fall 2004 mocha™s story the scratch sheet due dues …the scratch sheet the official publication...

The Scratch Sheet

The Official Publication of the Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association Fall 2004

Index: Mocha�s Story page 2 Due Dues page 7 Panic In The Night Page 8 Book Review Page 9 Christmas gifts page 10 President�s Message 2 Rules of the House Page 13 Payback Time Page 14

Mainerd Sez:

Christmas Album

The Grinch from Tipsntufts

The Real Thing from Thunderpaws

A Christmas wish From Bonfires in Gerhmany

A cheerful �Bah Humbug� from Quinsiga-mond above; below A Pixelpurrs peekaboo

The boss asked me to thank all you members who so generously contrib-uted of your time and talent to provide the Scratch Sheet with all sorts of inter-esting articles and photos this year. We hope you will con-tinue to do so in 2005 (so I won�t have to work so hard.) And be sure and read my book review on page 9; it�ll make great holi-day season pre-sents. I remain faith-fully yours...

The Scratch Sheet Fall 2004

Mocha�s Story ... as told to her loving companion, Jill Hamilton I was born August 5, 1983, one of three kittens to GC MtKittery�s Tycoon of Forestmanor, a handsome brown tabby, and Monatcong Mis-Chief of Forestmanor, a beautiful brown tabby smoke. The cats of Forestmanor, in Sloatsburg, New York, looked after Judy Ries and her family, as well as a large white dog (hence, no dog every worried me no matter what its size). My brother was a blue tabby and my sister and I were brown tabby smokes like our mum. During the brief hiatus when brown tabby smokes were recognized by TICA as a legitimate Maine Coon color, I got my championship and my official name became Forestmanor Mocha of Am-bler Farm�but to be honest, the show ring never titillated me so I wasn�t sorry to move on to other things. The most important of these, naturally, was the thorough training of my hu- man family. A brief aside on my surname. My adopted family lived on Ambler Farm Road in Bed- ford, New York, which was founded some 300 years ago by 20 settlers from Stamford, Connecticut, including the two Am-bler brothers� hence the name of the road. An early American name seemed perfect for any self-respecting Maine Coon. By co-incidence, my vet lived on Ambler Drive, presumably named after the other brother. Oh, I did have fun with my family, which included the woman who I adopted, her par-ents, sister and brother-in-law and niece and nephew. Whenever I could, I scurried outside for a bite of grass and to give them exercise running after me. When I was young and fleet of paw, they�d try to entice me back inside with tuna fish. (once they offered me a bite of the little girl�s tuna fish sandwich if I�d come back inside�can you imagine?) When I tired of the game, sometimes after jumping up into a tree or two, I�d allow myself to be caught. They got a collar and a leash for me but that was never nearly as much fin (except for the times I managed to slip out of the collar when they weren�t paying attention.). When the niece was little and I was just a kitten, they got a picture of the two of us under a chair, me sitting just out of reach of her outstretched little hands. However, when she grew up a bit, I humored the niece by letting her carry me all around the house, although the nephew never got the knack; he squeezed me too tight, so I�d jump out of his arms as soon as he picked me up, although I did feel a bit guilty because he was so disappointed. I also did a good job of training my family, particularly my special person, in the proper means of transporting me. On Metro North every Friday and Sunday, as soon as the train doors shut, I was out of my carrier and sitting in her lap or right next to her. This behavior received many accolades from those around us. It also weeded out the ailurophobes, who would glance at me and head on to an-other seat�good riddance! The few times I flew to New Orleans or Houston at Christmastime, I man-aged to con her into hiding me on her lap under a sweater so that I could peek out the airplane win-dow. My favorite trick, however, was reserved for the car trips up to Bedford from The City. They could never figure out how I knew we were almost there, but whether I was asleep or awake I would start meowing when we turned off Route 684 at Exit 4. Once we got to the base of Indian Hill Road, just a mile from home, I would start walking back and forth between the front and back seats. (Travel in a carrier in a car? Are you kidding me?!)


Mocha�s Story continued from page 2 As for eating, I managed to keep the family dancing to my every whim. When I was small, the little niece stated heckling me when I was eating, so I took to starting my meal on the kitchen counter�and continued doing so for the rest of my life, even after she was grown up and long beyond any such mischief. I especially enjoyed eating breakfast on one kitchen counter while my person ate at the other, because all I had to do was look at her and she�d pop up and turn on the kitchen faucet so that I could have a drink. On Thanksgiving and Christmas, I developed a taste for fresh turkey and peas. And when they were making tunafish salad for lunch, I�d go out to the kitchen as soon as I heard someone cutting the onion and celery, assured of some tunafish in my bowl before the rest was mixed into the salad. Okay, sometimes they had me fooled when I went to the kitchen in response to the usual auditory clues, only to discover that they were making broccoli salad instead of tunafish, but then I could just sit and look at them until they stopped any preparations for their own dinner and fed me first. I always got the prime sleeping spots, needless to say... One of my favorite spots was the wing chair next to the fireplace. Unfortunately, it was also the chair by my person�s father. I�d sit looking at him during cocktail hour, just waiting for him to get out of the chair for a handful of popcorn, then I�d jump in and he�d give up and move off to another place. As we both got older, he didn�t even try to com-pete with me. Another place that was all my own was the corner of the slant-topped desk, right under the lamp. It felt so nice to get all toasty while the family was watching TV in the same room, or when her mother was working at the desk. I adopted knapsacks and other totebags my people had used recently and got them all nice and furry. Needless to say, suitcases were also a wonderful spot, especially when someone was trying to pack and I could just tell that I wasn�t invited. I was a very healthy cat for most of my life�all that Yankee blood�so I let every vet I ever met know how utterly unnecessary I considered him or her to my welfare. When one vet took me into an-other office to weigh me, I let out a whoop that my person heard several rooms away; after that, she al-ways weighed me before the vet entered the examining room. The aforementioned vet on Ambler Drive did, however, prove his worth by bringing the subcutaneous fluids and needles I needed the last four and a half years to church, so that my person wouldn't have to take me to his office for an unnecessary trip. When the time came to say goodbye, the day before my 21st birthday, they thought they�d save me another anxiety-producing visit to the animal hospital by having the vet come to the house. I was suspi-cious, of course, because for once they let me wander outside and eat as much grass as I wanted. And then he arrived. Even in a jacket and tie rather than a white coat, I recognized him and hissed defiantly just one last time.

Merry Christmas, Everybody. My name is Tabitha. Mocha sent me. We Maine Coons always know where there�s an empty heart that needs filling. I�ll soon be in charge of tunafish and turkey and someday, chief grass nibbler on Ambler Farm Road...I�ve also be-come a seasoned traveler on the Metro North Train to The City and back...and one of these days, I�ll write my autobiography! Happy New Year, too!

And don�t forget other empty hearts this year!


�Isn�t being all lit up part of Christmas??�

�Wow! Raindeer really do fly�just like us kittens!�

�What da�ya mean: I git switches �n ashes in my stocking?� �I�m all ready for the New year�s Eve party!�

�Ma...MA! What�s this ringer doin� in my stocking?�

�Okay, so I�m one of Santa�s spies��

This is Allison Noyes of Sherman Mills, Maine, (age 6) our youngest MCBFA Fan-cier member, and her patch tabby girl, Cutie. Allison loves Cutie because she�s so velvety soft, has an �M� on her forehead and loves to walk in the yard with her family.


Postcards From Alaska!

From your cousin in Norway with Love


�I�m not sure what she�s doin� but I�d give it a ten��

�Our Aunt cheetah has some moves like that��

�Dad better call the chiropractor!�

�Mom�s got her zipper stuck�and it�s NOT funny!�

�Is this all there is??�


Breeder Dues! Breeder Secretary Rebekah Cumbie asked me to remind breeder members that they can use Pal Pal for their dues. Just send them along to Roxann Rokicki whose address is on the officers page. Also, breeder members can pay for more than one year at a time.

Past Due October 2004 Baldinger, J Berry, O/G Blose, R Brammer, J Braun, C Braun, M/P Carlson, J Cassidy, J Davis, R Dentico, O DeWitt, S Downs, C Erts, V Esposito, G Guschke, D Hamblyn, L Hidaka,T Horn, J Jones, J Kaneiski, C/E Kiyama, K/Y Lidner,M Magee,E May,D Meehan, D Multer, K Niner, K Olscher, M Olsen, K Piper, B Servies, S Taylor, D/L Wietlisbach, M/J Williams,J Oct. past dues will be dropped 15 Jan. 05 January Arterberry, K Ballard, A Bartha, L/R Beggs, S Berneur, E/J Cossarelli, J Day, G/W (PD.) Doering, M English, C

Fox, R Garrett, P (PD.) Golferelli, L Gray, C Hall, D. Harvey, D/H Heineck, R/L Huntley/Leary Hynds.I Iwata, M Jones, D/G Kernes, M Koehler, P Kuys, A Lash, E/G MacKenzie, K/K Matzkin, T Maynard, M McKee, N Meremans, R Nader, M Peersman, M Pettison, K Pilar, B/M Schulz, T/J Sherman, S/R Storten, S/B Sukeforth,K Sullwold, C/G Swanberg, A Taylor, P Tracey, B Washburn, B Weitz, E/F Wiggins, K Fancier Dues October 2004 Akhan, D Berger, M Boblick, B Butterfield, B Chinitz, J Churchill, C Cole, V Collins, J Cooley, J Cuneo, J

Davis, M DeCarlo, J Dreier,C/H Folmer, R Halladay, G Heston, M Hockmeyer, P Hunzleman, D Jacobs, G DVM McCarroll, V McCoy, K McGovern, M O�Hare, N Patrick, A Ritchie, N Schultz, J/D Velo, B Waters, J Wilkie, L January 2005 Crane, J Gluhm, L Hornidge, M Jakela, B LaPorte, C Lewis, P/S Livesey, D Murphy, J Nalle, K Porter, S Rogers, L Stuckwisch, S Trulious, B Watkinson, S/J Foreign Fach, M Lloyd,T/Buckie,H Smith E-M Ten year members Congratulations! Bloomingdale, C Joiner, K Provisional Mem-ber Dues October 2004 Hirvonen, J Nickum, C

Prov Dues, cont. Polstra, B Schafer, K/J Shinmoto, M Walker, C/L January 2005 Werner, S Shell, S/M McFadden, G Hansberger, K Gobin, M/P Crowley, S/J

�What do you mean Halloween�s over??�

�Well, if you must know, I�m going to the New Year�s Eve party as a Maine Con��


Panic In The Night By Al Urjick Funny things happen when one lies with a large number of cats and kittens. (�large number� is the closet I can come to stating ex-actly how many cats we have. As you no doubt know, the counting system of most primitive peoples went 1...2...3...herd which is roughly how many cats (herd) share our house.) One recent night, we had one of those experiences which are usually described as �funny� after the fact, but which come closer to �sheer terror� when they are happening. What happened was my wife shook me awake at 4:00 AM (actually it was 3:58 AM, which I know thanks to the miracle of digital alarm clocks) and announced in an hysterical tone, �Fluffy is dead!� (You have to understand that �Fluffy� is not this cat�s real name�all of our cats� real names document their descent from the found-ing families of catdom. However, I have learned through painful experience not to use the real name for any cat about whom I speak. Many years ago, during the time which I refer to as my �innocence�, I spoke of a cat with whom we had problems and made another cat person extremely angry by suggesting that the cat in question was less than perfect. This person�s response took the form of a threat to sue, to which I secretly looked forward, since my worldly possessions at the time consisted entirely of cats, cat furniture and broken pieces of one-useful household items, which I felt obliged to save for gluing together once the last cat in our family went off to college and I thought that if this person sued and won, it would improve my life no end. Unfortunately, the offended party came to his senses before we went to court and I still own the cats, their furniture and thousands of fragments.) Anyway, back to what happened at 4:00 in the morning�as soon as I recall what it was. Oh, yes. Fluffy (remember�not her real name but the cat this story started to be about) was one of the lucky cats selected on that fateful night to sleep in the bedroom, as opposed to the majority of the herd who were forced to rough it on the (mostly destroyed) furniture downstairs. (This selection is one of the nightly highlights around our house�since we have

large number of cats, we have to limit the number which sleep in our bedroom. This leads us to con-duct a nightly event which is reminiscent of stock footage from the TV show �Rawhide� in which brave cowboys ride among a stampeding herd of cows, cutting out the fortunate few bovine extras who have been chosen for facial close-ups. Any-way, the nightly roundup of cats which are to be allowed into the bedroom is very similar to this scene, except that we don�t have the advantage of being on horses and using lassos.) This got my immediate attention, espe-cially after my joy and comfort dug her elbow into my ribs, so I responded alertly by saying �huh?�. By this time, there was nothing to do but turn on the bedside light, at which point Fluffy looked up at me and yawned hugely. It was immediately ob-vious to me, alert as I am when coming out of a sound sleep, that Fluffy was not dead, but only in a deep sleep (which I also had been enjoying until this drama erupted.) Her �coma� was simply the result of the vig-orous physical exertion inherent in one of those mythical cat rituals in which an exuberant feline attempts to travel in time by exceeding the speed of light. (You may recall how this trick was accom-plished by the USS Enterprise in Star Trek IV in which the ship CATapulted around the sun. Fluffy does basically the same thing. Except around the bedroom instead of the sun.) Anyway, back to the point of this story...again. Once we had established that Fluffy was indeed breathing, purring and demonstrably alive, I was thoroughly awake and suffused with the realiza-tion that my digitized alarm would be going beep...beep...beep in less than an hour. For lack of a more inspiring pursuit, I spent the hour contemplating The Joy of Cats while Fluffy and my wife slept peacefully at my side. (Additional note: Fluffy is the soundest sleeper in the history of catdom. By personal observation, I can attest to the fact that when she is deeply asleep, her heart beats approximately once every 3 seconds. She is also completely limp [even when picked up and dropped onto the bed, which my wife did before waking me] and cold to the touch. So, if you own such a sound sleeping cat as Fluffy, please be certain of your medical facts before you wake up your husband with an an-nouncement guaranteed to cause him to suffer a massive cardiac infarction!)


At The Rainbow Bridge...

ACFA GRC/CFA GRP Taelcat Connor MacLeod, who was featured in our last issue as a poster boy for suc-cessful treatment for HCM. Alas, it was not to be. Here is JoAnn�s note: �I came home at lunchtime to find Connor in much distress and rushed him to the car-diologist/ER. His lungs were full of fluid and although they said a shot if Lasix may get him out of failure, the odds weren�t good. And I made a decision long ago that I would not let Connor suf-fer nor put him through a bunch of or-deals just so I could selfishly spend more time with him. His quality of life was more important than his amount of time here with me. So I said my goodbyes to him. I am thankful he was able to give me two little headbutts before he passed on. He was the bravest Maine Coon and the sweetest. And I will miss my Connor so very, very much� JoAnn (and my now angel Connor 6/22/00-10/27/04)� JoAnn Genovese Taelcat Our hearts are yours, JoAnn. I think most of us firmly believe that the greatest act of love we can show our be-loved cats Is to make that decision when all else has failed. Let�s hope fervently for more successful research into the scourge of

Mainerd�s Bookcat Corner You folks all know I love books with

cats as major characters (Joe Grey, Dulcie and the Kit, and Mrs. Murphy, for example.) Well, I have just finished my first journey through a new series by Erin Hunter, called The Warriors. There are six volumes in this series, begin-ning with Into The Forest, which introduces the protagonist who is then known as Rusty.�when he is living with the Twolegs and yearning for more from life than dry kibble. He ventures into the nearby forest one day and is greeted by a member of Thunderclan, who invites him to join the clan and learn to become a warrior. Rusty is at first greeted jeeringly as a �kittypet� by most of the cats, but wise old female Bluestar, their leader, welcomes him to become an apprentice and gives him a new name: Firepaw. It is not an easy transition from kittypet to warrior, but Firepaw moves always upward as the series progresses until he is an accepted warrior now called Fire-heart. It would spoil your fun if I went into too much detail. Let it be said, though, that all of the books are real page-turners. Race through one for the story and then go back and read again to delight in the myth and legend, the devel-opment of character, the beautifully realized world of cats living in the wild, governed by the strict warrior code and valuing their freedom. I just finished the 6th volume and am ready to begin all over again. Just as Diane Duane�s The Book Of Night With Moon demands re-rereading many times, so does the Warrior Series invite the reader to visit again and again this wonderful world guided by Starclan. Where can I enlist?? Mainerd the Book-cat


Here�s another great book for reader members out there: Marilis tells it all�with style and wit. You can order That Yankee Cat from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble or the publisher: Tilbury House 2 Mechanic Street #3 Gardiner, Maine 04345 800 582 8227

Lorraine Salan, MCBFA breeder member, has put this lovely calendar together for us. The price is $10.99. S&H in US and Canada is $2.50, $1.50 for each additional calendar. (FL. Residents must pay 7% sales tax) Checks or money orders must be made to Lorraine B Salan, 262 Wesley Rd. Green Cove Springs, FL 32043.

<Notecards of Donna Chase�s whimsical art-work can be ordered from: Siberia Farm, HCR 65, Box 47B, Stacyville, ME. 04777 (postage included in the price)

�Do not meddle in the affairs of cats; for they are subtle and will pee on your computer��Bruce Graham

The Scratch Sheet Fall 2004 Page11111111111 The Scratch Sheet Fall 2004

PRESIDENT Lynne Sherer 3840 Charbon Lane Bartlett, TN 38133 901-373-3394 [email protected] VICE-PRESIDENT Carol Pedley PO Box 10, Job Rd. Standish, ME. 04084 207-642-4937 [email protected] TREASURER Roxann Rokicki W 8905 Canary Road Beaver Dam, WI 53916 920-887-7704 [email protected] RECORDING SECRETARY Vicki Shipp 2719 Wicklow Dr. Augusta, GA 30909 706-736-3312 [email protected] BREEDER MEMBER SEC�Y Rebekah Cumbie 3373 Ravenwood Drive Augusta, Georgia 30907 706-650-8189 [email protected] PROV.BREEDER SEC�Y Joan Gaudet 512 Lester Street Lafitte, LA 70067 504-689-4535 [email protected]

FANCIER MEMBER SEC�Y Liz Flynn 208 Kings Chapel Road Augusta, GA 30907 706-860-1521 [email protected] NORTHEAST DIRECTOR Merry Braun 339 W Cedar St. Norwalk, CT. 06854 203-853-0093 [email protected] MID-ATLANTIC DIR. Jane Baldinger 6320 Hillsborough Dr. Falls Church, VA 22044 703-24- 5989 Work: 202 973 4941 [email protected] SOUTHEAST DIRECTOR Sharon Butler 818 Woodberry Drive Evans, Georgia 30907 706-860-6820 [email protected] MIDWEST DIRECTOR Caron Gray 19165 Bennington Drive Brookfield, Wisconsin 53045 262-782-1110 [email protected]

Advertising • Only full Breeder Members

may advertise cats or kit-tens for sale, stud service, catteries, or any other ser-vice related to animals.

• Any member may submit listings and photos for the Grand or Winners Gallery.

• Anyone may submit mer-chandise ads or cat show ads

• Payments must be received with ads.

Please send your ads and payments to the Editor: all checks made payable to MCBFA.

Cattery Ad Rates Business card-size ads $5 per 1/8 pg. $10.00/one time $35/yr. 1/4 pg. $20.00/one time $65/yr 1/2 pg. $40.00/one time/limit 2 per year Full pg. $85.00/one time/limit 1 per yr. Merchandise and/or Cat Show Announcement Ad Rates 1/4 pg. $25.00 per issue 1/2 pg. $50.00 p issue Full pg. $100 per issue Photographs All photographs are free! Photos will be returned if accompanied by self-addressed stamped envelope. Scratch Sheet Submissions Anyone may submit articles, pic-tures, and stories to the Scratch Sheet; however only a Breeder,

Fancier Membership: ( payable in US funds only) Us: $20.00/one year, $35.00/2 years, $50.00/3 years (this includes first class postage) Canada: $15.00 + $6.00 postage per year (total: $21.00) Postal Money Orders Only All Other Countries: $31.00 per year: International Money orders only. No Bank checks Please send membership fees and addresses to the Fancier membership secretary: DO NOT SEND TO THE TREASURER OR EDITOR. Always use a current application/renewal form from the magazine or a photo copy Provisional Breeder membership: Important: Please note that online information and application forms which can be downloaded are now available at the MCBFA website: www.MCBFA.org. If website is not available to prospective Provisional Breeders, please follow these instructions: First: Write to the Provisional Breeder Secretary for information and application packet. Do not send money at this time. Second: Follow instructions in the application packet. Then send dues ($30/first year; $25 subsequent years.) and address changes to the Provisional Breeder Secretary, address above. Breeder Members: $25.00 per year to Breeder Membership Secretary. A copy of a cur-rent litter registration must be included to enable you to stay on the Active Breeder list. ***There will be a $25.00 charge on all returned checks!***

SOUTH CENTRAL DIR. Karen Crooke 52 Sandelwood Trail Beaumont, Texas 77706 409-899-1668 [email protected] WESTERN DIRECTOR Judi May 3021 Road 84 Pasco, Washington 9930 509-544-7893 [email protected] OVERSEAS DIRECTOR Misha Peersman Spoorwegstraat 42 B-2600 Berchem, Belgium 32-3-230-9373 [email protected] APPOINTED OFFICERS ARCHIVIST Beth Hicks 3840 Charbon Lane Bartlett, TN 38133 901-372-3394 [email protected] EDITOR, SCRATCH SHEET Kit Mounger 485 Cottontail Lane Afton, TN 37616 423-639-1585 [email protected]


PRESIDENT�S MESSAGE ...AND PROTECTION OF THE BREED We who own and love the Maine Coon, have done a great job of promoting the breed over the years. This includes talking about our wonderful cats to anyone who will listen, sharing pictures and showing them in all associations. Now we need to focus on the second half of the MCBFA motto: Protection of the Breed. One of

the best ways we can do this is to be sure our breeding cats are as healthy as they can be. A number of deadly or debilitating conditions can be passed on from parents to their offspring. They are seen in most breeds of cats and household pets. These include HCM (Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), PKD (polycystic kidney disease), HD (hip dysplasia) and SMA (spinal muscu-lar atrophy). There is some information about these conditions on the MCBFA website and more available on the internet. These diseases can be reduced or eliminated by testing if a test is available. HCM can be tested for by doing echocardiograms on a regular basis. Cats that test positive can then be removed from breeding programs and begin treatment so that they can live long and comfortable a life as possible. There are several methods available for testing for HD. OFA and PennHip are the two most widely in use today. There is a genetic blood test for PKD which was developed in 2004 by UC Davis Veterinary School researchers which should be available for vets to use in 2005. There is not yet a genetic blood test for SMA but research is in progress. We all hope that genetic blood tests for SMA and HCM will be developed soon. Until that time, the best thing that we can do as breeders is to test our cats for HCM by doing echocardio-grams on a regular basis. By testing for HCM in the cats we use for breeding, we can at least not breed those who have active symptoms of the disease. This along should decrease the in-cidence of HCM in future generations. It isn�t a guarantee that HCM will not occur in the off-spring of those tested cats or that a cat will not develop it later in life. But it will decrease the chances of producing affected kittens by using healthy cats for breeding in the first place. An important factor in choosing a healthy cat is knowledge of the medical history of as many an-cestors as possible. If parents and grandparents are HCM negative, there is less chance of passing the disease on to kittens. Another thing we can do also is to help with Maine Coon rescues that happen from time to time. It is unfortunate when large groups of cats (of any breed) have to be taken over by the authorities due to poor health and conditions. Some people are able to foster or adopt these cats when they are released by veterinarians. Others help with transportation of the rescued cats to their new homes,. And many of us are able to help financially by making donations to the shelters or organizations working with Maine Coon rescues. I don�t think most people know much about the rescue groups that work very hard to keep these cats alive and find them new homes. (See Summer issue 2004 for Rescue article by Betsy Piper) I would like to see another article in the Scratch Sheet in the future featuring some of these groups. MCBFA was started 36 years ago. From time to time, we need to re-evaluate our goals. What should MCBFA as an organization be doing for our breed now? There has been discus-sion on this topic on several Maine Coon internet lists recently. It will also be on the agenda at MCBFA meetings this year. Over the next months, I hope we continue receiving many good suggestions for improving MCBFA for the 21st century. Lynne

The Scratch Sheet Fall 2004 Rules of the Establishment To wit: 1. Humans shall make no law respect-ing an establishment of boundaries or prohibit-ing the free exercise therein, or abridging the freedom of access or the right to peaceful as-sembly. In other words: the cat is entitled to go outside anytime she/he pleases. 2. A well-carried provisional chamber, being necessary to the fulfillment of a feline�s whims, shall not be infringed. In other words: the ct is entitled to EAT anytime he/she wants. 3.the right of the feline to be secure in their domain and effects against unreasonable discomposure, shall not be violated. In other words: the cat is entitled to sleep ANYTIME he/she wants. 4. Humans shall issue no warrants or decrees or edicts as prescribed to the demar-cation of possessions or property which are in direct conflict with right of life, liberty and the pursuit of feline affirmation. In other words: the cat is entitled to sleep ANYWHERE he/she wants. 5.The feline shall be immune to all criminal accusations, indictments and com-plaints. The accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and impartial dismissal of any and all charges provided said feline�s compulsory right to obtain any or all witnesses, including character witnesses, are obtained in his favor. In other words: Cats can do anything they want as long as they�re cute. And even if they�re not. 6. Neither serfdom, vassalage or invol-untary servitude will be tolerated, except by said cats in proprietorship of their humans. In other words: what I say goes. 7. No canis familiaris shall, in time of peace or at any other time, be quartered in any dwelling without the consent of the poten-tate, not in time of war, but in the manner to be prescribed by sovereign. In other words: no dogs in the house without my permission. 8. the right of the feline to be protected against unreasonable search and seizures shall not be breached or infringed upon at any time or any place. In other words: don�t disturb me when I am sleeping. The Cat PS:. Thousands of years ago, cats were wor-shipped as Gods. Cats have never forgotten this�and you better not either.

The Oath of the Longhaired Cat To Wit: I, felina hirsutus, do solemnly swear to uphold the duties entrusted me by virtue of being a long-haired cat. Should I feel the need to eject a hairball, I promise never to so on the easily cleanable surface if there is carpeting or other suitable fabric available. I shall give continuing credence to the notion that cats are colorblind by seeking out contrasting colored fabric on which to shed. I shall exit the litter pan with at least a pound of cat litter between my toes and proceed to spread it to the furthest possible point of my environment. Should I fail in my effort to leave the pan with a clean tush, I will immediately sit on as many fabric covered items in the house as possible and should this not satisfy my sense of personal hygiene, I shall dutifully scoot across the light colored carpet or bedspread to finish the job. Should my owner invite people over to visit, I will proudly strut through the room in which they sit, tail held high, with as many dingleberries dangling off my hind end as I can possible manage. Should this not cause sufficient embarrassment to my owner, I will endeavor to sit on the company�s lap. I will consume canned cat food in a manner to assure that a good portion of it ends up on my ruff and when I drink water, I will make every effort to soak the front portion of my body, thus reconstituting the dried up canned food and my ruff into a mess that will throw my owner into spasms. I shall always keep in mind that the proportion of coat lost during a show bath shall be directly cor-related to the number of points needed to finish my Grand title. When it is the season to �blow coat�, I shall sneak into the linen closet as many times as possible in order to lie on the clean linens and rid myself of loose hairs. Should I feel the need to cause a knot in my coat during show season, I shall make reasonable effort to assure that the knot is in the most obvious place possible, thus sending my owner into frantic stages of worry. Should my owner make the grievous error of attempting to paint the interior surfaces of my home, I shall closely supervise all aspects of the job, add my own art-deco to the project by walking across the lid of the paint can and as many uncovered surfaces as possible, leaving lovely starfish shaped prints. And thereby become the Picasso of cats.


Another stocking stuffer for you. Cindy Pitts, our once and future cat photographer, has had her delight-ful kitten photographs put into an elegant box by �Elements� of Tide-Mark. The cards may be viewed and ordered through Cindy at her website: www.cindypitts.com

Websmaid is also the work of a tal-ented and clever MCBFA breeder member: Ann Mary Bishop of Hurkle-cats.

My First MC Litter� Ida Kno did exactly as I requested and had her litter (or part of it anyway) on the 4th ofJuly. She made me wait until late that night but she did it. Not that I really had any illusions that my request had anything to do with the timing. This was my first Maine Coon litter. I had 3 Oriental Short-hair litters ranging up to 4 months on the ground and those were my first Oriental litters as well. So I was a new breeder and not too thrilled with all those girls having to be bred so close together. Kittens are a lot of work and 17 of them are loads of work. (and fun.) So I am looking at these little kittens: 3 brown clas-sics and a silver classic; 3 girls and a boy and I am noticing something I hadn�t been expecting. However, being cogni-zant of the lateness of the hour, I hold off calling Judy Chapetta. But you can be sure that not too late the next morning, I was on the phone. The conversation went some-thing like this: �Judy, Ida had her litter last night.� �Yeah? They all right? What did you get?� �A litter of Maine folds!� A generous hoot of laughter followed this statement which did eventually die down. �That is what you are supposed to get, darling; it means they are going to have big ears.� <Sigh> I really do wish that some of these pearls of wisdom would come before the litter but unintentionally Judy did pay for the laughter eventually. I also finally under-stood why Judy couldn't tell me much about type at an early age. Unlike the Orientals, whom you want to look like little Ewoks when born (their big ears do not come folded), Maines really do look like little sausages with fur (and ap-pendages). So time passes and the coonlets have had their first set of shots. Time for them to meet the Orientals, all 13 of them. In they go and all 4 of them promptly sit down by the bed, eyes wide and heads swiveling every which way. Each and every one of them going, �Gee, Mom, it�s the Cirque Du Soleil!!� which was all well and good until 2 days later when the coonlets decide to join the cast and crew. All the kids settle in well together and when they�re older, Judy asks if she can take one of the girls to a friend in Russia. No problem. The kitten goes home with Judy. A few days later, I call to ask how the kitten is doing and I hear �What did you do to this kitten; she�s bouncing off the walls!� Yep, payback time can be precious! Kelly Crouch Excalipurrs Cattery


Ride �Em, Cowboy! When my GC Terrificats Sunshine Cowboy was about 5 years old, I didn�t have anything �new� to take to the CFA International show, so I took my Cowboy. He was a beautiful brown mac tabby with white; big, great ears, huge, well set ears, enormous expressive eyes with eyeliner and a perfectly won-derful personality. A true showman who absolutely loved the show hall. Never met a stranger, gave me hugs and kisses and ear tickles and licked my hair to and from every ring so that crowds of spectators would follow me back to my benching cage to see him BUT! He was 5 years old and sort of a �has been� by that time because of the younger, flashier hot-to-trot cats...and the judges had seen him ad nauseum, because I showed him to 2 regional wins. But he was in great shape, well groomed, etc. so I was thrilled to get a yellow ribbon now and then. Well, we got down to the last ring of the show for championship Maines; the judge was Ken Cur-rie. Well, Ken was a showman, too, and remembered Cowboy. He took the cat out of the cage in a most dramatic stretch, way up in the air and carried him around the ring. Cowboy made �bread� with his out-stretched paws. Ken dropped him on the table and jus stood back and let him strut. He played with the toy, head-butted Ken, he nuzzled him on the chin, he licked his hair and then he stood and posed for the audience. I got it on film, too. Of course, I�m his doting mom and I was enthralled with the performance and the fact that Ken took so much time with him. There were tons of MCs yet to be judged. The crowning touch was, when Cowboy stopped to survey the audience and sort of say �What do you think?� to them...the audience, which consisted of virtually every Maine Coon breeder in attendance at the show plus a large number of spectators, burst into applause and gave my Cowboy a standing ova-tion. That was one of the most thrilling moments of my life in the Cat Fancy. He still didn�t win a ribbon, but he won the hearts of a lot of people and exemplified what I think a show cat should be in tempera-ment. Ones like Cowboy only come around once in awhile but he could truly show himself off and play to the crowd. To have the other breeders applaud him really, really touched me. And he was five years old. Wouldn�t hurt a flea. Cowboy was very non-aggressive...couldn�t care lesss about other males normally. But as we were leaving the ring after this stellar performance for Ken Currie, I walked with Cowboy alongside Donna Hinton who was carrying her huge, beautiful GC Coonsboro Dirt Track Demon of Nascat back to the benching area. Cowboy was a good-sized cat but Tracker was truly HUGE as well as typey. Well, my dear Cowboy took one look at Tracker and decided he�d better try to protect me! So what did he do? He gave out a big Maine Coon war cry: a shrill high-pitched �Wheeeeeee!!� and tried to glare at Tracker. I told him if that was all he could do, no one would ever be afraid of him. That was his idea of aggression in the show hall. I think Tracker just chuckled. Karen Crooke Lovabacon/Terrificats Maine Coons

Photo-Shoot 101 for Roxann Rokicki�s new Velvetjewels litter

�Okay, mom, enough�s enough! Where�s dinner?�


Breeder Dues, Change of ad-dress/Code of Ethics signed and returned Rebekah Cumbie 3373 Ravenwood Dr. Augusta, Georgia 30907 706 650 8189

Fancier membership/Renewal, Address change

Liz Flynn 208 Kings Chapel Road Augusta, GA. 30907 706-860-1521 [email protected]

Name_____________________________________ Address___________________________________ City_________________State_______Zip________ New fancier member_______ Change of address_________ Breeder member change/address_____________________

If you�d like information about sponsor-ing or becoming a Provisional Breeder Member, contact The Provisional Breeder Secretary: Joan Gaudet 512 Lester Street Lafitte, Louisiana 70067 504 689 4535 [email protected]

Santacat and raindog

Season�s Greetings!

�You�re Santa Who? In Red under-wear??�

�I can�t believe I ate the whole thing��

�Is he coming yet?�

�What Christmas cookies?�

Snow angel

fall 2004 mocha™s story the scratch sheet due dues …the scratch sheet the official publication...

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