Carol Krzanowski, chair

New CFA Club Applicants

The following clubs have applied for CFA membership and will be considered at the October 15-16, 2024 CFA Board meeting. Anyone wishing to submit comments regarding the applicants should do so in writing and send the comments to Committee Chair Carol Krzanowski no later than September 10, 2024.   

As stated in the CFA By-Laws - Article III - Membership, Section 3 - Election to Membership: "If negative information is submitted regarding the applicant, the information will be provided to the applicant with enough time for the applicant to prepare a written rebuttal prior to board consideration.”

A New Hope Cat Club

President: Mike Pina

Secretary: Vincent Pina-Crupi

Location: Miami, Florida, USA

Elite Cat Fanciers’ Confederation

President: Bobby Ashok Wankhede

Secretary: Sharmeen Ansari

Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Vicki Nye, co-chair

News from the August 6, 2024 Board Meeting

CONGRATULATIONS TO Issaria (Istzy) Rattanaweerawong -ID Nonthaburi, Thailand. Trainee Shorthair on his advancement from shorthair trainee to shorthair apprentice!

With the recommendation of the Judging Program Committee and approval of the board, the following NEW judging program rule will be effective as of August 7, 2024. To recognize those associate judges who have kept CFA afloat in the ID, continue to judge and apply to the regular CFA Judging Program, some accommodation will be made to reduce their color class requirements. This is with the understanding that trainees must still handle 200 cats and have error free paperwork.

5.4 The Judging Program Committee may recommend to the Executive Board, advancement of trainee to apprentice judge, with fewer than the 6 required color class training sessions. This accommodation is based on the following schedule of judging assignments and number of cats judged while an Associate Judge. 

*The training judge assigned for supervised sessions has the discretion to complete the training session handling as a solo session. Total sessions must still meet supervised session + solo session requirement.

Other Judging Program News:

Deaths of previously retired CFA Judges

CFA Judge Emeritus Kitty Angell

On June 10th, 2024, a CFA Superstar, Judge Emeritus, Meta Louise (Kitty) Angell left us. Kitty made our lives much richer with her friendship, her dedication and commitment to CFA and the Scottish Fold and Persian breeds. Kitty began judging for CFA in 1988 and retired in January 2010. Kitty also served on the CFA Board of Directors as its secretary beginning June 1998 and continued her service as vice president, from June 2004 through June 2008. In addition to Kitty’s service on the CFA Board she also held the position of president of the Judges’ Association. An ardent lover of animals, Kitty's legacy intertwined with the breeding of Scottish Fold and Persian cats under the cattery name Kitjim, for three decades. Her prowess heralded 35 grand champions, 5 Distinguished Merit cats, and 11 national wins. Kitty's influence reverberated as an International allbreed Judge and author of the renowned ‘Dear Kitty’ column in CATS magazine. She often spoke of her treasured relationships that were formed during her years of breeding and judging. To the very end, Kitty remained faithful to her adoration for animals, finding comfort in her cats and the cherished companionship of her beloved dogs, Dancer and Paddy.

CFA Judge Emeritus Wain Harding

On July 30th, 2024 word was received that Wain Harding had passed away this day.

Wain began his judging career with CFA in 1979 and retired July 18, 2022. His cattery name was Bastis, and he was known worldwide for his nationally winning Abyssinians. Wain shared his Abyssinian and Persian lines, and mentored many breeders, helping them establish numerous successful catteries. Wain was instrumental in getting the Egyptian Mau breed accepted by CFA and wrote the breed standard at that time. He was also the author of "The Egyptian Mau in America" article Jan/Feb 1972 CATS Magazine. Wain served CFA as a judging program committee member, and CFA Co-Chair International Committee-China. Many fortunate CFA judges worked under Wain Harding when he was a trainee instructor. Wain was the recipient of CFA Judges' Spotlight Award 2021. In 1984-1985 he organized the NW Region and Annual Judges Workshop, and was also on the 2006 Reno Annual Committee.

I have included Wain Harding’s letter of retirement from the CFA Judging Program and it speaks volumes of the kind of person Wain was.

These last few years have given us all a chance to sit back and take stock of our lives. I have done that and as I reflect on the last fifty plus years I find myself somewhat humbled by the role CFA has played in my life. I am grateful for every memory, every laugh, and every adventure. Throughout the years I have done my best to give back to CFA and hope to continue to do so. This time of reflection has let me know that as grateful as I am to my CFA family, the time has come to take advantage of the gift of good health, close the chapter of my judging career, and delve deeper into exciting new chapters that are opening before me. My dedication to CFA will never falter, but effective today 18 July, 2022 I am tending my resignation from the CFA judging program.

Sincerely, Wain Harding

Dear Colleagues:

I am heartbroken,

Today Wain Harding passed away. Wain was a private person, he didn’t want a fuss made. 

We know many people will want to know as he has made a very large impact on CFA. 

His local family let me know this - 

No cards, No services. If people want to they can make donations to: 

Ukiah Volunteer Hospice 

620 S Dora St

Ukiah 95482

Memo line..Anderson Valley Hospice.

The local hospice folks were really helpful for him in these last weeks. 

CFA Judge Emeritus Willa Rogers Hawke

Willa Hawke passed away at her home in Oklahoma City this afternoon (Friday Aug.2, 2024). Willa had been a Cat Fanciers Association judge for 50 years when she retired in 2016 being awarded Judge Emeritus. Willa began judging for CFA in 1966, served on the CFA board as secretary 1990-1998 and also served as the president of the Judges Association.  Willa bred Siamese and Burmese cats under the cattery name Rogers Hts. A cat she owned and loved, New Moon Eclipse of Rogers Hts, appears on many Siamese pedigrees. 

At her time of death she was living with her daughter Candice. She is also survived by sons Chuck and Carson. She was proceeded in death by her son Donnie, her husband Bill and her former husband and father of her children, Charles.

There are no services planned for Willa who had been suffering with heart valve issues and dementia. Condolences may be sent to the Willa Hawke family, % Candice Rogers, 2417 SW 135th, Oklahoma City, OK 73130. You may make a donation to a cat charity of your choice in her name.

Teresa Keiger, Editor

The August issue of Cat Talk magazine is now available here on the CFA website. Best of all: it is FREE for everyone!

Watch for the October and December magazines to come later this year. These will be the last two magazine-style issues. In the meantime, we are preparing to release Cat Talk as a continually updating news feature, combining the best stories from the past 10 years of Cat Talk magazine with new stories, articles, and updates from CFA and its programs.

CFA Legislative

Kelly Crouch, CFA Legislative Information Liaison

Misnamed Backyard Breeder Ban Narrowly Approved in the City of Edmonds, Snohomish County, Washington

The Edmonds, Washington City Council, with a vote of 4:3, adopted a so-called backyard breeding ban on July 23, 2024, to reduce the number of dogs and cats in the city's shelter. The ordinance, however, is intended to be a complete breeding ban for all, with two narrow exceptions that would not apply to hobby breeders. Councilwoman Nand, who proposed the ordinance (agenda packet p. 373 – 413 ), stated it would not apply to people merely gifting offspring intended for family and friends or if the owner was only charging a rehoming fee for the offspring of an accidental litter they could cure the fine by proving the bred animals were sterilized. The ordinance's language states it is unlawful for any person to deliberately breed any dog, cat, or rabbit for profit. Violations of the breeding ban could result in a fine of not more than $1000 per deliberately bred litter. The advertisement and sale of companion animals by any person or corporation is also prohibited, and violations are punishable by a fine of $250 per animal per day.

The ordinances of two nearby cities were considered and rejected by Councilwoman Nand. The first was Bothell (which straddles the Snohomish and King County line), which adopted mandatory spay/neuter of cats and dogs without an unaltered license and hobby cattery or kennel licenses subject to limits on the allowed number of animals. The other city was Everett . It requires cattery and kennel licensing ( https://everett.municipal.codes/EMC/6.04.040 ), and containment of female animals in heat. She also said that less restrictive options would be too burdensome for the city to enforce with only two animal control officers, as cleaning up after an overwhelmed breeder was more of a burden than making the activity illegal. Council President Vivian Olsen commented that the animal laws in this city of about 43,000 residents were already restrictive, and the proposed ordinance was "too heavy-handed."

You are our eyes and ears! Is detrimental legislation happening in your area? Please let us know. Contact the CFA Legislative Group at legislation@cfa.org

EveryCat Health Foundation

submitted by Virginia Rud

A list of our honored donors for the month of July is  available here

CURES4CATS 2024 Fundraising Campaign

This year’s CURES4CATS Fundraising Campaign, which runs from August 15th to September 30th, supports the BRIA FUND for FIP Research. 

While there is a lot to celebrate in the work already accomplished, there is still so much left to learn about Feline Infectious Peritonitis. There remains a need for more knowledge and reliable, accessible testing for the disease as well as additional treatment options. Also – in this past year, reports of an increase in the number of cats dying from FIP in Cyprus prompted EveryCat Health Foundation to collaboratively focus efforts and resources on the root of the outbreak. For these reasons and so many more, EveryCat Health Foundation has chosen FIP as the sole focus of our Cures4Cat 2024 campaign.

Make your contribution to the campaign here.

UPCOMING WEBINARS

EveryCat is pleased to present “Ticks Like Cats Too! An update on the threat of ticks and tick-borne pathogens for cats” with Kathryn Reif, Ph.D., M.S.PH. on Wednesday, August 14th, 2024, 1:00 pm EDT

In this webinar, Dr. Reif will discuss the effect of the continuing expansion and intensity of tick populations and the greater risk for tick infestation and tick-borne diseases on cats living in areas with historically low tick risk. She will discuss the significant and year-round health risks to cats by these blood-feeding pests and the pathogens they can transmit, including agents of cytauxzoonosis, tularemia, and anaplasmosis. This webinar will discuss effective tick control strategies available to protect cats against ticks.

Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim

Click here for more information and to register for your seat, visit 

Tax Tips with George Eigenhauser

If you live in an area declared a disaster by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), there may be special tax relief available. IRS Tax Tip 2024-61 has information to help you obtain tax relief should a disaster occur. 

If your address is in a declared disaster area, the IRS automatically gives you more time to file your tax returns and pay taxes.

If your property is damaged or lost due to the disaster, you may be able to claim a casualty loss deduction, which could lead to a bigger tax refund. You can claim this on your current or previous year's tax return.

If you’ve lost your tax records, you can request a free tax return transcript from the IRS, either online or by mail. If you need a full copy of your tax return, you can file Form 4506, and the IRS will waive the fee and speed up the process if it’s disaster related.

If you move after a disaster, make sure to update your address with the IRS. You can do this by calling the IRS Disaster Hotline or filing Form 8822.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides loans and grants to those in disaster areas, but you must have all your tax returns filed to qualify.

For more details, the IRS has resources like FAQs and specific disaster assistance information available to help you. IRS Tax Tip 2024-61 is available online at: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/disaster-tax-relief-what-taxpayers-need-to-know

Corporate Affiliates

Code: 1000026977

or call 877-999-3223 and ask for the discount code CFA CAT FANCIERS ASSOCIATION

Discount Code # 526223

Discount Code # #U28593

Discount Code # Z926291

Click logo for information

John Colilla, Regional Director

Motor City Jazz Club and Midwest Persian Tabby Fanciers – July 27-28, 2024

Written by Sabrina Grisier

The Motor City Jazz Club and the Midwest Persian Tabby Fancier's put on a 10 ring show on July 27th and 28th, in Taylor, MI. Our "Summer Fun" show had a great list of judges from Regions 1, 4, 6, and 7. The exhibitors and cats competed for the beautiful "Visitor's Choice" awards. The top winner with 72 spectator votes, was "Varoom", a chocolate point Birman kitten, owned by Jon & JoAnn Brubacher! Second place with 32 votes, went to "Colette", an odd-eyed white Turkish Angora kitten, owned by Erin Poskocil. Six "New Grand" rosettes were also awarded. Congratulations to all of the winners, and many thanks to all who participated!

Howard Webster, Regional Director

Well what can I say, but WOW!

The SWR banquet was a fantastic event!

The food was the best ever, decorations were wonderful, and everyone had a great time.

Most people were in costumes and the atmosphere was fun for all. I want to thank everyone who took part in creating this event.

Thank you to Michael and Lorraine Shelton for the decorations and all of the work to make it happen. For those who have never done this, it is a TON of work! Thank you!

Thank you to Lisa Kuta for finding the amazing caterer! The food was excellent, probably the best I have ever had at a banquet!

Thanks to all the different people who pitched in and helped set up and clean up before and after the event.

It takes a team to pull off an event like this, and everyone made it happen by helping out, getting in the theme, and pitching in where we needed.

We had the Hawaiian cat fanciers here, and, I believe, this was a first time to the regional banquet for most of them. They were picking up their regional awards, and this year had more than ever before! They had a great time and met many SWR fanciers for the first time, made connections with other breeders and saw how we do it on the mainland.

We have our work cut out for next year's banquet, See you all in Palm Springs.

Allene Keating, Regional Secretary

On August 3 & 4 TGIF put on their annual show at Purina Farm Event Center. The members of TGIF put on a class act show. Each morning we were given coffee and donuts. What I loved most about this facility is all the positive sayings on the walls.

The first Midwest regional fundraiser occurred on August 10 and 11, and was hosted by the Topeka Cat Fanciers. After a long absence from the Topeka metropolitan area, this show returned to Topeka Ramada Inn Convention Center. Both days of the event spectators enjoyed seeing the cats and watching the costume contests.

Kenny Currle, Regional Director

GEMS/CFW

Chantilly VA

July 27-28, 2024

submitted by Mark Hannon

With 196 entries this was one of the larger shows so far this season. The clubs had great advertising on social media, coordinated by Jen Bristol, which brought out a terrific gate to see CFA at its finest. 

As they entered the show hall visitors were able to interact with Meet-&-Greet Cats which was coordinated by Susan Henry.

The gate was both entertained and educated with a packed agenda in the Education Ring. Among the educational events were breed presentations with host Albert Sweitzer and there was a stuffed cat contest with more than 50 kids competing with their favorites.

Each participant was provided a kids backpack with the CFA logo.

Aki Tamura.Regional Director 

We held the Japan Regional Award Banquet on July 21 at Yokohama Bay Hotel Tokyu.

We were able to spend a celebratory time with 139 attendees.

There was also a greeting for the change of director's term. We expressed our deep gratitude for Director Hayata's hard work over the past four years.

We conducted a retirement ceremony for Judge Kayoko Koizumi and were able to celebrate her retirement with many bouquets of flowers.

Suki Wong, ID-Hong Kong Coordinator

Cat Expo 2024, Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Black Cat Club is thrilled to host the Cat Expo 2024 at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Center on August 3-4, 2024. With a population of approximately 7.5 million people living in a compact 1106 square kilometers, Hong Kong is an ideal location for this exciting event.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Phebe Low of the Hong Kong Black Cat Club and Carl of the Exhibition Group, the Cat Expo 2024 has broken all records with an astonishing 200,000 spectators attending over two days, featuring 400 booths and 116 cat entries in the CFA breed parade.

We would like to extend our gratitude to the stunning supermodels who participated in the show, allowing spectators to get up close and personal with the breeds. The owners of these magnificent cats kindly allowed attendees to handle and pet them, creating unforgettable memories for all. Thank you : Pak Hei Leung, Alex Chan, Christine Choi, Chrissie Chan, Russell Law, Virginia Liu, Kasumi Chan, Rain Fung, Jackie Tang, Audrey Lam, Maggie Liu, Sarah Ng, Silver Ko, Patrick Au, Emil Chan, Jennifer Cheung & Iceman Ho.

Special thanks go to our esteemed sponsors:

* Astkatta

* Blue Buffalo

* Kakato

* MBPL

* Nulo

* Nutrience SUBZERO

* OWNAT

* PRIMAL

* RAWZ

* Taste of the Wild

Our show committee deserves a huge round of applause for their hard work:

* Alex Chan

* Jiao Chen

* Leona Wong

* Yan W. Lee

* Wan Lau

* Christine Choi

* Rain Fung

* Michelle Mee Yung Wong

* Ah Chi

Last but not least, we would like to thank Amy Works Show Cats Photography for their professional photography services.

It's an incredible feeling to be a part of this successful event, and we can't wait to do it all again!

Glamorous International Ambassador  - Hong Kong

Congratulations to Glamorous International Ambassador who had a great success, hosting a 10 rings show in same weekend in Hong Kong at 11 Skies, Hong Kong International Airport with over 100 entries.

This was both the club's inaugural show AND the first cat-focused event at the 3.8 million sq ft venue signals more community gatherings to come at the expansive development.

Have a question or a comment about the CFA Newsletter? 

Feel free to contact me at  tkeiger@cfa.org

Thank you for being a subscriber! 

Teresa Keiger

CFA Newsletter Editor