Using Advanced Technologies: Within a Breeding Program

Most dedicated animal breeders have more than a passing knowledge of basic genetics and will carefully screen their breeding stock for genetic defects and phenotypic traits.

Up Close and Purr-sonal

Welcome to the new Cat Talk series "Up Close and Purr-sonal." While we might know what someone breeds and shows, we often have no idea about what their life and interests are outside of the show hall. And we are surprised at what we are learning about them as well! Do you have a recommendation for someone to interview? Let us know! Email Teresa Keiger at tkeiger@cfa.org.

The Way We Were–2020

I thought that with the mandatory slowing-down-of-life, stay-home-time, my cats would be and stay perfectly groomed.

State Breeder Laws Every Resident Fancier Should Know!

CFA State Breeder Law Series, Part 5 – U.S. States of Region 6: Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin

My Special Cat

Most of us have had that special cat—a heart cat with whom we had a deep connection. It may have been the cat we had as a child, or the one that saw us through a troubled time, or one with whom we bonded as we exhibited at cat shows. Whether the cat found us or we sought it out, those connections cannot be denied. These are the stories of some of those special cats and what they mean or meant to us.

FUR NAMES

Names. Oh, what an important choice in the life of cat! It is how a cat will be known in the show rings and in daily life. A name can alternate between words of delight or new forms of cursing (especially in this case!). Each name tells a story and this is the story of Toxicate Holy $#&@*

NO cone No shame just use your noodle

Here is a tip that could save you the “cone-charge” from your vet bill. These cones were obviously designed for long-nosed dogs!

Goodbye 2020 Hello 2021!

A writing “round robin” by Cat Talk staffers Teresa Keiger, Jean Aldrich, Lucy Drury, and Iris Zinck

What You Don't Know About...Bombays Meet the “Parlor Panthers”

Editor’s Notes: A HUGE shout out to the Bombay family of breeders and pet owners without whom there would have been no article! Jeri Zottoli, breed council secretary, provided so much invaluable information and opened doors so I could get wonderful pictures and stories about the Bombay cat. Thank you as well to those who provided information through e-interviews: Cheryl Boyer, Deborah Curtis, Ellyn Honey, Phebe Low, Anne Mathis, Wendy Heidt and Rhona Wene.

My Special Cat

Most of us have had that special cat—a heart cat with whom we had a deep connection. It may have been the cat we had as a child, or the one that saw us through a troubled time, or one with whom we bonded as we exhibited at cat shows. Whether the cat found us or we sought it out, those connections cannot be denied. These are the stories of some of those special cats and what they mean or meant to us.

FUR NAMES

Names. Oh, what an important choice in the life of cat! It is how a cat will be known in the show rings and in daily life.

Click - Getting Great Shots of your Cat with a Smartphone

So you want to enter one of the many virtual competitions popping up around the internet but don’t have professional photos or video of your cat. Fear not! If you have a smartphone, you have a camera and can get what you need. Here are a few tips to help.

Choosing the Right Cat Tree

Whether you have your first cat or your tenth, keeping your cat healthy and your furniture undamaged means you will need to get a scratching post (or cat “tree”). These come in many shapes and sizes and they’re built using a variety of materials. Different construction techniques are also used, some being better than others. This gives you lots to choose from. So, choosing the right tree for your cat can take some thought.

Facing Those Final Days With the Special Care Your Pet Needs

Because most pet owners tend to outlive their pets, there comes a time in most pet-human relationships when time starts to run out for your beloved cat or dog.

It's In the Touch

Cats and Holistic Chiropractic Intervention

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.

FUR NAMES

Names. Oh, what an important choice in the life of cat! It is how a cat will be known in the show rings and in daily life. A name can alternate between words of delight or new forms of cursing. Each name tells a story and this is the story of GP, NW Maryk's First Contact of Katsmith.

State Breeder Laws Every Resident Fancier Should Know!

CFA State Breeder Law Series, Part 4 – U.S. States of Region 6: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota

The Ears of Scotland!

What You Don’t Know About... Scottish Folds

Virtual Cat Competitions Get Their Start in CFA

About two years ago, long before the pandemic made virtual competitions popular, CFA Marketing Director Desiree Bobby first began investigating software solutions that might enable CFA to effectively run such competitions. At the time, the goal was to use the shows to make pedigreed cats—and of course, CFA—more visible to an online audience, and in so doing, increase people’s interests in the cat fancy.

Big Cats and Covid-19

What Can They Teach Us?

What You Don't Know About... Russian Blues

Silver-Tipped Elegance

WHO YA GONNA CALL?

Planning For Disasters and Evacuation

The Plight of Homeless Cats

What Do Cat Fanciers Have to Do with This Anyway?

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.

Letters from Lockdown

Recently, the staff of Cat Talked asked our feline correspondents to let us know what kind of impact the lockdown/ quarantine was having on them and their households. Here is a sample of the responses we received.

High Tech Cat Toys For Ailurophiles

Let’s face it, cat fans, our society, at least in the United States, is totally divided between “The Greatest Generation,” “Baby Boomers (okay?)”, “Generation X,” “Millennials” aka “Generation Y,” and finally, “Generation Z”. However, US societal divides DO have common ground: love of FELINES! And within this very broad CAT-egory (pun intended), there are certain beliefs:

FUR NAMES

From the files of: Nancy Kerr

Effective Show Management

Opening note: This is a work in progress, as many people across the country have helped. We began writing this series in March with the intent of eventually creating a piece which new and old show managers could use for reference. We began just after CFA joined the rest of the world in cancelling events in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and certainly local and state ordinances will change how we begin to hold shows again. But knowing about and responding to changes is also part of a show managers’ job.

A Very Rare Award Indeed

With GC, NW Velvetkist Crown Me Already earning her title as CFA's Best Kitten, Noralyn Heisig (shown right with Mark Hannon, her son Casey, and husband Wade in 2017) found herself in that most exclusive of CFA clubs: an exhibitor who had obtained Best Cat, Best Kitten, and Best Cat in Premiership.