The Scratch Sheet The Scratch Sheet The Scratch Sheet The Scratch Sheet ...

The Official Publication of the Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association Spring and Summer 2011

Book Notes & Reviews

Ursula K. Le Guin has written any num-ber of books, mostly fantasy; some for adults, a lot for kids. One of her series for young children is her Catwings books. There aren’t all that many interesting books (of fiction) about cats out there. (although she-who-shall-remain-nameless is halfway through writing the 4th MerryMaines tale and if Amazon gets its Kindle spamming problems solved, it should be out before Christmas) Anyway, Ms. Le Guin wrote a number of these well illustrated charming books about cats who could fly. And any adult reading them to children or grandkids will enjoy them as well. They’re not out of print and available at many secondhand book shops. Try Chamblin Bookmine, the granddaddy of all used book sources. It’s in Jacksonville, FL: 904-384-1685 Mainerd, copy editor and book reviewer

Spring has sprung...The Spring has sprung...The Spring has sprung...The Spring has sprung...The grassgrassgrassgrass has riz...has riz...has riz...has riz... I wonder where de birdees izz...I wonder where de birdees izz...I wonder where de birdees izz...I wonder where de birdees izz...

“It’s time for tunadogs and cheeseburgers; Where’s my swimsuit? I wanna to go to the beach!”

“It’s the good ol’ summertime out here: Birds and toads and lizards and lady bugs “It’s the good ol’ summertime out here: Birds and toads and lizards and lady bugs “It’s the good ol’ summertime out here: Birds and toads and lizards and lady bugs “It’s the good ol’ summertime out here: Birds and toads and lizards and lady bugs

just for me!”just for me!”just for me!”just for me!”

Coonmtn Silver Pearl

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page two Page two Page two Page two

Beware of Big-Footed Cats...for they will get into all sorts of things they don’t need to Or Keeping Up with The Times Many years ago, I used to write occasional arti-cles for The Scratch Sheet entitled The Adventures of Ash and Zade. Time has passed as has Ash (bless his beautiful black smoke soul). Ash and Zade were about the same age and we had gotten them as kit-tens and Tare the Aby is also doing well. After the loss of Ash, it was awhile before our hearts had healed enough to start our search for a new Maine Coon kitten. If one was good, then two were even better—right? So our household now has four kitties, with the two young ones being Maine Coons. Oakbear’s Loki Panthera Ebon (Loki) was born March 15, 2010, a solid black and Oakbear’s Ursa Magnum (Grizz), a brown classic tabby, was born June 30, 2010, These two beautiful boys came to live with us. Grizz thinks the sun rises and sets on Loki and both boys have won over Zade and Tare. Life is good! For those of you a bit familiar with Norse mythology, Loki was one of the lesser gods and a God of My-chief. Loki was very well named...and so with this background I must tell you the story of: The Erect-tail Dysfunctional Adventure It was a bright and sunny morning and Loki and Grizz sauntered into the bathroom. Loki jumped up on the counter and looked around for something to play with. “Oooh, Grizz, get a load of this! It’s a bottle of Daddy’s pills up here. I wonder what kind they are?” Loki pulls his reading glasses out of his pocket and spells the word...V-I-A-G-R-A... ”Do you know what that spells, Grizz?” “I do, I do, Loki! I saw that on the TV—it ‘s for Erect-tail dysfunction! I want an erect tail, don’t you? Tare’s tail is always standing up straight when he runs through the house. Maybe if we eat some of these pills, our tails will stand up, too!” So Loki knocks the bottle off the counter and it lands splat in the bathtub. When it does that, the lid pops off and the bottle rolls around and all the pills fall out.

““Uh-oh, Loki. We’re gonna be in trouble now,” Grizz meowed. “Naw, we’ll just blame it on Tare—he’s always getting’ in trouble anyway. We’re just kittens, what do we know?” The boys bat around the pills in the bottom of the bathtub and find that they are so small that their fuzzy paws can’t pick them up. They try licking them but they taste awful. “I don’t know abut you, Grizz, but if I have to eat those nasty tasting things to have an erect tail, then I don’t want one!” “I agree, Loki. But what are we gonna do now, ‘cause Dad’s really gonna be mad at us when he finds his pills gone? By the way, I wonder why Daddy wants erect-tail pills—he doesn’t even have a tail!” “Who knows, Grizz, Two-leggeds don’t make any sense anyhow. Let’s just bat all these pills down under that metal thingy in the bottom of the tub. We can discapear them that way and just play innocent.” And with that, two innocent kittens leave the bathroom hoping that Daddy won’t notice. For Loki and Grizz...by Portia Neff P.S. The above story is almost true. The names have NOT been changed to protect the guilty! Luckily I went into the bathroom in time to see the last two pills being played with. Still not to-tally sure why or how the lid popped open, the boys were treated with a dollop of wet food and a lovely dropper filled with hydrogen peroxide. (per vet’s instructions) and got to barf up what was in their tummies. There was no evidence of any pills. Don’t really think they ate any but bet-ter be safe than sorry. You can just never trust teenagers not to experi-ment, can you???

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page 3 Page 3 Page 3 Page 3

Spring is for Kittens!

Is this about the goldfish? Bubba’s ear? The shiny sparkle ring? Mom’s bra? The butterdish? The kibble in the waterbowl?

If two’s company...three’s an accident lookin’ for a place to happen...

I wanted Strawberry, Mom!

Hi Y’all...Need a couple of housewreckers?

Of course! I’m Canaletto’s Unsinkable Molly Brown...

Empress-in-Training

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page four Page four Page four Page four

Congratulations to this years

big winners. This is a listing of the Top Ten Cats, Kittens and Premiers Maine Coon Cats in CFA for the year 2010-2011 Top Ten Cats GC, BW, NW Tabbeyrd Mr Kite of Coonskin GC, DW Cuzzoe Go Diego Go of Handelbandit GC, RW Coonalley's Tony Lama of Cabincoon GC, RW Abizaq B. Panda Express GC, RW Dewisplear Treme of Nekoland GC, RW Koerncoon You Can Do It Dakota GC, RW Nascat Penske GC, DW Felis Wonder Neotrix GC, RW Nabscmc Chantry GC, RW Jcatlyn Little Bit Rock N Roll Top Ten Kittens GC, NW Syracoon's New Years Eva GC, NW Stormytown Lt Dan Taylor GC, RW Hopecats Chili Pepper of Aslanspaw GC, RW Nascat Cruise'n GC, RW Highlander Roxanne of Dulcimer GC, RW Rondeelu Autumn's Legacy Elsa GC, RW Copperdais Olivia of Koontyme GC, RW McKittycreek Cosmo of Highlander GC, BW, NW Tabbeyrd Mr Kite of Coonskin GC, RW Furensics Lt. Frank Monahan Top Ten Premiers GP, NW Javacats Steeped In Irony GP, NW Acadiacoons Franklin Lodge GP, NW Angtini's Nick Charles of Macduff GP, RW Syracoon Resolution of Thunderstar GP, RW Abycoons Red Baron of Gr8Katz CH, GP, RW Texas Belle May Belline GP, RW Primeacat Fripon GC, GP, RW Y1Kat Shiloh GP, RW Pure Coon Arnold CH, GP, RW Riverwatch Susquehanna

This is CFA GC, BW, NW TabbeyRd Mr. Kite of Coons' Kin

TICA, SGC, RW, TabbeyRd Mr. Kite of Coons' Kin

Breeder: Cheryl and John Kominos Owner: Judy Friedman and Cheryl and John Kominos

CFA: Best Maine Coon in Championship, 2010-2011 23rd Best All Breed Cat in Championship, National 2nd Best All Breed Cat in Championship, South-

west Region Best Maine Coon in Championship, Southwest Re-

gion Best Maine Coon Kitten, Southwest Region

13th Best Kitten, All Breed, Southwest Region

TICA: Best Maine Coon, Southwest Region, 2010-2011

9th Best Cat in Championship, Southwest Region 19th Best Maine Coon, International

From Judy Friedman "And tom howdy, was that hard work!"

And plaudits to Mr. Kite, Cheryl

and John Kominos and Judy

Beethoven, the little darling, came to live with us when he was eight and a half months old. Having been returned to his breeder because his first owners could not cope with early morning alarm calls or the banshee-like wails of one rejected and shut out Maine Coon. Hence the ghoul part of the title. Ghost because he was white and occasionally, very occasionally, he man-ages to creep up on you silently on little (enormous) cat paws. (whoever wrote that piece of nonsense had obviously never lived with a Maine Coon—”Creeping up on his size 19 clogs” would be a better description.) Long-legged beastie is obvious. He’s very, very long and only now at 18 months of age, is beginning to lose the teenage all-legs-and-elbows look.

Things that go bump in the night? Well, we have a theory. We think Beethoven is a reincarnated interior designer. (I always say I would like to come back as a pampered cat in a loving household) and he does not like my tin collection in the kitchen. Thus, late at night when inspiration takes him, he rearranges the tins and if a few fall in the process—well, he’s deaf. The alternative theory is that he’s training us to sleep through Ar-mageddon. And you know—he might do so yet; it’s surprising what you can learn to sleep through. The first weeks after he came to us, we had some ghoul behavior—wailing in the night—but it soon stopped since he had the company of our four other cats and access to us at all times. Beethoven had been an only cat in his first home, something his breeder and I now believe was a mistake. We both strongly rec-ommend that these special and precious deaf cats go to a cat or dog-owning household or as one of a pair—never alone. Bozart (his pet name—he can’t tell the difference between late Mozart and early Beethoven either) is one of the noisiest cats we have ever had the pleasure of knowing and we are waiting for our neighbors to com-plain about him thumping up and down our open wooden stairs. He also talks to us and himself and has an amazing repertoire of Murrurps, Purrrps, Maaaraaows and Maarooups and when he can’t have his yogurt treat NOWWWWW he shouts louder, impatiently dabbing a paw in our bowls. Surely a smart ploy to get more yogurt—who wants to finish his treat when it’s had a cat foot in it? Our alarm clock is named Beethoven, at least my husband’s is—it just walks by my head ignoring prof-fered tickles and begins by breathing heavily into Zweitse’s ear. If this meets with no success he shouts loudly, “cuddles NOW!” His final strategy is to poke at Zweitse with an outsized paw until a sleepy hand be-ings to tickle him; he then starts up a tremendous loud purring to complete the wake-up. The alarm even has a repeat function: if Zweitse does not get up, half an hour later, Beethoven starts all over again. We defy any-one to sleep through a Beethoven alarm purr. Earlier on I mentioned that Beethoven goes crazy for yogurt; that’s quite normal, but how many cats do you know who will kill for melon, eat black olives, raisins and grapes and have been known to eat a muesli bun? Yes, we do feed him proper cat food—he just likes some human foods, too. Bozart is exceptionally stubborn and incredibly persistent. My husband checked him some fifteen times one day when he was chewing the bottom of our large asparagus plant. Finally, in exasperation, Zweitse put him in the kitchen for 10 minutes of solitary confinement. He hates to be away from Zweitse when he is home. Zweitse, being his favorite human (I am very much second-best) When he was released, he walked straight back to the asparagus and started grazing again (do Maine Coons have cows among their mythical ances-tors, along with the raccoon?). You cannot shout at a deaf Maine Coon—or you can but it has not the slight-est affect—though it might release your feelings. You know those statements that begin: “Before Maine Coons came into my life, I could…”? Well, before Beethoven we could keep our cats off the living room table by yelling and giving them black looks. It took him just a week to train us to stop bothering about cats on tables—you will understand why when you realize that with Beethoven we had to get up and physically remove him each time he got on the table—some 30 times an hour! Continued on page six

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page five Page five Page five Page five

Ghosty, Ghouly, long-legged Beastie, thing that goes bump In the Night OR

Living with Beethoven, A Deaf White Maine Coon

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page sixage sixage sixage six

Living with Beethoven... Continued from page 6 Bozart chews and licks all sorts of rough surfaces—a wooden chest, metal fly screen, the brickwork on our walls--and have any of you experienced Maine Coon owners had similar experiences with your cats? With deaf Maine Coons even? Most nights Bozart starts the night in a half-demolished wicker basket on Zweitse’s side of the bed. You can guess who is responsible for its dilapidated state. He is large, he is white and he goes snap, crackle and pop in the night as he chews on the basket. I know Maine Coons are larger than some toy dogs, but does he have to behave like one? On a serious note, Beethoven/Bozart is completely deaf. He is blue-eyed and is missing the tapetum lu-cidum in the right eye, which means that along with not being able to hear, his night vision is not so acute as a normal cat’s. These wonderful cats should never be bred; sadly, when breeding white cats there will al-ways be the odd deaf white cat. If we breed only from hearing white cats and to cats not known to carry white (given that some people believe the white spotting gene may be implicated in the white coat/deafness syndrome) we may begin to reduce the number of deaf kittens born. These cats are special and we adore Beethoven, but his life is not normal in some respects; for example his compulsive licking of rough surfaces may be a need to stimulate himself. Try blocking up your ears for half an hour and see how it feels to have no sounds in your life—this will give you an idea what I mean. Add to this the fact that cats with the worst case of this syndrome have both tapetum lucida missing and therefore have very poor night vision and you will realize why I make the plea that this condition not be passed on. Frans van Berkum, when he gave Beethoven to Zweitse and myself, gave him on the condition that he was neutered, We fully concur with this attitude. Beethoven is our first Maine Coon. Although I fell in love with the breed at shows and have grown abso-lutely to love stewarding these marvelous cats (European cat shows use stewards to handle cats being judged. Ed.) Thank you, the many breeders and owners who have entrusted your precious cats to me at shows...I know very little about them as far as living with them goes and of course, Bozart may not be typical. Back to Ghosties and Ghoulies: In England, from where I originate, we have a child’s prayer that goes: “From Ghosties and Ghoulies/ And Long-Legged Beasties/ and Things that go Bump in the night/ Good Lord, deliver us.” But in our case, we would say, “Good Lord, Please don’t deliver us; we adore this naughty, noisy, little-big white boy and would not be without him!” To Frans, his breeder, many thanks for this wonderful gift...I must stop. I have to retrieve Beethoven from the plants on top of the living room bookshelves—I may shout but of course, Beethoven won’t hear! By Miranda Aldham-Breary reprinted from the Summer 1993 issue of The Scratch Sheet. With permis-sion from “It’s Coontime!” the magazine of the Dutch Fife Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers. Copyright “It’s Coontime” Edited by MCBFA breeder member Anneke Kuys.

This is the deaf drama queen, Miss Ivy of Cumbercoons, who was born In October 2010, one of 5, sired by a brown classic with white male. Her dam is a blue-eyed hearing white queen. There were two whites in the litter: her brother was gold-eyed and hearing. Ivy is another one who has fallen into a worshipful family and is one among four of their pet cats. She, too, has no difficulty making her wishes known and acted on. There has been a lot of controversy about deafness in whites, breeding them and showing them. I, for one, would never have bred a deaf white queen—if solely on the premise that such a dam could not hear her kittens (and I don’t wonder that would make them poor mothers) Anyone with thoughts on the subject, we would love to hear from and will print your viewpoint. Kit

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page seven Page seven Page seven Page seven

__._,_.___

See this:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129125500.htm

Cats' Family Tree Rooted In Fertile Crescent, Study Confirms

ScienceDaily (Jan. 29, 2008) — The Fertile Crescent of the Middle East has long been identified as a "cradle of civiliza-

tion" for humans. In a new genetic study, researchers at the University of California, Davis, have concluded that all ances-

tral roads for the modern day domestic cat also lead back to the same locale.

Findings of the study, involving more than 11,000 cats, are reported in the January issue of the journal Genomics.

"This study confirms earlier research suggesting that the domestication of the cat started in the Fertile Crescent region,"

said Monika Lipinski, lead researcher on the study and a doctoral candidate in the School of Veterinary Medicine. "It also

provides a warning for modern cat fanciers to make sure they maintain a broad genetic base as they further develop their

breeds." Leslie Lyons, an authority on cat genetics and principal investigator on this study, said: "More than 200 genetic

disorders have been identified in modern cats, and many are found in pure breeds. We hope that cat breeders will use the

genetic information uncovered by this study to develop efficient breed-management plans and avoid introducing geneti-

cally linked health problems into their breeds."

History of the modern cat

Earlier archaeological evidence and research on the evolutionary history of cats has suggested that domestication of the cat

originated about 5,000 to 8,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, a region located today in the Middle East. This is the area

around the eastern end of the Mediterranean, stretching from Turkey to northern Africa and eastward to modern day Iraq

and Iran. This domestication of the cat occurred as humans transitioned from nomadic herding to raising crops and live-

stock. Cats, with their penchant for hunting mice, rats and other rodents, became useful companions as people domesti-

cated, grew and stored wild grains and grasses. Eventually, cats also became pets but were never fully domesticated. Even

today, most domestic cats remain self-sufficient, if necessary, and continue to be efficient hunters, even when provided

with food. Cats and their gene pools spread rapidly around the world as ancient civilizations developed trade routes. Unlike

other domesticated species, there has been little effort to improve on the cat for functional purposes. Instead, development

of cat breeds has been driven more by preferences for certain aesthetic qualities like coat color and color patterns. Today,

there are 50 recognized cat breeds. Of that total, 16 breeds are thought to be "natural breeds" that occurred in specific re-

gions, while the remaining breeds were developed during the past 50 years. DNA of 11,000 cats in this study, the UC

Davis research team focused on: tracing the movement of the modern cat through the ancient world and to the Americas;

measuring changes in genetic diversity as cats dispersed throughout the world; and measuring any loss of genetic diversity

that might have occurred in the development of the older or more contemporary breeds. The researchers collected samples

of cheek cells from more than 11,000 cats. These cats represented 17 populations of randomly bred cats from Europe, the

Mediterranean, Asia, Africa and the Americas, as well as 22 recognized breeds. DNA samples of most breeds were ob-

tained at cat shows or were sent in upon the lab's request by cat owners in the United States. The study was assisted by a

host of collaborators from throughout the world. DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary

material in humans, other animals and plants. It carries the instructions or blueprint for making all the structures and mate-

rials that the organism needs to function. Genetic markers called "microsatellite markers," commonly used for DNA profil-

ing, were used to determine the genetic relationships of cat breeds, their geographic origins and the

levels of genetic loss that have resulted from inbreeding.

Findings

From the DNA analysis, the researchers found that the cats were genetically clustered in four groups that corresponded

with the regions of Europe, the Mediterranean basin, east Africa and Asia. They discovered that randomly bred cats in the

Americas were genetically similar to randomly bred cats from Western Europe. They also found that the Maine Coon and

American shorthair -- two breeds that originated in the United States -- were genetically

similar to the seven Western European breeds. This suggests that cats brought to the New World by European settlers have

not had sufficient time to develop significant genetic differentiation from their Western European ancestors. The study

yielded many interesting breed-specific findings. For example, the researchers found that the Persian breed, perhaps the

oldest recognized pure breed, was not genetically associated with randomly bred cat populations from the Near East, but

rather was more closely associated with randomly bred cats of Western Europe.

Continued on page 14

This article came from the Stirling online list, a forum hosted by author Steve Stirling

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page eight Page eight Page eight Page eight

Along with the arrival of Spring in all its glory comes the Flea..

You've seen them - tiny, quick creatures that scurry through your cat's fur, feasting on her blood, and causing painful itching - so bad that kitty may scratch herself raw in seeking relief. If you have a bad flea infestation in a multiple-cat household, you've probably been bitten yourself by these vora-cious feeders, and you may even have seen them hopping through your carpeting. (Did you know a flea can jump 33 cm. in one leap - over a foot?)

The most common flea which feeds off cats, dogs, and humans, is the Ctenocephalides felis. If you ob-serve your cat scratching and aren't sure if fleas are the cause, use a flea comb on your cat and observe the tiny black dots that emerge on the comb - we commonly call it "flea dirt," but in reality, it is the ex-crement the flea leaves. Smash some with a damp paper towel, and it will turn red - that's the residue from your cat's blood - and a warning that cat flea control is indicated.

As if the itching and stinging weren't enough, fleas also transmit other conditions which can even have a more deleterious effect on your cat's health.

Common Flea "Hitch-Hikers"

Anemia: Unchecked infestations of fleas can actu-ally cause anemia from blood loss - sometimes fatal, particularly in kittens. Pale gums are a red flag for anemia in kittens, and their gums should be routinely checked if your kittens have just sur-vived a flea attack.

Tapeworms: With kittens, fleas and worms are

practically synonymous, and kittens that are vic-timized by fleas should always be treated for

worms. Haemobartonellosis: A more serious form of ane-

mia, caused by a microorganism carried by the flea, the h.felis in the case of felines. Haemobar-tonellosis is diagnosed by laboratory tests and treated with antibiotics, steroids, and in some se-vere cases, blood transfusions.

Fleas, horrible insidious fleas... The Life of the flea…

The cycles of a flea are very like that of a butterfly, but unlike the beautiful end result of those flower-friendly creatures, the adult flea is a menace to all it encounters.

Eggs: Fleas lay their eggs on the host animal, where the entire cycle may take place. Other eggs fall off into the environment, e.g., your carpeting or kitty's bedding, or your own bed.

Larvae: The larvae "hatchlings" feed on the feces left by the adult, and continue to develop for about a week.

Pupae: Like the butterfly, the larvae spins a co-coon for itself, where it continues to evolve into the adult flea - within another week or so on the host animal.

Adult: The emerging adult feeds on its host, mates, and continues the life cycle. Is it any wonder why cat flea control is so important?

Apply ONE of these topical products, following the directions for your age/size of cat.

Advantage: Uses imidacloprid as the active ingredi-ent, and is generally regarded as safe for cats and kittens over six weeks of age. Does not kill ticks. We personally use this product and have not seen a flea in our house for several years.

Frontline: Said to kill both fleas and ticks; Frontline uses a synthetic ingredient called fipronil, which may cause a temporary sensitivity in the area of application.

Bio Spot for Cats: Bio Spot combines permethrin and an insect growth regulator (nylar) to kill eggs and larvae as well as adult fleas. It is active for as long as three months, when used as directed. Bio Spot may also cause sensitivity to the animal, and should not be used on kittens less than twelve weeks of age, geriatric, pregnant, or nurs-ing cats.

Revolution: Its main ingredient is Selamectin, which

is said to kill not only fleas and some ticks, but also

ear mites, as well as offering protection against

heartworm. Revolution stays in the bloodstream,

and should not be used on kittens under six weeks

of age. Since it is a systemic product, it may cause

allergic reactions in some cats.

If you follow this cat flea control program scrupu-

lously, fleas will soon be a distant memory in your

household, and your kitties will be eternally grateful

to you for freeing them from unwanted fleas and

their hitch-hikers.

The Scratch Sheet Spring 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring 2011 Page nine Page nine Page nine Page nine

Additional charges for an office visit frequently apply if you purchase from your veterinarian. Advantage® II is a registered trademark of the Bayer Corp. Program® is a registered trademark of Novartis. Frontline® & Frontline Plus® are registered trademarks of Merial.

Flea & Tick Topical and Oral Medication Comparison Chart

Compare! bioSpot

SPOT ON® Advantage® II Frontline® Frontline Plus® Program® Capstar

Kills Adult Fleas Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes

for 24 hrs.

Kills Eggs & Larvae Yes Yes No Yes Yes No

Controls Flea Development

Yes Yes No Yes Yes No

Repels & Kills Ticks (Lyme Disease vectors)

Yes No Kills Only Kills Only No No

Repels & Kills Mosqui-toes (Heartworm, West Nile Virus vectors)

Yes No No No No No

Administration Topical Topical Topical Topical Oral Liquid Oral Pill

Treatment Dosage

Monthly Monthly Monthly Monthly Monthly One-Time

Minimum Age For Cats 12 wks & older

For Cats 8 wks & older

For Cats 12 wks & older

For Cats 8 wks & older

For Cats 6 wks & older

For Cats 4 wks & older 2 lbs. or more

Active Ingredients Methoprene

IGR & Etofenprox

Imidacloprid & Pyriproxyfen

IGR Fipronil

Fipronil & Methoprene

Lufenuron Nitenpyram

From Drs. Foster and Smith catalog

“ Ain’t no fleas on us!”

There are any number of reasons why you might at some point have to Tube Feed. If you want to plan ahead against the day here is a fine list of TUBE FEED-ING necessities from VetInfo You will need to be sure you have the right supplies on

hand. You’ll need to have (or make) an incubator (or a

nesting box); and you will also need a heating pad; room

thermometer; sterile cotton balls and gauze; an accurate

gram scale; nurser kits with bottles, nipples, and clean-

ing brush; Pedialyte unflavored liquid; high quality Kitten

Milk Replacer formula (while the powder is more eco-

nomical, we only use and recommend the liquid form in

the cans); and, in case you need to do tube feeding, you

will need several syringes (usually 3cc, 5cc, 12cc and

20cc), and your tube feeder, which can be purchased

through veterinary clinics or supply houses. Many breed-

ers recommend the butterfly needle infusion sets as the

tube is very pliable, and soft. The 0.6mm (outer) diame-

ter tube is most popular, and the rubber catheters you

will need can be found at most major drugstores. You

will need a #5 French catheter for kittens up to 2 weeks

old, and you can use a #8 French for older kittens.

For instructions on How to Tube Feed the Pawpeds

Library has instructions or there is a fine book Breeding

Purebred Cats by Anne S. Moore that has step by step.

At some point everyone will have to Bottle Feed some-

body for one reason or another. We have had great

success even with the tiniest of preemies using the Pet

Ag Bottle and Elongated Nipple. Any good pet store will

have the bottle kit with assorted nipples. Additional

Elongated Nipples can be purchased from RevivalAni-

malHealth.com

When Tube or Bottle Feeding becomes necessary….

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page ten Page ten Page ten Page ten

Putting a hole in the nipple is done with a large gauge sew-ing needle heated in flame and then applied to the nipple several times. For cross cutting nipples a pair of fine em-broidery scissors makes the best cuts. Now that we have the equipment here are some Recipes for Emergency Kitten Formula

• 1oz condensed milk

• 1oz sterilized water—not tap water!

• 1oz plain yogurt

• 1 egg yoke Microwave the mixture for a minute and allow to cool to the proper temperature before feeding kittens. Only use this emergency formula until Kitten formula ,liquid or powder, can be acquired. And if you are the do-it-yourself type and would rather make than buy. The following recipes on the next page come well recommended.

Ummm sounds delightful!.. Delicious nutritious Glop... MAY I HAVE A

SECOND HELPING, PLEASE?

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PaThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PaThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PaThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page elevenge elevenge elevenge eleven

Popularly known as “Kitty Glop” among breeders and rescue groups, several recipes have made the rounds on the Lists lately and are posted on the internet in several places. Who would have thought to look? But they ARE there. Here are a few to have on hand, be-yond the Emergency Only recipe on the previous page. Do remember that Canned goats milk can be used in place of the evaporated whole milk in either rec-ipe.

Glop Recipes:

INGREDIENTS: 1 lg. can evaporated whole milk (not skim) 2tbsp. Plain yogurt (not diet) 2tbsp. Mayonnaise (real) 1tbsp. Karo Syrup (light) 1 pkg. Knox gelatin 1 egg yoke (beaten) 1 cup of liquid unflavored Pedialyte INSTRUCTIONS: Mix milk, yogurt, mayonnaise and syrup together well. Bring 1 cup filtered/distilled (not tap) water to boil and mix in Knox gelatin; set aside. Mix egg yoke with small amount of milk mixture and beat well. Add gelatin and water to milk mixture and beat well. Add in egg yoke mixture. Pour into a freezer safe bowel or similar type of bowl with a cover and set in refrigerator. Always warm glop to room temperature before feeding. This glop is very rich in calcium, and can be used as a supplement for kittens, sick cats and show cats to put on weight. Several Veterinarians have approved this recipe as being balanced and nutritious.

FRANNY SYUFY'S ABOUT.COM GLOP

The recipe sets up to a gelatin-like consistency in the re-frigerator, and can be stored there for up to two weeks. It can also be frozen in an ice tray for convenience in serv-ing. To serve, warm to room temperature. Do not pour back unused portions into the mix. 12 oz. of water 1 envelope Knox Gelatin 1 12oz can of whole evaporated milk (not skim) 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 tablespoons plain yogurt, not nonfat Boil the water, add the gelatin - stir well. Add the following ingredients in order, mixing well after each addition: 1/2 of the canned milk, mayonnaise and yogurt; the rest of the milk. Variations include the addition of kitty vitamins, aci-dophilus, and/or pureed baby food meat such as lamb, chicken, or beef. Franny adds: "I have seen variations with two egg yolks added, but I would caution against this, due to the risk of salmonella with raw eggs. For very easy mix-ing, you can use a blender at low speed, but I also like a bowl with a wire whisk."

“Yeah, but do we git cookies wif it?”

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page twelveage twelveage twelveage twelve

About 400 kittens participated in this survey and I will give you the

average weights from Birth (0) to 12 weeks. Please beware that this is

not a research done in a lab, some people may have weighed their kittens

when still wet, while others might wait until they were dry and may have

had their turn at the milk bar (we always try to weigh them wet).

Kitten Weight Guideline From a 1998 study by the Dutch Maine Coon Club

00 113 3.98 107 3.77

01 218 7.68 212 7.47

02 318 11.21 306 10.79

03 424 14.95 403 14.21

04 532 18.76 / 1.17 502 17.70 / 1.10

05 646 22.78 / 1.42 611 21.55 / 1.34

06 876 30.89 / 1.93 732 25.82 / 1.61

07 967 34.10 / 2.13 863 30.44 / 1.90

08 1090 38.44 / 2.40 997 35.16 / 2.19

09 1235 43.56 / 2.72 1121 39.54 / 2.47

10 1406 49.59 / 3.09 1262 44.51 / 2.78

11 1579 55.69 / 3.48 1405 49.55 / 3.09

12 1769 62.39 / 3.89 1567 55.27 / 3.45

Weeks Males in gr. Males in oz/lbs Females in gr. Females in oz.

I'm sorry for those that are not used to grams, 100 gr. = 3.5 ounce (1 ounce = 28.35 gr.), 454 gr. is one pound. On a personal note, we have had a few kittens below average birth weight in some of our litters, but so far all of our kittens ended above average weights at 12 weeks. What I do find very useful to use this list for, is to have a reasonable idea how much weight you would want a kitten to gain in a week. Minimum birth weights in the survey were 75 gr. for fe-males and 83 gr. For males. Minimum weights at 12 weeks were 1200 gr. for females and 1370 gr. for males. I hope some of you may find this information useful. Anneke Kuys

The Scratch Sheet Spring summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring summer 2011 The Scratch Sheet Spring summer 2011 Page thirteen Page thirteen Page thirteen Page thirteen

Aging the Kittens:

1. Umbilical cord attached: They are 3 days or younger. 2. Eyes: They begin to open at 7-8 days and all eyes should be open by day 10. Their eyes generally change from blue to blue/gray then yellow/green between 6 1/2 to 7 weeks of age but can vary kitten-to-kitten and litter-to-litter. In one litter, kittens can be conceived 4-5 days apart. This also contributes to the different days the eyes open. 3. Ears: Their ears stand up at 3-1/2 weeks of age. 4. Teeth: Another way to age the kittens is by the teeth. The following is from the Cornell Book of Cats. The ages are when the teeth break the skin or 'eruption of the teeth' happens, or when they break the surface. Baby teeth: Center (4) Incisors (front teeth between the canines) 2-3 weeks Outer Incisors (still between the canines) 3-4 weeks Canines 3-4 weeks Upper molars (called a premolar) 2 months (8 weeks) Lower molars (called a premolar) 4-5 weeks Adult teeth: Center (4) Incisors (front teeth between the canines) 3-1/2 to 4 months (14-16 weeks) Outer Incisors (still beaten the canines) 4 to 4-1/2 months (16-18 weeks) Canines 5 months Upper molars (called a premolar) 4-1/2 to 6 months (depending on tooth) Lower molars (called a premolar) 5-6 months for all Upper molar in back, no baby tooth, just the molar at 4-5 months 5. Mobility: They are unstable on their feet until they are around 4 weeks of age and can run pretty well by 5 weeks. If you see kittens running around a yard, they are at least 5-6 weeks old. 6. Eating: They generally are eating on their own between 5 and 6 weeks of age. Some will eat as young as 4 weeks and some will take as long as 8 weeks to stop the bottle if you are bottle feeding. The older kittens who refuse to leave the bottle are generally needing the one-on-one af-fection they are receiving.

One day old

Ten days old

Two weeks old

4 weeks

< Three weeks >

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PageThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PageThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PageThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page fourteen fourteen fourteen fourteen

In addition, the researchers found that, of the Asian cat breeds, only the Japanese bobtail was genetically clustered

with Western cats, although it did retain some Asian influence. Cats from the Mediterranean region were found to be

genetically uniform, perhaps a result of the constant movement of ships and caravans during the early era of the cat's

domestication, the researchers suggested.

Lesson for cat breeders The study found that genetic diversity remained surprisingly broad among cats from various parts of the world.

However the data indicated that there was some loss of diversity associated even with the long-term development of

foundation cat breeds -- those breeds that provided the genetic basis from which modern pure breeds were

developed. The researchers note that, given the relatively short time span during which modern breeds are emerging,

cat breeders should proceed cautiously as they develop their breeds, making sure to maintain a broad genetic base

that will minimize introduction of genetically based health problems. Funding for this study was provided by the

National Institutes of Health, the Winn Feline Foundation and the George and Phyllis Miller Feline Health Fund.

Also supporting the study were the Center for Companion Animal Health and the Koret Center of Veterinary

Genetics, both within the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Adapted from materials provided by University

of California - Davis.

In stirling@yahoogroups.com, Jack Smith ...> wrote: > >

I know much less about North America. But... let's see, the goddess Freya had a cat-drawn chariot. This is probably a

reference to cats and the difficulty of herding them. So the Norse did have at the least, "domestic" cats.

>

In the Stirling@yahoogroups.com list Jack.delbert@...responded: A cat drawn chariot doesn't really prove domestic

cats (I know you put it in quotes) and it's pretty unlikely. Frey and Freya are probably carryovers from an older na-

ture-based religion (or maybe cross-pollination) and the Norse didn't get true domestic cats until very much later. For

example, the ancient Greeks didn't have domestic cats until they got them from Egypt around 3,400 BP. They tended

to use snakes for mousers. It took much longer for them to spread to the North Sea and by then the cat-drawn chariot

was almost certainly part of Norse mythology.

>

Googling around, the true domestic cat probably didn't even reach England until the Romans brought it about 2,000

years ago. Interestingly, Pakistan seems to have had domesticated (or semi-domesticated) cats thousands of years

before Egypt, though they probably were not the same cats. The Egyptian ones seem to have descended from Libyan

wildcats. Though I suppose Pakistani domesticated cats could have been imported into Egypt and then escaped into

the Libyan desert. Lot of speculation involved when you're looking back to 8,000 BP.

Jack Smith

English doesn't borrow from other languages -- English follows other

languages down dark alleys and takes what it wants.

From the Stirling online List… continued from page 7

The Stirling List is a free-flowing highway of information, comments, facts et al and I left in the comments made at the bottom of this article by a pair of members to demonstrate its diversity of viewpoint for its members. There’s no reason the Scratch Sheet’s voice couldn’t be as stimulating to its own members. ed.

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page fifteenfifteenfifteenfifteen

The End of the Raven by Edgar Allen Poe's Cat

On a night quite unenchanting, when the rain was downward slanting, I awakened to the ranting of the man I catch mice for. Tipsy and a bit unshaven, in a tone I found quite craven, Poe was talking to a Raven perched above the chamber door. "Raven's very tasty," thought I, as I tiptoed o'er the floor, "There is nothing I like more"

Soft upon the rug I treaded, calm and careful as I headed Towards his roost atop that dreaded bust of Pallas I deplore. While the bard and birdie chattered, I made sure that nothing clattered, Creaked, or snapped, or fell, or shattered, as I crossed the corridor; For his house is crammed with trinkets, curious and weird decor - Bric-a-brac and junk galore. Still the Raven never fluttered, standing stock-still as he uttered, In a voice that shrieked and sputtered, his two cents' worth - "Nevermore." While this dirge the birdbrain kept up, oh, so silently I crept up, Then I crouched and quickly leapt up, pouncing on the feathered bore. Soon he was a heap of plumage, and a little blood and gore - Only this and not much more. "Oooo!" my pickled poet cried out, “Pussycat, it's time I dried out! Never sat I in my hideout talking to a bird before; How I've wallowed in self-pity, while my gallant, valiant kitty Put and end to that damned ditty" - then I heard him start to snore. Back atop the door I clambered, eyed that statue I abhor, Jumped - and smashed it on the floor. Author Unknown

We have Liz Hansen and Brenda Flauhault to thank for the design and implementation of MCBFA’s new brochure. Order yours to advertise your cattery! There’s a space on the back for a business card. I’m sure Liz can tell you how to go about ordering. They have done a super job on it. Ed.

April Fancier dues due: Boyce, Doug Jr Campbell, Judy Fishel, Mary Green, Char Herrle, Stacey Kirkendall,Nancy Larson, Lisa McFadden, G. Merkl, Lisa Riddle, Linda Ross, Julie Smith,Edith-Mary Timmons, R & D

January This will be their last issue: Buchanan, K Martin, M & L Nierman, S Overstreet, E Scott, Rosann Stuckwisch, S

Torisaka, Ayako Wiorkowshi, F. July Renewals: Clardy,Jill/David Conner, Carol Gaither, E & E Garra, J & C Glaser, L & G Jesel, Frances Klaur, Mary Robbins, P & AG Square, Janette Valent, Barbara Yukness, Kristen

The Scratch Sheet Spring summer 2011 PaThe Scratch Sheet Spring summer 2011 PaThe Scratch Sheet Spring summer 2011 PaThe Scratch Sheet Spring summer 2011 Page sixteenge sixteenge sixteenge sixteen

A Moving Experience...Not for The faint-hearted! Dear Friends, As usual, I, Farinelli, senior cat of Helenmom’s household, am your official correspondent and here to tell you about our move from Dela-ware to Ohio. And as I’m sure you know: we felines do NOT like to move house. We cats – myself, Alice, Neroon, and Midnight Sun AKA Middie – ob-served that all kinds of strange things were happening in our apart-ment in Wilmington. Things began to disappear. Large boxes ap-peared and other things went into them. Some of the boxes also disap-peared and the rest were stacked in the middle room, which soon became full. Then the stacks of boxes expanded to the hall and the front entrance area. Throughout all of this, we still got to sleep on Helenmom’s bed and our food and water dishes and litter boxes remained in their usual places. One night Middie and I went to see Dr. Coogan, our vet, for catch-up on our shots. There was some myste-rious conversation about paperwork and some kind of little pills and a 12-hour drive. (Oh, Dear) Dr. Coogan admired Midnight Sun – that big red Coon gets a lot of attention – and said I was in good shape for my age, 15 years. When we went home, Helenmom had a thick envelope full of paper and a little bottle of pills.

At last came the weirdest day of all! First, all of the furniture, boxes, and clothing disappeared from Helenmom’s bedroom, amid many stomping feet and a few human swearwords. Then the four of us were rounded up and placed in the bedroom and the door was firmly shut. Actually, this was all kinda cool – we had our food and water dishes and lots of toys and our litter boxes in there with us and we didn’t have to put up with any of the noise and confusion. We also had piles of blankets and towels to sleep on. We settled in and enjoyed ourselves but were nevertheless curious about what was happening in the rest of the apartment. When we were finally let out, we were amazed to see that the apartment was

pretty bare, and we wondered where all the furniture and boxes were. Then came the dreaded pills! Now Helenmom has had cats for many years and is quite adept at pilling cats – but four at once is a little daunt-ing for anybody. There was a certain amount of scrambling and hissing, but with the help of the moving crew, all four of us found ourselves held still and pilled, and soon we began to feel a little strange. We were carried downstairs and – wonder of wonders – outside, next to something they called a van. Inside the van, along with lots of other stuff, four cages were lined up and each of us was inserted into one. As cages go, they were quite nice – large, made of heavy screen so that we could see each other and know that every-body was all right. Members of the moving crew had built them for us and Helenmom put our favorite blankies in them. By this time, we were definitely feeling lethargic. I don’t remember much about the 12-hour drive across Pennsylvania and Ohio – I slept a lot and when I was awake I wasn’t all the way awake and I lost all sense of passing time. My siblings in their cages were also happily woozy, bar an occasional faint mutter. And wouldn’t you know, when we arrived at our new home in southwestern Ohio, that red rascal Middie was the first to wake up and announce loudly that he wanted dinner and he wanted out of his cage. But we were kept in our cages while the guys unloaded the truck and the van and the car. Eventually all of the furniture was in our new place – a house! not an apartment – and we were allowed out to explore, eat and drink, and use the litter boxes. We felt disoriented, but we were happy to see all of our familiar things – Helenmom’s bedroom furniture, the red couches in the living room, the bookcases, and the harpsichord. And lots of boxes.

Neroon

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page seventeenseventeenseventeenseventeen

A Moving Experience… continued from page 16

All things considered, we feel that Helenmom did everything possible to make this transition a good one for us. We had the pills to keep us from fretting or getting carsick on the trip; our nice big cages lined with our own blankies; and familiar furniture and surroundings when we were finally let out of our cages. We were also isolated in a room before departure and on arrival to spare us the worst of the noise and mess. We’ve been here about 7 months now, and we really like the new place! It is not much bigger than the apartment but it has a big dry basement for added space – our food and water and litter boxes and travel cages are down there. We enjoy the new experience of going up and down the stairs, even fat Neroon who waddles, and from the rear looks like a black fur bowling ball. Maybe the stairs will help him lose some weight! Middie goes down them at warp speed and barely touches each step. Alice and I are more sedate, she being ladylike and I being conscious of my elderly dignity. We have lots of windows! And we can see all kinds of things – people, critters, birds, cars, far more interesting than our apartment windows, where all we saw was the tops of buildings. Helenmom put a table in front of the big living room window just so we could sun ourselves and watch the passing scene outside (but we don’t ever go outside). She says she has also found us a new vet, one who only treats cats. Well, we aren’t any more enthusiastic about going to the vet than any other cats are, here or there, but it will be a treat not to hear dogs woofing all over the place when we do go. Helenmom says we are not going to move again. We all hope not, but we are agreed that this move was a

good thing and brought us to a pleasant place that we all enjoy. But I wanted all of you to know about what

it’s like to move with us cats just in case you ever need to do it yourselves.

Oh, yes: and Neroon has fallen in love with the young man who cuts the grass.

Farinelli

with a slight assist from Helen Cripe

I hope mom doesn’t expect me to travel in that!

Alice, an almost-Maine Coon

Anyway, as the old saying goes: We’re peddling as fast as I can and we hope to get back on the track by the first of the year. And because so few members have had the time (or interest, it would appear) to send articles, photos and such for the magazine, I’ve been going over a lot of old copies of The Scratch Sheet, looking for still interesting, informative stuff. And what I see makes me kind of sad. Back in the 90s, there was a wealth of letters-to-the-editor on any number of subjects and opposing views on those subjects. Like Foundation cats, polydactyls and genetics. Makes for interesting reading and those letters certainly stimu-lated members to write and voice their opinion. This really should be, if I may say so, the focus of this maga-zine for MCBFA. A members’ forum. The magazine was also filled with ads for member catteries, some with great graphics and photos of their very handsome cats. Which prompts my question to breeders: If you don’t advertise here, among your own, how are those fancier members going to find a kitten to purchase from within the organization? Rates hardly break the budget and it’s also a way of saying “Here we are: these are our cats and we’re that proud of them!” Give it a thought. Not everybody is online. And there are lots of fanciers out there like Portia Neff, I’m sure, who have a cute, funny, heartwarming, cautionary tale to tell that would be interesting or helpful or humorous for other members . We don’t expect offerings from Rita Mae Brown or Lillian Jackson Braun (and sadly, I must tell you: Mz. Braun, the author of the “Cat Who” books has just died at the age of 97). Editing is my job. I may have to lay the wood to Dunce-worth, who for some reason known only to computer software, keeps eating my sentences when I know very well I had already written them down. Ooh, I tell you, when my new computer gets here we are going to have a buryin’ to end all buryin’s. I wonder if I should offer his carcass to the Body Farm? That’ll fix him.

And in case you’re forgotten:: Articles, photos, stories; all are welcome. You can send by snail mail or email to ei-

ther Holly or Kit at TheScratchSheet@yahoo.com. Or their

own email addresses 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.

The Cat Scratchings, Editorial notes and What--all.

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page eighteenage eighteenage eighteenage eighteen

Let me apologize first for the combining of the spring and summer issues of the Scratch Sheet. Economic times being what they are and difficulties for the editors have made it necessary. Holly, who certainly couldn’t give up her day job, has been busy designing and implementing a website for the huge rescue operation in New York state where almost 200 cats were seized and parceled out to various shelters and programs. My ancient computer, Dunceworth, is dying a slow and confounding death. I confess that there were times when I’ve really wanted to hasten his demise by kicking him into the Nolichucky River. However, since Son-of-Dunceworth has yet to arrive (the tsunami has reached East Tennessee: a certain hardware part from a tsunami-ruined manufacturer in Japan, alas, isn’t obtainable. Ergo, ITR Tech Services had to order it from Germany.) Whatever happened to plain old American know-how?

I’m the next cover girl—right?

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PagThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PagThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 PagThe Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page nineteene nineteene nineteene nineteen

MCBFA Officers 2011

President

Kim Tomlin 3906 Quail Tower Road Luverne, AL 36049-6109 334 335 3669 juliehill@gmail.com Vice President

Liz Hansen 15029 Glen View Ct Homer Glen, IL 60491 636 734 9233 Liz@chemicoons.com Treasurer

Roxann Rokicki W 8905 Canary Rd. Beaver Dam, WI 53916-9658 920 887 7704 roxann@velvetjewels.com Secretary

Laura Heineck 145 Bear Mountain Pass Mineral Bluff, GA 30559-2921 706 374 4216 COONSLADY@aol.com Breeder Member Secretary

Liz Flynn 208 Kings Chapel Rd. Augusta, GA 30907-3730 706 860 1521 tankopje@aol.com Provisional Breeder

Member Secretary

Cain Haley PO Box 1234 Highlands, NC 28741-1234 828 787 1955 chaley1010@aol.com

Fancier Member Secretary

Lynne Sherer 3840 Charbon Lane Bartlett, TN 38133 901 373 3394 lsherer1@comcast.net Northeast Director

Sharon Stegall 1914 Center Groton Rd Ledyard, CT 06339-1605 860 464 0727 dracoonfly@comcast.net Mid-Atlantic Director

Brenda Flahault 17 Omaha Dr Cransford, NJ 07016 908 276 9423 mellowmaines@comcast.net Southeast Director

Sharon Butler 266 Bohler Dr Evans, GA 30809-3109 706 860 6820 Sharonbutler 8295@att.net Midwest Director

Caron Gray 19165 Bennington Dr. Brookfield, WI 53045-2304 262 782 1110 rumford@wi.rr.com South Central Director

Judy Lindeman 3519 Green Springs San Antonio, TX 78247 2900 210 496 0161 rlindeman@satx.rr.com

Western Director

Laura Cunningham 4168 Torino Ct Pleasanton, CA 94588 925 872 6889 coonyham@yahoo.com Overseas Director

Misha Peersmans Avenue Louise, B-1700 Haine Saint Paul, Belguim 32(0) 49648 0921 mcthedorsai@gmail.com Appointed Officers :

Archivist

Beth Hicks 3840 Charbon Lane, Bartlett, TN 38133 901 373 3394 bethhicksmc@comcast.net Ethics Committee

Jennifer Sable 104 Country Place Washington, NC 27889 914 282 5648 jennifersable7@gmail.com

Editors: The Scratch Sheet

Kit Mounger 485 Cottontail Lane, Afton, TN 37616 423 639 1585 mountainmaines@centurylink.net Holly Reilly 121 Cedar St. Neptune Beach, FL 32266 904 874 7886 holly@boundingmaines.com

webmaster

Caron Gray:address above as Midwest Director

The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page The Scratch Sheet Spring Summer 2011 Page Twenty Twenty Twenty Twenty

This delightful little Photo Op from Ina Zahlten of Sparrows Nightmare MC Cattery in Germany really needs no captions...But no doubt the cat is wondering mightily just what kind of coon this is...