CFA Dues 

Club dues for 2012 ($120) are now due.  Membership Lists must also be submitted in order for clubs to be considered to be in good standing. Dues can be paid online and membership lists can be submitted by the club secretary by via FAX (330-680-4633) or the club secretary can email the list to Verna Dobbins.  Check here to see if your clubs is in good standing.  If you believe your club is in good standing and it's not listed, contact Verna Dobbins to get it straightened out. Some clubs believe that since they have a show licensed in 2012, their club is current.  Not necessarily so.  To license a show in 2012 the club dues must have been paid prior to licensing the show; however, the club's membership list may be outdated.  If your club did not submit a new membership list either in December, 2011, or this month, it is not considered to be in good standing.

Please note that addresses are updated for officers of clubs from membership lists and if the club sends in the info incorrectly our database is updated incorrectly.  Take a few seconds to review the membership list before you send it in to make sure it's correct.  A simple typo or old address could cause your club to miss an important piece of mail or email from CFA.

In order for a club to be eligible to vote for CFA Officers and Regional Director this Spring, dues and membership lists must be received in the CFA Central Office by February 1, 2012.

This year CFA clubs vote for CFA Officers and Regional Director for a two-year term, June 2012 through June 2014.  The deadline for declaring is March 15, 2012.  Declarations have already been received for some of these positions.  Check online to see who has already declared.

From the Director of Operations

AOL SUBSCRIBERS:

Breeders & Exhibitors: We have solved our problem with AOL and delivering your registration attachments. Keep in mind it may take as long as ten Business days upon receipt to complete your work. If that two week time frame has passed, check your spam filter and let us know if the work was sent as spam.

Club Secretaries: If you are an AOL subscriber and submitted your Club Membership List as an AOL Attachment prior to January 1st, please resubmit it at this time. We may have had a problem. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR from CO!

We at CO hope that everyone had a very happy holiday season! We are back to work and eager to start the New Year.

We are still working every day to improve in all areas of operation. Included with this newsletter are registration tips and processes to help with any questions you may have. However, still feel free to call us with questions at any time.
 

This time of year brings many deadlines, the first of which is club dues and membership lists. These must be received in CO by February 1, 2012 for your club to be considered in good standing. As of the writing of this newsletter the list of clubs in good standing on the website is current with all RECEIVED by January 3, 2012. On January 16, 2012 the list will be updated with all RECEIVED by January 13, 2012.

Breed Council membership are now starting to be received also. Please note that the lists on our website have been cleared, new membership lists will start to appear as we enter them. Also, the link to renew is available on line for your convenience.

We will be posting to the website a new "BE ON THE LOOKOUT" a document we are sure you are all very familiar with. This will help all of us remember the time frames that guide CO.

That is it for now; we will continue to keep you up to date by way of this newsletter and please do not hesitate to contact us if we can assist in any way.

Thank you,

Verna M. Dobbins

REGISTRATION PROCESS

On-Line Cat Registration

Prior to submission, be sure to verify that your information is correct as once you have submitted your registration it is considered "in process." Once you submit your information, you will receive an auto reply message. Please do not reply to that message.   If you have questions, please send your question to either Jmendenhall@cfa.org or tambrose@cfa.org. It is helpful if you include your order number and cattery number in your communication. Please Note: Central Office will need at least ten business days to process your order. Your certificates will be emailed and not mailed via the US Postal Service. Should you leave the email address blank you will receive a certificate by US Postal Service, please allow for delivery time.

On Line Litter Registration

Prior to submission, be sure to verify that your information is correct as once you have submitted your registration, it is considered "in process." You will receive an auto reply message. Please do not reply to that message.   If you have questions, please send your question to Jmendenhall@cfa.org or tambrose@cfa.org. It is helpful if you include your order number and cattery number in your communication. When you register a litter online, we do not mail blue or yellow slips to you.  Instead, they are created as PDF documents which you can print yourself.   You will need to go to (http://secure.cfa.org/) to download and print. To print, click on the appropriate document icon to download the PDF file(s) to your computer using Adobe Acrobat Reader.  If you do not have this program on your computer, you can download it FREE at http://www.Adobe.com.

Pending Registration

If your litter registration has been longer than ten days and you see that your on line registration is still "Pending," it may be that we need owner of sire confirmation. Once we receive the pertinent information including cat name, registration number and date of birth from the sire's owner via email, we will release the litter registration certificate.

Cat/Litter Registration Fax/Mail

With fax and U.S. Mail registrations, you can receive your cat registration by email if you include your email address on the application, otherwise, your certificate will be mailed after ten business days. Litter registrations cannot be emailed. Prior to submission, be sure to verify that your information is correct because once you have submitted your registration it is considered "in process." If you have questions, please send your question to Jmendenhall@cfa.org or tambrose@cfa.org. It is helpful if you include your cattery number.

Please feel free to call CFA at 330-680-4070. We would be glad to assist!  

Registration Reminders

Below are a few Registration Reminders to ensure that your registration is processed quickly:

1. Please take your time and fill out the paperwork in its entirety and preferably in one communication. If you forget something or send information on a piece meal basis, it will definitely slow things down.
2. Please make sure your method of payment is valid. Our staff wastes a lot of time chasing payments. This includes making sure you are using a valid card and all the numbers, expiration dates and codes are correct.
3. Please write legibly. Your friends and loved ones may be used to the way you write.   But note, our staff needs clear letters and numbers.
4. Please do not call us asking what color your cat is. You can describe it over the phone and even e-mail photos but our guess won't be any better than yours. (By the way, some of the photos are too funny. Maybe we can put them in an issue of Cat Talk and see if you could guess!)
5. THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT. PLEASE INCLUDE COMPLETE CONTACT INFORMATION. We get so many registration requests without an e-mail address or phone number. In fact, both email and phone number would be helpful. Most of the time, answering questions is easier; it is finding the contact information that is time consuming for our staff. If you have a question about your registration, it is better to call than email.
6. Please allow ten business days for regular processing. If you have sent your registration in for more than ten business days and have not heard anything, you can assume that something is probably amiss. Please send Donna Jean Thompson an e-mail at dthompson@cfa.org and copy Jerry Hamza at jjhamza@yahoo.com.  Please include your contact information and as much other PERTINRENT INFORMATION as possible.
7. For on-line registrations, please do not respond back to the auto-reply, use registration@cfa.org if you have an inquiry.
8. For aol users, we were having a problem with incoming and outgoing email, we have been in contact with aol and believe the problem has been fixed.

Foreign Registrations Checklist

1. Please type or print your application for Central Office to ensure accuracy
2. Completely fill out Sections A, B and C for a litter application
3. Include cattery number, Section C
4. Include Signature, Section B & C
5. Include Email address, Section C
6. Brokers: Please make sure everything is filled out completely prior to sending
7. Allow 3 weeks for overseas mail

Our Numbers Nerd's Predictions

Monte says ...

We've arrived at the end of December - two-thirds of the way through the show season. While the analysis for the top of the standings is provided, most interest is where will the bottom be for the top 25 in championship, kittens, and premiership. First, lets analyze the impact of the National Show on standings overall. Then we'll go over each competitive category's potential year-end requirements. Since this is based on only 2/3 of the show season, the predictions are the ones with the most likelihood of error; however, it usually carries an accuracy of plus or minus 10 percent of the final outcome.  More ...

Feline Historical Museum Plans Maneki Neko Exhibit

A donation of 160+ "Japanese Welcoming Cats", plus the loan of additional figurines and other related items, will equal one of the largest public displays of Maneki Neko and assorted memorabilia when the CFA Foundation opens the doors on its first Special Collection Exhibit on February 1, 2012.

The Maneki Neko on display will range in size from miniscule to almost three feet in height and are in a number of mediums, colors, decorations, and expressions. All will sport their trademark - the well-known raised paw, whether it be left or right.

What is the meaning of the various colors of Maneki Neko? What is their history? What does the Raised Paw mean? Visit the Maneki Neko Special Collection and learn the answers!

The Maneki Neko Collection will be open at the Feline Historical Museum, 260 East Main Street, Alliance, OH from February 1st until October 31st, 2012. 

Mark Rowe with his Somali I-Cat

Thanks to P&G Pet Care/Iams for their generous support and loyal commitment, for our CFA Iams Ambassador-Cat Program, also fondly called the I-Cats. The program has now doubled in size and will continue to grow in our second year.

Cheryl Coleman with Jaded

The book is at the printer and is expected to be mailed to advertisers and those who purchased a Yearbook during the week of January, 23rd.  If you have not purchased one, you can order one online.

Winn Feline Foundation

Winn past president, Dr. Susan Little, is the author of a go-to resource for cat breeders, veterinarians, vet students, and anyone interested in the latest information regarding feline health. "The Cat Book" contains anything you might want to know about just about everything to do with cats! At well over 1300 pages, it is an encyclopedic collection of the most recent scientific research with contributors representing the best in feline medicine. The book is available at amazon.com.

CFA Website

Webmistress Kathy Durdick reports on a couple recent changes to the CFA website:

Point Calculator

Mary Kolencik wrote a web page for calculating your cat's points from a show. This simple tool is streamlined for use on tablets and smartphones, although it will work on any browser that has javascript enabled. You can copy and paste the results from the page to an email or facebook post to share with all of your friends! Try it out at a show soon! http://www.marykats.net/tools/score.html 

The Annual Responsibilities Committee

Dr. Elsey's 2012 Support

Thank you Dr. Bruce Elsey

Precious Cat Litter Company has expanded their support of CFA programs in 2012.  This includes:

• An increase in show sponsorship to 35-40 shows. Clubs intested in funding should contact Bob Johnston to explain how they would use the funds.
• Sponsorship of the delegate luncheon at this year's Annual
• Premier-level support for the CFA National Cat Show
• Strong advertising support for CFA's publications and website
• Ongoing sponsorship for Agility
• Continued financial support for the Breed Councils

Read more ...

Region 1

In an effort to raise money for the 2012 Annual, the Region has a raffle for 5 prizes:

1) a $500 VISA gift card (donated by Finicky Felines Society)

2) an Exercise bike - valued at around $200 (donated by Helene Schneider-Hester), still in the box.

3) Three beautiful Stained glass pieces, photos to be up on the NAR website soon (hopefully by this weekend), all three handmade and donated by Jane Wright-Nunn. Two of them (all but the one with the red hat) can be customized as to color by the winners.

Tickets are $5 each, 5 for $20, there will be five winners. First name drawn picks first, etc. Drawing will be held the end of February. You can order tickets by mailing Debbie Kusy a check, made out to "North Atlantic Region", to 153 Gay Street, Parkesburg, PA 19365. The tickets will be mailed to the purchasers.

This is one of the stained glass pieces being raffled

 

Region 2

One thing I'm very happy to report is the LACK of negative signage in the showhall! In the last few shows attended, The PET ME signs have
replaced the negative "I dont bite...but my owner does" signage. I think our campaign to make the show hall a more spectator friendly venue

is working.

R-2 needs a volunteer to coordinate the Mentor Program for R-2...those wishing to find out more about the position please contact DAL Carol Krzanowski.Special thanks to Sheryl Fann for her hard work in this capacity and I regret she is no longer able to do this for the region. GREAT JOB SHERYL!

The Oregon Cat Fanciers, Inc show in February is offering sponsorship for 20 HHP recordings as part of their show promotion. This approach

offers support to HHP participants and supports CFA in a very special way. A giant thank you to OCI for their new ideas to make their show
bigger and better each year!

I'd also like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the hard working show producing clubs that, in spite of the economy, continue to put on high quality, wonderful shows for Region 2. Hats off to each of these groups that work tirelessly to produce shows for our Fanciers to attend.
 

Region 3

Bougalie Rebels Cat Club and Cenla Cat Fanciers held a 6x6 show this past weekend in Alexandria , LA . The show was in remembrance of Marge Collier who was a vital member of the Cenla Cat Fanciers and the GSR. A raffle was held to raise funds for her favorite charity, Cat Haven shelter. Although the shows entries were low, the GSR members and visitors came through as they always do. The raffle brought in $1,025 for Cat Haven in Marge's memory... a beautiful gift from her region and friends...

Region 7

We are looking for nominations for our Region's Exhibitor of the Year. 

Nominees can not be a judge nor board member
(past or present) and must be in good standing (can not have current suspension or board actions taken against individual). Examples of support info for candidates

How Does Cat Hair Become Matted Fur?

By: Dr. Shelby Neely, DVM

The Basics of Cat Hair

Cat hair consists of 1 to 3 types of hair, plus the distinctive whiskers, which are also hairs. A brief review:

   - Guard hairs, also known as primary hairs, are the

   longer stiffer hairs that usually determine the basic

   color of your cat.

   - Undercoat, also known as secondary hairs, are the

   fluffier softer hair that keeps the cat warm. It's also

   known as down. This is the layer that is shed the most

   and will most easily mat. This is the layer of hair that is

   the source of cat hairballs because they ingest this as

   they groom themselves.

   - Awn are the finer hairs that usually form the basic coat

   of the cat.

   - And then, of course, there are the whiskers. 

Read more ...