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CFA's Monthly eNewsletter
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Bob Molino Announces Retirement
Photos courtesy of Larry Johnson
 | | Bob conducting the last final of his 30-year judging career |
Bob Molino submitted his retirement from the Judging Program to the CFA Board of Directors effective June 30, 2014. Bob will receive a service award for his 30-years of judging at this year's Annual Awards Banquet in New Orleans. Last weekend Bob judged his last contracted assignment at the Atlanta Phoenix show where the club, with help from Cotton States, hosted a reception in Bob's honor. Read more about Bob in a upcoming issue of Cat Talk.
 | | The Atlanta reception in honor of Bob |
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Amendment/Resolutions
Clubs are reminded that proposed Amendments to the CFA Constitution and proposed Resolutions must be received in the Central Office by April 15th.  |
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Grand of Distinction Firsts
Both are longhair Manx
The first Grand of Distinction in Championship has been achieved:
GCD, BW, RW FUZZY-FOOT'S WATCH MAGIC JACKSON
Breeders/Owners: Cathy-Jim Dinesen
The first Grand of Distinction in the International Division has been achieved:
GPD, DW KT OF KC FOUR ON THE FLOOR OF KIT
Breeders: Kerrie Miller-Robin Brooks
Owner: Kit Fung
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| Central Office Report
Submitted by Donna Jean Thompson,
Director of Operations
Donna Jean Thompson has now qualified for "Oopsie of the Year". Not sure that gets me a Magazine Cover, Grammy, Golden Globe. Oscar, Checkered Flag or even a dead Armadillo, but it happened and I ask all CLUB SECRETARIES and ANNUAL MEETING DELEGATES to be sure to DOUBLE CHECK Mark's CFA-News announcement of Thursday evening March 13th. Contact Kristi Wollam in Central Office with any questions. To be eligible to vote at the Annual, Delegate Forms are due in the Central Office POSTMARKED by Thursday May 1. My heartfelt thanks to Pam DelaBar for discovering the error, Mark Hannon for bringing it to my attention, Ed Raymond for an appropriate solution, Shelly Borowski and Kathy Durdick for their work on the form and web site work. Maybe the Armadillo will get a second chance from this great Team effort.
We will soon have our copies of the New Show Rules and Standards and it looks like the May show boxes may well begin shipping before April. Don't forget that the Show Box is sent as directed by the Show License to either the Entry Clerk or Show Secretary, usually received 4-6 or even 8 weeks prior to your show. If you don't open it until in the show hall it is a tad late to solve a problem of something that might be missing.
MAJOR KUDO'S, Thank Yous and I Love yous to our International folks who submit Registration via Pedigree forms as well as TRN's. Some of you are a dream come true. Yet we still have major problems in this area and you need to be sure to send appropriate generation information, additional payment information if an acceptable TRN if you would like your cat CFA registered and LEGIBLE CONTACT INFORMATION. Pedigree registrations and TRN's are very time consuming. Yet the third time an email address bounces or a letter is sent without even the courtesy of any response our efforts have been above and beyond. I brought this to the attention of the Board and we will be making some changes as well as adding information to assist you with both processes. It is our desire to make this as simple as possible for you and Central Office.
CFA ON TOUR - Well, sort of. James and I spoke for the "Continuing Learning Program" at Mount Union University. This is hosted via invitation regularly at Mount Union University - Yeah Purple Raiders!! The program is free and open to the public. James gave CFA History with a brief Power Point presentation and our progressing into a new IT system. Donna Jean started talking about Cats. Would you believe they had to very courteously bring us to a halt for another program needing our filled room. I could have chatted cats for days but had to stop none too soon as we were treated to their Cafeteria lunch. OH MY, a hidden gem for Alliance visitors, again open to the public. Ours was free but for $6.25 they have a buffet set up for the heartiest or leanest eater and it is impressive.
 | | Donna Jean's New License Plate |
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Some Statistical Analysis
Submitted by Dick Kallmeyer
The CFA board started developing its strategic plan at the February, 2014 board meeting. As part of the process, Dick Kallmeyer produced several charts analyzing our registrations and show entries. Figure 1 shows the Top 10 breeds based on registrations for the calendar years 2011, 2012, and 2013. The top 10 breeds account for over 75% of CFA registrations. CFA has shown an increase in registrations in 2012 and 2013. Persians still retain the lead with over ¼ of the cats being registered. The Calico/Bicolor and Solid divisions account for 57% of the Persian registrations. Several breeds in the top 10 showed substantial growth in registrations from 2012 to 2013: Exotics, up 46%, British SH up 39%, Ragdolls up 15%.
Fig 1: Top 10 Breeds based on Calendar year registrations
Figure 2 shows the Top 10 breeds based on show season entries for Kittens, Championship and Premiership. Persians still retain the lead. Maine Coon cats are in 2nd place for entries beating out the Exotics, even though twice as many Exotics are registered as Maine Coon cats. Three breeds were in the Entry Top 10, even though they were not in the Registration top 10 for 2013: #5 Orientals (12th in Registrations), #8 Birmans (15th in Registrations) and #10 Cornish Rex (14th in Registrations). There is a high correction with the calendar year 2011 registrations and entries for the 2012-2013 show season (correlation coefficient r = 0.987 for the statisticians). Since registrations increased in both 2012 and 2013, this could mean good news for the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 show seasons!
Fig 2: Top 10 breeds based on total Kitten,
Championship, Premiership Entries by show season
CFA is a world-wide cat registry and it's interesting to see the differences in the Top 10 breeds by entries in our different geographies (See Figure 3). Persians remain #1 in North America, Europe and the International Divison. However, they are #3 in Japan (with the Silver/Golden Division accounting for 43% of Persians). In Japan, La Perms are #6 in Entries (39th in overall Registrations). Maine Coon cats are #2 in North America and Japan, #4 in Europe and the ID; Exotics are #2 in Europe and the ID, #3 in North America and #5 in Japan.
Fig 3: Top 10 Breeds based on entries for the 2012-2013 show season
and CFA geographical areas
Competitive classes have their own unique Top 10 breeds based on 2012-2013 show entries (see Figure 4). Persians are #1 across Kittens, Championship and Premiership. Maine Coon cats are #2 for Kittens and Premiership, but are replaced by Exotics for Championship. Japanese Bobtails and Burmese enter the Top 10 in Premiership.
Fig 4: Top 10 Breeds for Kittens, Championship and Premiership
based on Entries for the 2012-2013 show season
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Top 25 Articles
It's that time of the year again. As the show season winds down, if your cat is receiving a national award, there are lots of things to keep in mind such as photos, making hotel and banquet reservations, planning a Yearbook ad, AND writing the story of your campaign for the Top 25 article which will appear on the CFA website. Here are the coordinators of this year's articles:
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The Sunday Transfer for Opens
Submitted by Mary Kolencik
Master clerks still get questions about when to do the Open to Champion Sunday transfer, so here's a quick explanation.
There is no more Sunday transfer for open to champion/premier at 2-day shows. In fact, the show rule for the Sunday transfer from open to champion/premier is gone! We removed it when we removed winners ribbons. There is no need for this transfer anymore at a 2-day show because opens are already in the judges' books as champions/premiers. So at a 2-day show where opens earn their 6th qualifying ring on the first day, you DO NOT need to transfer opens to champions/premiers for the second day!
However, at a 6x6 or any event where each day is a separate show with separate catalogs and your cat earns its sixth qualifying ring during the first show, you should let the master clerk know that your open will be a champion/premier in the second show. This is so that your cat is marked as a champion/premier in the second show catalog. You do not make the change with the judges or on the absentee/transfer sheet because opens are already marked as champions/premiers in the judges' books. This is not a Sunday transfer, it is just a catalog correction that saves a little bit of time for the show scorer in Central Office and gets the show scored faster.
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Legislative
Submitted by Joan Miller,
CFA Legislative Information Liaison
APHIS Rule Update -"Listening Session" Teleconference
On the Federal level The CFA Legislative Group continues to respond to questions and concerns from cat fanciers about the USDA/APHIS Final Rule that changed the definition of "Retail Pet Store". The new rule, which went into effect on Monday November 18, 2013, will mean many small in-home breeders may need to be licensed by the USDA and comply with the same regulations as those who have huge facilities.
In the recently passed U.S. Farm Bill there was an amendment to the Animal Welfare Act, which gives the USDA the authority for exemption if the size of a dealer's business is determined to be "de minimus" (small-scale). This amendment and the Conference Committee Report recommendations were explained in the February 2014 "What's Hot" article.
There is considerable confusion about whether the Farm Bill amendment will result in new rulemaking and an opportunity for changes. We looked forward to hearing something definitive on the scheduled APHIS teleconference, Tuesday March 13, 2014. The call was planned for one hour, but lasted less than 15 minutes.
Kevin Shea, APHIS Administrator, said there were new opportunities and maybe new rule making. Dr, Chester Gipson, APHIS Animal Care Deputy Administrator commented that, with limited resources APHIS' greatest priority was on the regulation of high risk facilities. The Farm Bill amendment allows low-risk facilities to be exempt. He said the Farm bill does not say who would be exempted, but he said it should not only be non-profits.
Then the meeting was open to callers. There were only three comments. The ASPCA representative made a difficult to understand statement about another issue (disaster). The HSUS representative gave a prepared talk agreeing that they should focus on the greatest threat. She said APHIS should define the "de minimus" term so that it would exclude only facilities so small as to not be any risk. She encouraged them not to modify the rule and said that the USDA has already provided adequate information. The AKC representative asked for the timing and procedure for a possible new rulemaking process. Kevin Shea responded that it was too premature to say. After a long wait there were no further comments or questions. It was disappointing to those of us who came prepared to listen,
Comments can now be made to the APHIS "Stakeholder Liaison" , Hallie Zimmers at - hallie.zimmers@aphis.usda.gov
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Legislative
Submitted by Joan Miller,
CFA Legislative Information Liaison
"Puppy Mills" and Breeder Permits - Trouble for Cat Breeders
This time of year is the busiest for the CFA Legislative Group., mainly because of the many State Bills introduced as legislative sessions begin. CFA is currently tracking over 250 House and Senate bills. New York State takes the lead, as in previous years, with the highest number (over 80).
This year's buzz is to make laws to restrict all breeding. Supposedly, according to proponents, these laws are needed in order to get rid of substandard commercial facilities that mass breed dogs. CFA does not condone cruelty, abuse or neglect in any breeder facility. However, we do resent the term, "puppy mill", being used in laws that regulate dog AND/OR CAT breeders. New terms, such as "kitten mill" or "kitten factories", have also been injected into State bills and local ordinances. This language is equally offensive to in-home conscientious pedigreed cat breeders. Many of the State bills are not even clear regarding whether cats are included in the requirements for "animals". We are in the process of reviewing all of these new introductions as well as monitoring bills carried over from 2013.
Every state bill seems to have it's own definition for "commercial breeder" or "dealer". In each proposal the definitions are critical. .Most bills use number thresholds. Commercial breeders may be defined as a person with one intact dog or cat; 4 or more breeding females to 20 intact females; other are defined by sales, such as 9 animals per year, to sales of 25 or more per year. They are all dangerous because they can be changed to a lower number in the future.
New York State is an example of the onslaught of legislation against breeders of purebred dogs and pedigreed cats. Several bills pending for the 2014-15 session would change the long time definition of "Pet Dealer" and who is exempted. New York law has included an exemption for those who sell 25 or less animals per year. This definition has been in the Agriculture and Markets Law and the General Business Law at least since 2006.
Continue Reading ...
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 Cat Talk
Submitted by Teresa Keiger
Cat Talk will be running an article on how to attract gate to a cat show in an upcoming issue. Does your show do special advertising or
promotions that attract spectators? We'd like to share your success with other clubs! Please send your tips to submissions@cattalk.org.
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2015 Yearbook Ads & Grand Photos
As the show season winds down, it's time to think about placing an ad in the CFA Yearbook. This is a great way to showcase your achievements for this show season and have them around for fanciers to see for years to come. This year we are offering discounts for multiple-page ads. You can deduct $100 off the price of a 2-page ad, $200 off the price of a 3-page ad, and $300 off the price of a 4-page ad. Clubs, Breed Councils, and Regions should give serious thought to multiple-page ads. Encourage your club, Breed Council, and Regional Director to place ads in the next Yearbook. Here is the ad packet for the 2015 CFA Yearbook.
Don't forget our special offer for Grand Photos. If you granded a cat during the 2013-2014 show season, place you cat's photo in Cat Talk magazine for $15, place your cat's photo in the Yearbook for $15. When you place your ad in both, your cat's photo will be placed on the CFA website for free! Let millions of visitors to our website see your shining stars for free. It's easy to do ... just go online and submit your cats' photos and payment.
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Submitted by Karen Lawrence
 The Feline Historical Museum recently hosted a visit by a group of disabled adults from a local church daycare program. Joel and Camelle Chaney brought three Maine Coon kittens to enhance the visit. It was amazing to watch as individuals interacted with the kittens; everyone had a toy and the kittens were playing nonstop. One man had never shown an interest in anything on any prior group trips, so the group staff was amazed that he played with the kittens constantly during the entire visit to the museum. It was a delight to see!
We are currently busy painting and renovating a room in the museum that will house the upcoming Persian Breed Exhibit. Numerous items are being loaned by Persian breeders across the country, and we have pulled a large number of Persian-related items from our library, archives and storage boxes. The exhibit will look at the Persian in all art forms, plus provide some historical background on the breed. Our sincere thanks to the Persian Breed Council for their monetary donation to aid with the expense of this exhibit. The Persian exhibit will run from May 1st through October 31st.
The Havana Brown breed is celebrating the 50th year as a CFA recognized breed during 2014. The museum will have an exhibit of Havana Brown artifacts on display from June 1 through August 31.
If you are interested in contributing items to either of these exhibits, please contact Karen Lawrence.
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Winn Feline Foundation
Submitted by Betty White
 Meeting in Las Vegas at its annual grant review, the Winn Board of Directors and its scientific advisors awarded nearly $185,000 in feline health studies late in February.
It was a banner year for quality proposals, so the decisions were difficult. Details of the awards will be forthcoming soon.
 The 36th annual Winn Feline Foundation Symposium details have been mailed from the CFA office along with delegate information. The two topics to be discussed are FIP and HCM, of paramount interest to all cat fanciers. Mark your calendars to be updated on these diseases on Thursday, June 26 in New Orleans. Winnie Sez: Kitten season is coming, and that means it's a good time to check that all queens are up-to-date with vaccinations!
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2014 Annual Meeting
Submitted by Jan Rogers, Chair
The New Orleans annual is shaping up very nicely. The menus will be up on the website by Monday, March 17th! Keep checking www.2014cfaannual.org for updates regularly now. The hotel is currently at 75% booked from our block (after increasing it twice) so please...make those reservations now, and through the annual website.
 Our IPad Air Raffle will be drawn April 20th in Mesquite, Texas at the North Texas/NBF all breed cat show! Thank you again Southern Region for donating this wonderful item for our annual fun draising efforts. Special KUDOS to Bruce Isenberg, who would have thought this man could sell that many raffle tickets!!! Don't miss out, tickets are available from the website (yes, we do take PayPal!) and many people throughout the region selling tickets- right up to the drawing!!! - The
 Orpheus Krewe special offering is now at 70% sold, and you will get a lot more than just a pin for this $100.00. Also available on the website.
The excitement now is revealed!!Region 9 will be our host for the most incredible hospitality party you have ever seen on Friday June 27th at the Sheraton. We will have a MASK-PURR-ADE BALL. Yes, you will have to come in costume, and hopefully you all will be super involved in this incredibly fun event. We will be posting the companies that have agreed to work with us locally to supply you with the most interesting costumes you can come up with- from $15.00 fairy wings, to $25,000.00 designer mardi gras gowns!!! These professional costumers have just finished the Mardi Gras, and are now putting together their packages for you to peruse if you elect to rent your costume. Of course, there are many sites on the web that you could create your own image! Or you can bring your own, that you might just have lying around the house. We will have a mask in the delegate bags as well.
The Jazzman group will be on hand to provide New Orleans music, and the food will be awesome!
The exciting thing here is that we will be giving incredible prizes to the best costumes, and MANY prizes. Our grand prize will be an expense paid cruise in the Caribbean! (or other more convenient site depending on who wins) ! We will also have multiple photographic sittings with our very own Larry Johnson, custom embroidered CFA items, custom-handmade jewelry, and a variety of other very special items for multiple categories of awards. These categories will be on the website shortly, so keep checking.
- Delegate ads for the booklet are being accepted now. We do have an early bird, and although it is early - before the end of the show season - you can still reserve your SPACE along with the paid advertisement, and changes will be accepted. (Thank you Ginger Meeker for coming up with this idea!) ATTENTION ALL REGIONS- This is a great time to congratulate your regional winners, your wonderful exhibitors, and do it at a savings. We just don't want our delegate designer, Joann Lamb, to be totally swamped at the last minute!
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Ambassador Program
Submitted by Willa Hawke, Chair
As I sit at my computer and look out over my yard, I see Spring trying to poke
it's head through the frozen ground. I know the bleak landscape will give way to a riot of color in just a few weeks, but looking back at this winter, I know these last three months will be ones none of us will forget.
With this in mind, our CFA Ambassadors, especially those in the midwest and eastern corridors, have been snowed in, iced out, and are shovel-tired, and have had activities up to their ears. With few reports from the regions for this month, we are putting our efforts into the April newsletter which should find us all thawed out and ready for the end of the season.
Please keep interacting with the gate, answering questions, and greeting everyone with a smile. Keep your Pet Me Cats on display, and brush up on information about the various breeds. I'll expecting wonderful news from everyone for April.
Remember - Ambassadors ARE the face of CFA~!!!!
See You All Next Month!!!
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Region 1
Submitted by Sharon Roy, Regional Director
Reg
 | | John Adelhoch |
ion 1 will be electing a new Regional Director this June. We have two very experienced long time exhibitors running for this position. Both Geri Fellerman and Pierre Rivard have contributoed their time and services to Region 1 for many years. Please check out their biographies on the CFA website.
This Saturday Morning, tune in to Fox and Friends. The show is on from 7am to 10 am, Eastern Time. You will see longtime Region 1 Exhibitor, Brenda Flahault and her Maine Coon, Sonoma Valley, checking out some new pet products. The producers of Foxand Friends wrote to CFA looking for a Maine Coon or a Persian for their show. Thanks Brenda for volunteering.
Congratulations to John Adelhoch. John has recently completed his LH training and was advanced to Apprentice judge at this past BOD meeting.
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Region 2
Submitted by Ginger Meeker, Regional Director
After the February BOD meeting in Alliance OH, there seems to be renewed energy and focus! Please get involved and read the BOD minutes and find out about the issues in your organization. The members of the BOD went in a day early to participate in an excellent strategic planning session led by facilitator, Dick Petitte. The session was exciting and productive. Now, as we progress, actions are now being implemented based on the outcomes of the Strategic Plan developed in February. Its an exciting time for CFA!
Both RD candidates have participated in Town Hall type meetings and made themselves available for your questions. Hopefully, they have answered your questions. Both ladies are qualified and will, I think, do a good job for the region. If you still have questions, it is your responsibility to contact Erin and Pam to get the answers you need to make an informed decision.
Exhibitor of the Year nominations are being taken and at this point we have about 4 nominees. As tradition goes, last year's EOY winner, Erin Cutchen, will be heading up this year's nomination/balloting/selection process. Keep those nominations coming!! Dennis Ganoe and I will be counting votes. There are MANY deserving people in our region so please look around and pick one of those people you admire and get a nomination in place. Criteria for the award and the forms required are on the Region 2 website.
Region 2 is still looking or a club to try the experimental format - AB/DSP. The format is being used in R-3 for 2 shows in March and feedback forms will be collected as part of the process. The specifics of this format are: Maximum of 4 rings per day. Judges will award both an AB Top 10 final, and a LH/SH top 10 final. No duplication of points. Only cats that make the LH or SH top 10 are eligible for the top 10AB. If an exhibitor makes both, they take the highest final. The reasoning behind this is to hopefully encourage more exhibitors to enter. So many shows today are AB only. As much as we talk about people wanting specialty rings there seems to be some resistance from clubs to schedule specialty rings. Most feel they will not get the entries to justify the extra cost. Using this format will result in some higher costs such as MC fees for listing the additional rings, more final sheets need to be included in a show package and additional rosette/award cost. A club could opt to award something other than a rosette for the specialty rings, such as large flats, certificates etc. They could also use the one rosette per exhibitor with stickers/plaques for the awards. If your club would like to try the format, re-licensure for the show is NOT required. Let me know and I will take the request to the BOD for approval.
Region 2 website now boasts all the information you need to attend the Regional Awards Show and Banquet. Banquet forms are available. A vote was taken and the $60/plate buffet won over the $50 sit down plated dinner. Majority rules! There is also the opportunity to sponsor winning cats and kittens. We have totally sponsored all awards for the last 5 years and I'm hoping that this wonderful tradition continues. Sponsorship is a wonderful way to honor a long-time friend, say "well-done" to a cat you've admired over the course of the season and support your region. This year we have added the Grand of Distinction Cats. Please do what you can to support this project. If you don't know of any special cat you want to support why not support the breed of your choice. LH and SH breed ribbons are also available for sponsorship. http://www.cfanorthwest.org/awards2014.php
For those Regional winners that would like duplicate trophy/ribbon please see the information on the site and get that information in as soon as possible. We don't want anyone left out.
Show focus for March in on the McKenzie River Cat Club held in Portland 3/8-9. The show was moved to Portland from Eugene and many able bodied Fanciers helped with show production. The spotlight was on Betty Denny, founding member of this cub, and the celebration of her 95th birthday. She looks wonderful and is still quite able to sell those raffle tickets! Good luck to Betty, who now lives in Illinois, and we wish her many more years of health, vitality and sharp-wit. We can all hope to age as beautifully and gracefully as Betty Denny!
As end of year approaches its always a good time to remind people to look at the details of exhibiting ... have you applied for all the awards your cat has earned? Have you completed that Grand of Distinction form? Have you paid for the CH or PR certificate? These details are easy to overlook and can indeed cause some heart ache if not done in a timely manner.
Here's wishing you a wonderful rest of the season!
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Region 3
Submitted by Tracy Bayarena, Regional Secretary
 | | Pr/CH Cajundoll Willie |
Winter temperatures seemed to hold onto the country longer this year and that included the Gulf Shore Region states, but neither ice, nor sleet nor snow will keep a crazy cat lady from getting those last points of the season! The Wildcatter's Cat Club held their 24th Annual cat show at the Beaumont Civic Center in Beaumont, TX. on Feb 22nd, and though counts continue to be lower than I think any of us are comfortable with, a good time was definitely had by all! Two of the standouts for this show are the massive raffle and the awesome homemade apple dumplings. I participated in both! According to show manager, Harold Bourgeouis, the raffle made over $800 for the club. It contained some really great items, including a large cat tree donated by Fandango Cat Furniture. Steve is a regular vendor at our Regional shows, and I highly recommend his cat trees. They are well made and very affordable. I have two! Unfortunately, I didn't win anything in the raffle, but I did enjoy the apple dumpling.
 | | Judy Binion & Best Kitten |
Another great show in the further reaches of the Gulf Shore was held at the beginning of March in Albuquerque, NM by Camino Real Cat Fanciers club. Though it's a long drive from Texas, I always love attending this show, and I sincerely hope the club is able to continue having it. The show hotel is very nearby a wonderful southwestern restaurant named "Sadie's". It's known by all of the locals, so be sure to check it out next year! I did get caught in the ice storm that hit the Texas Pan handle on the drive back, but that won't prevent me from returning.
We have two more shows for the month of March that I hope to see all of you at: Ozark Cat Fancier's at the Cleburne Conference Center in Cleburne, TX. on March 15th with 6 AB rings and the Greater Baton Rouge Cat Club show at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, LA on March 29th with 5AB &1SP ring! The Ozark show will have photographer, Tetsu Yamazaki, who is visiting from Japan to take pictures of your cats.
Region 3 cats who achieved their titles recently are: GC, GP Caellcats Sedona of Gunsmoke owned by Ann Cael. Sedona received her final points at the Houston Cat Club show held on Jan. 5th. GP JCatLyn Dylan owned by Lyn Ellis. Dylan granded in Premiership at the show in Albuquerque on March 1st, and DM'd his mom, Y1Kat Kyan Rose of JCatLyn. CH Nascat Shelby GT Mustang, DM owned by Donna Hinton, also completed her DM title. In addition, I would like to make a correction from last month's BLOG: CH Kiddlyn's Tomitsu of Kurisumasu, became a D.M. when her son, GP Kurisumasu Mochiko of Kinbato earned his grand premier title at the Poppy State Cat Show on January 18. Tomitsu was bred by Linda K Donaldson and is owned by Marianne Clark. Tomitsu's DM also gave the 5th qualifying cat to her mother, CH Kiddlyn's Kokoa Pafu, so she also DM'ed. My apologies to both the breeder and owner for the error.
In related news, Donna Hinton reports that, "Quite a few GS region exhibitors made the trip to Miami for the World Cat Congress Show this past week-end. Chris Willingham's KuanJin Gypsy ended up being Best of the Best Top 3 kittens!! She was the 2nd highest scoring kitten!
And my very own kitten, Nascat Arnage was the 2nd fastest Agility Winner running a 10.97 run. We all had fun."
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Region 4
Submitted by Loretta Baugh, Regional Director
The Great Lakes Region has four GREAT shows to offer you between now and the end of the show season.
The first weekend in April (April 5-6) Mid-Ohio Cat Fanciers invite you to Mansfield, Ohio for a 6X6 show, 225 limit, 12 Allbreed show.
The second weekend in April (April 12) come to Melvindale, Michigan where the Fort Wayne Cat Club and Just Cat'N Around will be hosting a 6 ring, one day all Allbreed show.
The third weekend, (April 19) come to southern Ohio , specifically to Cleves, Ohio where the Cincinnati Cat Club will present a 6 ring, one day show with 5 Allbreeds and 1 double Specialty ring.
Finish out the show season by coming to Erie, Pa for a two day, 8 ring Allbreed back-to back.
We are VERY proud of John Hiemstra of Northville, Mi and Teresa Sweeney, Grove City, Ohio both of whom have been advanced to Approved Longhair. John and Teresa and already been accepted as Shorthair Trainees. We look forward to them completing their training and advancing so they can judge BOTH specialties. WAY TO GO, GUYS!
Remember to save the second weekend in June for our Regional Awards show and Banquet to be held in our new venue in East Lake, Ohio - a ten ring 7AB/3SP split. The banquet is in a lovely facility, and yes, there WILL be a stage this year, so we can return to the processes we used in Canton for award presentation. Special thanks to Joel and Camelle Chaney and Jim Flanik for finding this facility for us.
The Regional Awards show is special with a two day Mega Potluck, great food and fellowship and is truly used to celebrate the success of all in our Region, clubs, breeders, exhibitors and friends.
Stay warm! Spring HAS to be around the corner! The Detroit area is just a few inches shy (88.4 inches, before today's storm) of the all-time record of 93.6 inches of snow, a record set in the winter of 1880-1881! This is one year after one of the warmest winters on record last year. Spring will be very sweet this year with plenty of warm breezes and spring flowers. Come enjoy it in the friendly, yet competitive shows and enjoy GREAT LAKES hospitality.
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Region 5
Submitted by Michael Shelton, Regional Director
The Southwest Regional Awards show and banquet will again be held in sunny Palm Springs, CA. The show will be a one-day, six ring show on Saturday, June 14 at the Palm Springs Convention Center, followed Saturday evening by the awards banquet at the attached Renaissance Hotel. All under one roof! Look for show details to be up on catshows.us soon and make your plans to join us.
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Region 6
Submitted by Candilee Jackson
News from the Planning Committee:
The committee has established fundraising events to raise monies for the 2017 annual meeting to be held in Chicago and is sponsored by the MWR. Though still in our future, the big event will be here before we know it, and money to put on the big party is in demand! Region members are circulating around the shows offering up chances to win a Color Nook ($179 value) and a signed and numbered framed CFA Garfield lithograph. Tickets for the Color Nook are $5 and the Garfield litho is $10. The winner for the Nook will be drawn at the America's Heartland show, and the winner of the Garfield print will be drawn at the Regional show in June.
Upcoming Shows:
March 22-23: Cat'n on the Fox/NorthShore Cat Club, Wheaton, IL
March 29: Topeka Cat Fanciers, Topeka, KS
April 5: COWS, Waukesha, WI
April 26-27: America's Heartland, St Louis, MO *
* Please note that there is a pot luck dinner following the close of the show on Saturday evening. Please contact Beth Cassely to let her know what you'll be bringing to share. The clubs are providing brisket and pulled pork. We need salads and side dishes.
MWR Show and Banquet: June 7-8, 2014, Illinois State Fairgrounds; Banquet at the Crowne Plaza
Don't forget to mark your calendars and start thinking about your fancy duds for the banquet!
The MWR Trifecta: March 8, 2014 at the Mo-Kan Show
Congratulations to the winners of the Winter 2014 Midwest Region Household Pet Trifecta!
Following a round of hellacious weather, with snows up to a foot deep, brave HHP owners traveled to the wilds of the Midwest Region, first to St Louis for the Lucky Tom Cat Show, next to Altoona, Iowa, for the second leg of the adventure, and lastly to the tropical paradise of Overland Park, Kansas, (the temps topped out at 45 degrees!!) for the final showing. The results were well worth it!
Highest Scoring Overall HHP:
Blake the Red, owned and loved by Gena Garton
Second Highest Scoring Overall HHP:
Coco Chanel, owned and loved by Sherrie Phelps
Third Highest Scoring Overall HHP:
Dawson, owned and loved by Mary Clemens
Thank you to all the exhibitors at Lucky Tom, Hawkeye State, and Mo-Kan who presented their cats in wonderful condition. Judges at all three shows were challenged to select their top cats, as the HHP classes was in great condition and beautifully presented.
Special thanks to our award donors, Lucky Tomcat Club, Hawkeye State Cat Club, Mo-Kan Cat Club, and Preston Smith Photography for donating gifts and awards proudly displayed. Thank you to the three participating clubs for making the Trifecta possible. Extra special thanks to Gail Rothman, our MWR HHP scorer, and Jim Dinesen, who presented the awards so professionally.
None of this would be possible without HHP exhibitors. To those of you who braved this wretched winter and entered the three Trifecta shows, a heartfelt "thank you!" Y'all are truly proof that Midwest is Best! See you in 2015!
Roseann A. Davis
Show Secretary, Hawkeye State Cat Club
Shows in Review:
 Lincoln State: February 22-23, 2014, Altoona, Iowa
The members of Lincoln State Cat Club wish to thank everyone for helping us, once again, put on an "event" show! The weather cooperated, the gate was good, and the show was just a couple shy of being full.
Thank you to:
· Dr. Elsey's for sponsorship
· Our talented judges
· Our loyal exhibitors
· Our great vendors
· The guest speakers in our Education Ring
· Not to be overlooked, Monte Phillips our master clerk; and our talented ring clerks who kept everything moving smoothly - Gina Garton, Seth Baugh, Megan Heimstra, Kathy Trelani.
· Special thanks for the National Honor Society students from Plainfield South H.S. who helped with our benefit raffle, pet food donation table, Find the Breed contest and welcoming the gate. If you've not tapped the NHS for your show, do so. They are required to complete 20 hours of community service, and what a fun way for them to do it.
· Also big thanks to CatNap feline rescue group who manned our gate.
Looking forward to seeing all of you at our show next year, Feb 21 - 22, 2015. You are all the BEST!!!
Marci Baturin
Treasurer, Lincoln State Cat Club, Inc.
Great job Lincoln State! It is always a pleasure to attend this show and we look forward to it every year. Good gate, well informed and politely enthusiastic about all the cats. Hope to see you all again next year. (Colin and Jo Cornwall)
I have vended at a few TICA and CFA shows, and Lincoln State is by far the best for what they have to offer the public.I love that they have the tables setup with the breed representative. Very approachable. At other shows the public mentioned that the people showing cats seemed stuffy and they did not feel comfortable asking them questions.I can see that when showing cats there are time pressures. Much to do to get a cat ready for the ring, so the accessibility at the Lincoln State show is awesome. I was near the educational stage and found the animal communicator and vet very informative. I was pleased with the gate. (Becky Henk)
 TGIF: March 1-2, 2014 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, Indianopolis IN
The threat of a horrendous Midwest storm added excitement to the TGIF show in Indy. There was certainly no question but that March was coming in like a Lion, and how fitting since we were starting the month with a cat show. What a wonderful team of show management, judges, clerks, master clerk and stewards who worked together to get the show going, running smoothly and allowed an early finish. We were all on the road by 1130 Indy time, on Sunday. Depending on which direction you were headed, you either faced great roads or ice and snow. Thankfully, word started to trickle in, through social media, that everyone had arrived home safely. And now we have yet another special memory of another great Midwest Show! (Robin Bryan)
 Mo-Kan: March 8, 2014, Overland Park, KansasPromising a true spring break from the MWR snow and ice, MO-Kan let it leak to the press that temps would SOAR into the upper 40s and 50s. Tom Lukken had promised to wear shorts and Nancy Hitzeman dug in the far corners of her closet to ferret out her flip-flops! Everyone was warned that this show would be "wearin' o the green" and cage decorations were encouraged. In keeping with the Irish festivities, Mary-Margaret Richardson brought green Irish beads (made in China) for everyone. Though short, a real live hootenanny had been promised, and Kirk Jackson and bud, Mike Alley, both former members of the New Christy Minstrels folk group, led exhibitors in renditions of John Denver and Christys folk hits of the 60s and 70s....there was a lot of dancin' goin' on! Along with the mus ic, there was a wonderful gate full of inquisitive people, many new grands (most of Overland Park heard Candilee Jackson's yelp when her champion natural solid Tonkinese was granded by Jim Dinesen after three years of promoting her "natty" in the MWR), and of course the final judging for the HHP Trifecta. Many thanks to Mo-Kan club president, Brian Pearson, and first time show manager, Preston Smith, for their hours of leg work, and tons of thank yous to club members who set up and torn down the show. Lots happened in a short amount of time, but a GREAT Irish time was had by all!
"We, the King and I, enjoyed the day. Came home to four Tonkinese hellions! 'Nuff said!" (Mary-Margaret Richardson)
"We had a wonderful time!! I wish it could have lasted a bit longer. I know that a lot of people enjoyed it. It certainly added happiness to my day. Thank you so much!! : )" (Robin Bryan)
Another perfect show: well managed, punctual, lots of new grands, terrific gate and the majority were interested in buying kittens or cats, or just interested! Excellent show hall . We had a really good time and want to thank this club and their hard working members. (Roger and Nancy Brown)
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Region 7
Submitted by Tracy Petty, Regional Director
With help from the Cotton States Cat Club, the Atlanta Phoenix Cat Society put on a wonderful and poignant presentation on Saturday of their show last weekend for retiring CFA Allbreed Judge Bob Molino. The event was complete with champagne and a cake emblazoned with a giant Best of Breed (BoB) ribbon. All his friends in the Southern Region wish Bob well in his retirement (at the end of June) and hope we'll see him in the show halls again.
 | | Larry Johnson Photo |
The Atlanta Phoenix show was also the first show in the U.S. to use the experimental AB/SP format, where four of the six allbreed judges presented longhair, shorthair, and allbreed finals in each class, all based on one handling of the cats. The two-day show, with 206 cats entered, had an excellent schedule with very few conflicts. The club devised a clever way to help keep rosette costs under control. Rosettes were made for all of the specialty finals, and then an additional center steamer with the allbreed placement was presented during the allbreed final. The top of the streamer had a peel-and-stick backing, so exhibitors could add the allbreed streamer to their specialty rosette. Many chose to offset the allbreed streamer so the specialty placement and allbreed placement were both visible on the same rosette.
The format seemed well received and many exhibitors, judges, clerks, and the show committee are providing feedback to help refine the procedures for use in future shows.
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