Winterissue2011 March 3 - Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers

The Official Publication of the Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association
Winter 2011
The Scratch Sheet
...
Mainerd Sez...
When the icicles
start blowing sideways, you know it’s
time to retreat to a
cozy corner with a
Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow....No cold tootsies for us!
good book. This winter has certainly
been one to make
hermits of us all—
here and abroad.
One German breeder
has gotten so bored,
she’s started
translating The
Merry Maines into
German! Only
problem is...she
can’t decide which
dialect to have the “Awk! Is that the abominable snowman?”
“Dibs on the 3-legged squirrel!”
cats all speak.
Somehow, the
thought of the
aristocratic Bhu Fan
pontificating in
German presents a
mind-boggling
Picture. Now
Hawkeye, he wants
to know if he can
speak German with a
Maine
accent…Achtüng:
‘N Dis is wot happens when ya get a
But Valentine's Day is Here!
Ayuh!
haircut at the wrong time of year!
The Scratch Sheet
Winter 2011
Page two
Letters to the Editor...
From: Sherry Campbell <[email protected]>
Sent: Fri, November 19, 2010 7:31:40 AM
Subject: Re: [mcats] Raw Diet Controversy
I have been feeding a partially raw diet for many
years. Since 2005 consistently. Initially I used the
frozen, prepared raw diets from mfg's like Bravo or
Aunt Jennie or Blue Ridge (which is not a complete diet).
I started this permanently on the recommendation
of Elizabeth Hodgkins - the veterinarian who used
to breed ocicats and who wrote the book, "Your
Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger
Life" by Elizabeth M. Hodgkins, DVM, Esq.
(available on Amazon). I know Elizabeth from the
many years I bred and showed ocicats.
But initially I became interested in raw because of
Anitra Frazier and "The Natural Cat," which I read
right after I got into cats in 1994. I made many raw
diets myself following her instructions. But her instructions were based on cats needing grains and
therefore, I believe she has written a new book but
I've not read it.
I'm sure many of you are familiar with the Winn
study that concluded we could feed cats the most
expensive dry food available and they would still
be better off, health-wise, to eat the cheapest
canned food available because they are "obligate
carnivores" and as such, can only use 2.5% of
their diet as carbohydrates. (The "average" dry
food is from 30% to 40% carbs.) Cats don't need
any grain and they don't need cranberries and
blueberries and rosemary and carrots and all the
other things mfg's put in cat food to make it sound
as if it is healthy for a human or dog.
So dry food is a terrible thing to feed cats and we
all do it because of cost and convenience and pet
owners. But this knowledge about carbs has generated an industry-wide surge in dry food that is
"much lower" in carb content, such as Evo and
Taste of the Wild and Indigo Moon and Origin, etc.
We who primarily have "whole" cats are not faced
with the obesity problems that pet owners are,
though many of us have spays and neuters too.
Dry food causes obesity and it is thought that the
surge in diabetes and kidney disease in cats is
directly linked to dry food (I suppose the way the
surge in obesity in humans is linked to our diet.) So
the pet food industry is "trying" to lower carbs in order to compete with the raw food industry, knowing
everyone really wants to believe they should feed
dry.
Dr. Hodgkins believes, from her research and experience, that many skin issues and immune system
reactions in cats are probably based on some allergic reaction to the carbs in dry food. No one knows
why - whether it is an allergy to corn or wheat or
whether it is a reaction to the pesticides used on
those grains. But years and years and years (or
generations) of concentrated feeding of these products has affected the health of our cats. We as humans eat a tremendous variety of diet. Cats eat a
very controlled diet which we provide. It consists of
several brands of dry food and several brands of
canned food and that is that. For the cat's whole life,
it eats the same thing day in and day out. We find
this works because cats seem to have a difficult
time adjusting to new things in their diet but this is
perhaps because we always feed them the same
thing. If from weaning, we rotated their food as
much as we rotate our own, perhaps they would be
more flexible. But it would be a nightmare for us.
I currently feed raw ground beef heart (which is
what Dr. Hodgkins recommends, as it is a muscle
meat and filled with more nutrition, such as taurine).
I buy this heart from my local grocery store and it is
human grade and they grind it for me. I bring it
home and freeze it. I used to "bother" with soaking
the meat in a diluted solution of grapefruit seed extract, as that is a natural way to kill most bacteria
and staph and strep. I no longer do this as I haven't
found it necessary.
I mix this ground heart with Friskies canned pate about half and half - and I feed this to all my cats
twice a day. For dry, I (currently) feed Origin 6
Fishes dry and leave it out for them to graze on.
But the most fabulous part of feeding raw is the effect it has on weaning kittens. If you wean kittens
directly onto raw (which I mix with a bit of water so
Continued on page 3
The Scratch Sheet
.Letters To The Editor
Winter 2011
continued from page 2...
they can lick it up), they do extremely well. They
thrive on it. The step in weaning, that often happens, where the kittens struggle with diarrhea, just
doesn't happen. Then at about 9 to 10 weeks, I
gradually introduce canned as I know I have to have
them on canned by the time they leave. Some have
an interest in dry. Some do not.
I have not had, in these 5 years, cats become ill
from feeding them a raw diet. Instead my cats seem
to have gorgeous coat texture with lovely shine.
I could certainly switch to an all-canned diet with
dry. But I would feel the cats needed three meals a
day of canned in order for them to not rely heavily
on dry.
When you don't feed much dry, cats no longer get
hairballs, no longer vomit regularly. That is somehow all about dry food. When I used to feed only dry
food, my house was just stains of brown where cats
had thrown up and that was just the way it was.
Now that is very rare.
Just my experience. We are all different and do different things and have experiences that support our
beliefs.
Sherry Campbell
Mainesuspect Maine Coons
Page three
Good morning
It would be rather easy for me to minimize breeding
but that would be unfair, as many breeders spend
countless hours and expend an equal amount of expense and concern. It is the latter:”concern” that those
of us who desire a really cool pure-bred cat to love and
live with that is important. I fully realized that any purebred cat is going to have some sort of issues, anyone
who believes otherwise is fooling themselves, or has
not done their homework. Bringing a pure-bred cat into
one’s home requires love and attention to details, simply being able to put down the money required will not
make one a good parent.
It is unfortunate that all too many breeders are willing to pass on a kitten to anyone and with the exchange over, they step out of the picture. Even more
sad are breeders who do not stand behind their kittens,
failing to take responsibility and blaming the new owners for everything. Cats are living, breathing individuals
who require care, respect and understanding, and that
begins with the breeder.
The good news is that there are breeders such as
Mike Jacobi, a breeder who can be found by reputation
rather than through advertising. Mike breeds Maine
Coons at Maine Chance and he distinguishes himself
by not only supporting the values and ideals of CFA,
MCBFA and TICA, but takes the extra step to bring
reality to these values, rather than simply lip service
with a plaque to be hung on the wall. I was totally delighted with the extensive questioning Mike and I engaged in even before seeing a kitten, but what really
surprised me was his willingness to be part of my kitten’s health after the kitten came into my home. At
every step along the kittens’ development, Mike has
been willing to answer any and all questions, has taken
time to speak with my veterinarian on several occasions, apprising her of the science of his techniques
and aspects to look for when considering the kitten’s
health and well being.
It is my wish that there were some sort of consideration or acknowledgment, where breeders such as Mike
could be singled out for their honesty, loyalty, efforts
and most of all, true love for the kittens they bring into
the world. The breeder is the foundation of a cat’s life
and health. The love and care they show will be displayed through the kitten. At the core of Mike’s concern
is personality and just seeing one of his offspring will
put a smile on your face. His kittens are engaged and a
delight to be around. Of course, as a person who wants
to show his cats, he also strives for body type, colour
and perfection, but not at the expense of personality.
I didn’t want a show cat. I wanted a Maine Coon to
be part of our family, and thanks to Mike that’s what I
received. With him in my corner, I fully expect Mr.
Jones will have a long and healthy life.
Jenell Kesler
Brookhaven, Pennsylvania
The Scratch Sheet
Winter 2011
Page four
Team Swiss, those intrepid hockey players owned by Sylvia Calzavara-Widmer take to the ice
Okay, guys, where’s the puck?
Get Ready for the Hat Trick!
Cross-checked: FOUL!
You’re supposed to hit it, not eat it!
Face Off
HE SCORES!
Into the penalty box with you, guy!
Okay, Puck’s lost: we win!
The Scratch Sheet
Winter 2011
Page five
The popularity of the Maine Coon
over the past 20 years in the Netherlands
by Anneke Kuys (cattery Patchwork), English edited by Riette van Beek (cattery Nidoba)
The Maine Coon was introduced in the Dutch FIFé associations in the eighties of the last century. After this time, the popularity of the semi-longhair breeds in general, and of the Maine Coon
in particular, has grown enormously. We thought it would be interesting to look at some numbers
in various associations. Do they all show the same picture? And – we are not talking ‘type’ here!
We have looked at the number of litters. Unfortunately, not all associations record these data in
a similar manner – and some do not give out these data!
To get an idea of the popularity of the Maine Coon in the Netherlands we looked at the number
of litters per year and compared these with some large associations in other countries. In some
countries the number of litters is not recorded, but rather the number of kittens for which a pedigree is obtained. Therefore, one graph shows the number of litters and the other the number of
kittens per year.
We were able to get data from that and those members who have switched associations. Apart
from that the growing interest for the Maine Coon in independent associations has started later
than in FIFé associations. The total average is reasonably constant the last couple of years. Although it sometimes looks like 4 different associations in the Netherlands. In Felikat, the number of litters peaked in 2004, and then decreased. In Mundikat and two independent associations we see a continuing rise. One wonders what has happened in Felikat in 2004. The most
likely explanation is new breeders are starting about every day, apparently also many breeders
quit breeding which is less notable.
Jinksette and sire
The Scratch Sheet
Winter 2011
Page six
And the situation in USA (CFA en TICA), France(LOOF) and England (GCCF).
In CFA and TICA we also see a movement downwards that may be stabilizing. Remarkable is
the rising popularity in France (LOOF). All cat associations of France are united in LOOF, under
pressure of the government, which yields a dependable view of the country. This in contradiction
with the facts of CFA or TICA who both operate worldwide but are mainly active in the USA. And
in England GCCF also does not have the absolute power anymore.
Top 10 Popular Breeds
CFA 3rd rank (nr. 1 Persian, nr. 2 Exotic)
TICA 3rd rank (nr. 1 Bengal, nr. 2 Ragdoll)
LOOF 3rd rank (nr. 1 Persian, nr. 2 Sacred Birman)
GCCF 4th rank (nr. 1 British Shorthair, nr. 2 Siamese, nr. 3 Ragdoll)
Felikat 3rd rank ( only 1 litter short of nr. 2) (nr. 1 Sacred Birman, nr. 2 British Shorthair)
Of course in these surveys we only see a part of the Maine Coon population. In various other
countries in Europe, like Scandinavia and the Eastern bloc countries the breed is also very
popular but data are hard to come by.
What is striking in the Netherlands is a recent growing interest in white and high-white cats.
Whether the Maine Coon is subject to trends in a certain color could be a nice project. However,
it would be difficult to support with facts without extensive cooperation of the studbook secretaries. At most this could be realized by counting the cats and their color that are mentioned in
show catalogs.
Sources: CFA number of registered kittens by Lorraine Shelton, TICA ( Leslie Bowers), LOOF,
GCCF, Felikat, Mundikat, NvvK, NKFV
Special thanks to Laura Cunningham
The Scratch Sheet
Winter 2011
Page seven
Bacachan
Our pudding’shake, Our Buddy
Dearly Beloved, Forever Remembered
August 1, 1996—March 13. 2010
In September 2010, our 13 yr old cat, Bacachan became unexpectedly,
seriously ill. He had a history of food allergies, was allergic to fish (how ironic is that!). He would have intestinal difficulties when he ate something with fish in it. Due to some loose stools occurring, we changed his diet
per veterinary recommendations. Two days after the diet change, he had a severe health decline. He started
having blood in his stool and quickly escalated to severe intestinal bleeding, which he became anemic from and
collapsed.
Baca was transferred to ACCES (the local animal critical care hospital). He received a blood transfusion, IV
fluids, and gastroprotectants to stabilize him, as the doctors searched for the underlying cause of his intestinal
bleeding. After consulting with an internal medicine specialist and radiologist, Baca was taken into surgery to
look for the source of the bleeding and had an endoscopy done at the same time. In surgery they discovered
that he was bleeding from his colon and biopsies of his liver and intestines were taken. The laboratory returned
surprising results; he was suffering from liver abscesses, and an overgrowth of intestinal bacteria that was resistant to most antibiotics. It was a very serious bacterial infection that presented in a way that none of the specialists had seen before. After some investigating, it was concluded that his acute illness might be the result of
bacterial contamination in his cat food (lab tests done on a new food he had started right before the illness,
prompted questions about possible food contamination which may have caused the bacterial infection).
The team worked on trying to get him stabilized with a variety of medications. He would go through periods
of 3-5weeks of doing well and then would start to decline again. He was the mystery cat at ACCES, as the
team of doctors worked on trying to figure out what else might be happening to cause the random anemia.
They worked closely with us, tracking his progress and decline.
We had hopes in early 2010 that he was on an upswing, was doing well, and was energetic, back to his chatty
and persistent self!
We saw a decline start again in February 2010, he became weak again, less energy, sleeping more, eating less.
We talked together with the team and determined that there were no other recommended treatment options for
him. We were all frustrated, as it seemed that there was still some underlying issue that had yet to be found.
We had been open to the idea of euthanasia from the start of his illness. We did not want him to suffer and
would pursue further treatment only if it was recommended and would be focused on the goal of recovery, not
to just keep him alive for a limited time.
We are sad to say that early in 2010 we lost our dear Baca to the mystery illness. The medical team that had
worked so hard on his care was wonderful. The medical director and one of the techs that knew Baca well,
came to the house to perform the euthanasia. He passed in his favorite chair in our living room with family
with him.
We asked for a necropsy to be performed, as we and the medical team were hoping to find the long desired answer to what had been the core reason for his decline and then death.
perform the euthanasia. He passed away in his favorite chair in our living room with family with him.
continued on page 8
The Scratch Sheet
Winter 2011
Bacachan
Page eight
Continued from page 7...
The team at the Washington animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Pullman, WA did the necropsy. They
found that he had a mass in the upper wall of the colon. The mass was determined to be cancerous, a hemangiosarcoma. It was determined that the mass and its extension to the lumen of the colon was the cause of his
chronic bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract and was most likely the cause of the prolonged anemia. This type
of cancer is apparently unusual for a cat to get, especially in the area that it appeared in him. It also seemed surprising that he survived as long as he did with it.
We were glad to get some final answers to the mystery that had been with us for 6months.
It was a sad time for us as Baca had been with us for 13 years. He was quite a character, a great car and airplane traveler, chatty, and a good computer cat!
We have a great appreciation to the medical team that provided care for him and to the team of friends and
neighbors that helped with his home care throughout his illness. The kindness of others never ceases to amaze
us.
We hope that the information that was found in the necropsy is helpful for the medical team and others, for further knowledge regarding this rare situation that can happen in a cat.
The hospital that provided the medical care for Baca also runs a blood bank and blood donor program for cats
and dogs. We were so grateful to the program for their work in providing blood for Baca’s multiple transfusions, that we looked into the option for our younger cat Osha to become a donor. She passed all the screening
tests and became a donor in November 2010. It was exciting to hear that within 3-4 days of her first donation,
her blood was used for a patient at the hospital. She donates approximately every 4 months and each time does
quite well, enjoys the toy she gets to bring home after donation! Most importantly, we know that her donation
is helping other animals have an opportunity to recover from illness and live a healthy life.
For those with pets, we encourage you to check with your vet about whether or not there is a donor program in
your area and consider having your pet checked as a possible candidate for being a blood donor. It’s a remarkable service that we have a very personal appreciation for.
Gayle and Jerry Casson Seattle
Editor’s Notes: The first I knew of the blood bank for animals for Seattle was when Gayle sent me a copy of their
calendar and you’ll pardon me, I’m sure, if I say it gave me quite a lift. Their October donor was Coonmtn Osha-Beri.
I have to say, I’m a bit embarrassed as well. Jerry and Gayle had taken their little silver boy home with them in
2008—only when they took him in to be neutered, they were told the vet couldn’t do that: Osha was a girl! Yes, well,
I’m sure I’m not the only breeder ever made red-faced by such a mistake. When I apologized, Gayle said that was
okay—they’d acquired Baca as a girl! I knew, of course that Baca was very ill with a disease that was defying the
skill of Seattle’s best veterinarians and I felt badly for Baca and for Jerry and Gayle. When the necropsy finally gave
them some answers (which is a very distressing way to have to learn), I asked Gayle to write up the story as I felt
some of our members might somewhere along the line benefit by the knowledge. It was painful for Gayle, I know.
Baca was all the world to them. What I hadn’t expected was to learn that Seattle boasted a blood bank for cats and
dogs. This seemed almost impossible. But then veterinary care for cats and
dogs has come a very long way in the last decade—for which I am sure we are
all grateful. There’s still a lot out there that afflicts our Maine Coons but at least
they are now getting the attention they deserve. If you’d like to learn more about
blood banks in general and Seattle’s blood donor program in particular, you can
go to: [email protected] and www.Criticalcarevets.com.
Their phone number is 206-364-1660. And if you live up that way, I urge you to
check into the requirements for your cat becoming a donor. It could greatly
benefit someone’s beloved Baca and one could hope, one a bit luckier.
Kit
The Scratch Sheet
Winter 2011
Page nine
Cat Tree Cat-tastrophy…….
Many years ago at a cat show we acquired a cat
tree. A good one. Big, heavy, sturdy, built to last.
It did, a long time, under heavy use. Eventually
reaching a stage of decrepitude, it became evident
it needed replacing or re-carpeting.
Having paid three arms and a leg for it when new,
we weren't surprised to find the price had increased on one similar, though not as well built.
This not being a complicated piece of equipment
and I being the do-it-yourself type….. I thought “Ok
I’ll re-cover it!” After all I’ve re-covered a couch—
much more difficult—
I don’t know whether this falls under….”Oh, the well
of ignorance?” Or “This was the First mistake…”
Having taken the both of us and a hand cart to get
it out to the garage we thought a few zipps with the
drill and it would come apart. Then the carpet
would come right off—it was in tatters anyway.
New carpet salvaged from local carpet stores, staples etc. ready to go. We like ‘Projects’. Should
take a week, tops, if nothing came up.
Like with most men, its all about the Tools. Here
was the opportunity to Use the tools, Yea!! Only to
find the screws invisible, buried somewhere in the
aging carpet -which had obviously been put on with
Cement. Once found, larger and larger drills were
needed to even Budge the screws—most of which
were now, after considerable effort, stripped.
Now Mad and not to be beaten!; out comes the
hack saw, crow bar, sledge hammer and other assorted tools of mass destruction. Four days, a lot of
head scratching & one broken bolt later—it was
mostly in manageable pieces with one tube attached to its pole still defeating us.
Now it should be simple..right? Carpet came off
the poles with ease...but many long, deeply embedded staples remained. There were some halcyon moments of Indian summer breezes pulling
staples companionably on the porch….
Next, the tubes….This thing wasn't made of Carpet! Some perverse psychotic maniac had assembled this thing and used carpet to disguise what
must be cement tubes in a full metal jacket of itty
bitty tiny overlapping staples. This was a nightmare!
Evenings—many dripping sweat, trying to find
purchase with a flathead screwdriver under anything that might pull up far enough to use the
crow bar. Sitting in the driveway, feet against the
tube, grasping a swatch of carpet with a pair of
pliers big enough to have pulled teeth from a
dinosaur while John banged on the crow bar
with a sledgehammer the carpet gave way or
shredded one fiber at a time. Pricked fingers
making us wonder if our tetanus shots were up
to date were then followed by evenings of pulling staples out of our Gator shoes, (while our
neighbors razzed us for our efforts), before going in the house.
Time went by and every time we opened the garage door the staple infested monster, that had
taken over the whole garage, mocked us with
our inability to conquer it. In time, even rocks
give way to the incremental persistence of the
sea… Re-carpeting was a breeze. Assembly no
problem, well one broken hammer and few more
stripped screws...5 months later... we dragged
the monster back into the house with a deep
sense of accomplishment and the sure and certain knowledge that next time...we’re throwing it
out and starting from Scratch! Better yet, we’ll
smile and write the check.
The Scratch Sheet
Winter 2011
Page ten
ONE BAD BOTTLE OF TEQUILA….OR WHAT’S IN A NAME…..
Genealogy is a fascinating thing, there is something provoking in that list of names, that tracery
of branching lines. Who were they really?
Where were they from, what were they like? For
many it is a quest to discover their heritage.
For anyone that raises cats a Pedigree is just as
fascinating. Not only the basics of when they
were born and the pattern and color they carried.
But there in their names...listed for all to see, if
you know what you’re looking at. Who bred
them, the name they gave them, who owned
them, the Titles they carried. Beautiful Names.
Beautiful, lyrical, meaningful, magical, striking or
handsome names. Memorable Names.
Names are chosen for so many reasons. To follow a catteries Theme, honor a heritage, or feed
a whim. One of the most common naming formats is to use the Alphabet, the Alpha—Zeta
names to track the kittens by their litter over the
years. Names in the P litter from Persephone to
Pickles. Some use Movies, giving their litter the
names from what ever is popular at the time
DavyJones, Captain Jack, Nemo, Celine, and
Coral among them. Or songs, or Indian names
like Chilaili, Catori or— ? Endless variety can be
seen on any pedigree.
Then of course there are some….unbelievably awful names…...one just wonders how the heck anyone could hang such a horrible moniker on such a
beautiful cat. I suppose at some point after having
named a million kittens one would run out of ideas.
(not having reached that point myself ….)
I can see it now...maybe...ladies night around the
table at someone’s home sharing a few adult beverages, laughter and talk, solving the worlds problems, taking apart the lives of mutual friends...The
round robin naming of a few kittens must have
come a little late in the evening….
All I can think is it must have been one bad bottle
of Tequila to have hung Bimbo Cha Cha Cha on
This girl and then of course there was her sister….
Bimbo Sha Na Na….
Cant help but wonder, still, if she remembered
what she put on the blue slips or if it was a
Surprise!
When the Certificates came back in the mail…
HR
Most names are just ‘baby names’, given to identify them until they go on to their forever homes.
So when the phone rings and someone says ‘I
want the Red one you call—’? There is some
idea of which red one they're talking about!! But
sometimes these baby names actually make it to
a breeding Pedigree—not always with great results.
Most give some thought to the names they give
that will live on in the Pedigrees of breeding cats.
Names that can ‘follow’ from generation to generation in a long term breeding plan: Nightshade,
Starry Night, Wing Commander, Raven whatever:
Raven’s Wing, Raven Star, et cetera…
Some will use plays-on-words which can be very
inventive or very amusing. I remember Coonan
The Barbarian, Jackie Coonasis, Evel Cooneval,
Jack Coonedy...
You called me WHAT??
The Scratch Sheet
Winter 2011
Page eleven
Acts of Desperation and Other Strokes of Brilliance
Its been a cold winter just about everywhere..
None of the cats want to go out and spend time on
the screen porch. Everyone wants a cuddly spot
to curl up and snooze away the day, preferably
someplace with a view— of You. Not always possible in every room. Once the cat trees are occupied that leaves only the couches, chairs and table tops and if you’re like us, you find that suddenly there is no place to sit or work that a cat didn't beat you to first!
Every cat bed owned was out trying to combat the
freezing weather, lining the walls by the windows,
tucked here and there in chairs, to provide sufficient choices and perhaps keep them from occupying my husbands corner of the couch. Alas, so
many of them they had become..’clutter’.
Having reorganized the closets over the summer I
found, at the local Home Despot, a set of snap
together cubes, about $20 for a set of 4. A bunch
more were found at Goodwill for One dollar and
stashed in the garage for future use. I hadn't considered that they had other possibilities than mere
storage….
Having donned coat, gloves and scarf, I marched
to the garage to bring in some assorted supplies
for the afternoon’s labors and stumbling across
the stored ’cube’ parts, I grabbed some of those,
too, and headed back inside intending them for
the ever accumulating pile of books by the desk in
the office. There seemed to be plenty of help as
cubes were assembled on the living room floor..
Low and Behold they had all the allure of a cardboard box!!
Hmmm….Pushing the single two story stack
against the living room wall, tossing in some
nearby beds, I waited. Static books or craft supplies are one thing, heavy active cats and a single stack became obviously unstable. Back to
the garage, this time in the rain, bringing back
every piece I had. First four cubes then six went
together to be pushed beneath the windows. An
old sheet to keep the chill away and grant some
privacy and suddenly there was no room at the
inn!
I have since gussied it up with a lace tablecloth
and put another fourpack in the den to keep them
off my lap while I type. Future improvements
might include those purchasable cube shaped
foam cubbies that I think might just nestle in!
If you haven't thought of it already its an inexpensive, and very effective way to combat the cold!
Cozy Cube Hotel
No Vacancy
HR
The Scratch Sheet
Winter 2011
Page twelve
Secondhand Lions—A Rescue Story
Sharon Butler, MCBFA SE Regional Director, had never been involved in a major
rescue, but on Tuesday, May 13, 2008, She got a call from CFA’s Breeder Assistance Program (CFA-BAP) that there were 44 Maine Coons in Atlanta in desperate
need of rescue. So the next afternoon, Sharon and her good friend, Susan Murphy,
a CFA Manx breeder in Augusta, GA, jumped into Susan’s Honda Accord and drove
across the state to Powder Springs, GA. to pull 8 adults and 3 newborns from the
Persian/Siamese Rescue Shelter that had taken in 31 Maine Coons overnight to
keep Animal Control from going into the place where they’d been left and noosing
them. Unfortunately, the other 13 had been left in an un-air conditioned house and
were ultimately noosed by animal control officials and taken to the county kill shelter. Eight had become
feral and were euthanized, but 5 intact males were rescued from that county shelter on Thursday morning
by Maggi Sutherland, a Maine Coon breeder friend living in upstate South Carolina who had just learned of
the situation from Sharon and promptly drove down to Atlanta and pulled the five boys. Maggi had never
been involved with a rescue either.
The boys that Maggi rescued were taken to her home in SC for fostering and lovingly nursed back to
health. All were in bad condition, starved for attention as well as food, very traumatized and in dire need of
grooming and health care. One had fought the noose so hard his throat was cut very deeply and she wasn’t
sure he would recover. One male (Bear) was going through his second rescue after having been physically
abused terribly in his first situation. All of them survived and today are well and living in new homes with
families that cherish them. One of the boys can be seen greeting visitors in his owner’s shop every day in a
North Carolina town. They are still gentle, seek contact with humans and will head butt, purr and chirp to
carry on conversations. All have been restored to good health, placed in great homes and are thriving,
thanks to Maggi and a Persian breeder friend of hers, who worked with her to give these boys a second
chance both physically and psychologically. (We hope to have Maggi’s report on her part in the rescue next
issue. Ed.)
The cats who remained at Persian/Siamese Rescue, were restored to health with assistance from donations made to CFA-BAP and placed from there through PetsMart Adoptions. Sharon and Susan didn’t see
many of them that day at the shelter because they were in quarantine and too ill at the time to be moved.
The Persian/Siamese Shelter in Powder Springs did a monumentally superb job and are owed a debt of
thanks for the work done to save and place those Maine Coons in good homes.
Susan and Sharon took home as many cats as they could cram into Susan’s Honda. They arrived at
Sharon’s house about midnight to find Vicki Shipp and Sharon’s husband, Dan, had been at work in the garage putting finishing touches on the temporary cages made of white plastic-coated closet shelving and anything they could think of, including some leftover cage building material from Susan's home. The cats had a
place to stay at least: beautiful walk-in cages they could share in pairs—all except for mama and babies and
one intact male. He had bachelor quarters in a double show cage and she had separate nursery quarters.
Dan moved the cars out and the cats in! They left the garage doors down and it was cool at night. During
the day, the door was opened to the screened-in porch and Sharon placed a fan to bring in cool fresh air.
Once it became really hot, however, and the cats recovering from their acute illnesses, Sharon figured out a
way to air condition the garage by using left over wire shelving and a ladder to block her cattery door (which
opened into the garage) so that the cattery air conditioning unit could cool the garage as well. It worked—
cool cats! The funny thing was that Sharon’s cattery inmates wouldn’t leave the cattery to go into the garage
and so it worked out for well the entire time the rescues were there.
Sharon’s rescues (except for one whole male in excellent shape who was promptly neutered and returned to the owner, in accordance with the authorities instructions) were all females that needed to be
spayed when they were well enough. When rescued, like the boys who had been noosed, they looked like
concentration camp survivors. They were terribly malnourished—in fact were skin and bones, had gingivitis
(inflamed gums), hot spots and several had infected skin lesions all over their bodies from massive flea infestations, tapeworms, ear infections, upper respiratory infections and were filthy. The shelter told Sharon
and Susan that these were the cats in relatively good condition and wouldn’t even let them into the room
with the cats in bad condition. They shuddered to think about those other babies. As soon as they arrived
The Scratch Sheet
Winter 2011
Secondhand Lions
continued from page 13
Page thirteen
…
home, Sharon made two emergency trips to the vet and had the vet make one major house call. The
cats were treated with Capstar and Advantage for fleas, antibiotics for urinary and respiratory infections,
topical antibiotics for ear and skin infections, cortisone for allergic reactions and hot spots and wormed.
As soon as possible immunizations were updated. Most began to respond well and were cleaning themselves up with in a week.
All of these Maine Coons, confirmation wise, were and are excellent examples of the breed. At first
you couldn’t tell, because they had been neglected so badly for so long. In actual fact, some of them are
CFA champions, grand champions and regional winners. Now they have a new chapter in their lives
thanks to MCBFA.
(Sharon’s report on the individual cats, their –personalities and pictures will be in the spring issue of
the Scratch Sheet. Ed.)
A note from Sharon:
These “Secondhand Lions,” as they were dubbed at the masters Cat Club show had a happy ending
thanks to you. All of us involved in the rescue effort and the new owners of these cats are so thankful for
the financial help and loving support of so many people in MCBFA. Many individual MCBFA members
made substantial donations directly to my veterinarian before the fundraising even started. Donations
came in from CFA breeder members, TICA members and cat fanciers and breeders through CFA-BAP
and the MCBFA Rescue Fund. By the time most of the 37 cats were placed, all of the medical bills for
those rescued Maine Coons were paid in full—approximately $10,000.
In addition, I will be forever grateful for Susan Murphy’s willingness to drive through the night to rescue long-tailed cats so unlike her beloved Manx and for her assistance in building walk-in cages for
them: for Cain Haley for getting us started at the vet; for the donations sent directly to me for food and
litter and other expenses not covered by BAP; for the donations of litter found outside my garage doors
from the “Litter Fairy” AKA Liz Flynn; for Vicki Shipp’s hard work cleaning cages, giving medication and
donations of food and toys and her voice on the other end of the phone when both Maggi and I desperately needed to talk; for Maggi Sutherland who cried with me over the condition of the cats as we struggled for the first time as foster moms to care for these sick and neglected cats; for my husband Dan,
who helped with everything and let them go to new homes with love; and for the unwavering support of
all of you in MCBFA, many of whom didn’t know me but helped me so much. Maggi and I could not have
managed to successfully foster these cats without you. My sincere thanks for everything you did to support this rescue effort.
—————————————————
Breeder division dues are due May 1, 2011. Some members have paid ahead and those names will
not be on this list. You may send dues by check made out to MCBFA directly to me (Liz Flynn, 208
Kings Chapel Rd, Augusta, GA 30907 or use Pay Pal to remit to our treasurer, Roxann Rokicki
(roxann@ velvetjewels.com)
Active US
Barrier
Bernbaum
Berry
Bistline
Boroff
Boulter
Brown, M
Campbell
Carazzone
Crooke
Crouch
Cunningham
Deguzman
Ezepek
Fleming
Garret
Greenlee
Hammonds
Hansberger
Hawke
Heineck
Hinton
Hintz
Ingraham
Jacobi
Komar
Kominos
Lidner
Lindeman
Matzkin
Moriarty
Multer
Null
Paplanus
Pearson
Pedley
Polstra
Rau
Rokicki
Salan
Scarboro
Shipp
Skipchak
Spayde
Stacy
StegallCrowley
Storten
Sutherland
Sweeney. C
Sweeney, J/D
Taylor
Tunney
Tobias
Tomlin
Walsh
Warren
Williams
Active-Canada
Schulz
Overseas
Beasley
Bittner
Day
Dentico
Enzinger
Fleischer
Gebuhr
Harvey
Hidaka
Illia
Kernes
Kneifel
Lorentzen
Leier
Olsson
Refstrup
Shiino
Inactive
Arterberry
Artha
Braun
Brickley
Budzinski
Cada
Davis
Dillingham
Dunford
Fisher
Fuller
Gerver/
Gerver-Marsh
Gray
Hill
Hovden
Ivester
Jennings
Johnston
Kampo
Mann
Maynard
McInchak
McKee
Moody
Nagy
Ostergard
Robbins
Vickerman
Weil
Weitz
An’ if ya don’t pay yer
dues, you’ll have to do a
looong timeout in the
corner. With no treats ‘n
no tummy rubs...
-
The Scratch Sheet
Winter 2011
Page fourteen
Cat Idol or just a Regular Guy?
The Audience Voted and
Named the Winner of
‘Meet the Breeds’
“Cat Idol” Competition-
“Walker”
Walker, who is an
Iams Ambassador cat for CFA.
He won over 200+ cats at
Meet The Breeds,
Oct. 2010 for the Cat Idol,
Spectators Choice.
CFA judge Wayne Trevathan, Donna and Walker above
Described as a charming, laid-back, and loveable
gentle giant by his owners, Walker, an 8 1/2 year
old Maine Coon from Richmond, Texas claimed the
top spot at the second annual Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) -Iams Cat Idol competition during
Meet the Breeds, the largest showcase of cats and
dogs, on October 17th at the Jacob Javits Center
in New York City.
Coongratulations to Walker
and his biggest fans, Jim & Donna Hinton
For being great representatives for our Breed!
Walker, whose full name is GC GP NW Nascat
Gwydion-of-Gradach, is a large, heavy boned cat,
weighing in at 25lbs. He is the loving pet of Jim and
Donna Hinton, and he won the audience’s hearts
by receiving the most applause to win CFA-Iams
Cat Idol. As the 2010 winner, Walker received a
year’s supply of food from Iams, a carrier from
Sturdi Products, and litter from Dr. Elsey’s Precious
Cat Litters.
(Donna bred Walker as well)
The Scratch Sheet
Winter 2011
Page fifteen
Our Cat Idol, Regular Guy, Ambassador Walker
continued from page 15...
“You may now Worship me…and tell me all your secrets.”
The Perils of Popularity……
“I got this, I can handle it!!
As long as she doesn't Drop me…”
“I love my Job! So Long as Mom keeps me a supply of Tums…”
Post Scripts: Walker is a character. The last time I
traveled with him was when I ran him nationally back
in 2004. I had forgotten how he learned to put his
head through those split toilet seats, enabling him to
get his muzzle underneath and lift it up. Wah-La! Cold
water...First night in the hotel last month, I forgot
about it until I heard the banging on the toilet, went in
and there was this massive furbody under the
lid...Another thing of his is getting that big head in my
small makeup bag. He has this thing for those
makeup sponges; he’ll root through all the other stuff
to pull them out, carry ‘em around and play with them
in the hotel room. That’s my next photo: getting one of
that head in this little bag...A fun cat to have.
Donna
Of course when the
Paparazzi have left
the building…. He’s
just a
regular guy.
The Scratch Sheet
Letters to the Editor
Well, thank you Kim and the rest. I didn't do much
of anything as Ethics Chair, so it was a peaceful
time in the Maine Coon world apparently!
I am going to be dropping this email address
shortly and signing off of MCBFA group. If you
suspect you'll need to contact me in the future, or
just want to stay in touch, my new address is
[email protected] - please update your address
book.
Just as a quick update, things are going well in
Montana. My friend Valerie and I bought out the
accounting practice I'd worked at for the past three
years in September 2009 (its now Hillman, Moody
& Associates CPA's), and I have the best job of my
life! We have three great women working for us,
and although we're launching into tax season now,
there's a lot of laughter and friendship in our office.
Being an accountant in this small town is wonderful, you get to know everyone in town (we do the
taxes for about 1/3 of Park County), and I still
serve on about five different charitable or civic
Boards - still involved in our monthly free Spay/
Neuter clinics (we've done more than 1000 cats and
dogs - for free - in the past four years), the animal
shelter, and various town committees. Livingston
Montana is truly one of the most beautiful places
on earth, a very, very small jewel of an old cow/
railroad town in the midst of the Rockies along the
Yellowstone River about 50 miles north of Yellowstone National Park. I still live in the same place,
on 30 acres with horses, deer, eagles, wolves, coyotes and the occasional errant cow. I spend lots of
my time at brandings, sheep shearing, and other
country events, and go out country dancin' every
weekend. I no longer own any fancy shoes with
heels, but do have at least ten pairs of boots (and
my own cow whip - although such familiarity with
cows on a daily basis has kind of turned me off red
meat LOL). The weather is magnificent - we had
two days this week of 25 below zero (45 below
with windchill), tomorrow it will be 50 degrees.
Violent winds, massive snowstorms, interspersed
with sunny calm blue-skies days. No matter what
the weather is, its no excuse to be late to work
LOL...yesterday morning I was dodging snow
drifts AND elk herds on my commute, and marveling that this IS my "commute" to work every day.
Its 30 miles through a treacherous mountain pass to
the nearest Walmart - which around here, is luxury
Winter 2011
Page
Page sixteen
Some Peaople have all the luck!
Continued from page 3
shopping. My neighbors are more like family, and I have
many, many good friends out here - 30 folks showed up to
surprise me on my 50th birthday through 38" of fresh snow
- many got stuck in the driveway but we got them all dug/
pulled out eventually. I feel like I've lived here forever
(except for missing pizza, bagels, same-day dry cleaning
and full service car washes...sigh). In some ways its like
having gone back in time a hundred years to the Old West
of legend...except its real: drunken cowboys in town on
Saturday nights, pickup trucks with shotguns in the racks
and a few dogs in the back, rodeos, tractors parked at the
bank, and horses tied to the rail at the post office. But with
internet and cell phones :-)
I still have Mistral, who is coming up on l8 years old and
getting frail (full sister to Dirtrack Demon), Cowboy (the
largest cat in Montana, but also pretty useless - will carefully play with a mouse for hours without even injuring it
UGH!), Sunny, Shinzo the Himmy (most ridiculous cat in
Montana but I adore her), and Pearl, the shelter rescue. I still
have my two Goldens Sushi and Wasabi, and an ancient dog
named "Hank" who fell out of a pickup truck on the Interstate a few months ago - he's mostly blind, deaf, diabetic,
arthritic and unsteady (falls down if he tries to wag his tail),
but obviously was an abused ranch dog before and I'm enjoying giving him his last few months as a spoiled pet. Being around Hank reminds me to be a nicer person, he's so
grateful for the smallest kindness. I'm usually dogsitting or
catsitting for a few more, plus taking care of a neighbor's
horses and cows and chickens at any given time. I love it.
Would love to hear from any old friends at the new email
address when you get a chance. I don't post much as yet,
but I'm on Facebook. Hope you are all doing well!
Cat Moody
formerly Stormwatch Maine Coons
From Coonity...
“Whattaya mean we look like a bunch of troublemakers? Naahh, not
us!”
The Scratch Sheet
Here are the list of Fancier
members whose dues are
due.
Fancier Secretary
Lynne Sherer
Winter 2011
Page seventeen
This will be last
issue for those
due this past
October
Joined
Akhan, Demian
Bishop, Emily
Bromley, Deborah
Bussard, Jonathan
Carrion, Rebecca
Collins, Pat/Mike
Dell, Stephani
Krane,Judith
McCoy, Kathleen
Munro, Marcia
Thompson, Bonnie
Buchanan, Karen
Martin,Mary,Lynn
Nieman, Stephan
Scott, Rosann
Smith, Michelle
Stuckwisch, Stephanie
Thomas, Collete
Overstreet, Edward
Boyce,Douglas Jr.
Campbell, Judy
Evans, Larry
Fishel, Mary
Green, char
Herrle, Stacey
Kirkendall, Nancy
Larson, Lisa
McFaddin, Ginger
Merkl, Lisa
Neff, Portia
Riddle, Linda
Ross,, Julie
Sanford, Nancy
Smith, Edith-Mary
Sullivan, Beverly
Timmons, Ronald/Diane
Torisaka, Ayako
West, Duffy
Wiorkowski, Fleur
10/02
10/89
10/09
10/08
10/09
10/85
10/06
12/95
10/91
10/04
10/09
1/09
1/06
1/09
1/07
1/09
1/03
1/05
2/10
3/99
4/03
4/97
4/10
1/03
4/09
2/06
4/10
4/08
4/08
4/10
4/10
4/10
4/02
4/07
4/10
4/10
4/07
4/08
4/10
10/10
10/10
10/10
10/10
10/10
10/10
10/10
10/10
10/10
10/10
10/10
10/10
1/11
1/11
1/11
1/11
1/11
1/11
1/11
1/11
2/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
For those of you who enjoy reading Garnet
Quinn’s Merry Maines series, they are now
available in the Kindle format as well as being on www.amazon.com and through independent bookstores’ databases.
Holly Reilly
Pet Lemon Laws
In the US more than a third of states have pet
lemon laws. Several states have been added and
others have changed the wording of their laws effective Jan 2011. If you’ve not been paying attention its possible that your state has done one or the
other, and you are now ’out of compliance’. New
additions requiring even Hobby Breeders, producing 10 or more kittens per year to have county inspections and licenses.
A chart listing the key provision of the existing
pet lemon laws is available on the AVMA website.
www.avma.org/advocacy/state/issues under
‘Animal welfare’
States with current Pet Lemon Laws include:
Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
The Scratch Sheet
“You
Winter 2011
Page eighteen
are my Sunshine my only Sunshine…..”
Flapping its wings this bright duckling sings….
Articles, photos, stories; all are
welcome. You can send by snail
mail or email to either Holly or Kit
at
[email protected].
If you’ve a winner or two for the
Gallery, those pictures are welcome, too. And you can view this
and past issues in color at the
Scratch Sheet online:
www.mcbfa.org
User Name: maine
Password: coon
*And if you’re moving, don’t forget
to notify your secretary, be she
breeder, provisional or fancier
one.
Maybe if we gang up on it’ll go away!
Whats it lookin at?
Nevermind, Kill it before it wakes up!!
The Scratch Sheet
Winter 2011
Page nineteen
MCBFA Officers 2011
President
Fancier Member Secretary
Western Director
Kim Tomlin
3906 Quail Tower Road
Luverne, AL 36049-6109
334 335 3669
juliehill@gmail,com
Lynne Sherer
3840 Charbon Lane
Bartlett, TN 38133
901 373 3394
[email protected]
Laura Cunningham
4168 Torino Ct
Pleasanton, CA 94588
925 872 6889
[email protected]
Vice President
Northeast Director
Overseas Director
Liz Hansen
15029 Glen view Ct
Homer Glen, IL 60491
636 734 9233
[email protected]
Sharon Stegall
1914 Center Groton Rd
Ledyard, CT 06339-1605
860 464 0727
[email protected]
Misha Peersmans
Avenue Louise, B-1700
Haine Saint Paul, Belguim
32(0) 49648 0921
[email protected]
Treasurer
Mid-Atlantic Director
Roxann Rokicki
W 8905 Canary Rd.
Beaver Dam, WI 53916-9658
920 887 7704
roxann@velvetjewels,com
Brenda Flahault
17 Omaha Dr
Cransford, NJ 07016
908 276 9423
[email protected]
Appointed Officers :
Archivist
Beth Hicks
3840 Charbon Lane,
Bartlett, TN 38133
901 373 3394
[email protected]
Secretary
Southeast Director
Laura Heineck
145 Bear Mountain Pass
Mineral Bluff, GA 30559-2921
706 374 4216
[email protected]
Sharon Butler
266 Bhler Dr
Evans, GA 30809-3109
706 860 6820
Sharonbutler [email protected]
Breeder Member Secretary
Midwest Director
Liz Flynn
208 Kings Chapel Rd.
Augusta, GA 30907-3730
706 860 1521
[email protected]
Caron Gray
19165 Bennington Dr.
Brookfield, WI 53045-2304
262 782 1110
[email protected]
Provisional Breeder
Member Secretary
South Central Director
Cain Haley
PO Box 1234
Highlands, NC 28741-1234
828 787 1955
[email protected]
Judy Lindeman
3519 Green Springs
San Antonio, TX 78247 2900
210 496 0161
[email protected]
Ethics Committee
Jennifer Sable
104 Country Place
Washington, NC 27889
252 974 5475
[email protected]
Editors: The Scratch Sheet
Kit Mounger
485 Cottontail Lane,
Afton, TN 37616
423 639 1585
[email protected]
Holly Reilly
121 Cedar St.
Neptune Beach, FL 32266
904 874 7886
[email protected]
webmaster
Caron Gray:address above as
Midwest Director
The Scratch Sheet
Winter 2011
Page twenty
They CAN be trained!! - Maybe...
Every cat has ‘can opener’ ears and hears that can
open from anywhere in the house, they know the soft
jingle of the chain on the lazer when you pick it up from
the tray and will come running to eat or play no matter
how stealthy you think you’re being. Twenty five
words and phrases in the course of a lifetime is the estimated learning capacity of an average cat.
It is said that one of the most successful methods of
training cats is clicker training. A frog shaped tiny
clicker is available at most children’s toy stores. It relies
on the use of food or treats to reward your cat for doing
the right thing. Rewarding a behavior increases the
likelihood it will happen again, so in this way, you can
teach your cat what you want it to do—that is: if they
want to do it.
Clicker training, and in fact most positive training methods, use a food reward during training. Cats are much
more fussy than dogs, and it can be hard to find a treat
that they find worth working for. Some suggestions include little pieces of raw meat, cooked chicken, or fish
treats—you know best what your cat will turn itself inside out for.
To start clicker training your cat, sit with your cat and
click, then immediately follow with a treat. Repeat that
several times, and it won't be long before your cat understands that a click means something yummy is coming. Two or three five minute sessions a day is better
than one twenty minute session - cats don't always
have a long attention span, especially if something else
catches their eye.
You know your cat understands the click when you click
and his ears prick up. You can then start to use this training method.
When your cat does something you like, click and treat. If
you're using food, you can use a treat to lure him into
position, then click. For example, if you want your cat to
lie in his bed, lure him in with a treat, then click. Repeat
this several times, and it won't be long before he's voluntarily going to his bed, hoping to hear the click.
Clicker training your cat is so useful because you can
pinpoint the exact behavior you are rewarding. That
makes it easier for your cat to understand what you are
asking of it, and he's much more likely to repeat the behavior you are after.
Use of a squirt gun for bad behavior uses the same principal. In time all you have to do is show them the bottle
and the bad behavior stops. Of course there is always
the cat you squirt that just sits there and looks at you and
then knocks the bottle over after you’ve given up and put
it down.
As with anything consistency is the key. Repetition and
consistency.
The editors of the Scratch Sheet would like to hear what
you managed to train your cat to do!
.If your cat doesn't find food particularly rewarding, you
can use toys. A little laser is popular with cats. So, in
this instance, you can click, then point the laser and
allow him to chase it. Again, he'll soon learn that a click
means he can have a game.
Our intrepid cat photographer,
Cindy Pitts, certainly know how to
train her subjects >>>>>>>>>>>>