts throughout the many meetings and banquet.  A shout out of thanks goes to Rich Mastin, director at large, who transported all supplies and awards from C.O. to and back from the Annual.

Next year it's at the Crown Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia, Atlanta, Georgia, June 28, 201 8 - July 1, 2018.  Look for additional information after the first of the year.

As we wrap up the 2017 Annual we continue preparations for CFA's International Show to be held in Portland November 18th - 19th at the Portland Expo Center.  Details about the show as well as hotel information can be found at:  http://www.cfa.org/InternationalShow.aspx .  This year's show manager is Region 2 director Pam Moser who is being assisted by Mary Auth, Region 6 director and Wendy Heidt.

In closing, with summer in full swing, keep in mind that Breed Council memberships are to be received in C.O. no later than August 1st and as always travel safe.


Allene Tartaglia
Special Events Coordinator

CFA International Show - 2017

The International show is returning to the west coast! The last time the show was held in the area was in 2006 in San Mateo, California and we hope everyone is looking forward to returning to the west for the show.

Plans are underway and committee meetings have taken place to ensure exhibitors and spectators enjoy all the show has to offer while experiencing what Portland has to offer. Pam Moser is the show manager and Mary Auth and Wendy Heidt are the assistant show managers. They have a great committee lined up.

There is only one show this year (no more purple show and red show) and the show flyer will be online soon. Entries open on Thursday, September 7, 2017. Hotel blocks have been reserved at several nearby hotels and the blocks have recently been expanded to include Sunday night. Apparently, red eye flights back to the east coast aren't very popular.

Stay tuned for more information in next month's newsletter.

Show  Rules

by Monte Phillips
Show Rules Chair

At the annual, clubs bring up proposals to change the show rules.  However, normally, none of these actually results in changes to the show rules until the October CFA Board meeting, which this year is the weekend of October 2-3.  Pre-noticed proposals are voted on, and those receiving a vote of greater than 2/3 of the delegates present are sent to the Board for ratification.  The Board may later change them, although it rarely does.  Pre-noticed proposals that pass by a majority vote, but short of 2/3 and proposals from the floor that pass by any amount (majority to unanimous) are sent to the Board with a recommendation to pass.  They go to the October Board meeting for discussion and vote, but there is no guarantee that any of them will actually be adopted.  Those rules that are adopted are normally made effective for the beginning of the following show season, namely 2018-2019.  At this year's June Annual Meeting, the delegates voted on and passed three pre-noticed rule amendments by 2/3 that modified four rules.  HOWEVER, none of these proposals will need to go the October Board meeting as they were ALL acted upon at the meeting of the newly-elected board on Sunday after the annual meeting, and the effective dates of all three of those amendments were set in the current show year.  The Board also passed three other rule changes, all effective during this show season.  The only proposal made from the floor was voted down by the delegation.

Read more...
CFA Judging Program Committee Updates
Melanie Morgan
CFA Judging Program Chair 

Outgoing Chair of the CFA Judging Program - Annette Wilson
Incoming Chair of the CFA Judging Program - Melanie Morgan
 
A well-deserved thank you to Annette Wilson for her hard work on the CFA Judging Program Committee (JPC) over the past three years.  In her role as JPC Chair, Annette set the bar extremely high. She dedicated herself to the success of the CFA Judging Program and has been a fierce supporter of both our CFA Judges and our Breeders and Exhibitors.   While Annette stepped down as JPC Chair at the Chicago Annual Meeting, I am extremely grateful that she has agreed to continue as a member of the JPC.  Her help and support will make the transition a little smoother and I know I will be relying on her considerable expertise and experience as we move forward.  

The offers of help and support from so many talented individuals have been overwhelming and gratifying.  I truly appreciate all who have offered their input.  Every new idea and suggestion is welcomed.  While it is impossible to have everyone be an active member of the JPC, it is my most sincere hope that these open lines of communication will continue so that we can continue to expand the scope of the CFA Judging Program and maintain the quality and excellence that makes our CFA judges coveted around the world. 
 
We have some new faces on the JPC and some new roles for some of our existing members.  Please join me in welcoming our new members and thanking our outgoing members:
 
New JPC Members: Sharon Roy (Ombudsman and General Communications Representative), Diana Doernberg (File Administrator Regions 1-7), Penni Richter (Exhibitor Representative and Applications Administrator)
 
Outgoing JPC Members: Beth Holly (Exhibitor Representative and Applications Administrator) and Tracy Petty (Guest Judge Paperwork Review).  Many thanks to Tracy and Beth for their hard work and dedication.
 
Key Roles:
Ombudsman/General Communication Representative:  Sharon Roy
Sharon Roy is the JPC Ombudsman and General Communications Representative.  Sharon will expand on her existing role as CFA Ombudsman and encompass issues specific to CFA Judges. As General Communication Representative, she serves as a liaison between the exhibitors/clubs/breeders and the judges and will do her best to open lines of communication both ways.  Sharon is the first contact person should there be any issues (good or bad!) with one of our judges. 
 
General Oversight and Quality Control:  Larry Adkison
Larry will work closely with the Applications Administrator, File Administrators and the Ombudsman on matters pertaining to judge development, behavior and continuing education.
 
Guest Judges - New Guest Judge Sub-Committee:  Chair Annette Wilson
In addition to assisting in the transition process, Annette will be the Chair of a new subcommittee designed to manage and support our guest judges.  Annette is the contact for clubs who would like to obtain approval for a guest judge to judge a CFA Show, and for CFA judges who would like approval to guest judge in another association.
 
Exhibitor Representative and Application Administrator:
Outgoing: Beth Holly - helping in transition
Incoming: Penni Richter
One of the questions we get most often as we judge around the world is "What do I do to become a Judge?"  The application process can be extremely confusing, but our Exhibitor Representative is there to not only review the final product, but to provide guidance along the way.  Beth Holly has chosen to step down from her role as Exhibitor Representative and Application Administrator, but is assisting in the transition period, and will be helping with the applications already in progress.   Penni Richter is now the contact person for those exhibitors/breeders who have an interest in applying to the Judging Program.  Please note: When considering applying for the Judging program it is best to contact the Application Administrator early in the process so that they can ensure that you are on the right track.  
 
Judges' Education Sub-Committee: Pat Jacobberger
I am thrilled to report that Pat has agreed to continue to Chair the Education Sub-Committee.  She is the contact person for all questions pertaining to the Breed Awareness and Orientation Seminars (BAOS), judges' workshops, judges' tests, CEU credits and breed presentations
 
Recruitment and Development Sub-Committee:  Chair Melanie Morgan
Members: Jan Stevens, Rachel Anger, Laurie Coughlan
This Committee is tasked with looking at innovative ways to identify, develop and educate our emerging talents as well as supporting and encouraging continued growth in our existing corps of judges.
 
Protest Representative:  Jan Stevens
Jan is the current JPC representative to the CFA Protest Committee and will be continuing in that role. 



The Judging Program Committee changes and advancements from the June 29 CFA Board Meeting:

Jim Thompson's retirement, effective July 4, 2017, accepted with regret.
Very best wishes to Jim and Stephanie!

Applicant Emiko Misugi accepted as first specialty LH trainee.
Welcome, Emiko!

Advancements:

Toshi Tsuchiya to LH Apprentice, 2nd specialty
Teo Vargas to LH Apprentice, 1st specialty
Kit Fung to LH Approval Pending, 2nd specialty
Jennifer Reding to SH Approval Pending, 1st specialty
Danny Tai to Approval Pending SH, 2nd specialty
Marilee Griswold to Approved LH and Approval Pending Allbreed
Suki Lee to Approved SH and Approval Pending Allbreed
Doreann Nasin to Approved Allbreed

Congratulations to all!
Cat Talk
Teresa Keiger
Editor

The August issue of Cat Talk is wrapping up production! This is our special "Year in Review" issue, with a special overview of the Annual, and our winning cats from the past show season. 

We would like to thank all of those readers who took advantage of the special Cat Talk/CFA Yearbook combo ad advertising special! We have 23 beautiful ads in this issue, making it a memorable issue indeed!

PLUS: August is National Disaster Preparation Month! We asked Charlene Campbell and Donna Trusler to share their information on how to prepare to keep your cats safe in the event of a disaster, and George Eigenhauser tells his story of how being prepared helped him and Mary Sietsma keep their kitties safe in the wake of the Oroville fires last spring.

Don't miss this or any other issue of Cat Talk!
  Check here for subscription details!
(and new way to subscribe is coming soon!!)

CFA Website Update
Kathy Durdick
Webmaster, www.cfa.org

All of the 2016-17 season Breed Winners are now online! You can view those photos by selecting the breed you're interested in from the drop-down menu, then click the "Breed Winners" link in the menu on the right-hand side of the page.

Congratulations to all our beautiful cats - and if you have a missing photo, it's NEVER too late to add it! Just submit a good quality photo to webmaster@cfa.org, and I will be happy to get it posted.
CFAF
null It's been a while since we've had live cats in the museum, so we intend to rectify that! The Maine Coons are coming back to visit on the following dates: Tuesday, July 25; Wednesday, July 26; and Thursday, July 27

The Maine Coon is one of the most popular breeds of pedigreed cat - well known for their size, their magnificent coats, and their gentleness. We'll have some kittens running around the museum, so come and admire, hug, pet, learn, and interact with them -- and when you've done all that, pick up a toy and play with them. They love all the attention they can get!

Joining us on Wednesday, July 26th, will be GP, NW Lynzkatz Cool Jazz of Kapa, a Brown Tabby & White American Shorthair neuter. He's something of a celebrity! During the month of June he was named 3rd Best Cat in the Great Lakes Region, and also 8th Best Cat in North America.

The Feline Historical Museum is located at 260 East Main Street, Alliance, OH. Our hours are 10am until 4pm. Call for additional info - 330-680-4444. Admission is free. Donations are gratefully accepted.

If you miss the cats this time around, they'll be back on August 8th, 9th and 10th.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!
Winn Logo

WINN FELINE FOUNDATION
by Lorraine Shelton


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


Annual Winn Symposium:  Appropriately, Chicago based radio personality and Winn board member Steve Dale served as the MC for this year's Symposium, which had a record number of attendees. The program began with an expression of appreciation for Dr. Glenn Olah, Winn's outgoing President, and the introduction of Winn's new President, Dr. Shila Nordone. Susan Gingrich, founder of Winn's Bria Fund for FIP Research, introduced some of the families currently enrolled in Dr. Pedersen's FIP research projects. Included were Peter Cohen and Hiroyuki Furumoto (Smokey's family), Walt Morris and Scott Mathis (Flora's family), and Deb and Jamie Roberts (Luna's family). Luna herself even made a brief appearance before the program started, which delighted her fans. A special video was presented by Peter Cohen of Zen by Cat.
 
Dr. Pedersen has been researching FIP since 1964 and the Winn Foundation has been supporting his work for almost as long. For the first time, he was able to give us a glimmer of hope that there may one day be a successful treatment for this disease, in the form of novel new drugs showing efficacy in early studies. A summary Dr. Pedersen's presentation at the symposium may be viewed here and  a podcast of the Symposium  is available.
 
Fifty Years of Supporting Feline Research!  Winn Feline Foundation's upcoming 50th Anniversary was announced at the CFA Annual by Past President Dr. Glenn Olah. Stay tuned for exciting celebratory events throughout the year. Wouldn't this be a great time for your cattery, club, or breed council to acknowledge this milestone by making a donation to the future of feline medicine through our Cures 4 Cats Day campaign on October 21st?
 
Geneticmarkers of Abyssinian/Somali amyloidosis: Familial amyloidosis has been a longtime concern in Abyssinian and Somali cats, causing early death, usually from kidney failure in the 5-6 year range. Differences in the expressivity of the disease (age of onset, number and type of affected organs) have been recorded, suggesting the genetic background of the cat may affect the clinical presentation. The Winn supported joint project of the University of Missouri and University of Milan to discover the genetic basis of amyloidosis started with the collection of DNA samples from affected Abyssinians worldwide over many years, including unlocking the Academic archives in Milan to recover DNA from stored histological preps from necropsies. Three gene variants have been identified with a correlation to this disease. Analysis of the relationship between these genetic variants and different presentations of the disease is ongoing.
 
Winn Ads for Cat Show Catalogs: There are updated ads available from Winn for cat show catalogs on the CFA forms webpage . Or contact Winn at   info@winnfelinefoundation.org for any materials that might be needed by members.
 
Planned Giving (Tax) Tip for June:   Many Americans take the standard deduction while others itemize their deductions.  If you aren't sure which is better for you don't wait until after the end of your tax year.  If it is a close call there are steps you can take now to help push you over the line.  Since you take tax deductions in the year paid, you might want to make your charitable contributions for next year sooner, before this year ends.  That would double up your charitable deduction total into one year.  If you donate stock which has appreciated over the years you can get a double tax benefit.  You can get an itemized deduction based on the current fair market value of the stock while avoiding the capital gains taxes that would have been due on sale.  Certain other deductions can be shifted into this year as well or some income deferred into the next.  For some taxpayers it may be advantageous to itemize deductions in one year and take the standard deduction in others.  By planning ahead you may have a lower combined tax burden over two years.  





 
Legislation Outlawing Rent-to-Own Contracts May Create Problems for Fanciers

In what may be a new trend, three states have introduced legislation in response to predatory leasing arrangements harming pet consumers who may not be able to finance the high purchase costs of their next pet by other means. These plans may take the form of an installment sales agreement with the pet as security or a lease arrangement where title passes at the end of the lease period. Either way, the pet may be repossessed for nonpayment and the contractual costs are far greater than the value of the pet. CFA supports efforts to end abusive schemes provided the legislation does not impact the legitimate leasing practices of cat and dog fanciers used to preserve bloodlines or increase genetic diversity. CFA's lease provisions are contained in it Rules for Registration. This topic was originally reviewed in the April 2017 CFA e-newsletter with regards to California's AB 1491. That bill was amended to exclude breeding leases used by fanciers by limiting the prohibition to arrangements where the "transfer ownership of a dog or cat in which ownership is contingent upon the making of payments over a period of time subsequent to the transfer of possession of the dog or cat.". Assembly Bill 1491 is still progressing through the California legislature. Nevada has enacted its version of legislation Senate Bill 185 with the prohibition limited to leases for which the animal is "expected to have not more than a de minimis residual financial value at the end of the term of the lease or contract.".
 
In May, Rhode Island Representative Charlene M. Lima, along with several co-authors, introduced HB 6216 to prevent abusive leasing and finance schemes in that state. House Bill 6216 originally prohibited the type of leases dog and cat fanciers typically employ for their breeding programs. House Bill 6216 Substitute A exempted dog breeding leases from the prohibited rent-to-own schemes but failed to exempt cat leases.  As it currently reads, the legislation would prohibit the leasing of animals by any business or individual if enacted in 2018. Section 4-19-7.1(b) provides that "no person or business may enter into any rental, leasing or loan agreement for the sale of a dog or cat in which the animal is used as collateral for the agreement and/or loan or is subject to repossession in any manner upon default of the agreement, except as provided for in subsection (e) of this section." The exemption for purebred dogs is as follows:
 
"(e) The provisions of this section shall not apply to, and shall not prohibit the temporary leasing or rental of the following animals, so long as the animals are used in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local animal protections laws:
(1) A purebred dog which is rented for the express purpose of breeding pursuant to a written lease recorded with a national purebred dog registry, and which lease is for a specific time and has an established end-date". [Subsections (2) and (3) are for animals used in spectator events and working animals.]
 
The omission of pedigreed cats is likely an oversight. The legislators might not even know there is a cat fancy! Cat issues may also have been overlooked because the media reports the CFA Legislative Group have seen only involved dogs. Regardless, as House Bill 6216 Substitute A has political momentum now and may be carried over into the 2018 session or be reintroduced as a new bill, cat fanciers in Rhode Island need to be prepared to explain to legislators why they should receive the same consideration as dog fanciers.


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.


A-Cats
by Karen Lane
CFA Ambassador Cats chair


The "Caring for your Kitty" coloring book is now available!

This is an exciting time for the A-Cat Program and for CFA. The newest addition to the list of our CFA publications was launched at our Annual Meeting in Chicago on June 30th.

This coloring book was produced by the A-Cat program with the artistry of Austen Redinger. This book is a combination of education and entertainment for children.

This book is available without cost to all CFA Programs, clubs, breeders, veterinarians, libraries, schools and everyone interested in basics of cat care that is both fun and entertaining.

Visit the CFA catalog to obtain this wonderful book.
In the meantime, here's a peek at some of the pages!







CFA Ambassador Program
by Candilee Jackson
CFA Ambassador Program Chair 


The Annual Meeting in Chicago was a terrific time to meet new friends and warmly welcome friends to the Midwest Region.  A wonderful time was enjoyed by all attendees.
New Faces!   The Ambassadors are pleased to welcome Sheree Eyestone as both an ambassador and Pet Me! Cat exhibitor!  Sheree shows Cornish Rex and is from the MWR.  Our program also welcomes Rajmahendra Hegde of Telangana, India, our first ambassador from this country.  Rajmahendra shows doll face Persians.

Updated Ambassador Handbook coming to your mailbox soon!
Look for A-Cat Coloring Books!  A HOT-HOT-HOT Commodity!

Region 4:  Candilee Jackson reporting
A brand-new club, Triple Crown Cat Fanciers, held its very first show in the Soccer Sports Center in Lexington, Kentucky, July 7-8th.  This well-attended 10 ring show was a smashing success!!!!  The gate was amazing, the television coverage was broad, and there was a huge variety of activities going on during the show.  In addition to a large vendor shopping mall, agility was underway throughout both days.  Among the vendors was a winery whose wares supported the show with special bottles of wine labeled Triple Crown Cat Fanciers. The highlight of the weekend was BOURBON ice cream:  the purrfect treat for a hot summer's day in the bourbon state!

Region 5:  Shari Millar
May 27th saw the Superstition Cat Club hosting a great show in Phoenix, Arizona.  The club members did an outstanding job of advertising, and the show hall aisles were crowded due to the amazing gate!  There were lots of excited youngsters and parents oohing and aahing over the beautiful cats both in and out of the judging rings.  The club also gather a large number of items for their on-going charity event, "Packages From Home."   Ambassadors were extremely busy throughout the show, directing people to certain breeds as well as explaining all sorts of cat-related thin
gs to the excited guests.  This was a well-received show by both exhibitors and gate, with entrants from all over the USA.


June 17th saw the Southwest Regional Show in Phoenix, Arizona.  The gate was full of questions, and thoroughly enjoyed the vendor mall.  Among the treats at this awards show was Tajhara Summer Samba, a Pet Me! Cat on task.  She had several wardrobe changes, and according to her assistant, Janiss Garza, Samba had a great time entertaining everyone.

Region 6:  Candilee Jackson
The weekend of June 10-11th was a busy one for the Twin City Cat Fanciers:  the club hosted a CFA/Ambassador/Pet Me! Cat booth at their yearly Pet Expo held at the Minneapolis Convention Center, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Tons of questers were asked by a very excited and active gate!




Region 7:  Sharon DeMuth, ambassador, Montgomery AL
Sharon takes their Aby, GP Red Ferne Blue Boyou of Spricey, to a local farmer's market on Saturday mornings with "Vooboo" in his buggy. He draws a lot of attention, and Sharon enjoys talking about Abys, and cat shows to those who stop to look at him. He's become quite a fixture there, and if we don't bring him for some reason (eg rain threat), many vendors ask where he is. On this particular Saturday, a little girl was fascinated with Vooboo, so Sharon asked her parents if she could snap their picture.

Region 8:  Masanari and Takako Kojima
The Japan Tonkinese Cat Club hosted a lovely 6-ring show on June 11 at the Tokyo Chouo Ward Industry Building in Tokyo, Japan.  The club had a lovely entry class of champions, kittens and premiers, with the shorthair cats out-numbering the long-hairs, and of course, there were many Tonkinese.

Takako attended this show without his buddy, Ambassador Cat Raptor, because he had promised to help his friend show her five cats:  while she handled the adults, Takako had the privilege of showing her two kittens.  Takako reported her three ASH became champions, and one silver tabby kitten won a final rosette which made them very happy.
Although the show hall was small, it hosted a lovely luncheon for exhibitors, but there weren't as many spectators as they would have liked.  However, many exhibitors had invited many friends to come to the show, and one lady was looking especially for an Ocicat.  Additionally, Takako reported there were many exhibitors from TICA who were interesting in "knowing the change of CFA Show Rules regarding getting the champion title."  Takako explained the new rule using the Ask Me pamphlet outline the 6-ring judging without winners ribbons by at least 4 judges, which makes it easier for cats to become champions.

"I am happy to see there will be many new exhibitors from other associations to CFA year by year.  I certainly feel CFA should be open and friendly for new comers," Takako said.



YFEP

by Carmen Johnson-Lawrence, Chair



Here is hoping that everyone's trip home from the CFA Annual in Chicago was uneventful, and you've recuperated! The Youth Feline Education Program is proud and excited to recognize our National Divisional Winners!
 



NATIONAL DIVISIONAL WINNERS
CUBS
1st - Abigail Vaughan, Southern Region
2nd - Sophia Barnard-DeCann,
        Great Lakes Region
LIONS
1st - Edward Goatseay, Great Lakes Region
2nd - Payton Gomez, Southwest Region
3rd - Alex Akers, Great Lakes Region

CATS
1st - Rebecca Gibson, Great Lakes Region
2nd - Abby Berry (Bendixen), Northwest Region
3rd - Connor Wright, Southwest Region

SENIORS
1st - Chandler Bussey, Southern Region
2nd - Emily Conway, Midwest Region


Our Overall National Winner this year is Edward Goatseay.  Edward is from the Great Lakes Region and a member of the Genesee Cat Fanciers.  He actively showed his black and white Exotic Shorthair, GC, GP, RW Parti Wai Ex Blackjack to 9th Best Cat in Premiership in the Great Lakes Region.  This is his second regional win since becoming a part of YFEP.  He became well known not only in his home region, but also the North Atlantic and Southern Regions.  In addition to the many weekends spent away from home, he also made catnip toys for exhibitors and spectators, and made cat teasers for judges and some special mentors.  Edward can be found promoting YFEP at shows and within his community.  He is active in his county's 4-H Program, doing his Public Presentation on the Exotic and Persian breeds, which was selected to be presented at the district level.  This same presentation was given at his local show.  He went quickly from stewarding to learning how to clerk.  YFEP was pleased to have President Mark Hannon present Edward with his award at the CFA Annual in Chicago. (above)
YFEP extends congratulations to all participants from the past season!  We look forward to watching the youth continue to grow and develop within YFEP and CFA.  Please join the program in congratulating the future of CFA on their accomplishments.


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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Discounts Available to You!

Region 1
by John Adelhoch,  Regional Director 

What a wonderful month June was!  Excitement at both our Regional and the Annual. We had plenty of National Winners representing our region at the Annual.

"Kings and Queens" was our theme for the NAR Awards and Banquet and that is exactly how our evening presented itself.  The evening was started with a gourmet cocktail hour, followed by an evening of great food and friends.  Strawberry shortcake was a surprise dessert to all!   I would like to say thank you to all those who worked so very together as a team to make this that wonderful evening.

Well onto our next shows; N.E.M.O.  is on August 26-27, in Sturbridge, Ma, and is always a fun show. Then Cats without Borders in on September 16-17. So get out there and show!
Remember these are the Best of Times.


Region 2
Terri Zittel, Regional Secretary  

Right is a photo of our Region 2 Family Feud Team. Pam reports that they had a great time but did not advance. All in all it was a great Annual and enjoyed by our delegates.

This is a quiet summer with just two events on the horizon. First of all the Seattle Cat Club is holding a one day 6 ring show in Portland, Oregon at the DoubleTree@Lloyd Center on July 29th. This is a favorite location as we all love a hotel show. The information can be found here

The annual "Picnic At the Park", A fundraiser for the clubs in Region 2, on August 12th at Hudson-Parcher Park in Rainier, Oregon. The complete details can be found here.

If you haven't attended this event then you have missed out on a ton of fun. 

Region 3
by Kathy Black, Regional Director
and Leesa Altschul

At the 2017 Annual held in Chicago, the Gulf Shore Region participated in the hospitality night entertainment of The Family Feud game. Our team was comprised of Mike & Leesa Altschul, Donna Hinton, and Cheri Peck. They made it to the finale, but just barely lost to the Great Lakes Region team. It was a lot of fun and for your team's effort; the Gulf Shore Region received $200 for 2nd place and $125 for the Spirit Award! Congratulations to everyone who participated and supported the Gulf Shore Region. The prize money awarded will definitely benefit the region well.

Congratulations to our National Award Winners:

GC, NW Cacao Whiskey in the Water
Breeders/Owners: Janet and Carissa Altschul

GC, NW PaJean's Jellybean
Breeder/Owner: Pamela J. Bassett

GP, NW Abizaq Exacta of Idlemaine
Breeders: A. Mitchell, M. & N. Auspitz, B. Feininger
Owner: Pat Idleman

GP, NW 3Janes Miss Adventure of QT-Tonks
Breeder: Jane Smith
Owners: Diane Burgeois, Laurie Holmes, Jane Smith

GC, BWR PaJean's Tiramisu of Surreal
Warren Joubet and Jan Rogers

Breeders: Pamela Bassett, A. Ghattas, Eileen Cochran
Owners: Mike & Leesa Altschul, Eileen Cochran


Stars and Stripes CC and Magnolia State CC hosted a 6x6 show on July 8-9. Magnolia State CC is a club that had been years ago a show producing club, went dormant and is now revitalized once again by Warren Joubert. Magnolia State CC was named for Magnolia, aka Carolyn Noble, who was known for her lovely solid and parti color Persians and a big black Cadillac. 


The two shows featured not only the wonderful camaraderie among exhibitors, but also beautiful rosettes to honor the cats competing. Thank you Crystal Wood (Stars and Stripes CC) and Sherry Kern (Magnolia CC) for creating the beautiful rosettes . The Stars and Stripes CC had rosettes honoring the American Flag of the United States, with "stars and bars" in red, white and blue. The Magnolia State CC rosettes were done in the same red, white and blue with a lovely red, white and blue magnolia blossom as the image on the rosette button. Magnolia would have loved the rosettes and what an honor to have brought this club back to life for the Gulf Shore Region.

Thank you so very much to all of our wonderful exhibitors and people who donated such great items for the raffle. The raffle generated about $1,100.00, which will benefit our clubs greatly. When clubs depend so much on entry to their shows, spectator attendance is equally important and in this day, even more important in determining the possibility of a club's success in putting on future shows. These two clubs are no exception to the need of a strong input of spectator support. These two clubs had record setting gates thanks to the use of Facebook® Advertising. As a result of using Facebook®, a local newspaper came to photograph and interview the show on Saturday. An article was published in the local paper and also their electronic paper Sunday morning. By the news team coming, the gate increased again on Sunday. As a result, their usual gate of a total of 30-50 people for a weekend, increased to over 600 people! This increase provides the needed seed money to prepare for another show for our region and all of CFA.

The shows also hosted a local animal shelter and a rescue group. Because of the tremendous gate the shows had, the shelter was able to have 27 cats/ kittens adopted during the weekend!


Be sure to mark your calendars for the upcoming shows:

August 26 - Alexandria, LA.
September 30 & October 1 - Denver, CO.
October 28 - Regional Fundraiser - Cleburne, TX
November 11 - Seguin, TX
Region 4
by John Colilla, Regional Director
This past month has been quite exciting for the Great Lakes Region!

In addition to recognizing everyone who received regional wins during the 2016-2017 show season at our banquet, the Great Lakes Region had a few others to honor as well. Tyler Deel was awarded Clerk of the Year, Jim Flanik and Karen Lawrence received the Spirit of the Great Lakes Awards and a new honor was started this year, the Hall of Fame award, which was received by Wilma Van Scoyk, and posthumously to Bill Powell and Vince Molterno.

The celebrations didn't end with the regional, but continued in Chicago. Edward Goatseay earned Best Lion on both a Regional and National level in the Youth Feline Education Program in addition to Overall National Winner in the YFEP program this past season.

The Region also earned bragging rights when they won Regional Family Feud with Wilma Van Scoyk, Martha Auspitz, Bethany Colilla, Diane Curfiss and Jim Flanik as the willing mascot for the team. (right)

This season, 21 of the 74 National awards in Regions 1-9 were earned by cats in the Great Lakes Region; three of those awards were achieved by brand new exhibitors on their first attempt at seriously showing a cat.

July 8-9 Triple Crown Cat Fanciers held their first allbreed show. They spent the season fundraising with raffles and bake sales which appeared to benefit. They had tremendous gate, lots of vendors for shopping, trophies for the highest scoring in each of the four competitive classes and even gave a bottle of Triple Crown Cat Fanciers wine for each New Grand.
 
Please be sure to join us at the following shows:
July 22, 2017 - Motor City Jazz Club with Midwest Persian Tabby Fanciers is holding a six ring show in Taylor, Michigan (5 AB, 1 SP)
July 29, 2017 - GEMS is holding a six ring show in Jeffersonville, Ohio (5 AB, 1 SP)
July 30, 2017 - Sternwheel Cat Fanciers is holding a six ring show in Jeffersonville, Ohio (5 AB, 1 SP)
August 5, 2017 - Butler Cat Fanciers is holding a six ring show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (5 AB, 1 SP)
August 20, 2017 - Monroe Shorthair Club will be holding a six ring show in Brockport, New York (5 AB, 1 SP)
August 26-27, 2017 - Sacred Cat of Burma Fanciers is holding a ten ring show in Medina, Ohio (7 AB, 3 SP) 


Region 5
by Lisa Marie Kuta, Regional Director 

The Southwest Region threw a "Feline Fiesta" show and banquet in June to
celebrate our regional winners. The awards and events wouldn't have been
a success without the hard work of (in alphabetical order): Julie Benzer,
Margaret Benzer, Nancy Jo Bueno, Cyndy Byrd, Eric Church, Teddy Cohen,
Dee Czarnota, Sonya & Patrick Erickson, Becky Galloway, Art Graafmans, Pat
Jaccoberger, Barbara Jaeger, Paula Haren, Doug Myers, Carolyn Osier,
Isabel & Pat Pomphrey, Patti Reeves, Cindy Rogers, Sharon Rogers, Thom
Rowley, Larry Smith, Greg Sorokin, Howard Webster, Tim Wheeler, Wayne
Wiekhorst. Also, appreciation goes to clubs Americans in Paradise and
Superstition Cat Fanciers.

Congratulations to all our regional winners, especially to our Clerk of
the Year, Kelsey Friemoth and to Exhibitor of the Year, Payton Gomez!

Now that the new season is in full swing, it is a fantastic time to visit
the Los Angeles area. We have two shows coming up that are easy to travel
to--Slinky Cats on July 22 and Opposites Attract on August 26. Looking
forward to seeing you there!
Region 6
by Mary Auth, Midwest Regional Director
Allene Keating rolls a batch of stuffed delegate bags to the delegate meeting room.  In the background are LeAnn Rupy who organized the delegate bags, Brian Moser who came along to help, Tom Lukken, Robin Bryan and Beverly Wood.

The Midwest Region rocked and rolled (and appropriately honored the blues) as we hosted the 2017 CFA Annual Meeting at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Chicago. Traffic was remarkably heavy getting to the hotel on Wednesday, delaying the delegate bags and their contents until late afternoon.  That didn't deter the volunteers as we waited for the bags to be delivered in a Ryder Truck by LeAnn Rupy and Susan Charles.  With a short dinner break for all, we managed to get the job done by 9pm.





Pictured left to right at the front: Jim Dinesen, Cathy Dinesen, Doerte Haendel (behind husband Martin Haendel with back to camera)




Jack Nichols and his crew were aggressive fund raisers (sorry, no photo) at delegate check-in selling pins, Cool Cat Crew memberships, and raffle tickets. Alvin Green of Tennessee won the $2500 raffle at the end of the delegate meeting.  Saturday afternoon, the Cool Cat Crew convened in the Presidential Suite to celebrate friends and enjoy the view from the 37th floor.
 


Beverly Wood (who conceived the idea of the Pussy Galore family) sprays sparkles on Mark McKenzie's head, while Sheree Eyestone draws whiskers on Mark. 


The entertainment highlight was the Family Feud competition on Friday evening - the Midwest Region's version of a hospitality room.  Region 4 took top honors in the scored part of the Feud. Region 6 took honors for Best Themed Team - Beverly Wood, Mark McKenzie, Sheree Eyestone and Susan Charles represented the region as the Pussy Galore Family. They slipped out of their breakaway Blue Brothers jackets and hat to compete.
 
The regional awards show and banquet was delayed until July 15 to give volunteers more time to concentrate on planning the annual.  From Mary Auth, Regional Director, thanks to all who chipped in and helped at the Annual.
 


Region 7
by Jean Dugger, Regional Director
Southern belles Karen Lane and Carla Bizzel, part of the region's Family Feud team


For those who were able to attend this year's annual in Chicago, you already know that the Midwest Region did an awesome job as host!   There were plenty of celebrations and the Southern Region was well represented at Family Feud, making it to the second round and all of us proud!

Our regional expenses are being reconciled and a report will be send to all of our club secretaries in the region with the regional newsletter.

Our annual pin's debut was a big success and pins will be for sale at upcoming shows, and on our website, for only $20.00 each. Thank you to everyone who has already bought pin(s), offered to sell pins, etc. This is our first big fundraiser of the show year - help us make it a success!







JoAnne Miksa-Blackwell has agreed to be our annual chairperson, and we will have lots to share in the near future - stay tuned!

August shows on the horizon include Rebel Rousers (a fund raiser show for Noak's Ark) August 19th, then 2 weeks later the Region is partnering with the Ocicats International Club for a 2-day, 10 ring show to benefit the Region!!

Hope to see you at a SOUTHERN REGION show soon!


A Thank You Note from Frank O'Connor
An open letter to the exhibitors, breeders and friends of the CFA Southern Region and from across CFA
 
On the evening of June 10 our collective worlds were rocked with the passing of my wife Shelly Ducharme in our hotel room in Roanoke, Va.  Over the previous six weeks she had been battling a deep vein thrombosis.  The week before, she was briefly hospitalized and it appeared that her treatment had resolved the issue.  She was eager to attend the show and regional banquet so we travelled to what was to be her last show. 
 
When I returned early from the banquet I found her in our room and she had passed sometime within the previous two hours.   I returned the next day to my home in Auburn.
 
Over the subsequent weeks, I was deluged with messages of sympathy and received material support from the members of the Southern Region and from across the cat fancy.  Shelly and I always felt that the people of the cat fancy were a second family and this impression has only been strengthened in the last few weeks.  I want to take this moment to thank you from the bottom of my heart and, if there is any way I can be of assistance to any of you, be assured that I will come running. 
 
Xocol cattery has been downsized but I plan to continue exhibiting and clerking. 
In addition, I am exploring the possibility of a small event at one of the local shows in August or September.  This will be a fruit and cheese social - in honor of Shelly the fruit will be of the Chardonnay persuasion.
 
Finally, sometime in the fall, I plan to travel to Shelly's home town of Muscatine Iowa where I will inter her ashes in her parents' grave.
 
Thank you again for your support, and please rmember we are family.
 
Reppectfully,
 
Frank O'Connor
a.k.a. Mr. Shelly Ducharme

Region 8
 Kayoko Koizumi, Regional Director

We are pleased to inform everyone that Edward Maeda, former regional director and AB judge will be back judging as of Aug. 1, 2017.
His condition was very serious and we thought he would never be able to back as judge. At one point, the doctor was concerned that his life could be in danger. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say it is miracle that he recovered so quickly. We believe that his passion to CFA has made his quick recovery come true. We appreciate your concern and prayers on behalf of Edward.

On July 16th, we held CFA Japan Regional Award Banquet in Tokyo. We also had a club meeting and clerk meeting where we exchanged meaningful discussion.
Some of discussions included but not limited to below:

1. We should limit entry to 100 when a club can only reserve a small show hall.
2. To hold our Regional Show at the end of April.
3. Judge for the Regional Show should be elected by exhibitors vote which should be collected during/at the end of Regional Show in previous year.


The banquet was very successful as the winners showed off their gorgeous dresses and they received a lot of bouquets of flowers from fellow CFA members.

Region 9
by Michael Hans Schleissner 


The 2016-2017 show season is over and the national awards for Region 1-9 cats have been presented to the winners. After a fabulous celebration in Chicago, USA we want to highlight our Region 9 National Winners.

Championship

2nd Best Cat
Camalich Vasile
Persian solid
Spain

12th Best Cat
Songgwangsa Everybunny Wants 2B Me
Japanese Bobtail Shorthair
Switzerland/Netherland

13th Best Cat
Ptiprince Rudolf Nureyev of Almaro
Abyssinian
Ukraine / Germany

Important Information for Region 9

Don't forget to enter your cat in our Region 9 regional awards show on August 12-13, 2017 in the Netherlands.

Congratulation to all the winners and there owners; thank you for showing and supporting CFA in Europe.

International Division
Dick Kallmeyer
CFA ID Chair

Congratulations to all the International Division NW and DW winners as well as Breed and Color winners, and Grand of Distinction, DMs, Grands and Catteries of Distinction!  All will be honoured at the CFA International Division 2017 banquet dinner to be held, 19 August, in Seminyak - Bali, Indonesia, at the Trans Resort.    http://www.transresortbali.com .  You can enrol in the banquet by sending an email to balibanquet@gmail.com .  

For hotel rooms with special rates and flight tickets with special deals, please contact :
JENDELA TOURS AND TRAVEL and mention our personalized booking code, CFAJT-17
Jl. Radio Dalam Raya No 7B Keb. Baru Jaksel
Phone +62-21-2702702
 
Hotel & Flight Reservation Form :  https://goo.gl/forms/DIprvH8bTVHMZH9D3
Attn. Mr. Wahyu Ari / +6281586606045
 
There were lots of shows in the ID ending the old 2016-17 show season and starting the new season.  Several clubs held their first CFA shows.

Great West China Cat Fanciers show April 22-23 in Chengdu, China.






Judges, staff and special performers at the Passion Feline Fanciers show in Malang, Indonesia. (May 20-21, 2017).



Sunday judges and show committee at the Mimi Got Swag first cat show in Changsha, China - a small city of only 7 million people. (May 20-21, 2017).










Highest scoring championship cat, exhibitors and judges at the Cat Fanciers of Korea show in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea on May 21



John Colilla and huge crowd at the Shanghai Cat Lovers' Club show at the Guangzhou Pet Fair South China event, the 2nd largest Pet Fair in China.  The Pet Fair company manages China's and Asia's largest pet fair in Shanghai, China every August where CFA also has a presence..  This show hall facility is the largest exhibition complex in all of Asia and hosts the famous Canton trade fair.







The judge's dinner at the Radar show with club members and exhibitors..  The vegetarian judge's dinner was a rarity, but much enjoyed.























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Teresa Keiger
CFA Newsletter Editor