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Our banner cat for November is CFA's 11th Best Kitten, GC, NW TYLONA'S CASMIRA OF WINTERIDOL a female Russian Blue.
(photo by Larry Johnson)
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Breed council ballots must be returned by December 19th.
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I was actually a little surprised the other day when someone mentioned to me that Thanksgiving was next week. NEXT WEEK? How is that even possible?
One of the things that I'm thankful for is the cat fancy. Besides the four-legged fluffballs that allow me to share my home with them, I'm thankful that this hobby has allowed me to make friends literally all over the world, and have experiences that I never would have dreamed of. Yes, there's been sadness too. But the great experiences and the friendships far outweigh that.
So find a kitty (or three), settle in with this month's CFA Newsletter, and remember how much richer this hobby has made all of us.
Teresa
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 Last month's CFA International Cat Show sponsored by Royal Canin was a huge success. We had nearly 800 entries which was more than we have seen in a while. The gate was the best we have ever had in the show's 30 year history. Once the gate entered the showhall, we had lots to entertain them. In addition to watching the judging, we had a Meet & Greet area at the main entrance with long lines of spectators interested in petting some interesting cats including Lykoi, a cat who wears sun glasses, and a red tabby Exotic who looks like Garfield. There was a kids' area where parents could drop off their children who would be overseen by teachers helping with games and crafts. There were several "selfie" areas where our visitors could take photos of themselves posing with assorted props. There were several people live-streaming from the showhall on Facebook. This year we not only had an Agility Ring available but also a second ring for practicing. The Education Ring was quite popular as well. Thanks and congratulations are due to many people including committee chair Rich Mastin, Allene Tartaglia who is our Special Events Coordinator, Desiree Bobby who coordinated the show's advertising, PR and many activities within the hall, Lorna Friemoth for her fund-raising, and of course to our show manager, Linda Murphy and her two Assistant Show Managers Jim Flanik & Teresa Sweeny. Many, many others contributed their time and expertise to making the show the success it was. Thanks to each of you. Next year we plan to return to the same location, the Cleveland I-X Center, on the second weekend of October.
Registrations are our core business. Dick Kallmeyer continues to analyze data for us and his latest report is for registrations from January thru October. We have had an increase of 13.7% over the same period last year. There were increases in North America, Japan, and China.
China's registrations show an increasing number of registrations even with current Chinese show difficulties. Dick tells us that "China is thriving" with a 27.9% increase during this period over the same period last year. Dick also reports "China Ragdolls continue to rule." 32.3% of all registrations in CFA were Chinese Ragdolls. That one breed really dominates our registrations. Our judges report that they see exquisite examples of this breed at our shows in China.
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Chart created by Dick Kallmeyer
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As many of you know, we recently hired Jo Ann Miksa-Blackwell as our Director of Development. Jo Ann has an education and work experience background that ties in beautifully with her new job. While she will work from her home in South Carolina, she spent much of her first week at our Central Office. This gave her an opportunity to meet the staff so she could put a face with a name and it provided her with time to sit down with our management team to work on some plans. Jo Ann joins Desiree Bobby who was hired six months ago as our Marketing Coordinator. They will coordinate their plans to advance CFA's brand name in the marketplace. I have asked both to submit periodic submissions to this newsletter so you are aware of their activities. Des put a tremendous amount of effort into the recent CFA International Cat Show and now that the show is over she can devote her efforts to other marketing initiatives.
Some of you are aware that we are experiencing some legal difficulties with shows in China. We have hired a law firm in China as well as a law firm in Seattle with a great deal of experience with Chinese laws. We are working with them to resolve the problems some of our clubs have experienced. We are aware of the problems and we are working to find both short-term and long-term solutions.
With the holidays approaching, I wish each of you a happy season filled with family, friends, and love.
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CFA International Cat Show 2018 -
A Fabulous Success
Allene Tartaglia, Interim Executive Director
October 13-14, 2018. Mark the date on your calendar of memories as one of the most successful International Cat Shows...ever! The I-X Center in the Rock n' Roll City of Cleveland hosted this year's show. Spectators couldn't get enough of the Meet & Greet and Celebrity Cat area. The vendor area provided shopping for everyone, the breed booths were fun and educational, our judges engaging, breeders and exhibitors welcoming, and of course, the true stars of the show - CFA cats - were magnificent. No where else can spectators see and interact with all the breeds of cats which they've only seen in pictures. When spectators were asked what they liked best about the show, many looked around pondering the question and finally said "Everything!"
The new breed banners and the judging ring flags, provided by our presenting sponsor Royal Canin, were beautiful and the rock n' roll themed decorations added a special flair. Friday night's hospitality suite at the Marriott was a big success, thanks to our donors, and we hope it is the start of a new tradition. Plans are already underway to make next year's show even better. Mark your calendar for the return to Cleveland on October 12-13, 2019. You won't want to miss it.
Central Office Report
Verna Dobbins, Deputy Director
CFA Breed Councils
Just a reminder, the Breed Council ballots have been sent out, if you are having any problems or if you have not received a ballot please contact Melissa Watson,
[email protected]
.
Clubs
As of December 1, 2018, you may submit your membership lists and dues for 2019. Please submit your list to Sean Dobbins at
[email protected]
. Reminder, if the membership list does not come from the club secretary's email address on file at Central Office it will be returned and not accepted.
Central Office Happenings
The entrance to Central Office has 2 large side windows, this year it was decided to decorate the windows for the season. To start us off for the fall season 2 of CFA's own artists painted fall scenes on the windows. Dena Donnelly painted a cat looking out a window and Sean Dobbins painted a black cat peeking out of leaves. Both are beautiful and we are very proud of our artists.
 
For the upcoming holiday season, the Alliance high school art department will be decorating our windows, look for those in next month's newsletter.
Central Office as you know adopted 2 cats a while back and it was a pleasure to have their foster family come for a visit to see how the boys have grown. The foster family was very pleased to see that Batman & Robin have found a good home.
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Meet the CFA Central Office Staff!
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Kelly Williams
interview by Geri Fellerman
Kelly joined our CFA family on January 4, 2017. Her first assignment was working with general registrations. Sometime later, she was assigned to registrations via pedigrees, which has proven to be a very interesting yet sometimes frustrating area in which to work. Most of the problems that crop up involve individuals who have difficulty with the language and those who just don't understand the process involved.
One of Kelly's favorite things about her job at CFA is her great co-workers who make it a pleasure to come to work each day. While the computer system still needs some tweaking, the friendly faces and flexibility of her job make for an enjoyable workday.
Prior to joining Central Office, Kelly was employed as a human resources manager with McDonalds - a job that taught her many of the people skills that come into play in her current position.
Home life is really busy for Kelly - not only are there five teens (17, 14, 13 and 12 year old twins) - but Kelly also shares her home with four dogs and two cats, all mixed breeds. When there is some spare time to be had, Kelly can be found volunteering at the kids' schools and joining friends for dinner out. A visit to the International Show this year proved to be fun and informative and, hopefully, Kelly will be able to visit more shows in the coming year.
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Meet CFA's Director of Development
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Jo Ann Miksa-Blackwell
As CFA's new Director of Development, my responsibilities include increasing corporate partnerships, working with existing partners, and attending conferences and Pet Expos to promote the CFA brand.
I bring to this position 20-years of business and non-profit management experience, and a Master of Entrepreneurship Degree. I am driven by a standard for excellence. My skills include leadership, strategic planning development, sales and marketing, innovation, and team building.
I first visited a CFA cat show in 1980, and became captivated in ways I never imagined possible. Awareness of the variety of breeds inspired a passion in me and I became deeply involved in CFA. As a CFA breeder and exhibitor, I produced many grands, regional and national wins. When I entered the CFA judging program in 1999, I became further committed to CFA's mission: to preserve and promote the pedigreed breeds of cats and to enhance the well-being of ALL cats.
Currently, I am exploring opportunities and invite corporate sponsors and volunteers to bring their brilliant ideas and hidden assets to CFA and come aboard
as we launch products and services to cat lovers around the world.
Contact Jo Ann Miksa-Blackwell at: [email protected] or call 828.919.1000
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Melanie Morgan
CFA Judging Committee Chair
Exhibitor Representative and Application Administrator change:
Outgoing Applications Administrator - Penni Richter
Incoming Applications Administrator - Claire Dubit
We would like to extend a well-deserved thank you to Penni Richter for her hard work on the CFA Judging Program Committee (JPC) as the Applications Administrator, and a warm welcome to Claire Dubit as our new Applications Administrator. We are extremely grateful to Penni for providing the help and support to make the transition smooth and seamless for applicants. While Penni has chosen to step down from her role as Exhibitor Representative and Application Administrator, she is assisting in the transition period. She will be working with Claire on the applications already in progress, so nothing will be lost in the transition. However, please note that Claire Dubit is now the contact person for those exhibitors/breeders who have an interest in applying to the Judging Program. Her email is
[email protected]
For all those wondering, what on earth is the Application Administrator of the Judging Program, now seems to be a good time for review:
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 Applications Administrator and Exhibitor Representative is there to not only review the final product, but to provide guidance and support along the way. 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.
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Desiree Bobby 
CFA Marketing & Communication Coordinator
"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."
Helen Keller
Focus: Household Pet Program
With the International Show behind us, we will soon be kicking off promotional activities for the Household Pet Program. Objectives for this project include:
- Increasing HHP program awareness
- Streamlining the process for recording pets
- Advocating exhibition of recorded pets
If you are interested in supporting the growth of the HHP program through services or suggestions, please contact Kathy Black at
[email protected]
or Desiree Bobby at
[email protected]
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Cats and the Internet: Want to become a "Celebrity Cat?"
It seems like the internet was made for cats. A
recent study
from Indiana University found that cat videos on YouTube averaged more views per video than any other genre. These shared online images focus on the everyday moments of silliness, sweetness and feistiness of our beloved creatures and such popularity has contributed to the rise in internet-famous "Celebrity Cats."
Cats can be internet-famous because of their unusual looks or because of their remarkable stories. You've seen images of Grumpy Cat, Lil Bub and Monty but what is missing on the red carpet of "Celebrity Cats" are CFA award winning pedigree cats. This means there are plenty of opportunities for fancy pedigree cat A-Listers. So what are you waiting for?
No-one (not even an "internet cat agent") can guarantee your cat will become internet-famous but if you have a cool cat that does some cool stuff and has a cool history, there's no downside to testing the waters.
To get started:
- Set up social channels for your cat. YouTube and Instagram tend to be the best ones.
- Start posting regularly to each channel. YouTube is a great place for funny cat videos.
- Test which kinds of content get the most response and focus there.
Many cats that are internet famous are raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad revenue and merchandise sales each year. Your cat may be just catwalk away from that and you won't know until you try.
________________________________
If you would like to share any ideas, you may contact:
Desiree Bobby
[email protected] |
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Carla Bizzell
CFA Breeds and Standards Chair
This year's Breed Council Polls were launched in late October. If you are a member in good standing of one or more Breed Councils, you should have either have received an e-mail notification and instructions to vote online or have received a paper ballot in the mail. (Note: There will be no Sphynx ballot this year as there is no current declared candidate for Breed Council Secretary.) If you did not receive ballot notification or physical ballot or if you have any other issues with this year's Breed Council Ballot, please contact Melissa Watson at [email protected]. The deadline for receipt of the Ballots in Central Office is Wednesday, December 19, 2018.
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Teresa Keiger
Editor
The Cat Talk staff is rapidly wrapping up the December issue. WOW, it's been a busy month - and this is a large issue, with the Grandstand weighing in at 6 pages! Plus coverage from last month's CFA International Show.
We're talking a look at the holiday season as well - thinking about what our cats give to use, what we give to them, and what we all share with each other.
I would also like to suggest that perhaps think about gifting a subscription to another cat fancier, or perhaps your vet or that special pet-buyer who knows (and appreciates!) cats more than most folks
Remember that you can subscribe to either the print or the online version of Cat Talk. It's available online through the Kindle Newsstand or through Magzter. Complete ordering information is here.
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WINN FELINE FOUNDATION
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A list of our donors contributing $100 or more in October is available here
Winn Feline Foundation's Media Appreciation Award
Barbara Fawver, editor of the Purina Pro Plan Cat Update newsletter for many years, is the 2018 recipient of the Winn Feline Media Appreciation Award. "Barb's been incredibly proactive about focusing content on the latest news in cat health," says Board Member Steve Dale, who surprised Fawver with the award. In the latest Update, Fawver authored a piece called "Large-Scale International Study of Feline HCM Provides Survival & Morbidity Data," which focuses on the ground-breaking Winn funded study of feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) by veterinary cardiologist Dr. Philip Fox; as well as the Ricky Fund to raise dollars to study this common cat heart disease. The Winn Feline Media Appreciation Award was created to celebrate journalists who champion cat health and communicate messages regarding Winn's participation supporting cat for 50 years.
Miller Trust Grant Review
Over $130K of grants were approved for funding by Winn's hard working scientific advisory and grant review committee and the board of directors at their meeting earlier this month, as part of the Miller Trust. Details on these exciting research projects will be forthcoming in the next update.
Thanks"giving"
November 27th, 2018 #GivingTuesday and Winn Feline Foundation will be offering a triple match, to help cats facing Feline Kidney Disease. Nearly 1 in 3 cats will be diagnosed with Feline Kidney Disease in their lifetime. With your help, we can fund further research to identify new diagnostics and treatments, and possibly even find ways to reverse the course of the disease, helping our feline friends live longer, healthier lives. Making strides to combat Feline Kidney Disease is only possible with support from cat lovers like you, and today you can triple your impact, turning every $1 you give into $3.
Don't miss this opportunity to fund cutting edge research to improve the health of the cats we love. Make this #GivingTuesday one to remember by supporting Winn Feline Foundation! Help us spread the word to other cat lovers around the world. Share the triple match opportunity! All donations made between 12:01 a.m. ET and 11:59 p.m. PT on Tuesday, November 27, 2018 will be matched up to $50,000.
Giving Tuesday by George Eigenhouser
The holiday season upon us it is important to remember the spirit of kindness and charity. "Giving Tuesday" is held each year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. In contrast to the commercial shopping events such as "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" it helps focus attention on giving to charity during the holiday season. This year Giving Tuesday will be on November 27, 2018. If your holiday season includes charitable giving, please consider the Winn Feline Foundation. As a 501(c)(3) organization, your donations to Winn are tax deductible to the fullest extent under federal law. Since 1968, Winn Feline Foundation has funded over $6.4 million in health research for cats at more than 30 partner institutions world-wide. For further information, go to
www.winnfelinefoundation.org
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By Kelly Crouch, CFA Legislative Information Liaison
Could being outbid cost you your hobby?
Possibly if the Commissioners of Noble County, Indiana enact the animal control ordinances proposed!
In northeast Indiana, Noble County Commissioners are considering the "novel" approach of auctioning Breeding Kennel licenses as well as other problematic provisions in two proposed animal control ordinances. One proposed ordinance is for animal welfare and the other would establish multiple types of kennel licensing
for all domestic animals
(drafts are available
here
). Currently
the animal control chapter for this county of 47,536 residents consists of a restraint of dogs and disturbance of the peace provisions. The proposed Animal Welfare ordinance would establish a more comprehensive, animal control ordinance but introduces its own set of problems. The separate
Kennel ordinance de nes and sets forth licensing requirements for Home, Breeding, Boarding, and Training Kennels. For this ordinance a domestic animal is de ned as "tame animals associated with family life to accustomed to life in or near the habitation of persons." This de nition will likely leave
the read wondering what animals are really covered as tame and domesticated are two very different things.
The draft Kennel ordinance does have provisions commonly seen in other kennel ordinances.
Some of these provisions include duration (calendar year), up to two yearly inspections, and the
requirement that applicants provide written documentation that their use is permitted under applicable
zoning ordinances. While many of the provisions are the same across the different Kennel licenses, some provisions are distinctly different for Breeding Kennels. For example, a maximum of up to 25
Breeding Kennel licenses will be granted in any given year though only 19 will be available the rst
year. Each year the number of licenses available for issuance will be calculated as the number of current licenses issued plus two additional licenses. With so few Breeding Kennel licenses being
available, some hobbyist's breeding programs will be over the rst year if they are not fortunate
enough to obtain a license. Trying to stamp out "puppy mills" is a valid concern, but it can be done without stomping on the rights of everyone else. Making matters worse, the ordinance also authorizes selling
new
Breeding Kennel licenses only one day a year. The week before the annual sale,
existing licensees will able to purchase licenses for the following year. The rst year these licenses
will cost $500 but "the fee may range by year based on the number of individuals interested in a license." When there are more people interested in a Breeding Kennel license than there are licenses available, there will be an auction to sell licenses to new prospective licensees. The price for an auctioned license will be capped at $10,000.
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 Teresa Keiger
CFA NewBee Program Chair
The CFA NewBee Program has been very active this fall!
The "Welcome to CFA!" packets are going out to new exhibitors and we're seeing a real increase in activity in both the Yahoo and Facebook groups.
Did you know that each region now has a NewBee Program coordinator? If you have a new exhibitor in your area or meet one at a show, make sure that you send your regional coordinator the NewBee's information. That way we can be certain that we'll be there for all of the questions that you might have! And many thanks to all of our coordinators!! It has been exciting seeing you bring in so many new faces to CFA! Great job!!!
A list of all regional coordinators is
here on the program's website.
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Candilee Jackson
CFA Ambassadors Chair
Gobble, gobble! Happy Turkey Day, everyone! Ambassadors are busy everywhere these days! Watch for them in the community as well as show halls!
Attention ALL Ambassadors: Please don't forget to wear our "ASK ME!" pins! Fly your "Pet Me!" Banners so visitors can find you easily!!!
Region 1: Chris June
Hallmark Cat Club, Brockport NY, Oct 27-28, 2018
Spectators enjoyed interacting with Chris' Burmese Pet Me Cats at the Hallmark Cat Club show in Brockport, NY, Oct 27-28. Generally, all her cats are often "unofficial Pet Me Cats" because they love attention, however, at this show, she had one who was not competing so it was her full time job to be on display. Flurry likes to wow the public with her outfits and bling. There is rarely a show when she doesn't shed a few tears with spectators reminiscing about their recent Rainbow ridge angels. Local Burmese breeders often get more than the average requests for kittens after these sweet Pet Me Cats work their magic at shows!
New Hampshire Feline Fanciers, Dover, NH, Nov 3-4, 2018
The NHFF club had a good turn-out of Pet Me Cats including Wiggles, an HHP, who is very popular in New England, and the very regal Levi, a blue British Shorthair. Wiggles, an orange tabby, was born with cerebellar hypoplasia, and is unable to walk and move on his own but is in no pain. He is a happy, sweet and well-cared for feline and loves the attention of spectators. His human mom, Dawn, is a caring slave to her cats and is passionate about saving cats with CH which can be mild or severe. Because she has shared Wiggles' story, we know numerous CH kittens have been adopted from shelters and are loving pets in wonderful homes. Wiggles has his own FB page: "Wiggle Waggle"...please visit it and like it! "We have spectators who come to our area shows year after year specifically looking for these two celebrity Pet Me Cats! My Burmese of course, had to be petted and hugged by anyone short or tall!" reported Chris.
Region 5: Janiss Garza, reporting 
Janiss Garza had a blast with Summer at the Abyssinian Breeders International Show on October 27th in Arcadia, California! Summer, a gorgeous Somali, was on hand to be petted as well as to perform his numerous tricks for fascinated visitors.
Region 6: Candilee Jackson
Fall is one the busiest times for the MWR, with shows in Springfield IL, Indianapolis IN, Lenexa KS and Iowa City IA! Ambassadors were on hand to answer questions and direct spectators to various breeds. Ambassadors reported getting a lot of grooming questions.
Region 8: Takako and Masanari Kojima 
The Osaka Act III Hall in Osaka, Japan, showcased M's Cat Community Show on October 20th. ASH Raptor was on hand along with two of Takako's silver tabby males. "There were many beautiful Persians in championship," stated Masanari. Takako also reported on a young couple who visited the Ambassador booth to hold Raptor. As a well-known shoulder rider, "Raptor jumped to the young man's shoulder right away! Both of them seemed very comfortable with each other!"
The Takrazuka Cat Fanciers' Show was held in Kobe, Japan, at the Kobe Port Terminal Hall, November 10-11th. This lovely large venue was home to an 8-ring back-to-back show. Ambassador Cat Raptor was in attendance, and everyone had a great time meeting him. "A young couple as well as a new exhibitor purchased five CFA show rules and standard sets!" Takako was excited to explain CFA and the Ask Me pamphlets.
"Two spectators who have a Russian Blue and a Norwegian Forest Cat asked me about a food problem. I recommended using Royal Canin hair care and low calorie dry food for diet. I also recommended Norwegian owner not to sprinkle dried bonito on the dry food because cats love the smell of dried bonito and eat it. Japanese owners often use dried bonito, however, this way is not good for gaining weight. I suggested mixing dry food with wet food. I am sure her cat will like it and will be able to gain weight."
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Carmen Johnson Lawrence
CFA YFEP Chair
The CFA International is now just a memory - and our show season is through the halfway point! Time sure does fly!
The International Show was exciting - we had 10 youth over the course of the weekend join us! I would like to recognize each of these ambitious youth as they worked very hard through the weekend!
From the North Atlantic Region Heather Wilde joined us! Heather assisted with hospitality.
From the Northwest Region we had Matilda Starbuck. Matilda assisted with showing her family's Chartreux as well as helped her mom in making sure breed council awards were distributed to those at the show.
From the Great Lakes Region we had Rebecca Gibson, Zoe Neuman, Alex Akers, Gavin Aker, and Audrey Akers who all stepped up at the last minute to steward in the rings. We are so grateful to them! Nadyne Blose and her grandmother Sharyn had nice goody bags for all the YFEP members in attendance! Edward Goatseay assisted with selling CIS pins on Friday during check in, as well as showing his cat during the weekend and assisted with Heather in hospitality.
From the Southern Region we were happy to have Abby Vaughan who assisted in showing her household pet on Saturday!
We were so excited to have such a great turnout of youth for the weekend!
Youth should be entering activity as it's completed in the Google drive sheets. For those who are unsure if they have access, or need it resent should contact the chair. Activity through the 2nd quarter of the season should be input by December 10th. As always we thank adults and leaders of CFA for their continued support of the youth and YFEP.
As we enter these busy weeks leading into and during the holiday season (and for many of us the winter months!), we wish you all positive experiences and safe travels wherever you may head!
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 & Sandra Polcaro
Northwest Region - Sande Kay
Gulf Shore Region - Anne Paul
Great Lakes Region - Lorna Friemoth & Bethany Colilla
Southwest Region - Kelsey Friemoth
Midwest Region - Emily Conaway & Cathy Dunham
Southern Region - Chandler Bussey & Karen Thomas
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by Karen Lawrence
The mission of the CFA Foundation is to acquire and conserve the history of cats and show the development of the cat fancy through the acquisition of fine art, artifacts, and literature. To that end, we also assist with historical research on the development of the various breeds as well as ferret out interesting details about the people and clubs involved in the beginnings of the cat fancy. As an example of what our research can uncover ...
Back in August, the museum received a phone call from an elderly woman who remembers when her parents lived at 1720 Randolph Street in Detroit, Michigan in the 1930-1940's. She had a couple of cat antiques she thought we might be interested in, and we are, but the most interesting part of our conversation was that she remembered that a woman on the second floor of that apartment building was a cat judge, and also that the second floor resident "smelled up the whole building cooking cat medicines on the weekends." The caller wanted to know if we had any idea who the judge might have been, as she didn't think she had ever heard the woman's name. My first thought was "no way to trace that" and my second thought was "wait a minute, it could have been ..."
And, lo and behold, a little magazine research showed that it was indeed Mrs. Gertrude Taylor, who has that same address in her advertisement for her "Cattery and Kennel Supplies" in the February 1935 issue of The Cat Courier. Several of her medicinal concoctions were of her own making, and marketed under the brand name "Salina", which just happened to be her registered cattery name.
Mrs. Taylor was also the editor and publisher of The Cat Courier for over 20 years, taking over the duty in 1917 from Mrs. Elizabeth Brace of Rochester, NY. In 1938, The Cat Courier was combined with CFA's new publication, The Cat Gazette, and in 1943 The Cat Gazette became a section of the new All-Pets Magazine.
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Gertrude Taylor
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The earliest record that the Feline Historical Museum has of Mrs. Taylor judging at a cat show is in 1924 at an Empire Cat Club show in New York City. Mrs. Taylor died in 1948.
Mrs. Taylor served as CFA's Vice-President from 1922-1927 and as President from 1928-1933. Under her presidency, the Certificate of Grand Championship was created. The first cat awarded the certificate was EASTBURY TRIGO, IMP., a red tabby Persian male owned by Mrs. Julia Hunter. Also, during the years Mrs. Taylor was President, a class was established for household pets, a show rule created that provided penalties for the showing of sick cats, and it was suggested that the name and address of each owner be printed in the show catalog.
In 1933, Mrs. Taylor was part of a group of eight clubs and several officers and judges who broke away from CFA to form the United Cat Clubs of America, Inc.
The Feline History Blog
The History Project has started a new online Feline History Blog at
https://cat-o-pedia.blogspot.com
.
Through this medium, the co-editors and writers of
The History Project
- Karen Lawrence and John Smithson - will bring you regular updates, articles, and items of interest directly related to our work creating the THP site. This will include interesting facts about cats and cat fanciers, cat clubs, and related societies, images, facts, poems, feline related artifacts, documents, art and literature.
New articles, or tidbits of interest, or historical photographs, are published every other day. Our topics include - Did You Know?, Look at these Cats!, Our Featured Cat, Legends of the Cat Fancy, etc.
Please consider visiting our Blog and signing up for to "Follow Us by Email" option, through which you will get our posts delivered directly to your inbox. For an example, here's one of our recent posts:
Friday, November 9, 2018 
BOGIE
Burmese female
born circa 1891
For anyone with a serious interest in the BURMESE breed, this little dark brown cat named BOGIE, was owned by the Duchess of Bedford and lived on the Estate at Woburn Abbey.
This particular cat raises questions about whether Burmese cats actually reached Britain between 35-60 years earlier than anticipated - and also possibly 35-40 years earlier than in the United States.
You can draw your own conclusions by viewing the new file on this cat, probably born circa 1891 (or earlier) and who was still living in 1901, when the Duchess was pictured with her, seated comfortably on her lap.
Please consider supporting the work of The CFA Foundation and the Feline Historical Museum. Donations can be made via PayPal to
[email protected]
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| 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!
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by Sharon Roy, Regional Director
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Omar Gonzalez, Gary Veach and
Joy Yoders Dey |
Congratulations to all of our Region 1 Winners at the International!
Briar-Mar Helluva Bottom Carter - Calico Manx SH
Best Manx SH Kitten - Purple Show
2nd highest scoring kitten - Purple Show
Briar-Mar Me Too of Deydream - Red Tabby/White Manx LH
Best Manx LH kitten - Teal Show
Highest scoring kitten -Teal Show
Best of the Best
GC RW/GP Briar-Mar Mockingjay of Deydream - Brown Patched Tabby/White spay
Best Manx SH - Premiership
Highest Scoring in Premiership - Teal show
Owned by Omar Gonzalez, Gary Veach and Joy Yoders Dey.
Best Household Pet
Lola, an eight-month-old brown patched spotted tabby and white spay
Owned by Karen Bishop and Jill Archibald.
Jovan Caymus, was awarded the breed winner for best Maine Coon kitten in the Teal show.
GC iCandy Pixi Stix was Best RagaMuffin champion in the Teal show,
iCandy Blueberry Crisp
was Best RagaMuffin kitten in the teal show.
Owned by Sarah Thorton
Ready or Not Sweet Emotion (Stevie)
She was Best of Breed Devon Rex in Championship in the Purple Show. In addition, she was recognized as 1st Runner-up for the Purple Show in Championship in the Best of Best Showcase.
Ready or Not Let's Ear It 4 The Boy (BB), , BOB Devon Rex in Premeirship, Purple show.
owned Kristin Nowell and Carolyn Jimenez
GPD Lexidon Jersey Boy of Tayohme, was Best Siamese in Premiership at the Teal show. Owned by Sandy and Dennis Hogan.
Etonnant Hugh Lookin' At Me? was highest scoring TA in Championship
He was also the 6th highest scoring cat in Championship for the Teal show
Etonnant Kung Pow! Turkey was highest scoring TA in Premiership
He was also 7th highest scoring cat in Premieriship for the Teal show (4th highest LH)
Etonnant Phantom Menace was highest scoring TA Kitten
She was also 15th highest scoring kitten for the Teal show (7th highest longhair)
Etonnant Champagne Supernova was 4th highest scoring in Agility
All The Etonnant Cats are owned by Dan and Michelle Beaudry.
Folie a Deux Taboo was best Siberian in the Purple show. Owned by Bob and Iris Zinck and Denetter Prawdzik.
Anubis Loco-Motion of Santgria
,
Best Aby Kitten & 4th Best overall in the Purple show.
Owned by Meg Lambert and Betty Bridges.
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Terri Zittel, Regional Secretary
Due to many obliglations in November, I had to miss the annual Golden Gate Cat Club show in Lodi, CA. Reports were that the show was just fantastic! Kendall Smith said that there was an unbelievable kitten class. I hope the club did well in this new location.
I did make the Utah Cat Fanciers show in Salt Lake City, Utah. What a wonderful show with lots of fun little extras. The children were busy locating as many different cats as were present at the show. The club cancelled last year due to the timing of the International Show in Portland. So happy that they were able to reconvene this year.
Closing out the year is Lewis and Clark's annual show in Portland, OR on December 1 & 2, 2018. This is an extremely popular event held every year at the DoubleTree@Lloyd Center. An easy to get to show from the I- 5 freeway or PDX. The train takes you directly from the airport to the hotel.
Starting off the new year is the Emerald Cat Club holding a 2
nd
show in Seaside, OR on January 5
th
and 6
th
. The weather is generally mild on the Oregon Coast so don't be afraid to enter this new and wonderful event. There is a fantastic offer from the Ebb-Tide Oceanfront Inn for the dates of the show. 
Penny Richter and her mom, Gloria Busselman were benched opposite me at the Utah show. Penny asked me to take their picture as she wasn't having a great deal of luck with a selfie. I thought it was such a nice picture of mom and daughter that I asked Penny if I could use it for the November Newsletter
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by Kathy Black, Regional Director
October, what a month! First, we attended the CFA International show in Cleveland. So proud to see an excellent representation of exhibitors and cats from the Gulf Shore Region. Congratulations to all the winners.
Purple Show Championship
CAJUNDOLL MYSTIC KREWE
CAJUNDOLL LAKOTA SUN
CASCADEMTN MY KONA OF KONAKATSMC
Purple Show Kittens
CAJUNDOLL QUANAH PARKER RIDES AGAIN
JAZZY RAGS MAGIC POTION
POSH PERSIAN PRINCE HARRY
Purple Show Premiership
PURR ELLI LIGHT EM UP
FOXYKATS LADY LIBERTY
Purple Show Household Pet
GODIVA CARAMEL TRUFFLE
IZZY OF CAJUNDOLL
Teal Show Championship
NOOSA HEADS LIGHT FOOT
SINHSOUL PAXTON OF BIRQUEST
CAJUNDOLL MARSHALL DILLION
Teal Show Kittens
ASTECH'S INDIA SAVAGE
FIRST IMPACT CARMEN OF ELAN
CATABELLA PETERBILT OF BIRQUEST
SURREAL'S FIRE CHIEF
Teal Show Premiership
RI-KAR KATTS AHARON OF ANGELFOREST
The end of the month was our annual Fundraiser show in Mesquite, TX. This year a new show producing club joined the weekend to host a 6x6 show that drew the best count for the weekend! The show was a rip-roaring success with many exhibitors from other regions, strong competition in every category, and a hotel show with a fabulous venue. Even an International gay rodeo next door for entertainment (many of whom had to come and check out the cat show!). With the help of many regional exhibitors, and even some from out of region, the show setup and tear down were efficient and quickly done.
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Willy Williamson and Cheryl Dorrell helping to load the cages into the trailer
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Both the Region and Cow Hill had huge successful raffles, and the gate exceeded over $4000, a record for this location. With the CFA sponsorship and the Facebook targeted audience, both the Region and Cow Hill enjoyed the large numbers of people who attended their first cat show. Thank you to Houston Cat Club, Cat Tree Steve, Pete and Beth Deal, and Sue Riley for help the Agility ring. First time in a very long time to have agility at a Dallas area show, and we plan to have it in future shows. Thank you to Oklahoma City Cat Club for the use of their judging cages.
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Dwight Dow offering engineering advice on how to secure the cages in the truck
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Vendors and exhibitors at the show |
There are too many people to mention, but many thanks to all who had a part in this weekend's success.
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by John Colilla, Regional Director
No report received
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by Howard Webster, Regional Director
Fellow Cat Fanciers,
As you all must be aware of right now, much of California is dealing with a major crisis in the form of the raging wildfires. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the many people who have lost their homes, livelihoods, and, possible, their cats. This is a terrible time which most of us could never fathom. Because of the nature of this natural disaster, I wanted to include a message from BAP (Breeders Assistance Program):
Greetings Cat Fanciers. If you know of a CFA Breeder or are a CFA Breeder or CFA Club helping breeders that have been affected by the California fires, we want to remind you that our BAP program offers CFA Breeder and/or Exhibitors temporary help with food, litter, necessities, emergency veterinary care, etc. (we can arrange to make sure you can have the food you currently feed delivered, etc.) We usually have the breeder select items from
chewy.com when BAP places your order to be delivered.
You can contact anyone in our program for help. Here are a few California contacts to get anyone started:
Breeder Assistance Chair: Steve McCullough
Breed Rescue Chair: Charlene Campbell
Immediate or other Animal Pet Needs: There is a group called OBOL, Operation Blankets of Love helping with the care of pets from the fires (818) 402-6586.
CFA Southwest Affilate Program
The Southwest Region has an affiliate program, which is an easy way to raise funds for our region!
What is an Affiliate Program?
Well, basically, there are companies that will pay you to promote their products on your website.
How does it work?
When you click on an ad, or a link, that takes you to a store or product, a tracking code in the address will credit whoever posted that ad, or link, a percentage of the sale out of their product.
This type of marketing has been around for a long time, and there are many sites out there solely promoting other company's products. Each program is unique. Some are easy to sign up for, some more involved, and all have their own set of percentages that they pay out.
When you go to our website (www.cfasouthwest.org), go to the Affiliate page. I have added some files you can open to see the specifics for each of our programs. It all adds up, so before you go shopping on any of the following sites, please go to cfasouthwest.org where you will find links on the home page and on the Affiliate page:
Amazon.com
Chewy .com
Prettylitter.com
Pet-i-meds.com
Target.com
At the time of this report, we had also been approved by Wal-Mart - WOO-HOO!
If you have any questions, please contact Debi Gomez, SWR Webmaster at [email protected]. Great job, Debi!
NewBee Program
Here is our report from Linda Hornberger, Region 5 NewBee Coordinator:
I thought I would update you on how things are going with newbies in our region. Since the Glendale show, when we had 8 newbies, we have only had one new exhibitor at each of the last two shows, one showing a Maine Coon and the other showing a Persian. Both have reported that they were warmly welcomed by most of the exhibitors, and they are planning to enter more shows.
This brings up two things:
First, while we had only two new folks at these shows, we did have over half of the newbies from previous shows this season (since May 1) enter other shows. This retention rate is something to be celebrated, but we want to improve upon it, as well.
Second, everyone has been VERY helpful with the newbies at shows! This is from the entry clerks, the show management, the benching buddies, and to "random" exhibitors who stop and chat. This has made a HUGE impression on these new exhibitors, which is the reason they come back! Thank you all so very much! Keep smiling at the newbies!
In terms of future projects and ideas, the main thing I am working on is a couple of handouts on how Household Pets are recorded, how to claim various titles, and show etiquette in the judging ring. Thanks to the NewBee coordinator group, I have several excellent ideas to work on, so if anyone wishes to help out, let me know!
Linda Hornberger, QED Cats, Region 5 NewBee Coordinator
So, as you can see, a lot of new and exciting things are happening in the Southwest Region. Some of the news is tragic, which we, as a supportive and caring Cat Fancy, will overcome, and we will be there for each and everyone who is in need. Keep thinking outside the box, and help to expand the Fancy and bring awareness to our wonderful hobby to more people every day!
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by Mary Auth, Regional Director
The holiday season is almost here - Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are times to reflect upon the closing calendar year and take stock of where we are in the Cat Fancy - the hobby that sometimes consumes us completely. Be generous to your less-fortunate friends by donating to the CFA Breeders Assistance Program. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible and you may be able to help those cat fanciers who have been impacted by California's fires or what Hurricanes Michael and Florence left behind.
Back in the Midwest - where the weather has been kind - we are gearing up for upcoming shows (See list below) and winding down from others. (see the photos) We are working to find a weekend and location in December when we can host a show.
Upcoming shows in the Midwest Region
November 24 - Frontier Felines, Gardner, KS - if you missed getting into the Midlands Show you can get your points here.
January 5 - Worldwide Cat Feline Fanciers in Lawrenceburg IN - 4 rings
January 12 - Frontier/Topeka/Tornado Alley in Gardner, KS
January 26-27 - Saintly City in St. Paul, MN
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by Kenny Currle, Regional Director
Our Southern Stars continue to shine brightly all across CFA!
Our own Jo Ann Miksa-Blackwell was recently appointed as CFA's Director of Development. We know that she'll do a great job!! (remember that Annual in Atlanta that she just chaired?)
Many Southern Region fanciers traveled to Cleveland last month for the CFA International Show, and they made quite a good showing of it!!
Congratulations to Jane Lamas whose cat GC, RW I-Catchers iCloud was second runner up in the Best of the Best competition!
Other winners from the region included:
Best Cat in Agility: Blackwater Gondawanasuchus ("Dundee"), an Ocicat owned by Sonja Moscoffian and Carolyn Causey
Second Best HHP (tied): Pierrot of Blueyonder, a 2 ½ year old black and white neuter, owned by Vanadis Crawford and Lynn Search
Purple Show:
Pironti Beach Boy of Chatabella - red Persian solid neuter - Best LH in Premiership. Bred by Toni Pironti; owned by Leslie Herman, Cyndi Lewis, Kerry Ury, and Joseph Deutsch.
MaryK's First Contact - lilac lynx point Colorpoint Shorthair neuter - bred and owned by Mary Kolencik
Show News
Recent Shows
Cotton States Cat Club celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. Thank you, Ann Strople, for sharing this show report.
Cotton States Cat Club: 80 Consecutive Years of CFA Shows
We were excited to have exhibitors from CFA regions across the US and Canada participating in Cotton States Cat Club's 80th anniversary show. The show theme, "Thanks for the Memories," featured rings from eight previous shows, reimagined in decorations created by club members.
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| Teresa Sweeney's ring's theme was "Paris" |
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As much as we enjoyed decorating the rings, creating the raffle baskets, and getting everything ready, the best part of the weekend was celebrating with the real stars of this show, the exhibitors and their beautiful cats and kittens.
Thanks to everyone who entered our show. We hope the commemorative crystal paperweight and teddy bear each of you received will be a reminder of the fun we all had and how much we appreciate your support. We could not continue producing these shows without you.
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Kenny Currle's ring's theme was "Japan" |
A very special thank you to our awesome judges, ring clerks, entry clerk, and master clerk. We loved that you were there to celebrate with us. You helped make our 80th anniversary show extra special
Thanks, too, to CFA and Royal Canin for the sponsorship money to help with advertising and other show expenses. Royal Canin also provided tote bags and gifts for our
exhibitor
s, and items for our raffle. And thanks to Dr. Elsey's for providing the litter and coupon booklet, and to the stewards, volunteers from the Gwinnett County 4-H program.
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| Larry Adkinson's ring's theme was "In Your Easter Bonnet" |
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So much was happening at the show! There were:
- Vendors with all kinds of wonderful items for cats and their people.
- Rescue groups, some with beautiful cats available for adoption . We know of at least seven rescue adoptions during the show (one was 13 years old) plus several adoption applications.
- Photographers capturing the spirit of the show and taking formal photos of the beautiful cats and kittens
- The Golden Oldies presentation of 11 retired show cats ranging from 10 to 17 years old, as beautiful now as when they were being shown.
- Multiple drawings for door prizes for spectators.
- A raffle each day, with baskets, gift cards, cat trees, carriers, and other items available for exhibitors and spectators.
- Two massage therapists in the show hall to help relieve our aches and pains.
- And, on Sunday afternoon, cake for everyone to enjoy as we celebrated our anniversary.
A final highlight of this show full of memories was the presentation of special awards to the highest scoring cats at the show. Congratulations to these beautiful cats and their owners:
- Kitten - Cinema's Justify (Owners: Blake Mayes & Dennis Adler, Region 2)
- Championship - I-Catchers iCloud (Owner: Jane Lamas, Region 7)
- Premiership - Briar-Mar Mockingjay of Deydreams (Owners: E-J Dey/B-D Sliker/G Veach , Region 1)
- Household Pet - Lola (Owners: Karen Bishop & Jill Archibald, Region 1)
View photographer Judy
Pristash's photos from the show
here (or on our FB page)
Upcoming Shows
Only one show coming up in the Southern Region in the next few weeks, but it's a great one!
December 1-2 - Greater Baltimore CF - Parkville, MD
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Kayoko Koizumi, Regional Director
No report this month |
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by Michael Schleissner, Regional Director
At the moment main focus of CFA is on the situation in China, but Europe is still alive and present. We will have our first regional meeting at the Bologna/Italy show on Saturday with club secretaries and club presidents out of our region. This will be the first time for the last couple of years that we really can sit together and talk. For those clubs who can not participate on this meeting, please feel free and send me your topics you want to have discussed. Finally I have planed to publish minutes to all the clubs.
Hope to see many clubs represented by their secretaries and presidents.
Cat - H - Art show Albi / France on November/03&04/2018
This show was a two ring show in conjunction with a pet fair. It's hard to believe, there were only on Saturday about 5,000 visitors in the show hall. We had 84 cats entered in this show. The surprise was that all cats have never been to a CFA show before. All cats and of course the exhibitors were newbees.
It was the perfect event to attract new exhibitors for CFA in Europe. We also had seven Khao Manee cats entered in the miscellaneous class and these seven cats was a wonderful collection to show exhibitors and visitors the balance we already have in this breed. Hope that CFA will accept this breed very soon.
Thank you to the club organizing this event - to my point of view this is exactly the way to go for the future in Europe.
Upcoming shows
24/25.November 2018 , Bologna / Italy 6 rings
08/09. December 2018, Berlare / Belgium 8 rings
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by Dick Kallemyer
Congratulations to our International Division judges Gavin Cao - Shorthair Apprentice and Amanda Cheng Approval Pending Shorthair, 2nd Specialty. We also welcome clubs: Java Feline Society (Indonesia) and a return to CFA membership of Noah International Cat Club (China).
Four clubs held their first shows during October:
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| Judges and committee members Winterfell Cat Club at their first show October 20. |
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| CFA had their first show in Africa and Egypt in Cairo October 20-21. Club eCats |
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| Swire CC first show: Jiang, Mingde Chen (Agnes), Gavin Cao first judging assignment |
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| The Oriental Fashion International Cat Club had their first show on October 29. They also had a clerking school and Breed Awareness class in concert with the show |
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| Clerking school graduates at the Siam Blue-Eyed CF show in Bangkok. Chate Ruengruglikiit had his first assignment as an assistant clerking school instructor. |
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Have a question or a comment about the CFA Newsletter?
Teresa Keiger
CFA Newsletter Editor
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