Vicki Nye, CFA Judging Program Co-chair

Applicants to the CFA Judging Program

Applicants for Consideration at the June 2024 Board Meeting:

Eugene Jeong - Shorthair First Specialty

Incheon, South Korea

Yukiyo Matsushita - Longhair, First Specialty

Osaka, Japan

Wenwei (Allen) Shi - Shorthair, First Specialty

Shanghai, China

Information concerning the moral character, temperament and ethics, and the spectrum of experience concerning the breeding and showing (and agenting) of cats would be helpful to the CFA Executive Board in the evaluation of applicants to the Judging Program. The manner in which an applicant's cats are housed and cared for is also pertinent. See Judging Program Rules, Section 6.1, 6.7 and 6.8, as well as the Judges' Code of Ethics for more information on what the Board of Directors will require in an excellent candidate.

Recommendations or concerns are encouraged so that the Judging Program Committee and ultimately the CFA Board of Directors may make an informed decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of any individual making an application to the CFA Judging Program. All letters require a signature. Anonymous letters will not be accepted. Negative letters must be documented and substantiated. All negative letters will be shared with the applicant to offer the opportunity for rebuttal. All letters and responses, if any, will accompany the application.

Please send letters by email or snail mail to the Applications Administrator (see below) by the deadline indicated:

Letters due by April 15, 2024

Letters of recommendation, or copies thereof, must not be sent to the applicant, nor may the applicant ask for any preview of recommendations. Multiple recommendations stemming from one source will be treated as a single recommendation. Please send letters to:

Leslie Carr — Region 1-9 Applicants

813-230-6153

elseas@aol.com

Jodell Raymond — International Division

585-233-0368 cell

585-442-8237 home

Jodell1@rochester.rr.com

Barbara Jaeger

CFA BAOS Coordinator

We had a successful BAOS in Peer, Belgium in February. This was our first Allbreed school with 9 attendees. These attendees included AB Judges for Continuing Education, judges that have recently been accepted to CFA, Associate Judges and individuals preparing to apply to their first or second specialty. The next BAOS school will be in conjunction with the International Show in October in Cleveland, OH, October 2024.

Please contact Barbara Jaeger, Barbara.jaeger911@gmail.com for any questions or information.

Leslie Carr, Chair

Jodell Raymond, Vice Chair

Do You Want To Help New Exhibitors in the Show Hall?

We Want You!

Exhibitors from every region, breed, and background:

Are you interested in helping new exhibitors in the show hall?  

Do you love sharing CFA with others? 

We Need You!

What do I need to do to help new exhibitors at shows? 

1. You must be willing to reach out and provide information and encouragement to new exhibitors in the show hall.
2. You want to have too much fun while sharing your excitement with new exhibitors and helping them get acquainted with showing their cats in the CFA.

I want to find out more, now what do I do? 

Send an email right now with your interest to cfanewexhibitorgroup@gmail.com .

Carissa Altschul, Chair

The CFA Breeder Education Program has expanded its meeting at the Annual this year to a two hour meeting! Join us on Thursday from 2pm to 4pm. We'll be expanding on last year's topics, as well as other new and relevant topics for all breeders.  The first hour will be a panel discussion on select topics; the second hour will include small group discussions at round tables for one-on-one questions with the subject level experts! We are also taking suggestions for topics. So feel free to reach out to Carissa Altschul with any subjects you would like for us to explore during the meeting.

James Simbro, CFA IT

eCat 2.0

You may have heard that eCat is getting a much-needed update after being launched 10 years ago. We’ve listened to our users and are excited to announce many new features and enhancements that will be part of the upcoming launch.

• Linking Cats to eCat

Currently only cats originally submitted through eCat have been listed. While this hasn’t prevented you from using any cat on eCat, we understand that users like having everything in one place. The new eCat will allow you to add any cat to your account which already has a CFA registration number. This means cats you have registered by pedigree or purchased and transferred ownership can by linked to your account.

• Mobile Ready

One main priority for the entire site was to make it work on mobile devices first. Menus and screen layouts were all developed to be viewable and easy to navigate on the smaller screens of phone and tablets.

• Managing Litters

Litters registered using eCat will now use a system called CatTrack. Each kitten on a litter is assigned a CatTrack identification code. This allows you to specify the breeding rights, sex and color before registering the kittens, eliminating the need for litter PIN numbers. You will be able to email the application directly to the new owners if they are completing the registration and you can send follow-up reminders for them to complete their application.

The litter registration process will let you pick the Sire and Dam directly from your account without having to type in their registration numbers. The litter registration process has been streamlined with as few steps as possible.

You will be able to submit cat registrations from the litter and only need to checkout and pay once.

• Anti-Fraud Measures

The linking of catteries to eCat and newly linked Dams and Sires will be personally reviewed by Central Office. These will be verified before any litters are registered or catteries linked to eCat.

• Managing ePoints Subscriptions

You will be able to sign-up and renew your subscription in real-time.

• Enter a Show

You will be able to pick a show and select cats from your account to submit show entries.

• Additional Reports

Current breed council membership reports by name or breed and club status reports can be accessed inside eCat.

Watch the CFA News for updates on the launch. We plan on hosting a live demo via Zoom a week prior to the launch where you can learn how to use these new features and ask questions.

CFA Legislative

Kelly Crouch, CFA Legislative Information Liaison

Fancier Advocacy in Action - New Hampshire HB 1102-FN

Cat and dog fanciers presented a well-planned opposition to the New Hampshire Environment and Agriculture Committee during a public hearing held on March 5th on House Bill 1102-FN. It is a bill of first impression in the country that would amend the state’s animal cruelty statute to include:

"(h) Sells an animal that has a birth deformity that causes suffering, such as brachycephaly, or the intentional breeding with the intent to sell, 2 individual animals with the same birth deformity that causes suffering, such as brachycephaly".

Since January, the CFA Legislative Group collaborated with TICA, AKC, and local fanciers and submitted CFA's opposition letter. The fanciers had a significant impact based on the comments from the work session the following day. Several members echoed Committee Chair Judy Aron's sentiment that New Hampshire breeders do a great job of breeding ethically. Representative Barbara Comtois, who owned three breeds of brachycephalic dogs and is a former dog breeder, commented that New Hampshire already has excellent laws, so they don't hear about these issues much. Representative Catherine Kenny has worked with several breeders over her career in the veterinary field and found them to be devoted to their animals and conscientious about their health. She also said breeders and veterinarians could address this issue better than legislation. Others commented that proving intent would be an issue, and more than one commented that they learned a lot, especially that brachycephaly alone was not a deformity.

Kudos to the local cat and dog fanciers for their efforts! Fanciers can watch the public hearing and the work session beginning at the time 1:51:15. The bill is due out of committee by March 21st but could be voted on in the executive session on March 13th, 2024.

UPDATE

On March 13, 2024, the House Environment and Agriculture Committee voted 14:6 to report HB 1102-FN as inexpedient to legislate. Many thanks to all who fought this bill! If the House votes to adopt the committee report, the bill will be officially killed, although the Sponsor may attempt to offer an amendment before this process is complete.

CFA Breeders' Assistance Program

Ginger Meeker and Charlene Campbell

STAY ALERT! Questions to Ponder

In last month's issue, the information regarding legislation in NH was in the spotlight. At this point, clarifications and outcomes are pending. Every member of the fancy is involved here, if we consider the following:

• Are Breed Councils of these impacted breeds fully up to the task of helping their fellow breeders?

• Are our Rescue and Breeder Assist programs able to do all of a rescue process that might be requested?

• Should criminalization of a process such as breeding be allowed?

• How will these cats and their breeders be handled with the law?

If this legislation is allowed to move forward and passes each of us are affected simply on the basis of unforeseen consequences. Will cat shows in NH be allowed to enter these cats from elsewhere in the country? Will cat shows be searched for the presence of these breeds? Will we start putting away the business cards?

Ethical breeders need to pay attention here and recognize that NH just may be the start of a multi-state process. For years animal advocate groups have tried to maintain that cat/dog breeders are ruthless, non-caring people that breed animals for large profits. (Joke intended). Those that know this practice, for ethical breeders and owners, is a true labor of love requiring lots o blood, sweat and tears- not to mention resources.

As individuals, we can be pro-active. Affected Breed Councils may need additional resources to help their colleagues in NH. Folks in NH that just see this as the last straw, may throw their hands up and as for help placing their cats. Are Breeder Assist and Rescue programs up to this task? With donations they may well be.

Please do not sit back and relax in the idea this legislation, if it moves forward, won’t affect YOU at some point. That attitude has preceded some disastrous results. Breeders that are working in an ethical, preservation-oriented way, need a chance to solve the problems that now exist and prevent unwanted outcomes that may happen in the future.

Please STAY ALERT to what is happening in the legislative areas. George Eigenhauser and his team have done an excellent job providing the information. Every breeder and exhibitors should look within and see what they can do to help. STAY ALERT as this legislation may be coming to a state near you. The fancy, in the past, has done an excellent job fending off this type of legislative nonsense and there will be a time and group when their work will not be enough. 

Our PCCF Cat Club has fought local anti breeder legislation in Lee County, FL, we formed a stakeholder group with CFA and AKC etc. and included support letters from CFA breeders around the country. The anti breeder ordinance was passed without any notification to the stakeholders. We fought back as soon as we learned of the details. Orders from the county commissions to rewrite the ordinance. We worked for almost a year to rewire an ordinance. I was fortunate to have CFA's Joan Miller who guided and helped me in rewriting the new animal control ordinance paragraph by paragraph. Then coordinating with AKC Group (what structurally works for CFA does not always work for AKC) for our bi-weekly meetings with the animal control agency to negotiate our new ordinance verbiage. 

We jointly finalized the rewrite, animal control resubmitted submitted our "negotiated" final ordinance to commissioners; only to have the animal control agency then pull it and submit a rewrite by them and PETA the same week! Luckily we exposed this issue to the commissioners before vote. Then we submitted a pro-breeder informational booklet with factual studies to all the commissioners to dispel myths told by PETA before the next meeting vote. The AC director and assistant were fired over their antics and the commissioners reinstated a older simple ordinance with some housekeeping updates. 

We can come together, work together and fight these oppressive laws. We have to be diligent, watch for them and then make a plan. Everything is possible!  

FYI We currently have a wait list for some breeds of cats in a few areas. Sadly, kitten season is on its way as well. At any given time we can have 300+ cats we are providing services for in our program. Contact us if in need, earlier the better to reserve space if downsizing, we are finding new options every week.

We many ways to donate: THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

EveryCat Health Foundation

submitted by Virginia Rud

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

Tax Tips with George Eigenhauser

Keeping track of the status of your federal income tax refund just became easier. IRS news release IR-2024-53 outlines recent enhancements to the “Where’s My Refund” tool online. These improvements include messages with detailed refund status in plain language, access on mobile devices and with the IRS2Go app, and notifications when the IRS needs additional information.

Whether you use the online tool or the IRS2Go app you will need to enter certain basic information about you. You will need to provide your Social Security Number (SSN) or your individual taxpayer ID number (ITIN), your filing status (such as single, married filing jointly, etc.), and the exact whole dollar amount of your anticipated refund. Make sure you enter this information accurately to avoid any errors. After clicking "Submit," you will be taken to a page that displays the status of your refund. The tracker notes the progress of your return three stages: return received, refund approved, and refund sent. It's important to note that the status of your refund may change over time. If your return is received but still being processed, you may need to check back in a few days to see if there are any updates. The IRS notes that they update the tool once a day, usually overnight, so there's no need to check more often. Your refund status should be available within 24 hours after you e-file a current-year return, 3 or 4 days after you e-file a prior-year return, or 4 weeks after you file a paper return. To speed up processing your return the IRS encourages people to file online and choose direct deposit for their refund. To use the “Where’s My Refund” tool go to: https://www.irs.gov/wheres-my-refund. Links for the IRS2Go app in Apple or Android may be found here.

2024 Feline Health Symposium

"Health Breakthroughs for EveryCat: Being PURRfectly Clear on Feline Pain"

EveryCat Health Foundation & the North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine Feline Health Center are excited to partner together on a 1.5-day symposium, April 13th, and 14th, 2024 at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.

This year’s theme, feline pain, is particularly meaningful to veterinary professionals as well as cat parents, and we’re holding this event at the institution where many of the top researchers on this topic call home.

The symposium will feature two separate tracks, one for veterinary professionals looking for continuing education credits, and one for non-veterinary cat people.

The symposium will also offer a live stream option for those unable to attend in-person. Both tracks will be recorded and made available to all attendees at the conclusion of the symposium.

For more information and to register, visit https://felinepainsymposium.squarespace.com/

Breeding Cat Coverage

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1. Enter breeding cat’s info to Get a Quote
2. Select the optional add-on for Breeding Coverage* 
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*Coverage for accidents, illnesses and complications relating to or caused by breeding, pregnancy, whelping or nursing. Conditions and limitations apply. 

Felix Cat Insurance is underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company.

Corporate Affiliates

Code: 1000026977

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

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Click logo for information

submitted by Vicki Jensen

Congratulations and thank you High Sierra cat club for a fabulous first show back! They held a wonderful show in Woodland, Ca that was well run and filled with laughter and smiles. We enjoyed the company of many of our exhibitors from the upper Pacific Northwest.

Our Regional director, Pam Moser gave us an update on the regional with exhibitors listening attentively.

The High Sierra show was full of happy exhibitors all having a wonderful time. 

We were treated with Hilde! pictured here carrying a kitty almost as big as she is!

Also in March, after a 5 year break, Tails and No-Tails along with Call of the Wild Cat clubs worked together to put on a fabulous 10 ring show in San Jose, California that was very well run.

Thank you ladies for providing our region with this wonderful show. We are so happy to see shows return in Northern California.

Traci Whittenberg, Regional Secretary

Region 3 rocked around the clock in Little Rock, AR for their regional fundraiser show.

192 of the region’s finest kitties gathered for a weekend of fun and fantastic vendors! There was great attendance by spectators and they loved the kitty costume contest. The crowd around the ring was huge for this exciting event! The Gulf Shore Region cannot thank everyone enough for their support of this show, it was the cat’s meow!

John Colilla, Regional Director

Genesee Cat Fanciers – March 2-3, 2024 

Carmen Marie Johnson-Lawrence

The Genesee Cat Fanciers hosted their 71st Annual Show on Saturday and Sunday, March 2 & 3 in Brockport, NY.  

Leading up to the show two of our local TV stations welcomed us as they do a couple of times a year to promote our show. Check out the videos here and here.

Our theme this year was "Celebrating the Class of 2024" with the show hall adorned in local school colors, each ring being a local school. 

Mike Shelton, Regional Director

Malibu Cat Club held their annual show in Glendale, CA. This club had to cancel their show last year due to extreme weather which prevented some of their judges from traveling, so it was great to have them back at their traditional location. They dedicated this year's show to the memory of Shirley Crawford of Sanmar Persians. Shirley was a long-time club member and breeder of outstanding silver Persians.

There was a video crew from IdeaTeVe at the show throughout the day, and they produced an excellent video of their report from the show, which can be viewed here.

Candilee Jackson, Regional Secretary

Wheaton, Illinois, welcomed cat fanciers to the Lincoln State Cat Show held on February 24-25, 2024. A ten-ring show was planned, and the turnout was terrific! With photography by Jill Doge-Butzer, the show featured lots of activities including a stuffed animal contest, a regional fundraising raffle and a 50/50 raffle on both days. Under the supervision of show manager, Jennifer Deel, a large gate and numerous entries were welcomed.

Exhibitor Lana Kerson felt like the club went all out to welcome not only the visitors but the exhibitors as well. In addition to a yummy Saturday night hospitality, there were educational speakers on a variety of topics of interest to breeders as well as pet owners. Additionally, Pet Me cats were available for the young and old alike. Prizes for the stuff animal contest had not only rosette keepsakes but candy which thrilled young plush animal exhibitors! Thanks, Lana, for sharing your adventure with us!

Cindy Willoughby, a long time CFA exhibitor and volunteer at the Sangamon Animal Control Center in Springfield, Illinois, share a wonderful adoption story from the show: Among the kitties at the show for adoption were “two seven-month-old litter brothers that had been at the Springfield shelter for a month. Both little boys are very loveable and sweet, and they were BORN TO SHOW! They loved every minute of being in the show hall and show ring, and let nothing bother them. They were kissing and headbutting judges the whole weekend. They were adopted on Sunday by fellow HHP/Premier exhibitor friends who will keep showing them. Their names were Dinky and Brian, and will show under their new names, Buzz and Woody,” stated Cindy.

Kenny Currle, Regional Director

Ray Cherrington Passes

Long time fancier and Ocicat and Abyssinian breeder Ray Cherrington passed away March 2 in Middleburg, FL. Many exhibitors will remember him as show manager for the wonderful Absolutely Abyssinians shows held the first weekend of January. His wine and cheese parties on Saturday nights were a treat that all exhibitors looked forward too, especially as Ray provided the wine from his own collection.

He was preceded in passing by his beloved wife, Mona, who was also a guiding light in the region. They bred the first dilute Ocicat National Winner, and were founding members of the Ocicats International club.

The Southern Region awards banquet Saturday night will be held in Roanoke, VA at the Holiday Inn / Candlewood Suites Valley View (near the airport) on June 8. Information on the banquet, photos, and sponsorships should be available soon. Mark your calendar and plan to attend both the show and banquet. This banquet is being held in conjunction with our regional show both Saturday and Sunday at the Burgland Center. Information regarding the banquet will be on the region's website soon. The show flyer is already online here.

Atlanta Phoenix CC had its first show since COVID, and its show's theme was (appropriately enough) "Rising From the Ashes." Large number of cats competed in this show; in fact, they were able to award top 15 in championship and top 5 for champions.

Crab and Mallet produced their annual show last weekend. Again, a large entry in the show - in fact, they filled before official closing!

March 3rd is the Girls' Celebration Day in Japan and is called Hinamatsuri or Doll's Festival. This festival celebrates the birth and growth of girls by decorating doll stands. 

On festival days, we celebrate by eating cake ＆sushi.

Pam DelaBar, Regional Director

Orange Cat Club, Universal Cats Club, and 44 Gatti pooled their talents and conducted an outstanding 10 ring show in Padova, Italy on 24-25 February. The show was held in conjunction with ENFI, an Italian organization, and there were many crossover entries. The crowds were heavy both days of the show as Italians love cats. This was a Top 15 in championship super specialty show - 17 cats earned their grands!

We were happy to have Richard Maignaut, longhair judge from LOOF, back with us as guest judge, with our Clerk of the Year, Florent Fissot.

Ulrike Kneupple, shorthair associate judge, in her first assignment. She never stopped smiling.

Hard working master clerks Cristiano Perillo Marcone and Giulia Di Natale.

Our newest CFA judge in Region 9, Elena Podprugina.

Wonderful prizes for highest scoring in each category.

Jan Rogers, Chair ID-AWA

India

Bobby Wankhede of India CFA Cat club Elite Cat Fanciers Club organized and participated in a huge Pet Expo in Mumbai India on the 6th and 7th of January.  Over 35,000 cat enthusiasts attended the 2 day event which was produced in conjunction with PPPDA (Pets & Pet Products Dealers Association) who was primary sponsor of the event!

There were CFA pedigreed cats on display for the spectators to view and there were also handouts about CFA emphasizing the breeds , characteristics, health and importance of spaying and neutering. Included were a lot of fun facts about cats and debunking some of the myths of cats throughout history. There were QR codes generated for topics of all sorts , and by breeds of cats. It was truly a team effort by a lot of people and we are looking forward to the next. 

Kuwait

Kuwait Celebrates 12th Annual CFA Show

K-Kats has produced another stellar event showcasing CFA and an impressive array of gorgeous pedigreed and companion cats from several countries.  Sandra Al-Sumait and her able team put together a large spectator friendly expo with many pet product sponsors.  

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