Queen cat Matahari and tomcat matata at home in Mumbai.(Monday 25-1-2010).

Queen cat Matahari and tomcat matata at home in Mumbai.(Monday 25-1-2010).

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

" INDIAN CAT FEDERATION" affiliated to "World Cat Federation" goes dormant and is replaced by "FELINE CLUB OF INDIA " affiliated to "Cat Fanciers Association Inc".

Sponsorship is essential for any product, Industry as also for a "Cat Club" to survive and was sad to finally realize that "Indian Cat Federation" had become dormant  as a cat club with the "CAT SHOWS" coming to a abrupt end.All my digital media blogging efforts as  a catalyst connecting cat owners and fanciers in getting together to start India's first cat club "Indian Cat Federation" with  Mr Shree.Nair as the President of "Indian Cat Federation" had gone bankrupt.Akin to a conglomerate going bankrupt.Thanks to attending the "Indian Cat Federation" shows that i got to understand the method of organizing cat shows  and in the process  meeting  some of the Who's Who of the "World Cat Federation" including the founder of the "Arabian Mau" breed Mrs Petra Muller and Mrs Anneliza.Hackmann, the President of "World Cat Federation".Yes we did create "Cat History" in India by having India's first official recognized cat show with International judges. 
"Alliance of Cat Fanciers" show at "B.K.C,Bandra". Judge Mr Sudhi.Kartikineni with Mr Mohammed.Ahsan owner of Bengal cat "Nawab"
        ABOVE PHOTO :-     Star attraction "Nawab" being displayed on the "Show Table" with owner Mr Mohammed.Ahsan and Show judge Mr Sudhi Katikineni  of "Alliance of Cat Fanciers" at "B.K.C , Bandra".

            
                                                                                   In its dormant form  the "Indian Cat Federation" set the trend for other like minded cat fanciers who were once members of "Indian Cat Federation" to continue the trend of cat shows in India akin to dog shows.After the abrupt disappearance  of "Indian Cat Federation"  the  cat shows were organized by the  newly formed "Alliance of Cat fanciers" based in Bangalore and the "Feline Club of India" based in Mumbai.The promoter of "Alliance of Cat Fanciers" Mr Sudhi.Katikineni  of Bangalore is a certified judge of the "World Cat Federation" and akin to "Indian Cat Federation" he conducted a few shows under the "World Cat Federation" registration.
 ABOVE PHOTO :- "FELINE CLUB OF INDIA" holds India's first virtual "CAT WEBINARS" on the occasion of "WORLD CAT DAY" celebrations.

The "Feline Club of India" of Mumbai got affiliated to "Cat Fanciers Association Inc".The "Cat Fanciers Association Inc" was registered in the United States of America in 1906 completing its centenary in 2006.As of May 2016 the "C.F.A Inc" recognizes 42 different cat breeds for its "Championship Class" and one  "The Bengal cat " in its miscellaneous class. 
                                      On Sunday(20/1/2019) had attended the popular annual "PET FED SHOW" which was mostly concerning dogs and  for  dog exhibits but had a separate tent show ring for cats where the "Alliance of Cat Fanciers" conducted their cat show with Mr Sudhi.Katikineni as the chief judge at this show.
                                                                                                                                    For the first time in my life got to view and hold the "Bengal Cat" breed, the costliest cat breed in India although now quite common in America as one of the most popular breed..Holding  "Nawab" the majestic "Bengal Cat" breed owned by Hyderabad cat fancier Mr Mohammed.Ahsan made me feel like Old Indian Royalty.He had imported this beautiful well behaved cat from Thailand at a cost of Rs 4 lakhs only. Mr Mohammed .Ahsan was a professional and hopefully responsible cat breeder having a total of 12 Bengal Cats in his farmhouse in Hyderabad.I use the word "RESPONSIBLE BREEDER" for the simple reason that most breeders in India  don't keep a check of the kittens they sell or breed and hence at times it results in over-breeding of a particular species of cat as has happened to the "Original Long hair Persian" and "Punch Face Persian Breed" of cats resulting in defective progeny  and hereditary deformities due to in-breeding. Another aspect of mass breeding of a particular cat species as a pet is a drop in price values as well as exclusivity of the particular species resulting at times in abandonment of the cat if they develop bad habits or costly medical ailments.Only hope the "BENGAL CAT" which does have its own breed hereditary medical problems does not become a pet commodity as has happened to the Persian breed of cats in India although in the U.S.A the "Bengal Cat" is increasing in numbers by leaps and bounds..A high purchase price preserves its exclusivity as well as ensures that the buyer is capable of maintaining the exorbitant maintenance cost of owning such a cat. All "Pedigree cats" irrespective of breed or popularity are expensive in maintenance in  comparison to the common "Indie Mau(Billi cat)"  as their immune system is not as robust as the local Tabby/Billi/Indie Mau cat alias the common stray house cat.It's similar to Indie dogs being more robust and healthy than the average pedigree dog.Whenever i visit the local fish market i marvel at the beauty of some of the stray cats that would give any expensive pedigree pampered cat a run for its money in a cat show contest regarding "Coat maintenance".Nature has its own way of caring for its natural living beings. Ahoy ! Yes, the "Cat Fancier Industry" in India is progressing by leaps and bounds as also the cat ancillary industry that sponsors these beautiful cat shows.The Pet industry of the 21st century is a multi-million rupees Industry although the "Cat Club Show" clubs in India are far behind even Asian country's let alone Europe and America from where the dog and cat shows originated . Mr Saquib.Salim.Pathan the founder of "Feline Club of India", a excellent salesman cum entrepreneur  immediately got down to cat  business and cat shows after registering the club with "C.F.A Inc".A cat registry was started and cats could be registered with the "Feline Club of India" which also kept on par with "First World Country" cat registrations by getting our registered Indian cats micro-chipped, a first in India for registered cats.He was also quick to name the common Indian street cat as the "Indi Mau" a idea definitely generated by the dormant  "Indian Cat Federation" and from Mrs Petra.Muller of "World Cat Federation" who invented the "Arabian Mau" breed of cats in the Middle East.The support received by "Feline Club of India " was excellent and within a few years they replaced "Indian Cat Federation" by leaps and bounds with ownership of cats becoming popular among Indians whose traditional pets were dogs.A major bias against cat ownership in India is the fact that a majority of the population are vegetarians and cats unlike dogs cannot survive on a diet consisting of vegetarian food and hence non- compatible pets in most vegetarian households of India.One of the reasons for dogs being popular  as also dog clubs and dog shows  in comparison with cat and cat shows is the fact that most wealthy vegetarian households in India avoid cat's as pets All this is changing as cat awareness spreads through the Internet in India with  cat's becoming the iconic poster animal across the Globe due to their photogenic cuteness."Vegetarian Cat food" is available in First World Country's which does contain Taurin the principle ingredient required for maintaining cats in healthy condition.  .The "CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC-2020" brought the entire Globe including India to a standstill effecting all walks of human life including human mortality with the United States of America being the worst hit in terms of human casualty. Along with human's it was the  household pets that became  worst victims of this pandemic as some of them were abandoned by their human owners due to fears of contracting the pandemic through their pet as well as high maintenance cost at a time when unemployment was at its peak throughout the Globe .This was also the era in which the "DIGITAL WORLD" overnight became a means of communication, entertainment as well as employment all across the Globe.In the U.S.A "Cat Shows" were conducted on the Internet by "T.I.C.A(International Cat Association)"   at a time when the "Covid-19" virus was at its peak.In India "Feline Club of India" kept abreast with the latest Internet technology and conducted a series of "Cat Webinars" from  Wednesday(5/8/2020)  to Saturday(8/8/2020) to celebrate "WORLD CAT DAY" which since 2002 is celebrated annually on 8/8/2020.On one of the webinars concerning "CAT PARENTS" i was invited in advance by Mr Fakhruddin.Saifuddin.Motiwalla to be on the panel having been one of the oldest official "Cat Parent" in Mumbai  and it was the first time i would be attending  a "Webinar" although a producer of over a 1000 video's on "Youtube".Better late than too late ..Ironically on that particular day Mumbai received one of the heaviest rainfall in decades with the city getting flooded and transport coming to a standstill and hence Mr Fakhruddin.Saifuddin couldn't make it to my house by vehicle. He messaged me the webinar address and put me into contact with Saniya.Pathan of "F.C.I" who tutored me through my house-keeper Sabina.Dias's smartphone in setting up the webinar format on my smartphone. As they say the show must go on and despite Mumbai city coming to a standstill the "CAT PARENT " webinar went  live on the Internet with a little luck and team play between the organizers "Feline Club of India" and the participants.The President of "Feline Club of India" Mr Saquib.Pathan has definitely given  "Cat Shows" and "Cat Awareness" a giant leap in the common public mind by conducting cat seminars, cat shows and "Cat webinars" during the "Covid-19" lock-down.Now only hope that "Feline Cat Club" of India  has a permanent  long term longevity akin to the "K.C.I (Kennel Club of India)" or "I.N.K.C ( Indian National Kennel Club)" for dogs. Bizarrely suddenly out of the blue "Indian Cat Federation" became active after years with the club's spokeswoman Ms Fateema.Siamwala  posting the release of a new pet magazine on India'[s Independence day titled "PETME INDIA" which had a first page advertisement of "Indian Cat Federation" ."PETME" magazine is a U.A.E based popular pet magazine with Mr Shree .Nair as its editor and he was introducing this magazine into India. Hope the magazine is a success as also revival of cat shows in India under the "Indian Cat Federation" banner.Seems there is now a rat race among the various "CAT CLUBS" in India to be the most prominent club attracting maximum members as well as conducting credible cat shows across India. As for me happy to have been a catalyst to set the ball rolling in establishing India's first cat club and cat show thus creating a model of cat clubs for future cat owners and cat aficionado's.

CAT OWNERS PLEASE DON'T ABANDON YOUR PET ON THE ROAD OR ANYWHERE  AS HOUSEHOLD PET' S UNLIKE NATURAL STREET BORN STRAY CAT'S CANNOT SURVIVE ON THEIR OWN WITHOUT HUMAN ASSISTANCE IN GROOMING AS WELL AS FEEDING. THEY DIE A MISERABLE DEATH ON THE STREETS . BE A RESPONSIBLE PET PARENT AND NOT PET OWNER.
VIDEO :- Above is a video of the stray abandoned Persian cat i spotted inside the N.C.P.A Parking  complex.

 Photo shoot with Actor Prem.Chopra.

On Saturday(30/4/2022)  at the Eleventh edition of " International Jazz Day" concert at Tata Theatre in  N.C.P.A  came across a abandoned stray  Traditional Persian cat loitering in the car park.Reminded me of my own Traditional Persian cat "Matata" as the colouration was almost similar. The former owner who abandoned this once beautiful ginger Persian cat is a authentic real life villain and deserves punishment.
Tragic abandoned Ginger Persian.

Pets are akin to human family and are life long companions. Bizarrely on entering the "Tata Theatre Auditorium" came across the grand villain of Hindi cinema " Prem Naam Hain Mera, Prem Chopra" without whom a hero would be non-existent ! At 86 years young Mr Prem Chopra was ageing gracefully like wine although he uses a walking stick for support portraying none of his hated onscreen villainy in real life. A soft spoken gentleman and i am sure he never ever abandoned his pet's if he had one unlike the real life villain who had  abandoned a grown Persian cat on the street . 

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Cat Matahari participates in " Whiskas 5th International Cat Show held on Sunday 11th Oct, 2015 in Mumbai..

I am pasting  a partial copy of the summary of the entire cat show as posted to all the cat participants by "Indian Cat Federation".This is for the benefit of novice cat owners including myself in understanding the procedure and format of a "CAT SHOW".As for my 8 year old cat "Matahari" i just took her as a formality since it was after owning her that i started the blog of creating awareness among cat owners to start a "CAT CLUB" in India. She was and is part of  the Indian cat mascots that helped form the "INDIAN CAT FEDERATION".


Dear Cat Parent,

We thank you for participating at the Whiskas 5th International Cat Show held on 11th Oct, 2015  in Mumbai. It was our pleasure to welcome each and every one of you (existing and new members).

About Us:
Indian Cat Federation (ICF) has been formed to provide support to the Cat owners and Breeders in India. ICF is a National body recognized by The World Cat Federation (WCF). ICF aims at working and achieving the following:

  1. Educate cat owners & breeders, the right ways & methods
  2. Bring together cat owners under one banner to look after the affairs of cats
  3. Conduct shows, competitions, seminars in India
  4. Issue certificates of breed & class of cats
  5. Support activities for the betterment of the cat population
  6. Stop cruelty towards the stray cats through awareness

Brief About the Show:

This being the 2nd Cat Show in Mumbai and high expectations from everyone, we put double the efforts. We always look forward to our show being exciting for all the cats and their parents who participated.

We began our registration two months in advance so that the cat parents had enough time to prepare their cats for the show and also offered discounts on early registrations.

We were honoured to have Two International Judges from World Cat Federation (WCF) Ms. Irina Sadovnikova from Russia and Mr. Anthony Aldum from South Africa; both of them being an ‘All Breed Judge’ at WCF. They were invited to judge and discuss about the cats with their owners, also spread awareness about cats including the Indian cat and much more.

As a mandatory ICF rule, each cat was examined by Vets from “The Bombay Veterinary College’ to ensure the cat’s vaccination was up to date and they were free from any infection. Then the cats proceeded to both the judges to be classified and allow cats entry into the competition.  

Cats were allotted their dedicated cages with wet food sponsored by Whiskas, Litter sand sponsored by “Castor & Pullox Pets” store. Litter Tray, Food Bowl and Water Bowl sponsored by ICF... thus ensuring all the basic requirement of the cat was met during the show.

About the Show - In Detail:

On the day of the show, ICF team was eager to welcome cats and to our surprise we spotted Matahari owned by Rudolph Furtado eagerly waiting to enter the venue at 7:30 am, after enjoying her long ride early morning. She was calm and settled in her cage comfortably J 

We had cats enter the venue one after the other starting 8:30am onwards. Shahab Ali, President of ‘Deccan Cat Club’, Hyderabad travelled to Mumbai with their club members and their cats to participate in the show.

From Mumbai we had many cat parents attending the show with their cats and some of them were attending the show for the first time. Amongst them were Sufiyan Salim Khan (10 cats), Mehnaaz Khan (8 cats) and Juwairiah Shaikh (5 cats) who participated with 5+ cats.

Devandra Purbiya brought Kitten Bubbles, Daughter of ‘Bella’, who is the first cat to win ‘Best Overall Title’ three consecutive times. Just like her mother she stole hearts of many.

We had an opportunity to see some rare cat breeds during the show.
Prince (Snowshoe) and Lucy (Thai) owned by Rubeena Kidayavettil, Thomas (Indian Billi) owned by Amit Sarang, Mitra (Siberian) and Zodiac (Thai) owned by Richard Mehta, Clever (Siberian) owned by Nadeem Shaikh and Badshah Khan (Exotic) owned by Saquib Pathan.

Other Cat Breeds seen during the show were British Longhair, Household Pet, Original Longhair and Persian.

Vet Check and Registrations began at 9:30 and by then we had almost 50 cats awaiting their turn to participate in the show. After thorough check-up by vet and classification done by the judges, Traditional Judging started at 1pm.

The cats were categorized as per their breed for Traditional Judging (Round 1) and then each cat parent was called one by one with their cats at the judge’s desk. During Traditional Judging cat parent’s had an opportunity to understand and discuss about their cats with these International Judges.

Each cat was carefully checked and a report written by the judges with comments on Head, Eyes, Ears, Body, Coat / Color, Tail, Condition of the cat and also giving them a Title which is important to secure to become Champions or Premiere in the coming shows.

All this while we had a number of visitors coming in as well - cat lovers, cat breeders, parents along with their children, some were inquisitive visitors who were curious to see the gorgeous feline participating at our show.

By afternoon, 4:00 pm Ring Judging (Round 2) started, in this round the cats are categorized in three different sections – Kitten, Adult and Neuter. Once this has been sorted 10 cats (max) at a time are called up on the dais so that the judges can take one final look to shortlist the winners. ICF Team noticed that the Judges had a tough time deciding the winners as all the cats were simply outstanding. Kudos to all cat parents who participated!!!


At the end of each ring winners were announced. Some of the categories that won the top 3 places are as under:

Positions:

Kitten Ring

Adult Ring

Neuter Ring

1st Place

Mahi
Sufiyan Khan

Lucy
Rubeena Kidayavettil

Mitra
Richard Mehta

2nd Place

Clever
Nadeem Shaikh

Lucy Lu
Juwairiah Shaikh

Dumroo
Richard Mehta

3rd Place

Shizo
Mehnaaz Khan

Brandon Stark
Ria Bhattacharyya

Simba
Mehnaaz Khan

By the end of the show, Champion & Premier Title was accomplished by 6 cats. 

These titles are given when a cat receives either 3 CAC (Champion) or 3 CAP (Premier) from 3 different judges over 3 cat shows held by ICF.



  Champion Title:                                                           Premier Title:



Cat Name:                  Cat Parent Name:                  Cat Name:                  Cat Parent Name:



Cream Dream             Shahab Ali                               Smurf                          Mehnaaz Khan

Murano                       Sufiyan Khan

Shimmer                     Mehnaaz Khan

Barkat Pathan            Saquib Pathan

Christina                      Meher Ansari   



We also had an online contest called ‘Selfie Contest’, cat parents were asked to click a selfie and post on ICF Facebook page, selfie with the highest likes would be declared the winner on the day of the show.

Sufiyan Khan had 400+ likes (count as on 10th Oct), making it the highest number of likes amongst all the entries we had received.



Alas, the time had come where we bid adieu to all these beautiful felines.


We were glad to hear from the judges and this is what they said via email:



Mr. Aldum quoted

“Thank you for the great show and the enjoyable trip to Mumbai. It was great seeing everyone again and being part of the show and great hospitality”.



Ms. Sadovnikova quoted

“Your show was very well organized. For a young federation, it was absolutely fantastic! I really enjoyed your work!
I loved your cats and owners. The owners were all friendly and eager to learn. It's quite a pleasure to meet such kind and warm people. There were also some exceptional quality cats, which it was an honour to judge. I do wish you success with your new Indian breed, I just fell in love with that boy. Really great job the vets did at the vetting in.

Good luck to you all, health and beauty to your cats, success to the Indian Cat Federation!”
Thursday (21/6/2018) Summer Solstice Day. ANY FILM OR MODELING ROLES FOR CATS AND MASTER : - Watching the " France  v/s Peru " match on  T.. V :- Photographer House Caretaker M/s Sabina. Dias.The pleasure  of living with cats. 

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Mumbai city has its first "International cat show" on Saturday the 27th and Sunday the 28th of September 2014.

WISKAS  2nd INTERNATIONAL CAT SHOW  OF  INDIA


"SHOW RING" table and venue of the cat show in Mumbai


The first cat show in India was held in Bangalore on Saturday April 27th and Sunday April 28th 2013 at the "Chancery Pavillion". It was a success and now Mumbai was awaiting its first cat show and the same was held at the  "Stallion Banquets" in Prabhadevi.President Mr Shree.Nair of "I.C.F(Indian cat federation)" had informed me about the show in a e-mail letter but since i was on a tour of Indonesia  in August/September 2014 couldn't keep in touch with the organization of this show
.
               On arrival in Mumbai read the advertisement of the cat show in Mumbai and did speak to Mr Shree.Nair over the phone happy that at last Mumbai would be exhibiting a International cat show.Was also sad that although the owner of two cats with  the venue walking distance from my house in Old Prabhadevi  just wouldn't  be able to exhibit them at the cat show.Tomcat "Matata" was shy of strangers and violent with other cats, a miniature leopard in character. As for cat "Matahari", she was recovering from a abscess wound and hence not in "show condition".
Show ring judge Mrs Anneliza.Hackmann(President of World cat Federation,Germany) examining a cat on the "Show ring table". Petra.Muller(President of Middle East cat society) and Mr Shree.Nair( President of Indian cat Federation ) observe the same.


Saturday(27-9-2014) :-  Walked to the venue  from my house and on entering "Stallion Banquets" at approximately 1000 hrs was surprised to find a almost empty hall with a few cat exhibitors. Visitor timings for the show were from 1300 hrs to 1900 hrs  while the cat exhibitors were allowed entry at 0900 hrs and hence surprised to find most of the exhibit cages empty, something rarely seen in any dog show in India. Met Mr Ganesh.Srinivasan(Vice-President of Indian Cat federation)  from Bangalore with whom i had a brief conversation and  finally did have a face to face talk with Mr Shree.Nair.  

                                The "Internet World" is basically anonymous and people can be strangers for life although buddy friends or acquaintances over the "Internet" ! Hence it was excellent meeting Mr Shree.Nair in person and  had a brief discussion on the show and reasons for lack of participants.Had a discussion with Mrs Anneliza.Hackmann and was not surprised to learn that Germany had a cat club in almost every town with numerous cat show around the Country.                                                                                      Photo(L) :-  Students of the Bombay veterinary college whose services were utilized  for conducting the cat show.
Photo(L) :- Mr Johan.Lamprecht examining  feline :" Christina".
                                                                    Later strolled around the small a/c venue and came across  facebook  members of "Mumbai cat club" and "Persian cats, breeding and upbringing". Meehnaaz.Khan had brought five of her cats to the show, all Persians while Mr Shahab.Ali had flown from Hyderabad with his cat  "Snowy" proving that cat fancy in India is not nascent.I thought that it was only in U.S.A and first World country's that pet owners travelled by air across city's for pet shows.All the volunteers at the show were students  from the "Bombay veterinary college" in Parel wearing "Whiska's shirts". Went home for lunch and later at approximately 1500 hrs returned back to the venue.The cat show was in full progress  with each individual cat being examined on the "Traditional judges table" , being judged by South African  Dr Johan.Lamprecht( WCF All breeds judge). He is shown examining feline "Christina" owned by Mrs Meher.Ansari. she had dressed her cat in clothes, humanising the pet.Had a discussion with Dr Johan.Lamprecht and was surprised to know that in South africa it was mostly the minority white population that kept cats as most of the majority  negro Africans associated cats with witchcraft ! Seems even in the 21st century superstitious beliefs about  cats  is still prevalent in certain societies.
Photo (R) :- Winner of best house cat
                                                                                                                                                        Yet surprisingly South Africa has numerous "Cat Shows" in every city. Strolled around the venue busy scribbling notes, the unofficial chronicler of this event , something i hoped to witness in my life-time.Came across beautiful and well bred Persian cats ,all bred in normal Mumbai climatic conditions. Their coats were in excellent condition.Had a talk with German Petra.Muller(President of Middle East cat association[MECATS]) and was amazed to learn that she lived  with  325 cats in her villa in Dubai.She was responsible for getting the  natural street cat of U.A.E/Dubai  as a recognized breed  by the " World Cat Federation" in 2008 after conducting 5 years of research and breeding..This cat was named the "Arabian Mau" cat. Took a photograph with Petra.Muller for a been there, seen that and having met a lady responsible for discovering and creating a new "Cat Breed".
Photo(R) :- Myself with Petra.Muller(Judge & President of Middle East cat society[MECATS])
                                                                                                                                She has also  published a book on this cat breed and "National Geographic" did a documentary on this new cat breed finally giving it International recognition.Met Mr Dev.Purbiya who sported the best looking moustache  akin to his cute and rare Longhaired Persian cat "Bella".This show had been sponsored by  "Mars India International Pvt Ltd" a leading pet food manufacturer in India, selling the famous  "Pedigree" and "Whiskas" brands for dogs and cats.Dr K.G.Umesh  of "Whiskas"  explained the life cycle and behaviour of a cat to the audience  over the internet screen projection, very informative to the average cat owner.Later in the evening the final  judging of the show cats was done on the main show ring.Judge Mrs Anneliza.Hackmann examined each competitor for various traits. The winners were declared in each category akin to a dog show, based on age, sex and breed. All the cats were of the "Persian breed" and hence no variety in the competition as in a "Dog Show". In Mumbai every cat owner seems to prefer the "PERSIAN BREED"  and i was surprised at not seeing a single Siamese cat, once a very popular pet cat. My first cat as a child in the 1960's  was a Siamese cat. Mr Dev.Purbiya's cat "Bella" won the best of best in the show.The show culminated at approx 1900 hrs, a sparse crowd  and a entertaining and educative day of cat beauty and cat fancy.As usual went home and quickly updated the photographs and my personal opinion of the show, encouraging cat owners to participate in this unique first  cat show  in Mumbai city.
"BEST IN SHOW WINNER.Female cat "BELLA"  :- In Photo (L to R) Petra.Muller(Judge), Mrs  Anneliza.Hackmann(Overall Judge),Mr Sudhakaran. Aaskar(Breeder) holding the cat, Mr Devendra.Purbiya(owner of cat ("Bella),Mr Shree.Nair(President of Indian Cat Federation) and Dr Johan.Lamprecht(judge).



 Sunday(29-9-2014) :- My internet advertisement review of the cat show proved effective and did receive queries about the venue and method of reaching the same. Went to the cat show in the afternoon at around 1430 hrs and was happy to see the auditorium full of cat competitors as well as spectators. Saw a few new cat breeds, one being a exotic  tabby coloured short-haired Persian cat with "Overshot upper teeth", a major defect in cats.This cat  would be a excellent pet cat but definitely not a show cat.The tragedy of  selective cat breeding by breeders is that many inferior specimens that  have defects are usually euthanized at birth, a negative aspect of the World of cat fancy and cat shows.
Photo(L) :- A "Overshot  upper teeth" exotic  persian cat.
                                                                                                                      If  a breeders cat wins at a show then its breeding value increases and hence many cat breeders  do their utmost to win at shows.In Country's where cat shows are common the competition is fierce and the jealousy among breeders intense, a total cloaks and daggers game of one upmanship.Saw this breed of cat for the first time in my life and although a poor specimen of the breed type it added variety to the show .A Spanish lady living in Mumbai and a friend of  Meehnaaz .Khan had brought her "Street cats", the typical common stray cat of Mumbai for the show.These cats and the exotic short haired Persian were the only two different breeds in the total "Persian  breeds" on display. The Bombay veterinary college along with "Indian cat Association" will be doing research work on the "Mumbai street cat(Stray)" and hope to create a recognized street cat breed called "BILLI(Cat in Hindi language)" in a few years akin to the "Arabian Mau" created by Petra .Muller..Met Mr Arnab.Chakrabarti, a "Facebook" acquaintance  who was a regular on the internet, very active  in internet discussions and opinions."Whiska's" were conducting a "Cat Quiz" and on participation  won a prize, a cat mug and pet food for cats.
Photo(R) :- Mumbai street cat  on the judges table.
                                                                                                             Gave me ideas of participating in "Kaun Banega Crorepati" ! Met various cat owners and their cat exhibits. A few people congratulated me on the article written about the cat show where thanks to the "INTERNET" anyone can become a "Citizen journalist", something unthinkable and not practicable just two decades ago.Met Mrs Juwairiah.Majid who had come to the show after seeing my article on the "Internet".She had arrived with three cats out of which two were traditional Persian kittens  worth Rs 80,000 ! This was the costliest  pair of local bred cats that i had come across in Mumbai although in dogs such fancy prices are not uncommon.I have seen German Shepherd dogs worth lakhs of rupees at a dog show in Mumbai.Later Dr Umesh conducted a quiz on cats and i won a prize, a cat mug.After being a active cat owner , blogger and member of various cat sites for years  , most importantly "P.O.C(Pictures of cats)" this  "Cat Quiz" was simple .Having been for numerous dog shows during my lifetime realized that "Cat Shows"  were conducted in a similar manner as dog shows as far as categorisation of class ,breed and sex were concerned.
Photo(L) :- Final 10 contestants for "Best Cat in Show".
                                                                       Dr Ashish.M.Paturkar the Associate dean of the "Bombay Veterinary college" was a honoured guest and he gave a short talk on the future of getting the Indian street cat recognized as a new cat breed "Billi(Cat in Hindi language)". Later as the evening progressed there was the presentation of cats of various ages into the show ring for judging the best cat in that class.There was the "Kitten Class", "Elder Cats Class ", "Persian Cat Class" and a few other prizes. The most coveted prize, the best of best cat in the show went to  6 months old "Bella" , owned by Mr Devendra.Purbiya and bred by Mr Sudhakaran.Aaskar in Bangalore. Met a local cat enthusiast Mr Bakhtiar.Khan  from Breach Candy who had more than 30 cats in his house and well known among cat fanciers in India. Ultimately at the end of the cat show every cat owner did go back  home with some consolation prize.At the end of the show Mr Shree.Nair made a announcement that the next "Indian Cat Federation" show would be held in Bangalore in February 2015 and another show in Delhi in the same year. The idea is to popularize cat shows in every city in India and a beginning was made in Mumbai, India's commercial capital; Mumbai should now host a cat show annually as there are numerous cat enthusiasts.As for me hope to enter cat "Matahari" in the senior cat group  in the next cat show and awaiting the same as would other cat fanciers  wanting to showcase their pampered cats.

Friday, October 5, 2012

STARTING A CAT CLUB IN INDIA :- Correspondence with Mr Shree.Nair( V.P of Middle East Cat Society)

Queen cat Matahari on the gallery ledge with  a cat  memento i had  purchased  from Tokyo in 1995.When will India have its first "CAT CLUB" akin to other Asian Country's ?(Tuesday 18-12-2012)
 I have saved the correspondence that i have managed to convey to various cat society's in order to start a  cat club in India.  Here is my correspondence with Mr Shree.Nair who is the Vice President of  the Middle East cat society(Dubai) and the publisher of  "PET ME  magazine.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Hello Mr. Rudolph,
I was given to understand that you are looking for a cat club in India. I am Shree Nair - VP of the Middle East Cat Society (based in Dubai), member of the World Cat Society (WCF- Germany) and Publisher of PETME magazine. I am currently in the process of registering the Indian Cat Federation at Banglore. I will be in Banglore from 19 till 22 Sept. If you would like to be a part of this organisation, please contact me via email: showline@gmail.com or via my indian mobile no: 0 9790 761735.
Looking forward to hear from you.
Best Regards,
Shree Nair.
PETME 
Pets Middle East Magazine      
Po.Box: 37288, Dubai, UAE.                           
Phones: +971 50 5851394 - +971 55 2180540
Web: www.petmeonline.com 


M y reply to Mr Shree .Nair after doing the necessary  correspondence on the internet and not receiving any feedback from cat owners and fanciers.                                                                                                                                                         Dear Sheree Nair,
I put up a complete detail of our correspondence on my websites and no response as yet.Another aspect that i want to clarify is regarding the enrollment fees. I personally feel Rs 5000 /year membership fees are extremely high.Is it a one time registration fee of Rs 5000 and the a minimum membership rate of a reduced sum yearly. I feel paying Rs 5000 every year just to be a member is very high fees for a "CAT CLUB". I am not in touch with either the "I.N.K.C" or "K.C.I" dog clubs of Mumbai but was for many years a member of "I.N.K.C" and my dachshund bitch won numerous prizes. I remember the membership fees being modest in 1980's and the same could be today. Rs 5000/yearly fees for a "CAT CLUB" could be intimidating to many ordinary cat members, especially unemployed youngsters depending on their parents income as "Pocket Money".For me personally ,Rs 5000/Year is o.k as i am actively involved in wild-life and pet issues, now owning 2 traditional Persian Cats.Till today i make it a habit to visit "Dog Shows" in Mumbai and hence decided to get cat-owners to start a cat club, surprised that none existed in India, let alone Mumbai.Regarding "Pam Persians", i have been corresponding with them but they have never replied back nor suggested anything about the "Bangalore Cat fancy".It would be better if you  write to her to correspond or speak to me.Check this video i produced in 2010 when attending the "I.N.K.C" dog show in Mumbai.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nsnn83LXf0 .Hope to have "CAT SHOWS" in the same manner in the near future.
Thanking You,
Regards,
Rudolph.A.Furtado

"Radhe" the pet cat of "Worli Fish Market" in Mumbai.Isn't this beautiful cat worthy of being represented in a "CAT SHOW".The local "Mumbai Cat".(Friday 4-1-2013)
"RADHE(Rajesh)" :-This cat was named after "Rajesh Khanna" , one of India's most popular romantic film stars in the Hindi movie Industry.."RADHE"  responds and is recognized  by all the fisher-women and shop-keepers in Worli fish market in Mumbai, the markets mascot pet, owned by none!.This cat is the "KingKong" among all the stray cats in the Worli fish market which has a gang os resident cats.He is huge in size and towers over the other cats like a basketball player, also a bit obese.This could be the aftereffects of "Castration" as well as medical treatment that this lucky cat underwent, rescued by a local cat enthusiast from an almost fatal disease a few years ago. Mr Wadhwani, Worli markets cat philanthropist daily feeds all the stray cats in the market with his own money, a princely sum considering that fish is expensive"Radhi" responds by name to all the fisherwomen in the market akin to a dog, unbelievably docile and a aristocrat amongst the stray cats.To defecate he goes outside the market onto the road pavement akin to a dog.All other cats defecate in the fish market itself, not Radhe as shown in the Photo.A freak of a cat and the star attraction of the "Worli Fish Market" in Mumbai.This  photo is a candid photo that i took  on Friday (4-1-2013) in the Worli fish-market of Mumbai.Thought of capturing memories of this unique cat, one of the thousands of stray cats on Mumbai's streets and markets.Only difference, "RADHE(RAJESH)" is the king amongst the stray cats that i have observed as a cat owner and writer .Sadly "Radhe" expired sometime in March 2014 and his presence is surely missed in the "Worli fish  market".This majestic cat could have definitely been a candidate for any cat show under the "Pet house-cat" category.He was not a house-cat but  owned by the entire market! WHEN WILL INDIA HAVE ITS FIRST "CAT CLUB" ?


HAPPY TO READ IN THE NEWSPAPERS THAT THE FIRST CAT SHOW IN INDIA WILL BE HELD  IN BANGALORE   ON SATURDAY/SUNDAY (27/28) OF  APRIL-2013 CONDUCTED BY " INDIAN CAT FEDERATION" 

WRITE UP ON "INTERNATIONAL CAT SHOW" at Bangalore in "Hindu Newspaper" :- You don’t own a cat, the cat owns you, or so the saying goes. But for those who want to show off their feline companions, an international cat show will be held here in the city.
Organised by the newly formed Indian Cat Federation, the International Cat Show of India will be on April 27 and 28.
Apart from the certification of pedigree that is gained by participating in the show, cat lovers can also clarify their doubts about their pets and network with other owners and breeders, founder of the federation Shree Nayar said here on Monday.
Various contest categories are: long hair, short hair, semi-long hair, Siam/Orient short hair), Persian and exotic. Among house cats, the categories are — novices: 6–10 months, male and female; kitten: male and female, 3–6 months; whelp: minimum three kittens, 10 weeks– 3 months.
The show will be held at the Chancery Pavilion. Registration is Rs. 500, with a separate fee per cat of Rs. 150. There will be a maximum of 120 cats a day.
To register, visit www.indiancatfederation.org or call +91-9845031073.
The event is sponsored by pet food brand Whiskas.
SO FINALLY MY PERSONAL  BLOGS AND AWARENESS OF CREATING A "CAT CLUB" IN INDIA HAS PROVED EFFECTIVE AND Mr SHREE.NAIR HAS FOUNDED THE  "INDIAN CAT FEDERATION" IN BANGALORE.NOW ONLY HOPE THAT CAT SHOWS ARE HELD IN OTHER INDIAN CITY'S INCLUDING MUMBAI, AKIN TO DOG SHOWS.
http://indiancatfederation.org/  :- CHECK THIS LINK.