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October 2011 CFA's Monthly eNewsletter |
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Upcoming Deadlines |
Nov. 1 - Submission of Christmas photos for Dec. issue of Cat Talk
Nov. 7 - New club applications must be received in CO for consideration at 2/12 Board Meeting
Dec. 15 - Breed Council Ballots due back at CO
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CFA National Cat Show - Extended Closing Date

The closing date for this show has been extended to Monday, November 14th, 10pm Central Time. This gives you time to get home from a show the weekend of 11/12-13 and withdraw your entry if you wish and enable someone on the waiting list to get entered in the show. (Thanks to Sharon Powell for the suggestion.) |
CFA National Cat Show - Breed Summary
The Breed Summary is now online and as entries are pulled and substitutions added, the summary will be automatically updated. Go to:
http://cfashows.net/counts/thecatfanciersassociation,inc..htm
Don't forget there are TWO periods before the htm, not just one (and a comma after association).
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Breed Council Ballots
Central Office plans to mail ballots during the week of October 17-21 to all who are current Breed Council members. If you do not receive your ballot by the end of October, please contact Verna Dobbins in the Central Office. Email her at Vdobbins@cfa.org. Ballots must be received in the Central Office by December 15th.
Breed council ballots were received by the September 15 deadline from 27 different breeds, including Abyssinian, American Bobtail, American Shorthair, Balinese, Birman, Bombay, British Shorthair, Burmese, Colorpoint Shorthair, Cornish Rex, Devon Rex, European Burmese, Exotic, Japanese Bobtail, LaPerm, Maine Coon, Manx, Norwegian Forest Cat, Ocicat, Oriental, Persian (General, Bi-Color, Shaded & Smoke), Ragamuffin, Russian Blue, Siamese, Singapura, Sphynx and Tonkinese. If your breed is not listed, don't expect a ballot. |
Helpful Tips - Registrations
With a new staff working on Registrations, fresh faces often notice things taken for granted by previous staffs. For example, did you know merely leaving off your cattery name/number can add up to 30 minutes to registering your litter? That's because the current computer system has as many as six different databases where it could be located and these databases each must be updated manually ... something often not done in the past. Yes, the new computer system will remedy that problem, but for now we have to deal with the old computer system. The staff has developed a list of tips that can help you help them which means our registrations can be processed quicker. Take a look.
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CFA's Latest Hire
On October 5th Nancy Gebhard joined the ranks of CFA employees. Nancy's primary responsibility will be registering cats imported from other registries via pedigree. Some of you may know Nancy as she is an active member of the cat fancy. Nancy registered Himirose cattery in 1984 and originally bred Himalayans (hence, her cattery name). Today she focuses on other Persian colors and has achieved a number of Grands and Regional wins. Nancy has bred and shown American Wirehairs and American Shorthairs to regional wins, too. With her husband, Greg, she lives in Massillon, Ohio, which is a 30 minute drive to the Central Office. She is an active member of Cleveland Persian Society, Canton Hall of Fame Cat Club and Champagne Cat Club. Nancy said she is "thrilled about being affiliated with the CFA Central Office and find it an exciting, enjoyable place to work."
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Spotlight on Websites
 In the last issue we asked for club web sites that could be spotlighted. The National Siamese Cat Club web site is excellent:
If you know of a club, breed council, etc. with a site worthy of being mentioned, send it to us. |
Pet Night on Capitol Hill
Submitted by George Eigenhauser
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George Eigenhauser with Cheeto |
September 22, 2011 was AHI Pet Night on Capitol Hill. This marked CFA's 15th year as affiliate sponsor thanks to generous donations from CFA clubs. Among the attendees from CFA this year were George Eigenhauser, Susan Blevins, Don and Cheryl Windsor, and Mark and Traci Lovelace. The 2011 feline celebrity was Cheeto who played "Azrael" in the Smurfs movie. Pet Night is our opportunity to maintain contact with members of congress, their aides and the Washington media, as well as the event sponsors.
In addition to Pet Night itself, CFA benefits from our relationship with AHI members and affiliate sponsors. The AHI (Animal Health Institute) consists of more than two dozen companies that make medicines for pets and farm animals. These include well known companies like Abbot Animal Health, Bayer, Lilly & Co, Merk, and others. The morning following Pet Night there is an AHI meeting which includes joint legislative strategy on matters ranging from the "guardian" campaign to non-economic damages. Pet Night sponsors, including CFA, AKC, PIJAC and AVMA are invited to participate in the AHI meeting. This is the one time each year so many major players on our side of the table meet together. We discuss legislation, share information and work together on a variety of issues. Pet Night participants provide us with legislative information, access to inside opinions of their lobbyists, and other help throughout the year.
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The Sy Howard Legislative Fund is a matching fund. Sponsorship for Pet Night on Capitol Hill is funded by $500 from the Sy Howard Fund and this year by donations from the following: Cat Fanciers of Washington, Colonial Annapolis CF, Freestate FF, Greater Baltimore CC, Hidden Peak CC, Mad Catters, Maine Street CC, and National Capital Cat Show. Thanks to them for their assistance. |
Professional Photos

Many of us have professional photos taken of our cats. Keep in mind that the photographer maintains ownership of these photos. While the cat is yours, the photos are not. When you use these photos, be sure to include the photographer's signature or copyright notice. If you edit that out, you could be creating a problem for yourself. If you plan to use them for something other than a CFA publication or your cattery website, check with the photographer to make sure it is OK.
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New CFA Youth Program Unveiled | |

Thanks to an inspired dream by JoAnn Cummings, the dedicated work of a talented committee, and a full sponsorship from Royal Canin the new CFA Youth Feline Education Program (CFA-YFEP) has become reality and replaces the old Junior Showmanship program.
CFA-YFEP engages youth from 7 to 18 in activities from drawing a poster, to doing a breed presentation, to working on a show committee, to taking a therapy cat to visit a hospital unit. The program is designed to allow youth to enjoy the cat fancy and excel at their own pace through the activities and age categories while enhancing their appreciation for felines and feline inspired professions.
At the end of each show season the top three youth in each age category will be recognized at the regional level with rosettes and plaques and at the national level with savings bonds for their future education.
CFA-YFEP encourages everyone to like us on Facebook (search for CFA Youth Feline Education Program) where we will post announcements but also encourage our youth to share their experiences and achievements in the program.
If you are a Parent, Guardian, Grandparent, Aunt, Uncle, or Friend and wish to help with the program or have a premier that needs a good home with a youth please contact our CFA-YFEP Secretary, Cathy Dunham at brtzohny@mchsi.com. She will be happy to direct you to the regional representative in your area.
If you are a youth interested in this new and exciting program, please with the knowledge of your parents or guardians click the word application and complete the information. The application is designed to allow you to type in all your information; you will need to print the application as it does require an original signature by your parent or guardian for acceptance. When complete please mail the application to:
CFA-YFEP Secretary
% Cathy Dunham
1232 S Main
Jacksonville, IL 62650
Please watch for upcoming announcements as the program gains momentum. If anyone has any questions, please contact the CFA-YEFP Secretary, Cathy Dunham at brtzohny@mchsi.com |
Staples
We have a new contact for the CFA account with Staples. She is Angel Richardson who is our point of contact for Staples Copy & Print. Clubs with printing needs can reach Angel at:
Phone - 888-224-3684 x 1196
Email:Angelina.richardson@staples.com
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Blast From The Past
From the 1931 CFA Show Rules, Article III Section 6: Cats will be fed and cared for by the [show] committee, unless the Exhibitor prefers to relieve the committee of this responsibility.
(Courtesy of Mary K) |
Winn Feline Foundation
The Cat Health Network (CHN) -- Winn Feline Foundation, Morris Animal Foundation, American Association of Feline Practitioners, American Veterinary Medical Foundation -- has announced the first research grants in its efforts to turn the spotlight on cat health. Despite the fact that cats are the most popular household pet in America, our feline friends are on the "short-end-of-the-stick" when it comes to health research. The CHN aims to change all that. Check out the Winn website, www.winnfelinehealth.org, for more information. While there, subscribe to the Winn eNewsletter and meet our new treasurer!
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Cat Talk
October 16th is National Feral Cat Day! Visit the Alley Cat Allies [www.alleycat.org] website to show your support of their efforts on behalf of feral cats. In our October issue (coming soon), Joan Miller has written an article discussing the evolution of Trap Neuter Return (TNR), the first in a series discussing the elements of the "No Kill Equation." Here is an excerpt:
"Another early model program was the San Diego Feral Cat Coalition. In 1992, as part of a community summit led by the San Diego Humane Society, feral cat caregivers, cat fanciers, rescuers and other met together to deal with the free-roaming cat problem. After years of individuals working to trap feral cats and sterilize them one at a time, the groups were frustrated because the remaining cats kept reproducing. The area shelters continued to impound and euthanize cats at a rate that was increasing by 10% every year. An organized program was developed, funds raised, traps purchased and veterinarians involved. The first spay/neuter clinic was held in November 1992. Now FCC has "trap depots" in several areas with 200 traps available for loan. They instruct a growing number of caregivers and, with volunteer veterinarians providing sterilization at FCC clinics, this group has prevented thousands of cats from being born. After only two years from inception of the program in 1992, the number of cats brought into shelters dropped by over 35%, and euthanasia of cats dropped 40% with an estimated cost savings of almost $800,000. [See www.feralcat.com/michelle.html]"
The October issue will be out soon, and we have switched to first class mailing! It's almost renewal time for those who subscribed before our first issue, details on how to renew coming soon. Do you have holiday photos of your cat that you would like to share for the December issue? We need a hi-res photo to print, with little jpg compression, send the highest resolution you have. If you have a photo you think we can use, visit www.transferbigfiles.com/dropbox/mdsiamese to submit it. The deadline for these photos is November 1st. |
Have you checked it out? The CFA National Cat Show has a blog with lots of useful information on the show. Need to know about Agility? Kittens for Sale? What vendors will be at the show? Which photographers will be there? Lots of good info. Just go to www.cfablog.org .
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Minutes
The Minutes of the Board Meeting held October 1-2, 2011, are complete and will be online Monday, October 17th. |
Alamo Car Rental
Alamo has joined the list of companies offering discounts to you. This program provides:
- Guaranteed year-round rates
- Unlimited mileage on round-trip rentals
- Frequent traveler points
- Free Quicksilver enrollment
- Express Return service
- Leisure discounts
To take advantage of these benefits, please use Alamo corporate ID 660401 whenever you have a car rental need. Go here.
Alamo also helps you through your rental with Quicksilver service. Click here to enroll. |
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Some times it seems we spend a lifetime at shows -- or longer! |
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Region 4
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Cleveland Persian Society, October 8-9 |
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Region 6
Be sure to check out what is going to be a huge show at the brand new Purina Farms facility in St. Louis! Originally constructed solely for a midwest location for big time dog shows, the folks at Purina have gone out of their way to make CFA welcome the first weekend in November. The space, as expected, is huge with great lighting. The club has arranged to allow breed booths to be present to set off the show rings, so please contact show management to see if you can bring your breed booth - and of course Pet Me and Ambassador cats! As a Purina facility that is excited about working with a CFA club, we expect a LOT of interest and advertising with the power of Purina marketing, so this show will be a first of its kind! The facility has a "museum" of sorts along with a petting zoo and information on other animals, livestock and animal husbandry - this is the kind of corporate relationship we need to foster, that also brings in young children and involves them in understanding the importance of breeding animals. Right now, as expected, they are heavy on pedigreed dog information - they are starting to compile pedigreed cat information, you guessed it, with this opening show with Midwest TGIF and CFA. This is a show you do NOT want to miss! Find information and enter today at www.cfamidwest.org! This will be the first cat show at the arena and will be sponsored by ProPlan and TidyCat, of course with a lot of food to buy and plenty of giveaways along with a ten ring show! The TGIF show is at Purina Farms, Gray Summit, MO. More information on the facility is at www.purina.com/purina-farms/purinafarms.aspx.
Follow us on Twitter!
http://twitter.com/CFA_MWR |
Region 7

The Region is raffling a $500 Visa Gift Card to benefit our Region's Purebred Rescue efforts. You can buy chances at any Southern Region show from Lynn Search, Jacqui Bennett, or Deb Curtis. You can also purchase them via email from Lynn Search. The drawing will take place at the Tarheel Triangle show in Raleigh at the end of November.
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Chef Jerry & His Assistant Lisa Smith |
At the Cat Club of the Palm Beaches, Sept. 17-18 in Orlando FL, the club offered an Italian dinner for the judges and exhibitors. About 70 people attended and feasted on hors d'oeuvres prepared by Wayne Trevathan, a terrific salad courtesy of Karen Lane, unforgettable chicken parm thanks to chef Jerry Hamza, and delicious desserts from Stan Barnaby. A great time was had by everyone who attended. For $20 you got all this food plus all the wine, beer, and soda you wanted. Check here for more photos of the show and dinner. |
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Discounts Available to You! |
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