The International Cat Association was organized/established Friday, June 22, 1979 in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. The village of Branson (near Point Lookout) was the birth place of our illustrious Association. Historical markers were never put in place, but most certainly the spontaneous dream of a handful of cat enthusiasts, reinforced by their courage, foresight, and intestinal fortitude that inspired the establishment of TICA are worth remembering. They have served as the endowment of the most progressive, flexible, and innovative cat registry in the world.

As the newly elected President of ACFA, I called a Board Meeting at Point Lookout, Missouri for Wednesday, June 20, 1979 to enable the elected members of the Board of Directors to observe firsthand the workings of the Central Office, to review established policy, to meet the employees, to establish a preliminary budget, to work out some existing irregularities, and to establish a congenial working relationship with the entire Board; our first Annual Meeting was scheduled in less than 3 months. It was extremely important that the group work harmoniously, address the issues causing concern with the membership, and be aware that ultimate changes were vital. Over a 2-day period all attempts to establish an amenable working relationship, to go forward with a hard bound yearbook, to work on a revised judging system, to promote recognition for Household Pets, and to present a budget for the Association were discussed at length, and subsequently rejected. By noon of the second day we had definitely reached a stalemate.

The Board Members that attended this meeting were: Vice-President, Larry Paul, South Central Regional Director, Arthel Scheuermann, Southeast Regional Director, Jim Costello, Southwest Regional Director, Les Hight, Northwest Regional Director, Jacob Ash, Canadian Regional Director, Jeanne Jeffrey, Executive Secretary, Cora Swan (this position had voting privileges on the Board of Directors), Bulletin Editor, Ed Rugenstein, previous President, Lila Rippey, and myself. Additionally, we were encouraged by the presence of some other stalwart supporters, Jack and Barbara Reark from Florida, and Nancee Beamer of Texas.

We reconvened after lunch and experienced the same hard-nosed resistance, making it evident no compromise was possible and would never materialize. At this point Jim Costello said he was convinced that it would be impossible to fulfill his obligations to the membership, and then he resigned. This action was followed by the resignations of Arthel Scheuermann, Larry Paul, Les Hight, and myself, all stating the same reason: we could no longer fulfill our obligations to our constituents. Jeanne Jeffrey and Jacob Ash stated they would discuss it with their membership (a few weeks later Jeanne Jeffrey joined our group). When the dust started to clear after the explosion, leaving only the debris, it suddenly hit home we were through, at least for the moment.

I must admit some of us had lofty ideas, perhaps a vision or a dream, at least in our minds about how the “Ideal Cat Registry” should function. Quite naturally we were met with staunch resistance and learned quickly there was a major difference in the philosophy of the newly elected group and the “old guard”. How do you say immovable object?

We decided to go back to our rooms, get some rest, collect our thoughts, ponder about our immediate future in the cat fancy, and reconvene over dinner. What we actually did was return a myriad of telephone calls, relaying the most recent episodes in this scenario which sounded like a soap opera, using scratching posts and humor as prompting cards. Of course the cat fancy being what it is (basically the same in 1979), the news spread faster than a hurricane, which of course created absolute chaos with the telephone lines into Branson, Missouri: hundreds of friends and cat fanciers had been jamming the Motel switchboard the entire week to keep current on the latest developments. Remember – we only had “Hot Air Balloon” service at our location. During our conversations, each of us “tested the waters”, so to speak: WHAT IF, we decided to establish another association – would you be in agreement - are you interested??? The overwhelming positive response was beyond our wildest dreams.

We deliberated during dinner, reviewing and discussing our options (not many at this point): organize a new association (we certainly were of the opinion that the cat fancy didn’t need another registry), join an existing group, or make a hasty retreat and leave the cat fancy. Make a hasty retreat, absolutely not, consequently we never entertained the idea of leaving the cat fancy. Collectively, we decided joining an existing registry had all the appeal of a western hoe-down for ballet performers. We were far too innovative and progressive to be satisfied with joining an existing registry, besides they would have run us out of town on a rail. So that left only one solution: organize another cat association designed to include the most attractive features from current registries, implement professional management, establish an Annual Awards extravaganza, start a Genetic Registry, produce a hardback Yearbook, and eliminate political rhetoric from the official publications. Only one problem: no finances. No matter how you cut it, the decision to go for it was made Friday evening June 22, 1979 – the die was cast. So head first we took the plunge.

Now the hard work commences. HOW, WHEN, WHERE? We needed an office, an Executive Secretary, a location, a name. Wouldn’t you know Larry Paul recommended TICA (The International Cat Association) and fortunately we all agreed. We decided to retain the position and title we held upon our arrival two or three days earlier, and function in interim status until an official election could be held. While Larry, Arthel, Jim, and Les were on the phone recruiting judges, and volunteers to serve the other three regions, and an Editor for our publications, I was organizing and planning the Executive Office.

Recalling a recent conversation with Bob Mullen, concerning his employment with “Let’s Make A Deal”, his interest in becoming Executive Secretary of ACFA, and knowing that he maintained an office in Burbank, California, gave me an instant thought – maybe, just maybe Bob would be interested. So I called him Saturday night, June 23, 1979 from Springfield, Missouri, and asked if he were interested in a new cat association, and more importantly, the position of Executive Secretary of that association (The International Cat Association). He said yes, and accepted the challenge without a moment’s hesitation. Since the thought of another cat association had been spontaneous; we certainly didn’t have a treasury, and no legacy, not even enough to rent office space or pay an employee (in fact not one red cent). So Bob agreed that until we had acquired a cash flow, he would run the office for the paltry sum of $200.00 a week (Starvation Wages).

By this time with the Executive Office issue a reality, the rest of our group had secured a Northeast Regional Director, Helmi Ehrhart, a North Central Regional Director, Dr. Patricia Hevenor, a Northwest Regional Director, Dan Gornan, an Editor, Roland Lindsey, a slew of judges (see the list of judges below – this almost doubled by the printing of the second volume, including ten from Japan, seven from Canada, one from Hawaii, and one from Alaska), and an unbelievable number of clubs had made a commitment to join our “Gusty Clan”.

Bob Mullen organized, and managed the first Executive Office, and furnished his own office equipment. He had the Office open and operational at 211 East Olive, Suite 201, Burbank, California 91502, even including a telephone, by July 5, 1979. The Office was inundated in less than a week after opening, with an avalanche of documents for processing, which included cat registrations, membership and cattery applications, letters, applications for club charters and show licenses… enough paper to fill a box car. This deluge was the result of an introductory offer of $1.00 per cat for registration, an offer almost no one could refuse. Of course, with the fee at $1.00 per registration, after processing, typing, mailing, etc., it was virtually impossible to maintain a salaried staff.

During the ensuing weeks, which crept into months, Bob’s staff (made up of his enthusiastic friends) came to sort mail, maintain records, prepare membership cards, type, code the cats, preparatory to typing registration certificates, and whatever else needed to be done. CODE the cats? Yes, a completely new theory, and a new system – a genetic registry – designed, developed, and furnished by Solveig Pflueger (later appointed as chairman of the Genetics Committee), which was eventually implemented. Mind boggling? Try phasing in and making a new system operational, just when you have opened a new office, with literally hundreds of cats to be registered, letters to be answered, forms to be developed and printed, membership records to be prepared, new clubs waiting for their charters, show supplies to be shipped… remember, our first TICA show was held July 28, 1979.

Upon my return home from Missouri, and just committing myself to God only knew what, I didn’t have a free moment, neither did anyone else, and still don’t, believing that very day there would be a breather. But, aside from the constant ring of the telephone (day and night), I made time to compile, copy and mail the first TICA communication (see below). This was mailed to every person who was or who had ever been in the cat fancy. The price list appeared in the first issue of the TICA Trend (see below). This memorandum was captioned “TICA – A TREND TO THE FUTURE IN THE CAT FANCY”, and a closing remark “JOIN THE TREND TO TICA”. In a matter of days, Roland Lindsey, our newly appointed volunteer Editor was already preparing the first issue of our newsletter. During one of our many telephone conversations, he asked, what will we call the newsletter, and almost instantly I said call it the “TICA Trend”. He agreed and so did the rest of the Board members. So you can see first hand what inspired the name of our “TICA Trend”. Little did Roland know at that moment that he would (with the able assistance of his wife, Linda Lindsey) also be the Editor of the first TICA Yearbook.

On June 22, 1979 The International Cat Association was founded by Georgia Morgan, and a handful of cat enthusiasts. Their dream of building the most progressive, flexible and innovative cat registry in the world came true when TICA was formed.

TICA’s first show was “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” held at Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, Washington, on July 28, 1979. Other “first shows” were in Canada hosted by “White Hatters Cat Fanciers”, on October 7, 1979, in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada; Hawaii hosted by “Mid-Pacific Cat Fanciers”, on February 23, 1980, in Honolulu, Hawaii; Alaska hosted by “Alaskats”, on May 3-4, 1980, in Anchorage, Alaska.

The first international region confirmed outside of North American was JAPAN. The first international show was hosted by the “All Japan Club”, on March 2, 1980 in Nagoya, Japan. Since then TICA has grown to have a club and members in all 50 states of the United States, Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

The basic mixed breed cat goes back to the days of the Pharaohs and perhaps before. Even though early cats tended to be somewhat uniform within a geographic area, over time these early populations became mixed as cats were found on sea-trading vessels and the like, and often abandoned ship joining the local feline population. Cats survived the witch hunts of the 1500s and 1600s, though their numbers were severely reduced. As people realized that cats were valuable in curtailing rat populations and were in fact good companion animals, their numbers grew. At first most cats were allowed to breed randomly and could be considered the ancestors of today's mixed breed cats. In the 1500s, farmers in Maine had contests where their 'coon' cats that guarded the barns competed for awards like the fullest tail - these cats had tails resembling the raccoon. In the late 1800s, the first cat show was held at the Crystal Palace in London. While some of the cats were pedigreed', others were of mixed breeds and of non-pedigreed heritage. The early cat fancy focused on the unusual and different as well as colors and patterns. These same attributes are seen today at the modern cat show in the Household Pet class.

Since TICA was organized 32 years ago, Household pet cats and kittens have been eligible for registration and compete for the same titles and regional and international awards as pedigreed cats.

Household pets are made of three general groups: mixed breed/random-bred cats; half-pedigree “oops” cats; and pedigree cats which are either unregistered or do not meet the breed standard (such as straight-eared Scottish Folds or non-curly Selkirk Rex, or even a Persian whose nose is too long).They are our everyday companion cats who bring joy to our lives. Many have been adopted from shelters and have found new, loving homes where they blossom in the love and attention they receive from their new owners.

Household pets are made of three general groups: mixed breed/random-bred cats; half-pedigree “oops” cats; and pedigree cats which are either unregistered or do not meet the breed standard (such as straight-eared Scottish Folds or non-curly Selkirk Rex, or even a Persian whose nose is too long). They are our everyday companion cats who bring joy to our lives. Many have been adopted from shelters and have found new, loving homes where they blossom in the love and attention they receive from their new owners.

The American Cat Fanciers Association was formed in 1955 by a group of Cat Fanciers seeking greater flexibility in the development of cats, the activities of cat lovers and greater freedom for growth and harmony with contemporary needs of the individual breeders and the broadening horizons of the Cat Fancy at large.  It was a group of Cat Fanciers in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area, comprised of individuals highly qualified in business management, organizations, legal expertise and knowledge of the Cat Fancy and Show procedures, who provided the prime force for this endeavor.  The founders of this Association, along with many others, believed that a more democratic organization would be able to move forward more rapidly than the organizations or associations current at that time, due to antiquated legislative rules, had been able to do.  Their dreams were not unfounded.

Once the policies of this democratic Association were made known to the public, many of the leading breeders and fanciers, who long had resented the autocratic policies of the then existing organizations, joined ACFA.  They believed that within the parameters, as set forth, there was room for advancement of the Cat Fancy as an organization.  The members set up a Board of Directors who were to represent the various regions in developing the Association policies.  Such policies could not be written into the Bylaws, Show Rules or Registration Rules without the approving vote of the membership at large.  Separate Breed Sections proposed Standards of Perfection for each breed, and they, the breeders of the specific breeds, accepted or rejected the standard.  Once these standards had been set they were to be changed only by the approval of the members of the Breed Section concerned, comprised of the breeder/exhibitor members.

The appearance of impropriety in kittens Maine Coon occur for various reasons and we will tell you about some of them in this state.Posle eliminate causes of immorality, the Maine Coon newly acquired positive skills. It’s more complicated with mental disorders who do not always possible to clearly establish the Maine Coon kittens. Immorality and cause abnormal behavior or indifference owner, for example a long lonely kitten Maine Coon in the apartment, a temporary order for care to others the Maine Coon, the appearance of the house of the new Maine Coon cat or other pet, and even babies in the seme.Deystvie stress, say first inoculation, heat, fighting with the dog, the event of sexual and other phenomena also lead to a temporary uncleanness. Particular attention should be paid to educating young Maine Coon kittens. In this well affect praise, quiet stroking. If Maine Coon does not get used to the place, it can be punished voice, saying loudly and vigorously “Foo!” or clap their hands. Should take the cat to the Maine Coon for the withers and showing her a place of “crime” to scold, and then referred to her toilet, where the encouragement and kindness to try to create a positive impression. When cats Maine Coon prefer the sink basin, a bath, then some time they have to leave some cold vody.Mozhno write a lot about the behavior of your pet and we will display some of the features in future articles.

Maine Coon Cat breed, not as popular as cats. I can not understand why? This is not observed in other species. Although the Maine Coon cats do not grow as large as cats. However, it is often possible to find a Maine Coon cats fairly large razmerov.Odna of the largest Maine Coon cats we have ever bred was a beautiful brown tabby girl, weighing 10 kg. In any litter you can get a small Maine Coon cats and big cats, by weight, and small and large cats. Cats are very loving, cuddly, affectionate and than cats. I hope that people will want to cats as loving family members, rather than choose them razmeru.Mnogie owners say that they are more like dogs than normal cats. Our Maine Coon cats live in the house with us. When breeding our line of cats, we never lose sight of good temperament and we choose to breed cats with the best data. We also take great care about the health of our cats. All our cats for breeding are tested for hip dysplasia and many other diseases.

Many exemplary changes, advanced ideas and policies were first introduced by ACFA.  Several of the modifications or policies that were popularized were:

The double, triple and quadruple championship and grand championship were innovations first developed by ACFA.

For the first time in Cat Fancy History, altered cats were accepted for championship competition.  These alters did not compete with the whole cats, but were given their own championship classification.  Still today, the alters compete in the Championship Shows under the same rules as any other championship cat.

ACFA was the first to introduce the ‘multiple’ ring Championship Show, a concept that is standard in all associations today.  However, until ACFA introduced the four ring Show, the common format was simply one Allbreed Ring and one Specialty Ring.  ACFA was the first to provide the exhibitor the opportunity to go to a show and have their cat judged “FOUR” times, not just twice.  ACFA then forged ahead to introduce the five ring show, six ring show, and then, the now popular Back-to-Back show with 8 to 10 rings in a weekend.

In addition, ACFA was the first to require prospective judges to successfully complete ‘written’ exams before being licensed. Other firsts include: a training program for ‘trainee’ Judges, official Judges’ Schools [established for new and old judges alike], as well as special Breed Seminars for interested parties as well as Judges.

ACFA has been innovative in recording and encouraging owners of Household Pets to enter our show halls and win titles and compete in year-end awards. Along with this concept, ACFA has also  been a leader in the Junior ACFA program, enlisting, training, educating and encouraging our young people to become involved in the Cat Fancy.

You will find that some / all of these concepts are practiced by all associations in existence today.

Кошки породы мейн кун, не так популярны, как коты. Я не могу понять почему? Это не наблюдается у других пород. Хотя кошки мейн кун не вырастают такими большими, как коты. Однако очень часто можно найти кошек мейн кун довольно больших размеров.Одна из самых больших кошек мейн кун мы когда-либо разводили была красивая коричневая тэбби девочка, весом более 10 кг. В любом помете вы можете получить как небольших котов мейн кун, так и больших по весу котов, и кошек небольшие и большие. Кошки очень любящие, плюшевые,ласковые  и, чем коты. Я надеюсь,что люди будут хотеть кошек, как любящих членов их семьи, а не выбирать их по размеру.Многие владельцы говорят,что они больше похожи на собак,чем на обычных кошек. Наши мейн кун кошки живут в доме с нами. При разведении нашей линии кошек мы никогда не упускаем из виду хороший темперамент и мы выбираем кошек с лучшими породными данными. Мы также очень заботимся о здоровье наших кошек. Все наши кошки в разведении проверяются на  дисплазию тазобедренного сустава и многие другие заболевания.

В наш мейн кун питомник кошки завезены крупные и могут весить от 9 до 18 фунтов. Наш мейн кун питомник содержит котов весом обычно  от 13 до 18 фунтов, в то время как  кошки в среднем 9 до 12 фунтов. Их крупные, формы тела, прямоугольник-строить, и длинные волосы, чтобы они выглядели еще больше.Они не взрослый, пока они не достигают 3 до 5 лет. Взрослые могут достигать 10 до 16 дюймов в высоту. Их длина может быть до 40 дюймов, в том числе их хвосты, которые могут быть 14 см длиной.Наш мейн кун питомник содержит кошек мэйн кун,у которых есть несколько отличительных особенностей, в том числе их длинный, пушистый хвост; уши с кистями, большие, выразительные глаза, и жабо вокруг шеи (как,например, у львов). Их глаза зеленые, золотые, зеленые или медные цвета. Их шерсть мягкая и ярко видно каждый рисунок, за исключением отметин, как у сиамских. Их густой мех короче на их передние ноги и плечи и больше на спине, окуни, желудка, и хвост. Их хвост часто до тех пор, как их тела. У котов  мэйн кун квадратная коробочка.Они называются “нежные гиганты” за их ласковый, любящий характер. У мэйн кун  игровой характер продолжается и в зрелом возрасте. Их отличительная мяу – щебечащему звуку – позволяет владельцам знать, когда они хотят, чтобы на них обратили внимание, чтобы с ними поиграли, или клич к спариванию. Они прекрасно подходят для дома и семьи.

По тем же причинам комнатные мэйн-кун больше других нуждаются в развлечениях, новых объектах для исследования. Это помогает им быть от природы деятельными и любознательными и не заскучать и найти применение силам. Заведите 2х мэйн-кун вместо одного и они будут играть, занимая, развлекая друг друга, а заодно и своего хозяина. Это не единственный способ занять и развлечь комнатного мэйн-кун, но преимущества его настолько очевидны, что он, безусловно, заслуживает рассмотрения. Поставьте себя на место мэйн-кун. Представьте, что весь мир для вас ограничен пространством двухкомнатной квартиры. Вы будете замечать любые изменения, перевешенную картину или  переставленный с места на место стул. Мэйн-кун знаком с обстановкой в доме в мельчайших деталях, ему знаком не только облик, но и запах каждой вещи. Для чувствительного мэйн-кун такие перемены, как, например, новый ковер или даже запах, принесенный хозяином на туфлях, могут оказаться весьма огорчительными. Чтобы мэйн-кун не заскучал, ему постоянно требуются новые раздражители: игрушки и гости помогут мэйн-кун сохранить здоровую психику, нормально реагировать на изменения ее среды, не впадая в истерику или депрессию от малейших перемен.

Возникновение нечистоплотности у котят мэйн кун возникает по разным причинам и мы расскажем о некоторых из них в этой статье.После устранения причин , обусловливающих нечистоплотность,мэйн кун вновь приобретает положительные навыки. Сложнее обстоит дело с психическими расстройствами, которые не всегда можно четко установить у котят мэйн кун. Нечистоплотность вызывают и неправильное поведение или равнодушие хозяина, к примеру длительное одиночество котёнка мэйн кун в квартире, временное поручение ухода за  мэйн кун другим людям, появление в доме новой кошки мэйн кун или иного домашнего животного и даже новорожденного в семье.Действие стресса, скажем первая прививка, течка , борьба с собакой, события в сексуальной сфере и другие явления также приводят к временной нечистоплотности. Особое внимание в воспитании следует уделять молодым котятам мейн кун . При этом хорошо влияют похвала, спокойное поглаживание. Если мэйн кун не привыкает к месту, его можно наказать голосом, сказав громко и энергично “Фу!” или хлопнуть в ладоши. Следует взять кошку мэйн кун за холку и показав ей место “преступления”, поругать, а затем отнести к ее туалету, где поощрением и лаской постараться создать положительное впечатление. Когда коты мэйн кун предпочитают раковину умывальника, ванну, то некоторое время в них надо оставлять немного холодной воды.Можно много писать о поведении вашего любимца и некоторые особенности мы отобразим в следующих статьях.