Minutes of the Meeting of the

World Cat Congress

Hatfield, England


                                                                                                                                            13th March, 2006

 

Present:

                                                           

In attendance:

 

1. The President opened the meeting at 9.05 a.m. and welcomed those present whom she asked to introduce themselves.

She stated that she thought the meeting should be open to all except for matters of voting on new members, financial matters or any disciplinary matter which had to be discussed. This was proposed by Mr Raymond, seconded by Mrs Angell and accepted unanimously.

 

2. Breaks were established at 10.00 a.m. for 15 minutes, lunch from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and a break in the afternoon at 3.30 p.m .

 

3.  Mr Reijers moved to accept the minutes of the meeting held in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2005, this was seconded by Mrs DeVilbiss and accepted unanimously.

 

4.  New members

Regarding the forthcoming vote on new members, Mr Reijers asked about the position should  there be a split vote. He proposed that if there were equality of votes, the President would have the deciding vote, this was seconded by Mrs Angell.  This led to discussion on the position of the President who was not officially sitting as a member of an organisation. However, the Constitution states that the President would be drawn from the delegates. The President said that this needed addressing in the Constitution and she and Mrs Bydlinski would look into it.  The vote was taken with 3 in favour and 3 against and was therefore not carried.

 

Mr Reijers proposed that the officers of members may remain for the closed sections of the meeting, Mr Raymond seconded and this was unanimously agreed.

 

The delegates of the organisations applying for membership and the remaining observers then left the room so that the executive session could take place.

 

Following the executive session the delegates of the new members and other onlookers returned to the meeting.

 

The delegates of the new members introduced themselves and their organisation to the meeting and expressed their appreciation.

 

5. Business arising from Minutes of 2005

 

a) The President reported that WCC was being registered in the United States, at Bloomington in the state of Minnesota. The CFA attorney would file a report with the US government and there would be no charge for this service.

 

b) concerning the judges of Waratah and Catz was deferred to a later executive session.

 

c) It was stated that the cost of the hire of the room for the annual meeting would be borne by WCC.  Lunch would be the responsibility of the individuals.  FIFe later offered to sponsor the lunch of the delegates which was greatly appreciated.

 

d) The President had hoped to bring along the CFA code of ethics but it was currently at the printers. She said that the WCC one would be similar, setting out fair dealing etc. She would send on a draft later. Mr Raymond asked about the sub-group consisting of The President, Mr Reijers and himself, which had been appointed in 2005 to deal with this project. He thought it should cover exportation and should be brought forward in the following year.  He spoke of the condition of cats exported from one organisation to another and referred to the CFA official statements on Scottish Folds and Manx. Such a code should also concern genetically modified cats. A draft would be submitted within three months, i.e. by the end of June.

 

This led to a discussion on individual members who were not following any code of ethics. Mrs U’Ren mentioned the fact that cats were being ‘dumped’ in S.E. Asian countries; they were often established breeds with serious defects.  Mrs Angelll said this was conduct detrimental to the cat fancy and information should be shared between organisations. It was shared between the U.S. cat organisations. Ms May said that a list of all suspensions was on the GCCF web site and could be seen by all.

 

e) Information would be forwarded concerning the disaster relief group.

 

f) Mr Raymond reported that the Australian government had banned the fur trade. In the US no dog or cat products could be imported.  Mr Reijers said that a stand should be taken locally in those countries where there is a problem and where there were clubs who could take up the matter of cats being used as food. There were apparently rules in most major cities and it was already condemned by the upper class people, however more work had to be done. It was suggested that WCC should officially support Animals Asia.  Ms May suggested that it would be a first aim to try and persuade them to kill and keep the animals in a humane manner but the President pointed out that by doing they would cut into their profits. Mr Raymond moved that a policy statement be issued endorsing the activities of Animals Asia this should be published on the WCC web site. WCC should also approach them to see if it could help them to further their cause. This was seconded by Mrs Angell. Unanimously accepted. It was agreed that each member would put this statement on its own web site.

 

The President said that she would like to have an electronic meeting of the WCC at a six monthly interval. This was seconded by Mr Raymond and carried unanimously.  An electronic meeting would, therefore, be arranged during the month of September.

 

6. Financial Matters

 

The report of the treasurer and balance sheet as at 31.12.2005 had been circulated with the Agenda and the balance sheet is attached to these minutes as Annex 1.

 

Mr Reijers pointed out that there were more people attending the meeting and suggested that some compensation be made to members who had to travel a very long distance. The President, referring to the 2007 meeting in Germany, thought that the amount should be based on whether the delegates were judging or not.  Mr Reijers said that the costs needed to be looked at and an attempt made to equalise them for the members.

 

Mrs Hackmann said that she would inform everybody by 1st May concerning the 2007 meeting. She would also give the treasurer an estimate of costs.  The weekend was set for 30/3 to 2/4. There would be a 2-day show and a seminar with the meeting on the Monday.

The nearest airport was Dusseldorf-Dortmund.

 

7. Members Reports

 

ACF.  Mr Raymond reported that Mrs Lesley Morgan-Blythe and Mrs Valerie Cashman had done a lot of work on the ACF proposal concerning the pet trade.  ACF had a new affiliate in New South Wales, meaning they now had 9 affiliates.  Margaret Bush had been awarded the second ACF Distinguished Merit Award.  They were trying to tidy up their constitution and looked forward to WCC progressing.

 

The President remarked that it had taken her time to get her ‘sea legs’ in WCC and their had been a lot of other commitments in the preceding year.

 

CCC of A.  Mrs U’Ren endorsed Mr Raymond’s comments concerning WCC.  Their organisation was very enthusiastic about WCC and would do its utmost to promote it. She felt that the larger the organisation were to become , it would give it more clout for the betterment of cats.  ACF and CCC of A would be morking even more closely together in the future. A detailed report on CCCA is attached to these Minutes as Annex 2.

 

CFA.  Mrs Angell spoke of the fact that DNA testing existed for many animals, but not for cats. She said that now a data base had been established which would give the ability to certify parentage.  It was optional, but individuals could participate if they wished. They would have a unique pin number. The DNA would be stored in this data bade.  CFA did not have access.  The data would be backed up and can be used for research as would be totally impersonal and no cat’s name would be known. Mrs Angell also distributed literature on CatBank to all delegates. 

 

The President mentioned the importance for those breeds with a small gene pool which needed to widen the gene pool without losing the type. With DNA available this could be achieved with more speed. This is not just available to CFA people, it would be shared with everybody.

 

They were also working on genetic markers.  Ms May asked if it tied in with what Lorraine Shelton had mentioned.  Would samples need to be submitted twice to both UC Davis and this data base.  Mrs Angell said that the CFA technology was more advanced.  Ms May asked if it would provide a definite answer as she had experienced an ambivalent reply stating that a sire could not be ruled out. Mrs Angell believed that their test which was being carried out by BioGen was more exact as it was based on DNA strands.  She repeated that it was not exclusive to CFA and would be very useful for the many problems which arose in cats, not only those of identification but also health issues and lost and stolen animals.

 

The President added that her own vision within CFA was to raise the intrinsic value of cats within society. She stated that 50% of all dogs in the US were pedigreed.  CFA had taken out a branding partnership with ‘Poor Kids Entertainment’ “AKC”.  They were marketing 41 products.  She pointed out that registrations were in decline and there was a need to go to the buying public. They were also dealing with England and Australia. CFA now had its own Pet Health Care which was available to all cats.

 

Mr Raymond said that ACF was a regulatory body only and did not have money for such projects but was advised by Mrs Angell that a marketing person was needed.

 

CFA had also recognised the American Bobtail and the Siberian for Championship status.

 

FIFe.  Mr Reijers said that in 2005 the World Show had been held in Italy. In the current year it would be in Maastricht and in 2007 it would be in Sweden for the first time. The General Assembly would be in Rome at the end May. Two new breeds were coming up for recognition; the Peterbald and the Don Sphynx.  He was personally more impressed with the Don Sphynx than the Peterbald. FIFe had donated € 10,000 to the University of Utrecht for Amyloidosis research. Legislation continues to give cause for concern, but it was rarely so bad as it first sounded. He felt that the cat fancy restricts itself to itself and it should change its attitude to the public.

 

The President said that they had people with “ASK ME” badges at shows, they were people who were able to answer questions and were called the “Ambassadors.”

 

Mr Reijers felt that the situation with sales contracts was very worrying and could cause problems.

 

GCCF.  Ms May had provided a pack with the standard of points, rules and constitution for all delegates, this also contained the GCCF Code of Ethics leaflets. She echoed Mr Reijers’ opinion about restrictive contracts.  She pointed out that in the past there had been many cats at public stud, now the novice had no stud to go to and total novices are buying studs as they have no other alternative.

 

Mr Reijers questioned the need for contracts.  It was pointed out that it was much harder to buy a pedigree cat than it was to buy a pedigree dog. Mr Reijers stated that he was impressed by the number of annual registrations being made by GCCF.

 

NZCF.  Mr Jobson reported that both Mrs Dara Robbins and he had been returned to office at the recent elections. He felt there should be more activity in WCC through the e-mails. His report is attached to these Minutes as Annex 3.

 

Mrs DeVilBiss said that TICA allowed them in shows at 3 months but not in competition until 4 months of age.

 

There are different vaccination protocolls. Studies are currently going on into normal upper respiratory infections etc. The President thought that WCC should compile scientific data and

take such information to those countries with restrictions. The veterinarians were concerned about sarcoma and were injecting in a back leg in order to protect the body of the cat. The Rabies requirements were of course dictated by the governments.

 

Ms May felt that the completion of initial vaccinations might not change, but their duration might. In one instance the two year interval had been increased to three years. Calicivirus was quite a problem as the strain was not necessarily the same in each country.  She also referred to vaccination against FIP which she felt should not be recommended.

 

SACC. Mr du Plessis reported that their show rules had been changed to avoid over-vaccination. They only ask for certificates and have removed the word ‘updated.’  He said that SACC itself was not financially stable enough to be able to afford membership of WCC but their sponsor, Royal Canin had made it possible. SACC itself were previously not allowed to run shows, only its clubs. They were now allowed to hold a national show with a sponsor and also a kitten only show; in this way they were hoping to build up their funds.  There were many different breeds coming into the country and SACC would accept any breed which was already recognised by a major organisation.  Breeders in South Africa only registered those kittens which would be used for further breeding and not their pet stock.  Mr Reijers questioned the wisdom of this, citing Seychellois in the FIFe as an example of cats which would once have been considered as pets, becoming part of a breeding programme.

 

TICA.  Mrs DeVilbiss reported that TICA had accepted the Peterbald. They were currently working on a uniform description for every breed and these would come out in May at which time she would send them to the new members. They had a ‘junior achievers’ programme, the object being for them to learn about the organisation and about cats; they also had a function at shows and appeared on the web site. Gloria Stevens who had originated their web site had died at the age of 84 and they were currently working on updating the site.

The TICA international would be held in Germany in the current year.  They had a new club in the UK and the organisation was growing in northern Europe and in Asia.  They have instituted a third registry which was for people working experimentally to obtain numbers, consistency and genetic viability before bringing proposed the breed further.  They were also re-programming everything in their office to make it all interactive.  At their recent elections Mrs DeVilbiss had been returned as President and Nancy Parkinson had been elected as Vice-President.

 

WCF. Mrs Hackmann handed out a written report which is attached to these minutes as Annex 4.

 

On being asked what a German Longhair looked like, Mrs Hackmann replied that it was an old fashioned Persian.

 

A break was taken for lunch at 12.40 and the meeting re-convened at 1.45

 

8. Proposals from member bodies:

 

a) ACF

 

1) proposal concerning expelled or suspended members.  Mr Raymond pointed out that this proposal had originally been submitted in 2002 and again in Houston in 2004, it now included individuals.

 

The delegates discussed the seriousness of an offence before taking the step of blocking an individual’s membership generally. Mr Raymond said that there were things which did not include cruelty which were serious.  Mr Reijers said he would have to abstain from the vote as FIFe’s members were responsible for their individual members and FIFe itself had no influence on such matters. A person expelled from one national member had the right of appeal to the FIFe DC for permission to join another national member. In a case of cruelty, he would be able to agree,   The President wanted parameters to be discussed at the meeting.

 

Animal welfare – cruelty to animals.  Mrs DeVilbiss questioned this, pointing out that in the US, due process has to be taken in each body.

Mrs U’Ren said that ACF and CCC of A had an agreement to recognise each other’s decisions.

 

Ms May said that names would have to be published so that everybody knew.

Mrs Angell felt that information should be exchanged between members.

It was agreed to remove the word “suspend” so the proposal tabled read as follows:

 

“In the event that a World Cat Congress Member or any of the World Cat Congress Members affiliated bodies expel an individual then that individual will not be accepted by any fellow World Cat Congress Member body or World Cat Congress Member’s affiliated body.”

 

Proposed by Mr Raymond, second by Mrs Angell. 6 in favour, 3 abstentions. Motion accepted.

 

2) The Asian Pet Market Trade

 

Mr Raymond said that cats were shipped to West Australian together with pedigrees etc,. and were then bulk-shipped to Asia.  These cats were primarily bred in Russia as well as in Australia. Mrs U’Ren suggested that the WCC could write to the veterinary departments of the Ministry of Agriculture to protest as a veterinary certificate would be necessary in order to ship.  If the vets refused to pass them, it would not be possible to get them out of the country. This only applies in Australia and Mr Raymond said that the problem existed also in Europe. Mrs U’Ren felt that the proposal was a cry for help from Australia.

 

Mr Reijers seconded the proposal and it was unanimously accepted.

 

3) Mr Raymond accepted that the last year had been a difficult one for the new President and felt assured that the next year would be more productive.

 

b) FIFe  point for discussion.

 

The idea of producing a table showing different nomenclature for breeds, colours and patterns between the organisations had first been suggested some time ago. The secretary was willing to collate such information and create something for the WCC web site. It would be useful for the general public who were not aware of these differences.  The contributions of all members would be needed and it was agreed that these should be sent to the secretary by the 1st October.

 

9. Matters raised at Open Meeting

 

DNA tests on breeds had been discussed at the open meeting and the DNA bank had already been presented by Mrs Angell. The President said that she had liked the theme of the Open Meeting and Mr Raymond felt it had been a good programme. The President suggested that there should be a scientific presentation each year.

 

It was noted that ‘bird flu’ had not been mentioned at the Seminar. CFA were about to publish a statement and FIFe had already done so and it was on the FIFe web site. It was felt that governmental bodies did not understand the situation within the cat fancy.

 

10. WCC Meeting 2007

 

Mrs Hackmann had photographs of the venue which were shown on the secretary’s lap top.  The Seminar, show and meeting would all take place in the same building where the delegates would also stay; this made it very easy and more convenient for everybody. Mrs Hackmann would inform everybody of final arrangements by 1st May.

 

11. Any Other Business

 

The secretary asked if at future meeting the Member’s reports could be submitted in writing.

 

Regarding the Constitution, Mr Jobson repeated the need to put the Constitution in order concerning the role of the President.  He agreed to put in an amendment.

 

Mr Reijers, referring to FIFe’s abstention on the first proposal of ACF, said that it would be brought up at the FIFe GA.

 

Mrs U’Ren asked about Bombays.  She said CCC of A have regulations whereby they recognise the standard of a newly imported breed.  The Bombay is a long established breed deriving from American Burmese and American Shorthairs; this is the breed they recognise. They were concerned as something similar was being bred under the same name which was not correct.  This led to a discussion on how to deal with breeds being developed which are similar to existing breeds but proceed along different lines. Mrs U’Ren thought a policy statement could be helpful.

 

The next executive Session was then convened and the room was cleared.

 

After the end of the executive session

 

The Meeting closed at 4 p.m.

 

Signed by:

Pam Delabar, President of WCC and of CFA and in the Chair
Kay DeVilbiss, President of TICA
Kaai du Plessis, President of SACC
Anneliese Hackmann, President of WCF
Albie Jobson, Vice-Chairman of NZCF
Julia May, BSc, BVetMed, MRCVS
Allen Raymond, ACF ILO
Eric Reijers, Vice-President of WCC and General Secretary of FIFe
Cheryle U‘Ren,   Vice-President of CCC of A