Cat Association of Tasmania (Inc.) Newsletter

Transcription

1 Cat Association of Tasmania (Inc.) Newsletter January 2018 Welcome to the 1 st CAT Inc. Newsletter for My apologies for not producing one since March, but as there has been little in the way of material except lots of minutes it seemed wise to hold back until there was more to convey! The last issue of the Newsletter was as a result of my being invited by the committee to undertake the task. Now I am a member of the committee again after many, many years absence and I see once again the enormous amount of work the committee members do for the organisation. After the AGM in April, I had hoped to bring you a revised 2016/17 President s report and that was one of the reasons the Newsletter was held back. You may remember that at the AGM the President agreed to provide a president s annual report, which included information about CAT Inc. membership, shows and other activities, but sadly this report has not been provided. So we go to print anyway. Since the AGM 5 committee meetings have been held. I have included key points from the minutes of these meetings in later pages. Also, I feel very privileged to include a couple of items from the late Gillian Little, who had collected for the Newsletter when she was editor. Thank you, Greg, for forwarding these to me. Many of you may be aware that on October 7 Kelly Lester resigned from the committee and CAT Inc. and Steve Lester resigned from the position of President. This meant that as he did not hold an elected position or club representative position at that time, he stood down from committee. Both Kelly and Steve committed a great deal of time and energy to the committee and we thank them for their service. As a consequence of this, Lorraine Stevens (Vice President) became Acting President and members of committee completed secretarial duties. Our new Secretary, Leanne Gibbons, has now advised you that Jill Davey has been elected by the committee to fulfil the role of President. Despite any rumours to the contrary, at no time was the committee unconstitutional. On a lighter note, in 2017 two new Life Members were added to CAT Inc., Greg Little and Bev Briers. Congratulations to you both. (More on this later in newsletter.) There have also been successful and friendly shows where co-operation seemed to produce the best outcomes for exhibitors and those officiating. It is hoped that we can continue this into a successful Helen Farmer NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING: Sunday 4 th Feb 11.30am Claremont RSL 1

2 FROM THE REGISTRAR TITLES AWARDED APRIL NOVEMBER 2017 Champion APRIL Mesmereyes Odetta Nikita (WA) JULY Alizmah Miz Mooz OCTOBER Florencia Lady De Montanna (NZ) Mayatiki Indiana Jnr Grand Champion OCTOBER CH Mayatiki Indiana Jnr* CH Mayatiki Candy Crystal* Double Grand Champion OCTOBER GD CH Mayatiki Candy Crystal* GD CH Mayatiki Indiana Jnr* CAT Inc. Bronze Award OCTOBER *Full titles now read: Bronze DGC ACF AOE Mayatiki Candy Crystal Bronze DGC ACF AOE Mayatiki Indiana Jnr K. Lester C. & H. Mahoney M. Hume NEW MEMBERS Mike Sherwood (April) Robin Davey (April) Selina Ahel (May) Kerry Webb (July) Leanne Stewart (July) Wendy Small (October) Kaline Cazaly (November) Barbara Watson (December) and PLEASE! Breeders please ensure that all kittens born in a litter are registered in the litter registration process. This includes kittens that are to be pets. 2

3 LABCC s 50th Anniversary Who can forget the CAKE! This celebration at the LABCC show on the 9th of July marked a momentous occasion. What a history it has been with so many amazing figures of the Australian cat fancy either being members of the club, or judging for or exhibiting with the club. It seems like yesterday that the first LABCC show took place. I showed a ginger tabby domestic kitten called Bluey and was absolutely overwhelmed by the amazing pedigree cats on show almost all were either Siamese or Persian, and we re talking in numbers rarely seen these days. It was a very big deal in Launceston - a major PR coup for cats. Radio of course had helped spread the word as Tops Jowett was a major media voice in Launceston at the time and a key figure in the establishment of LABCC. We were all turned out of the hall for judging, of course. No such thing as the Australian open style shows here, in fact it wouldn t have even been imagined at this time. Every show was modelled on the GCCF UK example - and all officials were white coated and officious! I was very impressed by the silver trophy I (I mean Bluey) collected after the show opened to exhibitors and public but alas, as I told those of you who were at the anniversary show, poor Bluey was killed on the road outside our house two days later. Again how things have changed most of us now keep our cats safe at night, but few would have considered confining a domestic cat 50 years ago. So of course a period of mourning set in. My father (a dour Scotsman not given to emotion) was so concerned about his grief-stricken daughter that he suggested if I was going to be so involved then perhaps we should get a proper show cat and treat it accordingly. And so with the help of the Jowett family I became the proud owner of a blue Persian neuter Kismet Beau Royal (aka Fritz). And the rest is history It goes to show that you can hook youngsters to the cat fancy with a little bit of forethought. Remember, my family had no background in the cat fancy so first get them to the shows with their moggies and make sure they get trophies! 3

4 Cat of the Year 2017 Top 5 placings listed no titles included Cats not otherwise noted are Tasmanian bred. Longhair Cat Mayatiki Indiana Junior L Stevens Birman Spellbound Abigail L Gaze Birman Cordalba The President (Q) J Evans Norwegian Forest Cat Mayatiki Candy Crystal L Stevens Birman Spellbound Natasha L Gaze Birman At Left: Mayatiki Indiana Junior Longhair Cat of the Year 2017 Longhair Kitten Starborn King Edward K Walker Norwegian Forest Cat Mayatiki Tanzanite L Stevens Birman Mayatiki Anastasia L Stevens Birman Spellbound Penelope L Gaze Birman Bonniebrae Matilda N & B Briers Birman At Left: Starborn King Edward Longhair Kitten of the Year

5 Longhair Neuter Mayatiki Xanthus A Sherwood Birman Starborn Son of Odin K Walker Norwegian Forest Cat Bonniebrae Cavalier K & S Lester Birman Fairwind Major Tom K Sproule Norwegian Forest Cat Ngalla Simone B Duke Norwegian Forest Cat At Left: Mayatiki Xanthus Longhair Neuter of the Year 2017 Shorthair Cat Alizmah Black is Back H & C Mahoney Cornish Rex Jabring Usain Bolt (ACT) M Hume Bengal Mesmereyes Odetta Nikita (WA) K & S Lester Burmilla Alizmah Miz Mooz H & C Mahoney Cornish Rex Tijah Marimeeko (ACT) M Hume Bengal Shorthair Kitten Alizmah Bowie H & C Mahoney Cornish Rex Jabring Van Diemans Land (ACT) M Hume Bengal Templeton Ice Dancer (SA) C Hawkes Siamese Alizmah Black Betty H & C Mahoney Cornish Rex Crinklewood Invictus Me (NSW) A Hawkes Devon Rex 5

6 Shorthair Neuter Templeton Tango Terrific (SA) C Hawkes Oriental Shorthair Jelgava Pachua J Davey Russian Kanchenjunga Tizz R Roberts-Thomson Selkirk Longhair Templeton Ice Dancer (SA) C Hawkes Siamese Tiffyan Dalziel McIntosh (SA) M Watson Oriental Shorthair At left: Templeton Tango Terrific Shorthair Neuter of the Year 2107 Companion Pet Scandal Matches (V) Pebbles Bounty on Baloo Princess Crystal N & B Briers L Smith T Lowes E Townsend (continued over) L Stewart At left: Scandal Companion Pet of the Year

7 Trivia about these results and last year s! In Shorthair Cat Black is Back was BACK gaining top position two years in a row. Tango Terrific topped out again, this time in Shorthair neuter after taking out shorthair kitten last year. Also Pachua, 5 th place kitten from last year was reserve neuter this year. In Shorthair neuter McIntosh made another appearance in Top 5. Also in Shorthair Nikita, made it to 3 rd cat this year after being 4 th kitten last year. In the Longhair section Candy Crystal, top cat last year re-appeared in the top 5 in 4 th place. Major Tom reserve kitten last year was 4 th neuter this year. Interesting switcheroo in Longhair Neuter, as Xanthus and Odin reversed their best and reserve placings from last year, and Cavalier made another appearance in Top 5. Abigail 4 th kitten last year became Reserve Cat this year. In Companion Scandal and Matches went toe to toe again with Scandal becoming Top Companion once more. It s also worth noting that some of these cats have appeared even earlier in Top 5 Cat of the Year placings including Xanthus, Candy Crystal, Odin, McIntosh, and Scandal (2015) Odin, Black is Back and McIntosh (2014) and Black is Back (2013 and 2012). And that s as far back as I ve gone! I ve probably missed someone it s always risky playing these games so I apologise if I ve missed your cat. The point is quality endures and isn t it great that most of the cats appearing in the lists are Tassie bred? Congratulations to all winners and place getters. Further news on Cat Food Thanks to Choice for following up on these issues. From Choice website 8th May Popular pet food Best Feline Friend (BFF) by Weruva has been recalled amid fears it is causing cats to fall gravely ill. The recall described by Weruva as being in early stages has been caused by batches [of food] alleged to have contributed to the death of family cats. The Best Feline Friend range of canned food is specifically formulated by American company Weruva for the Australian market, and is exclusively distributed through the retail chain Petbarn. And in an update on 25 th May 2017 The company identified the problem as a shortage of Vitamin B1 (thiamine) in the product. Apparently some neurological symptoms show similarities to heavy metal toxicity. 7

8 The company is asking customers to return BFF cans with 'best by' dates ranging from September 2018 through to October 2019 for a refund. Further testing is underway, the company claims, to analyse the details of reported cases. Customers who believe their pet may have been affected by thiamine deficiency are being asked to contact Weruva at health@weruva.com or by phone on And also from 10 th October 2017: A Shonky win and a referral to the competition watchdog [have] prompted Coles to clean up the packaging of its Complete Cuisine cat food. CHOICE gave Coles a Shonky award in early October for branding its cat food as 'complete' in large font on the front of its can. Shoppers in a rush could easily assume it would be nutritionally complete food for their beloved pet, unless they studied the fine print on the back of the can, which confirms it's too low in fat to qualify as a complete meal. The product has since been referred to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for allegedly breaching consumer law. Also check out this link for an in depth analysis of pet parasite protection include information about many products: 8

9 Life Membership of CAT Inc. Greg Little This is an edited version of the nomination presented by Lesley Morgan at the AGM Greg and Gillian Little were showing and breeding Orientals and Abyssinians in Victoria when during the mid 90 s that they started combining social weekends with their friends Donna and Leigh Johnson in Hobart and exhibiting cats in Tasmania. In fact, they became almost as regular exhibitors here in Tasmania as many CAT Inc. members. It helped that Greg worked for Ansett! Greg had started his judging (Group 3 with FCCV) and Gillian was FCCV s delegate to CCCA meetings on occasion. Once they moved to Tasmania in 2001, it was inevitable that the Littles would become involved here, too. So began a 15 year very dedicated commitment to CAT Inc., not just as member/exhibitor/breeder supporters, but as active members of the CFCT committee, foundation members of DCC and of course, members of CAT Inc. s own committee. After serving in other capacities, Greg was a natural choice as President in 2009 and invaluable as 2 nd committee person representing CAT Inc. at ACF level. Lesley Morgan express her personal appreciation of having him sitting next to her at national AGM s, with his no-nonsense attitude, grasp of the issues at hand and nifty footwork in suggesting amendments to ACF motions which often helped achieve CAT Inc. s end. When Greg and Gillian arrived in Tasmania, they were still breeding glorious abys. They ventured into NFO and acquired a (stroppy) JBS. But for some years now, they weren t breeding, nor exhibiting. Greg, like a few of the long-term old lags in CAT Inc., had nothing to gain from sustaining his interest in the organisation. Serving CAT Inc. was what it was all about. He was not an exhibitor, nor in any way a beneficiary of CAT Inc. shows or other functions. And serve it, he did, with his own brand of stoicism. Whilst this is all about Greg, Gillian Little, who obviously is inextricably linked in the whole scheme of things, must be included. That Greg somehow coped with the personal tragedies happening on the home front whilst still giving 95% to CAT is pretty remarkable. The events, which preceded his resignation from committee, are most regrettable, but we can all understand very much how enough can be enough. Awarding of life membership is not something undertaken lightly. It s not a long service award. But for his sustained, concentrated, multi-faceted and extensive service Greg Little was accorded life membership at this meeting. And from Greg came the following message: I wish to thank Lesley Morgan for nominating me and the committee and members for being awarded the honour of life membership of CAT Inc. It was truly a surprise and, 9

10 as I said, I was rather stunned. I would have said a few words of thanks but unfortunately I became quite emotional and rather lost for coherent words. Kind Regards, Greg. Life Membership of CAT Inc. Beverley Briers The words in italics were used for the nomination for life membership on 27 th May 2017 Mrs Beverley Briers joined the cat fancy in 1970 and has been a registered breeder and exhibitor for 47 years; Bev registered 162 kittens between 2006 and 2016 alone. Bev has been a very dedicated member of CAT Inc. and has made frequent appearances as an observer at committee meetings with husband, Neville, and has occasionally been convinced to stand in as TSSF s representative at these committee meetings. Bev has been an enthusiastic member of the clubs she has joined. She has served diligently on club committees, working at shows and fund raising on a large scale. Bev s dedication to her Birman breed is famous throughout Australia, and no doubt beyond. Her advice to new members and breeders is much sought after and highly respected. Congratulations Bev on being awarded Life Membership. SNIPPETS FROM COMMITTEE MEETINGS APRIL At this meeting, which followed the AGM the new committee elected its Secretary (K. Lester) and Treasurer (M. Watson), as well as its delegates to ACF Inc. (L. Morgan 1 st and K. Lester 2 nd ) A fund-raising sub-committee was formed comprising the President, Secretary, Treasurer plus J. Evans, M. Hume and D. Sproule. The Registrar would undertake some amendments of litter registration forms and present at next meeting. MAY It was agreed that CAT Inc. should have a social media policy. A. Sherwood will look into this and come up with a draft. Concerns were expressed about advertising on Gumtree of underage kittens apparently the result of using the site s default settings. So if you do this be aware and adjust to kittens correct ages. 10

11 The storage of CAT Inc. archives continues to be an issue. State archives have expressed an interest in some material. There was a lot of discussion about the updating of the material contained in the folders that CAT Inc. reps use. An electronic format shared amongst show secretaries for printing out on the day is considered most efficient. An electronic form of the judges licence is also to be created. It was agreed that some of the cage maintenance fund be used for cage maintenance, but first there had to be a count of CAT Inc. cages held at the showgrounds. Mrs Beverley Briers was nominated for life membership and confirmed as such. At this meeting the committee carried a motion that all disciplinary matters be held in closed session; that non-members not be allowed to remain in the room while such matters are heard and in the interests of natural justice, a copy of the complaint be forwarded to the member before any meeting can deal with the matter. JULY Storage of CAT Inc. archives continues to be an issue. New litter registration form proposed by Registrar, Carlyne Hills, was accepted. Cat of the Year categories changed in Rule 11.3 to Longhair and Shorthair (rather than G1, 2 and 3) and Companion Pet (from Domestic Pet and Companion Cat). Cage maintenance update currently the RAST were looking for (their) cages, which they believed were missing. It was acknowledged that many committee members and other members contribute a great deal to CAT Inc. by hosting judges gratis, but sometimes it is necessary for expenses to be claimed. The Cat Management Plan (DPIPWE) continues to be an issue for discussion, especially their role as a registering body. Lines of communication are being kept open. AUGUST Some fees had to be increased to cover costs. These were kept to a minimum. A letter is to be sent to DPIPWE regarding the difficulties with the Microchipping Database system that is currently in use, especially when a transfer takes place from breeder to new owner. The committee carried a motion to the effect that it is the owner s responsibility to microchip, rather than the breeder s. Obviously the sharing of this information between breeder and owner is critical. The Registrar is preparing a contract for this. 11

12 OCTOBER Committee meetings are moving to Claremont RSL. There appeared to be some confusion about the ACF Inc. Award with the ACF Inc. AOE at a recent show. In the case of the ACF Inc. Award, only one is given at each show whereas the ACF Inc. AoE is awarded in each adult section of a group. A winner in a group or section does not automatically receive the ACF Award; in fact it may not reflect the exhibit s position in any show class. All exhibits are eligible and it is given in recognition of something unique in that exhibit for example for representing significant progress in a breed or an exceptional coat colour. It does not lead to any titles. There is no further news on Cat Management Plan. Clubs holding meetings at shows run by another club should seek permission from the host club to do so, as a matter of courtesy. If anyone knows anything about an Entertainment Book taken from last show (September) without payment, please advise Treasurer Moira Watson. 12