CATEGORIES

My First Cat
Cat Talk

My First Cat

First Cats. We all have that special very first cat—the one that we had as a child, or perhaps the first one when we had a home of our own. Maybe one found us, and we hadn’t realized that we needed a cat until then. Or perhaps this special cat was a first rescue, first pedigreed cat or first show cat. These are the stories of some of those special cats.

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5 mins  |
June 2020
Peaceful Coexistence in “Cat-tivity”
Cat Talk

Peaceful Coexistence in “Cat-tivity”

Fanciers with a social media presence have recently been deluged with cute posts about our new four-footed furry supervisors.

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10+ mins  |
June 2020
Living With Covid-19 CFA Style
Cat Talk

Living With Covid-19 CFA Style

As a retired teacher, this writer is amazed at the change in sentiment and the growth of generosity among both businesses and individuals.

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8 mins  |
June 2020
FUR NAMES
Cat Talk

FUR NAMES

FROM THE FILES OF: Mollie shutt

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2 mins  |
June 2020
Facebook during Covid-19! Now What?
Cat Talk

Facebook during Covid-19! Now What?

We now have gone several weeks without cat shows, with no inkling of when they may start up again. When will cat shows start up again, and what will that look like?

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3 mins  |
June 2020
What You Don't Know About... Burmillas
Cat Talk

What You Don't Know About... Burmillas

Shades of Elegance

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9 mins  |
April 2020
CBD and Pets
Cat Talk

CBD and Pets

More Questions Than Answers

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3 mins  |
April 2020
Birthing 101
Cat Talk

Birthing 101

How Kittens Get Here from There

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4 mins  |
April 2020
Queens Candilee Jackson Choose the Strangest Delivery Spots
Cat Talk

Queens Candilee Jackson Choose the Strangest Delivery Spots

I remember well the first litter of kittens I birthed on my own. I was excited to finally have kittens to show under my new cattery name, Pawdancer. At the same time, I felt like the fictional Prissy from Margaret Mitchell’s novel, Gone With The Wind and her famous quote, “But Miss Scarlett, I don’ know nothin’ ‘bout birthin’ no babies!” I read everything I could lay my hands on, visited my vet at least ten times during the final week or so (the office staff finally just waved me into an exam room without getting my charts), consulted with my mentors and non-mentors, laid in enough birthing supplies for a small army and as the “watch” date approached, I consulted the calendar at least five times a day. I fixed up a toddler’s playpen with two soft, washable beds—one for delivery and one for after delivery, food and water dishes, litter box and covered the removeable plywood top (painted baby pink) and mesh of the playpen with warm pink fleece. All was ready. The only thing I DID NOT prepare for was Jazzlynn, my mother-to-be. While I really did not know Jazzy’s thoughts on all this preparation, her inscrutable eyes, half-closed in thought, watched the process and a little smirk crossed her muzzle. Little did I realize she had made plans of her own.

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9 mins  |
April 2020
My First Cat
Cat Talk

My First Cat

First Cats. We all have that special very first cat—the one that we had as a child, or perhaps the first one when we had a home of our own. Maybe one found us, and we hadn’t realized that we needed a cat until then. Or perhaps this special cat was a first rescue, first pedigreed cat or first show cat. These are the stories of some of those special cats.

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7 mins  |
April 2020
Inside the CFA Credentials Committee
Cat Talk

Inside the CFA Credentials Committee

The “Inspectors of Election” is the formal term referred to in New York Not-For-Profit Law that applies to CFA operations. The group has been called “tellers” in previous meetings. As a group this also constitutes the “Credentials Committee.”

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7 mins  |
April 2020
State Breeder Laws Every Resident Fancier Should Know!
Cat Talk

State Breeder Laws Every Resident Fancier Should Know!

CFA State Breeder Law Series, Part 2 - States of the Gulf Shore Region: Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and Tennessee

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10 mins  |
April 2020
Defining Breed Differences IN 3D
Cat Talk

Defining Breed Differences IN 3D

We cat aficionados know about the fabulous variety of cat breeds—just compare a Siamese to a Persian, or a Singapura to a Maine Coon. But to most of the world—and I’m sorry to mention the D-word in CatTalk—it is dogs that are the kings of diversity; cats are thought to all be much the same, except for superficial differences in coat color and length. The great variety of dogs is backed up by scientific research showing that the variation in head shape among dog breeds far outstrips the differences among wild canid species, such as wolves and foxes.

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3 mins  |
April 2020
My First Cat
Cat Talk

My First Cat

Beginning a Family Legacy

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3 mins  |
February 2020
The Use of Melatonin as Birth Control in Female Cats
Cat Talk

The Use of Melatonin as Birth Control in Female Cats

“My girl kept me up all night long! What can I do to stop the howling? I need some sleep!” says the newbie breeder.“Have you tried giving her melatonin?” says the experienced breeder. “It really knocks mine out of heat in a hurry!”

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3 mins  |
February 2020
What You Don't Know About...Maine Coon Cats
Cat Talk

What You Don't Know About...Maine Coon Cats

Behind the Gentle Giant

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10+ mins  |
February 2020
FIP Fighters
Cat Talk

FIP Fighters

Three Cats’ Tales of Hope

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9 mins  |
February 2020
CH Pasha Khepri of Emau, DM
Cat Talk

CH Pasha Khepri of Emau, DM

My First Pedigreed Cat

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2 mins  |
February 2020
Fur Names
Cat Talk

Fur Names

What is the story behind your cta's name? To be considered for future Fur-Names articles, please contact Mollie at molliewog@gmail.com

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3 mins  |
October 2019
Homecoming - Forever Home For All
Cat Talk

Homecoming - Forever Home For All

For our felines, homecoming might be finding the perfect forever home, or finding their way back home again. In this issue, we take a look at cats who have done just that—come home, again.

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4 mins  |
October 2019
Living With Korats Is Kaotic!
Cat Talk

Living With Korats Is Kaotic!

“Move over, rabbit’s foot.

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4 mins  |
October 2019
Eclipse Is Missing!
Cat Talk

Eclipse Is Missing!

It was every exhibitor's worst nightmare—losing a cat in or from a show hall! Fortuately for both Melissa and Eclipse they were reunited.

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3 mins  |
October 2019
Cat Talk

Cat Genetics 101

Part 2: Feline Genetic Testing

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10+ mins  |
December 2017
What's A Bodega Cat?
Cat Talk

What's A Bodega Cat?

What's A Bodega Cat?

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3 mins  |
December 2017
The Cat That Saved A Pig
Cat Talk

The Cat That Saved A Pig

The Cat That Saved A Pig

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3 mins  |
December 2017
Cat Talk

Researching Legislators: What Fanciers Need To Know

Researching Legislators: What Fanciers Need To Know

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6 mins  |
December 2017
I Wish I Had Know Then...
Cat Talk

I Wish I Had Know Then...

…what I know now! Although we all must have uttered this lament at some point in our lives, every single breeder, exhibitor, and judge in the cat fancy is guaranteed to have said this phrase while reflecting on their hobby of choice. Cat Talk writer Jean Aldrich asked a variety of people in CFA what they wished that they had known when they started down many of the paths that CFA offers. In this issue we look at what exhibitors wished they had known at their first show, and judges pondering their first assignments. In our February “Breeding” issue, we ask breeders what they had known way back when.

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3 mins  |
December 2017
time in a bottle
cat talk

time in a bottle

“time in a bottle” consists of a magical time capsule of things we would like to see the cat fancier of 100 years from now know from our life in cfa. this time capsule can contain, anyone, anything, any memory --- and that person, thing and memory will be as alive, vibrant and wonderful as the day you put it in. it can be submitted with a name or anonymously. our only rule is it must be something that has positively influenced you in cfa.

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3 mins  |
october 2016
the cfa ambassador program and the pet me! cats
cat talk

the cfa ambassador program and the pet me! cats

the southwest region 5 annual meeting in las vegas, nevada, was a wonderful week of education, meeting old friends and making new ones, and surprises!

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3 mins  |
october 2016
From Show Cat To Therapy Cat
Cat Talk

From Show Cat To Therapy Cat

Sometimes good things turn out even better than expected. That pretty much sums up first-time exhibitor Deena Stevens’ experiences with her shaded silver Persian, GC Castlegate’s Khoja of AsyuWishPurr. As a show cat, Khoja placed second in the Silver/Golden division in Region 2 as both a kitten and an adult, and 10th overall in the CFA Silver/Golden division in the 2016-2017season. As a therapy cat, he brought joy and extra benefits to seniors with serious illnesses.

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4 mins  |
October 2017