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Our banner cat for the January 2015 Newsletter is CFA's Sixth Best Cat in Premiership, GP, NW Mouse Island's Timbavati of Singita, a champagne Burmese neuter.
(Photo by Chanan)
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Feb. 2, 2015 - Club fees and membership lists and due into CFA Central Office to be able to vote for Director at Large
March 15, 2015
- CFA Director-at-Large declarations due in to Central Office
April 15, 2015
Proposed Amendments & Resolutions must be RECEIVED in CO by this date.
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Breed Council
Membership Reminder
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RENEWAL DATES
HAVE CHANGED
Breed Council Membership now runs from May 1 to April 30. Membership for individuals whose applications were received on or before August 1, 2014 will be extended to April 30, 2015. Applications for membership for the membership year (2015) May 1, 2015 to April 30, 2016 will be accepted starting May 1, 2015. Reminder notices will be sent out in the weeks prior to May 1.
Eligible individuals in any breed/division may obtain membership by submitting to the Central Office a completed 2015 membership application form together with the appropriate fee(s). In order to be eligible to vote, you must submit your application for the current year (2015), by renewing from May 1, 2015 through August 1, 2015. Membership applications for any given year will not be accepted after August 1 of that year.
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Cute photos of cats in the winter - who doesn't have them? Well, Jodell Raymond would like yours so that she can feature them in CFA's social media outlets. Send those cute, funny and entertaining pictures to Jodell Raymond at [email protected] and we will make sure to give you photo credit.
Photo credit: Satu Hamalainen and Pam DelaBar |
Begin making your plans for the  CFA Annual Meeting in Toronto
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2015 CFA Yearbook
If you haven't already ordered your 2015 Yearbook, now is the time to do so. They are scheduled to ship on January 28, 2015.
You can place your order at the following link: http://catalog.cfa.org/yearbook.shtml#2015
If you have any questions, please contact Shelly Borawski at: [email protected]
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And so it is the calendar New Year, a time when many people have paused for reflection on the year past and anticipate the year to come.
For those of us in the cat fancy, it is also the ramp up towards our season's end in April. Exhibitors will certainly be busy for the next few months. January also brings us the beginning of winter travel, so do be prudent in your winter journeys and take extra precautions for you and your cats.
Teresa
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As this is our first newsletter in 2015, let me wish each of you a Happy New Year. I wish good things for each of you. With 2014 now in the history books, I am looking forward to 2015 and lots of great things for CFA.
While we had issues with our new computer system this past year, many of those issues have either been resolved or diminished. Those using Ecats to register are continuing to report very quick turnaround and the backlog for the snail mail registrations has been dramatically reduced. Our IT folks continue to make improvements. I know many of you are happy to see our Epoints reports are easier to read and we have more enhancements planned for those reports. Dick Kallmeyer has been our point person for these advances.
This week we hope to start mailing out Grand certificates. We have not been able to do that since we moved to the new computer system last Spring. Scoreboard results were posted online this week. They have been missing all season. Thanks to Dennis Ganoe, Dick Kallmeyer, James Simbro and everyone else involved in these important steps.
Our staff reports significant improvement in the comfort level of the Central Office thanks to the new Heating and Air-Conditioning system. In the past our staff had electric space heaters at their desks both winter and summer due to issues with our old system. This was an expensive investment for CFA but when we purchased this building we knew that at some point we would have to replace the HVAC system as well as the elevator and roof. So far both the elevator and roof are holding up but we know we have those expensive replacements to face down the road and we have the finances to cover them.
With diminishing entries at our shows, more clubs are relying on gate to cover costs. Elsewhere in this newsletter we have some comments on the use of social media for no or low cost ways to let the public know there is going to be a cat show in town. Check out that article.
Speaking of advertising to the public, many of our shows are receiving financial sponsorship. That money comes with strings and one of them is the requirement to provide documentation to CFA after the show. That includes making sure CFA has a copy of your show flyer with the sponsor's logo, that the show catalog has that logo on the cover and the required ad inside the catalog, that there is a sponsor display at the show with a photo submitted to CFA to verify you had the display, and that you spent the money advertising the show as proven by a copy of the invoice for the ad(s). Failure to comply with these requirements and providing the documentation to CFA could jeopardize your club's ability to get future sponsorship money. CFA is being more aggressive about following up.
Is your club's show planning to include Super Specialty rings? Keep in mind that if that decision was made after the show was licensed, the club must obtain approval from the CFA Executive Committee as required in the show rules since it is considered a change in format. Also, if you have to replace a judge within 30 days of your show, you need CFA Executive Committee approval (contact Rachel Anger). If more than 30 days, submit a contract for the new judge to the Central Office. I see notices on the CFA List of replacement judges and I know there are times the required Executive Committee approval has not been requested.
Staff working on bringing in revenue to CFA via corporate parnters have in the past year found success with a number of companies new to CFA. We are delighted to see this and thank Verna Dobbins and Jodell Raymond for their hard work. In today's economy companies are more careful than ever on how they spend their funds and CFA welcomes each of them. We hope they will be mutually beneficial relationships. Be sure to check out their ads and offers when you run across them in this newsletter, in Cat Talk, in the Yearbook, and on our website.
If you are having a problem and not getting it satisfactorily resolved at the Central Office, it might feel good to vent with your friends or on Facebook; however, that's not likely to get the problem resolved. Escalate the problem to one of the managers. For registration issues that would be Verna Dobbins and for most other areas you should contact our Executive Director, Terri Barry. On the left side of this newsletter, under "Quick Links" is a link to a directory of Central Office staff members with their names, areas of work, and contact information. That appears in each issue of our newsletter. You can find links to back issues of our newsletter on the CFA website under "News" (Newsletter Archives).
I encourage you to reach out to one or more Board member with any concerns, suggestions, comments, etc. There are 20 of us and we each welcome your input.
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 CFA Business Management Committee
Seeks Input for Strategic Planning
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Business Management Committee Chair: Ginger Meeker, PhD Members: Jean Duggar, RD-7, Dick Kallmeyer-VP, Pam DelaBar,RD-9, Jodell Raymond, Director of Communications, PR and Special Events
I NEED YOUR HELP!
In preparation for the February Strategic Planning session, I am again asking for your input on 2 questions. Those questions are (a) what is "CFA culture" and (b) as an organization, what do we have to sell. What does CFA have that's of value in terms of our competitive advantage?
Culture is the "norms or working attitudes" of a group. Sometimes as we try to problem solve the situation ends with a comment like "Well, that's our culture and we probably can't change that." Let's take a far-fetched example here. Let's say the BOD decides that a vision for the CFA is to have healthier people in CFA - part of our culture is that we celebrate with cake. How do we change the culture to accomplish the greater goal for the organization? "Culture" is also what you believe to be true about all aspects of the association. "Organizational culture is defined as the pattern of beliefs, values, rituals myths and sentiments shared by the members of an organization. It influences the behavior of all individuals and groups within the organization. Culture impacts most aspects of organizational life, such as how decisions are made, who makes them, how rewards are distributed, who is promoted, how people are treated, how the organization responds to its environment (Diagnosing Organizational Culture Roger Harrison and Herb Stokes, 1992, p. 1).
Two companies may be in the business of "widgets" - one company regiments their workers into cubbies, rigid schedules, and a dress code while the other company has people sit where ever they want, collaborate with co-workers and work in their most comfortable clothes. As long as they put in 40 hours per week their schedule is theirs to determine. Both produce the same product but have very different ways of doing that. Perhaps that example will help you think of what comprises the CFA culture. Look at CFA from multiple perspectives - business, hobby, judging, competition practices and awards, ancillary programs provided and the Board of Directors. Nothing is sacred here and I'm seeking all input and will provide a report for the Strategic Planning meeting. Your comments will be anonymous. The more input I get, the more complete picture I can paint for the group. PLEASE help me with this project! Send your thoughts to me privately at [email protected] I want to hear from all regions and the International Division. Deadline for receipt of your ideas will be Wednesday, January 28 at close of business day 5P EST.
On the second question, what does CFA have that's of value for sponsors, newcomers, current exhibitors, vendors, spectators? What do we have to offer (or sell) that would entice someone to join us and share our love of this hobby?
Provide your input in the style with which you are comfortable - prose or bullet points, its all good.
Again, I've headed to Central Office to sit and learn from the staff. A recurrent problem is illegible handwriting. While a scanning process is in place to help streamline and speed up the registration process, if the data can't be read the process is delayed. The system for fastest turn around for litter and individual kitten registration continues to be eCats. If you are not using this system please consider it! The secure.org system uses the computer but does not actually automate the process. Once the payment portion is handled, the registration information is forwarded to registration to be printed and enter the snail mail que. If you want the fully electronic processes for these services please use eCats.
The Central Office is getting caught up and barring downed systems at last check is about 30 days out on processing snail mail - as of 1/9/15. If you have snail mail work that is outside this time frame please call Central Office and discuss your issues with Verna Dobbins. The eCats system is current to the 10 day allowed window. While everyone has the right to voice complaints/concerns etc. on social media, this is not the best way for solving the problem. Central Office does not monitor lists or FB. While that post may feel good for the moment please consider that it also may shine a negative light on our Association and our hobby.
With the New Year I am always energized and positive about our future. We have much work to do and if we can all focus on the positive and vitals aspects of our hobby we truly can accomplish much. |
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 Well it's January already, the holidays are over and it's a new year. Hard to believe, 2014 went by so quickly for everyone I've spoken with as did the holidays. We are now into bitter cold weather here in northeast Ohio, with the kid's home from school for the third straight day.
Here at C.O we continue to plug away. Registration does remain on mandatory overtime during the week and on Saturdays. They continue to work hard trying to get up to date with registrations as well as answer as many of your questions in a timely manner. I would like to believe we could be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel but I refuse to even guess a timeframe any longer. They have been trying so hard it just seems that we get so close only for something else to happen. I am sorry to continue to ask for patience but apparently must do so again.
Show season is in full swing after a short lull due to the holidays those at C.O. dealing with any portion of the shows are also very busy. We are also occupied with preparations for the upcoming Board meeting taking place here February 6th - 8th. My understanding is this will be somewhat different from my first one in October since the focus Saturday the 6th will be Breeds and Standards.
Have a happy and safe 2015! Terri
Happy New Year from Central Office!
We just have a few housekeeping items this month to try to help us stay on track. We hate to sound like a broken record but please only email 1 person when you are sending in your requests. When you send your email to multiple staff members it causes confusion and loss of productivity.
For registration questions contact Judy Minich ([email protected] ) or Catie Riddell ([email protected])
Catteries/transfers/certified pedigrees contact Erica Minich ([email protected])
Due to the high volume of emails received please allow 24-48 hours for a response.
Registration is currently processing snail mail from December 12, 2014, E-Cats are up to date and [email protected] is on January 2, 2015.
New Procedure
Beginning on March 2, 2015 Central Office will be closely monitoring all requests sent in by snail mail. Should we receive requests that are missing information your requests will be returned to you immediately. No monies will be charged at that point.
Clerking Program
If you have questions in regards to the clerking program Linda Scharver ([email protected]) is now the Central Office contact. We thank Shirley Michaud-Dent for all the
 | | Happy New Year from Wesley |
work and monitoring of this program she has done over the years and the ongoing support she will give us here at CO to continue this program efficiently.
Wesley, our resident Central Office Cat, had a wonderful
holiday vacation. He spent his holiday with the Dobbins cats and they enjoyed libations and food and presents.
We wish everyone a great year and look forward to working with each and every one of you.
Respectfully Submitted,
Verna M. Dobbins
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Information Technology Committee
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 by Dick Kallemyer and Dennis Ganoe
We continue to make progress providing you with show data for this season. This month we began posting ePoints in the format you were used to seeing. There are now separate links for National and Regional Top Cats, Kittens and Premiership. Additionally we added a listing of only the top 200 cats, kittens and premiership for those who do not want to see the entire list. We have separated each breed to a distinct link for ease of browsing. This week, we posted all the Scoreboards for the entire season as monthly files for online viewing or downloading for offline perusal.
We have posted the Grand Champion/Premier files that show the cats that earned their 'grand' title this year. Each file shows one month at a time. The certificates for these title winners will begin appearing in your mail box later this month. In addition to the Grand Certificates, the office staff is now printing and sending out the Champion and Premier certificates you have been missing. Reverse Pedigrees are once again available for purchase on your cats. We also restored the Volume Number to pedigrees and registration certificates as there was a significant desire to have it on these items.
Your IT Committee is still working on Year End Award programming, DM Reports and Certificates, Ring Reports and Grand of Distinction certificates as well as internal audit and financial reports to help with scoring and registration processing.
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2014 Scoreboards Are Up
Complete scoreboards are available through December on the CFA Online Almanac. They have been posted as monthly PDF files that can be viewed online or download by saving the file locally.
This was made possible by he hard work of the entire IT Committee and Teresa Keiger.
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by Kathy Durdick, CFA Webmaster
We've made some recent additions to the Household Pet pages on the site. First, we have added information about the new titles that HHPs will be eligible for, starting next season - you can find that on the HHP page, located by going to Shows -> Household Pets.
We also added some great information and tips for your first show, written by Kendall Smith - the link can be found on that same page.
A new breed article has been added, as well. From the 2007 CFA Yearbook, we look at the Parti-Color Persians - "Those Showgirls Sho' Know How to "Parti"! Find the link on our Persian Article Index page, http://www.cfa.org/Breeds/BreedsKthruR/Persian/PersianArticlesIndex.aspx
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| Spotlight on Show Promotion |
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by Teresa Keiger, CFA Newsletter editor
 All clubs are looking for ways to advertise their cat shows - especially if that way is free. We know that much of the cat fancy is on Facebook, but have you ever considered that your potential spectators are on Facebook as well? One show manager notes that her club had done a fair amount of advertising for their club's show on Facebook. She wrote that "not only did we do paid advertising (minimal dollars), but a lot of interest came about because club members shared the frequent posts I had made to the club's Facebook page itself. These posts cost nothing more than my time (yes, I know that is valuable too). Although difficult to measure, I think the response to the page (nearly 300 likes in a 6-week timeframe) showed it was making a difference and I believe our increased gate was partly due to that promotion." She then noted that "It seems that social media is driving much of what people do today, so maybe we could take advantage of that and see if we can bring in more spectators....and possibly more future exhibitors."Posting about your club's show on Facebook can work twice for your club. Did you know that you can ALSO have that same announcement post to your club's Twitter account and reach an entirely different audience? Many clubs and exhibitors have show promotion tips like these. Why not share them with other clubs? We'd like to share your club's tips for free and almost-free show promotion with our readers. Send me your tips to [email protected] and we'll post how your club draws in spectators.
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WINN FELINE FOUNDATION
by Vicki Thayer DVM , Winn Executive Director
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Winn's 2014 Holiday Photo Contest has come to a close and we are ready to announce our winners in the two categories: Best of Show and Most Humorous. Both winner will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card. All the wonderful cats in the photos are WINNers and Best of Show in their own right. Congratulations to Karen Chow and "Mui Mui" in the Most Humorous category, Sandra Fry and "Longlegs" in the Best of Show" category. Liz Rozanski and "Leicester" deserve an Honorable Mention. The gift cards will be sent to both winners. Please view all the cats at http://www.winnfelinefoundation.org/programs/photo-contest and a photo slideshow of the entries can be found on Winn's YouTube page at http://youtu.be/I4HBs1f4Tbw.
Winn has expanded its number of videos on our website and our YouTube channel . You can check out our recent video of Jackson Galaxy, from the "My Cat From Hell" TV show on Animal Planet, talking about Winn and the need for research with Steve Dale!
2015 is the 10th Anniversary of the Bria Fund-funding research to find answers about feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). To celebrate and recognize the importance of research on FIP, there is an updated new article in our Cat Health Library available to read and download.
The Winn annual grant review is just ahead in March. We will be evaluating 47 grant proposals and funding will again be very competitive. Please help make a difference: Donate Now Winn can fund valuable
research.
Donations recently received by the Winn Foundation are listed here. Thank you for your contributions.
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By Kelly Crouch, CFA Legislative Information Liaison
Ever wanted to be an animal importer within the US? Just visit New Jersey!
Introduced in the New Jersey legislature in December, bill S2625 defines an animal importer as a person who brings any cat or dog from outside New Jersey into the State for the purpose of offering the cat or dog for sale, adoption, or transfer. The transfer may be in exchange for any fee, sale, voluntary contribution, service, or other consideration. An animal importer includes any "commercial or nonprofit animal rescue, adoption or humane relocation or delivery organization that is not otherwise required to be licensed by the Department of Health."
Anyone, including breeders and rescues, that want to take cats or kittens into New Jersey for sale, adoption or transfer will have to register as an animal importer in New Jersey. The registration fee for an animal importer will be $100 if S2625 is enacted in its current state. Failure to register carries a civil penalty of up to $500. If the venue or location where the dealer intends to offer the cat or dog for sale, adoption, or transfer is open to the public or is an outdoor location there are additional notice requirements. Failure to meet the notice requirements carries a civil penalty of up to $100.
In addition, the Department of Health is directed to adopt rules and regulations for the health, safety, and humane treatment of cats and dogs by animal importers. The Department of Health may also conduct inspections of records, animals or premises. The Department, however, may not enter the animal importer's residence without authorization.
S2625 has been referred to the Senate Economic Growth Committee. The legislation also provides for the licensing of animal grooming or training facilities, rules and regulations thereto, and dogs (but not currently cats) temporarily in the state.
Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney is the sponsor of S2625. The identical Assembly companion bill is A3974. It is sponsored by Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle and has been referred to the Assembly Regulated Professions Committee.
This is a heads up only rather than an alert as it is very early in legislative process. Many bills do not progress beyond this point.
For more information about S2625 go to http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp
For more information about the New Jersey legislative process visit: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislativepub/legprocess.asp
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Please report legislation happening in your area to
the Legislative Group - [email protected]
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by Karen Helmhold, CFA ACats Chair
Our A-Cat family continues to grow.
Each and every month I plan on introducing a member of our A-Cat family. These are the people that are in our show halls each and every weekend, with a dedication to reach out to the public with their knowledge and their cats.  | | Eve Russell |
One of our newest members is Eve Russell and her Burmese. Eve is from Michigan (region 4) in the summer and she spends part of the winter in Florida (region 7). Her first A-Cat show was the World Show. Eve was one of the fourteen A-Cats in attendance at the show. Eve has been showing cats for 43 years. She has also shown American Shorthairs, Exotics and Japanese Bobtails. She has had more than 20 National Winners in her show career. Currently she is the awards Chairman for CFA's World Show and is a member of the CFA Credentials Committee for 34 years. Eve has been secretary for region 4 for 8 years. I would suppose she could be called "One of the First Ladies of CFA". I have seen Eve show cats since I started in CFA and was over-joyed when she agreed to become one of our family. Please when you see Eve or any of our 20 A-Cats in the show hall, take a minute to say thanks for the work they do for CFA. Happy New Year from the A-Cats, 2015 is going to be a great year.
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by Candilee Jackson
Ambassador Collateral Update
The handbook is coming along slowly due to the holidays and the pesky flu ... somehow it's hard to be creative when the writer is totally clogged! At this writing, the handbook should be completed and
sent to Art Graafmans for printing and typesetting changes by month's end. The webinar is next on
she docket for creation now that pictures and voice overs have been selected. The music underscore is a work in progress. The show data collection tool was field tested at Lucky Tom and it was easy to use
and allowed access to actual numbers for just one Ambassador: the plan is to distribute to all Ambassadors for show hall use immediately.
Region 4
GC PJKats Cinnamon Sticks of Blakewood and his servant Ambassador Kathi were at the 6x6 in Lebanon PA December 20-21, hosted by Straight and Curl and Rainbow Plumes. Cinnamon had a great time and got a ton of holiday pets and hugs. The show had a nice gate and people were very interested in the cats and had lots of questions about showing and how this all works. They are very curious because the only reference they have is the dog show on television. It is a great chance to educate the public. Kathi had a lot of questions about what is dangerous in Christmas decorations
 | | BadaBing! at the Las Vegas airport, giving a "cat fix" to some travelers |
Region 5: Donna Isenberg
Region 5 hosted a great exhibitor show in Las Vegas NV, with the highlight of the show being a potluck Meal on both days. The show hall was the cafeteria of a middle school, making the event cozy, and fellowship was the habit of the days. The participation was unbelievable and wonderful, we had almost everyone bring something for both days, we sold very few lunches. The Potluck was based on bringing and eating!
MWR 6 Report: Candilee Jackson
 | | Kate and Anna Schuler at the Lucky Tom Show |
The only show in the reporting time period of December 12-January 15 was the Lucky Tomcat Show in St Louis this past weekend. The show was held in one of the region's favorite locals: the ballroom on the lake at the Sheraton Lakeside Chalet Hotel in the Westport area of St Louis. This show has a history of not only a good count, but an excellent gate. There were several Ambassadors in the hall, but only one Ambassador used the data collection tool with the following results:
- New to a show hall/never been to a cat show: 15
- Looking for a specific breed: 10
- Asking about Bengals, Savannahs, Munchkins or other breeds CFA does not recognize: 2
- Grief counseling for a recently lost pet companion: 0
- Declawing: 6
- Basic pet care and grooming: 4
- Choosing the right food: 3
- Looking to purchase a pedigreed cat: 5
- Looking to adopt from available shelter cats: 2
- Groups coming through the show hall: none
Asia-International Report: Phebe Low
Phebe reports that she is planning to begin recruiting more Ambassadors so that more people become involved. One hundred percent of her efforts are going into the HUGE CFA show in Hong Kong slated for mid-February: she has promised lots of pictures and a great write up!
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by Karen Lawrence
Director, The CFA Foundation, Inc.
Manager, Feline Historical Museum
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 THE HISTORY PROJECT As we celebrate the New Year, and look forward to successes with our breeding programs in the show ring, we invite you to take a look at the past ... the distant past. The CFA Foundation and The Harrison Weir Collection have collaborated on "The History Project" -- a look at the cats, people and clubs that were there in the late 19th and early 20th century, those years during the very early beginnings of the Cat Fancy. The site looks at the people responsible for setting the groundwork in the development of breeding programs and the showing of cats; the history of the clubs who organized, financed and supported cat shows in the early days; and, of course, an in-depth look at the cats themselves. An added bonus on the site is the beginning of a virtual museum, which shows off some of the artifacts in the collections of both The CFA Foundation and The Harrison Weir Collection. The History Project's URL is http://www.cat-o-pedia.org . Spend some time on the site and learn the intriguing stories of the cats behind the very beginnings of several breeds. Please bookmark the URL for future reference, and be sure to LIKE us on Facebook where you'll find tidbits posted about new pages added to the site. http://www.facebook.com/CFAFoundation and http://www.facebook.comTheHarrisonWeirCollection 
FIBER ART EXHIBIT The Feline Historical Museum announces the opening of a specialty Fiber Art and Quilt Exhibit -- all items on display feature the domestic cat. Early American culture shows that the art of needlework was passed from mothers to their daughters, who often spent time creating samplers on which they practiced the various stitches. Many of these samplers exist to this day, and they are considered highly collectible. This Fiber Art Exhibit has further specialized needlework art by concentrating only on the domestic cat as a subject. Various examples of needlework - needlepoint, embroidery, cross stitch, quilting - are included in the exhibit, as well as rug hooking and knitting. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a 65" x 65" quilt created by retired CFA judge Carolyn Prisser of Auburn, California. The colorful quilt features a backyard setting, with laundry hanging on a clothesline and playful cats in the background. The quilt was shown at the 2014 Foothills Quilters Guild show and awarded the VIP Award as well as the Viewer's Choice First Place Award.  Specialty needlework by several CFA judges - Vickie Nye, Donna Fuller, Tracy Petty and Liz Watson - are on exhibit. CFA's judges spend a lot of time traveling to cat shows and needlework has become a popular way to pass airport layover and flight times for both men and women judges alike.
A stunning version of a Laurel Burch design is included in the exhibit. Stitched by Vickie Nye of California, it was created to be a fundraiser for CFA's Annual Awards Convention in Vancouver, WA during 2013. Pamela Hill, the lucky winner, graciously loaned the framed work to the Feline Historical Museum for the duration of the Fiber Art Exhibit. |
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Discounts Available to You!
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by Geri Fellerman, Regional Director
The holidays are behind us and time to face the cold and snow here in the NAR. Our first show of the season, Vermont Cat Fanciers, started things off with a bang. We got to ignore the cold outside and snuggle by the hotel fireplace both days - gotta love a hotel show that is also very close to an airport. It's always nice to visit with our Canadian friends and the multitude of spectators had a great time seeing the cats and asking tons of questions. The high point for me this year was attending the annual auction on Saturday night. I've been hearing about this for years but for one reason or another never quite got there. Boy, what I've been missing!!! You name it, it was up for auction. Gary Veach was the auctioneer and made it a really fun event. I got to come home with some wonderful finds (the hand-made local chocolates never made it through the show Sunday but were soooo good).
 
Coming up in our region this month, we have New Hampshire Feline Fanciers in Dover, NH, on January 24-25 and Finicky Felines on January 31-February 1 - so break out the snuggies and plan to join us!
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by Terri Zittel, Regional Secretary
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GC Genasaqua's Vienna of Persi-Puff receiving Best Cat from Mary Auth. He was also Best Cat in Show.
Vienna was bred by Lisa Monical and owned by Arnold Sanchez, Emerson Lagpacan, and Lisa Monical.
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The Responsible Cat Fanciers of the Northwest presented their 26th Annual one day cat show in Chehalis, WA on January 3, 2015. This annual event is a fundraiser for Purebred Animal rescue in the Northwest.
Each year the show has a different and unique theme. This year's theme was "New Year's Traditions". Random envelopes of $5.00 were placed on various rosettes in all the classes. The club always has some really fun extras such as this.
In the 26th years that the show has been held, we have experienced various weather events. One year, an ice storm, another a snow storm. Floods have occurred and damaged the building off and on over the years. Most of the building has been restored after the last flood now.
The next January show in region 2 will be January 17th in Stockton, California. This is an annual Poppy State Cat Club show. Hope to see you all there.
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by Steve McCullough, Regional Director
 | | Warren Joubert |
The entire Region is bursting with pride as Louisiana got it right.
Dr. Warren Joubert Veterinarian of the YEAR!! Warren has been on a roll this month, while receiving the good news on his way to the Christmas show in Cleburne, TX. Chris and Warren's cattery, Catcharm, has been producing beautiful Persians for years. Way to go Warren!!
The month started off with a fund raiser in Wichita, KS and ending with the Christmas show. As usual, the food was outstanding and enjoyed by everyone. Looking forward to it again next year. We had a lot of fun with the outfits that we all brought, including our own Santa Claus judging super specialty.
 | | Potluck at the Cleburne show |
 | | Brian Pearson & Toni Huff |
Looking forward to an exciting 2015 starting with Big Houston's show the second weekend of January, the 3rd weekend in exciting Colorado with the Cowboy Country Cat Fanciers 8 ring show at the Larimer county fairgrounds. Wichita Cat Fanciers will be holding their annual show on February 7-8, and all of you that have been at the Cotillion know that the gate is tremendous.
Looking forward to see ya'll in the hall.
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by John Colilla, Regional Director
John Colilla and Rosina McGlynn are selling lapel pins for the 2015 Annual in Toronto. Please see one of them to purchase your pin and help support the annual. We hope to start seeing more and more people out there wearing these great pins.
Also, if you'd be interested in volunteering your services during the 2015 CFA Annual in Toronto, be sure to contact Rosina McGlynn; she'd be happy to put you to work!
We have a Facebook page and are a member of Pinterest that provides information about our region. The links are https://www.facebook.com/cfagreatlakes and https://www.pinterest.com/carmencitamarie/great-lakes-region-cfa/
The region would like to welcome another new member, Krista Selig, into our region.
Be sure to mark your calendar with our upcoming shows:
- January 17th, Cleveland Persian Society a 5 Allbreed rings and 1 Specialty show in Parma ,OH
- January 18th, Cleveland Persian Society a 5 Allbreed rings and 1 Specialty show in Parma ,OH
- January 24-25, Midwest Persian Tabby Fanciers a 2 Allbreed, 2 Specialty and 6 Allbreed/Specialty show in Monroe, each ring), 2 Double Specialty
- February 14, Steel City Kitties a 5 Allbreed and 1 Specialty show in Monroeville, PA
- February 15, Steel City Kitties a 6 Allbreed and 1 Super Specialty show in Monroeville, PA
- February 21, Kitty Hawk Feline Fanciers a 6 Allbreed and 6 Super Specialty Championship only in Dayton, OH
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by Lisa Marie Kuta, Regional Director
 | | Bob Zenda & Mark Campbell |
Cat-A-Lina Cats and the Las Vegas Cat Clubs rang in 2015 with a show on the fabulous Las Vegas Strip. Many thanks to Bob Zenda for the photos from his ring of Duke, his Best Household Pet and Karessence Ralph Lauren, his best Veteran. Pictured are Duke's owner, Candy Kalman and Ralph's owner Mark Campbell.
 | | Candy Kalman & Duke |
Thanks to Crown City Cat Club for putting on such an exhibitor-friendly show this past weekend. Organized by Donna Isenberg, exhibitors came together for a bountiful potluck. I know I really enjoyed sampling a variety of desserts. Oh my was that Kentucky bourbon pecan cake - delicious! And the shortbread, and the peanut butter cookies, and several other sweets that I may or may not have indulged in. . .
Just a few more days to enter the largest show of the year in the
Southwest! San Diego Cat Fanciers is gearing up for a spectacular show.
Come visit Del Mar, California, show off your beautiful cats to the
thousands of spectators, enjoying the education ring and vendors. It is
not to be missed!
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by Candilee Jackson, Midwest Region Secretary
MWR Awards Show and Banquet
The MWR planning committee is still working on venue selection for both the show and awards banquet, utilizing the outreach of the Kansas City Visitors and Convention Bureau. Negotiations were stymied during the holidays with gatekeepers either going on vacation or on vacation for most of the month of December. Early January found most of the MWR planning committee down with the flu, but is pleased to announce that Peggy Shulman will be the show manager for the event. The committee will have the venues nailed down by month's end and will release information on hotels, show hall and slate of judges at that time.
Lucky Tomcat Show Vs Mother Nature 
Show manager Nancy Hitzeman and crew planned a lovely hotel show in one of our region's favorite locales, the Sheraton Lakeside Chalet in St Louis' Westport area. Vendors lined up, and a great count was set to go for the January 10-11th show when Mother Nature stepped in with an ice storm looming just east of St Louis Sunday morning. Six of the 10 rings were completed on Saturday, leaving four for Sunday. With many exhibitors traveling from frosty snowy areas to the north and east, the Sunday mindset was to "get 'er done"! Many thanks to Lucky Tomcat club members for a job well done! We will miss this venue!
MWR Brags
Slava Charisma earned his 2-show Grand Premier title at Lucky Tom this weekend.
Breeder;: Sherrie Phelps, Owner: Ed & Lucy Drury.
Ivy Cat has 2 new CFA Grands this weekend at the Lucy TomCat show in St. Louis... GC Ivy Cat Rocket Man and GP Ivy Cat Turn back Time of Snomyst
 | | Pam Degloyer & Ruth Laurel West and their new Grands |
Upcoming MWR shows:
January 24-25 Saintly City Cat Club St Paul MN
February 14-15 Hawkeye State Cat Club Altoona IA
Palace Theatre in Adventureland Park Valentine's cage decorating contest!
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 by Jean Dugger, Regional Director
With the holidays behind us, the Southern Region has a number of exciting shows coming up -
January 17-18 - Cat Club of the Palm Beaches, Ormond Beach, FL
January 24-25 - Star City & Central Carolina Cat Fanciers, Roanoke, VA
January 31-February 1 - Birmingham Feline Fanciers, Irondale, AL
February 7 - Pawprints in the Sand and Chamberlin on the Bay, Newport News, VA
Please come join us for some Southern (region) hospitality from Virginia to Florida!
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by Edward Maeda, Regional Director
I'm very proud to be able to report about these events of the Japan Region.
 | | BAOS School |
One is the BAOS held on January 8-9, 2015 in Tokyo. 25 persons including 7 allbreed judges joined this school. There were from Hong Kong and Korea. This is the first time a BAOS school has been held in Japan. All of them studied intently.
The Second is Japan Regional show held on January 10-11, 2015. We had big entries for this show, 188 entries. In Japan almost shows have been small for these years, but this time was very big. We are very happy to held such big show after long separation. Also on Sunday handling session for the BAOS was held in show hall.
 The Third is Judges workshop. 9 judges came to there.
We are very happy to have Pat Jacobberger and Liz Watson as Official judges and Instructor for BAOS.
I must say thank you very very much to both of them and of course to many exhibitors.
I'd like to say thank you to all.
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submitted by Michael Schleissner
CFA show report 2nd November 2014 
MVDTS Sibir - Krasnoyarsk, Russia (region 9)
Judges:
* Donna Fuller (USA) * Irina Tokmakova (Russia)
* Sheila Mizzi (USA) * Elena Podprugina (Ukraine)
* John Webster (USA) * Olga Rakitnikh (Ukraine)
With great thanks to Donna, Sheila and John, who took the long trip from CFA motherland USA to Siberia, Edelweiss cat club presented core CFA judges to the exhibitors. Special thanks for their open mind go to Olga and Elena from Rolandus Ukraine, from Moscow Irina Tokmakova completes the judge lineup for this 1st CFA show in Krasnoyarsk.Krasnoyarsk is the 3rd biggest city in Siberia with around 1 million citizens - is a major junction station, nearly in the middle of the Trans-Siberia railway system. The city combines Russian culture with modern metal, mining and chemical industry.
CFA shows in Siberia are very important for all local CFA breeders and exhibitors as only here the earned Grand-points develop the full potential (due reduced req. for Grand CH-Grand PR). The first success with a CFA Grand-Champion is the solid base for all Siberian based CFA breeders to extend their aims for higher CFA titles. Looking to the exiting faces of the exhibitors we truly can expect some new Grand-CH and Grand-PR here in Siberia! The visitors used the chance to see different cat breeds from near & far in high quality and spend attention to the action in the public judging area. To unite breeders and visitors in a great atmosphere and provide a comfortable time together is a true cultural event -
this is the priceless value of a successful CFA show.
With great award trophies and prices for the winners Edelweiss cat club demonstrates its strong commitment to invest in CFA and truly does business development for all CFA. Edelweiss Cat Club looks forward to offer this exhibition next year again and welcomes all CFA exhibitors and visitors to this new location.
Entries: Total 76 entries [17 kitten,34(LH)+16(SH)=50 CHship,5(LH)+3(SH)=8 PRship]
Exhibitors: Total 39 exhibitors [all from Russia, most from Siberia]
 | | Winners, judges, and show committee |
 | | Sheila Mizzi |
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 | | Awards |
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 | | John Webster and Exhibitor |
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 Dick Kallemyer, International Division Rep At the end of November, the Johor Bahru Cat Club had another 2 ring "mini-show" in Serdang, Malayia with CFA judges Jacqui Bennett and Kathy Calhoun. Mini-shows are set up to attract local exhibitors to show and have lots of fun, while being affordable to the club. The entries were 99 and the exhibitors had a great show.  | | Club President and Show Manager Bill Ren along with his wife Bella |
On November 29, China Tao Yuan Fanciers had their first show in Shenyang, China. It was snowing and the temperature was 6F, but everyone had a great time.
 | | Master Clerk Thomas Cheung and HKICC Club Secretary Chrissie Chan. |
On December 7th, the Hong Kong International Cat Club had their show in Kowloon, Hong Kong with judges Irina Kharchenko, Irina Tokmakova, Iris Zinck, Larry Adkison and Russell Webb.
After a 2 year hiatus, CFA's oldest cat club in China, China Cat Fanciers returned with a 10 ring show December 13-14th. It was a first time visit for judges Teresa Keiger and Vicki Nye.
 | | Saturday judges and show committee members of the China Cat Fanciers show. |
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Have a question or a comment about the CFA Newsletter?
Teresa Keiger
CFA Newsletter Editor
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