Kittycat Magazine Issue 1 January/February 2014 | Page 45

It also keeps records on the progress of all cat shows throughout their careers and is an integral referring facility to prospective new cat owners. There are a number of cat clubs that hold cat shows through the show year and cats are given various awards. The SACC Cat of the Year takes place in Winter every year and the show seasons therefore runs from the first weekend after the Cat of the Year event has taken place until the weekend just before the next Cat of the Year show. At Cat of the Year the cats are placed according to their final scores and the Top Entire, Top Neuter and Top Kitten are awarded. The Cat of the Year is then either the Top Entire of the Top Neuter depending on which cat achieved the highest score overall. Cat Association of Southern Africa (CASA) In 2007 South Africa and the African continent joined the ranks of the World Cat Federation and the Cat Association of Southern Africa was born. South African cat lovers had never practically had access to international competition before. The WCF awards received at CASA shows are recognized internationally and an award attained in South Africa counts if the cat is exhibited in any other WCF show in the rest of the world. CASA, being part of the WCF, has an international cattery register and promotes animal welfare and the education of international judges. CASA has in addition formed 3 sub-clubs namely Capital Cat Club in Gauteng, Chats du Cap in Western Cape and De Baai Cat Club in Eastern Cape. They also run shows throughout the year and use the international WCF award system. African Independent Cat Association (AICA) AICA was formed in 2010. Their mission includes: To be an independent organization from Africa, for Africa, organizing cat shows without the restrictions of International rules not practical or relevant to the local conditions. To co-operate with all existing cat organizations, while retaining independence. To use the show and title system of Fife, WCF and European Independent clubs and recognize all titles and certificates from any organization using the same titles. To use all income from shows and other sources to improve cat shows and to promote cats in general without the need to spend large amounts on affiliation, licencing or other fees. To recognize exhibitors as informal members of the club without the need to pay membership fees. To recognize judges with verifyable qualifications from all international and national cat organizations A list of cat shows held by all the associations during the year is published in Kittycat magazine as well as on our website: www.Kittycat.co.za Breed Groups Breeders of Rex and Sphynx Landie Copperthwaite (Secretary) 082 699 1077 [email protected] Maine Coon Interest Group (MCIG) Hanneke Bestbier (Secretary) 072 455 7610 [email protected] Natal Siamese/Oriental Club Carol Wood 031 903 1026 [email protected] Russian Cat Interest Group of South Africa (RCIG) Solveig Klahr (Secretary) 083 272 2443 [email protected] SA Abyssinian & Somali Association (SAASA) Adrienne Swart (Secretary) 082 405 5437 [email protected] Siamese Breeders’ Group of SA (SBG) Charlotte van der Riet (Secretary) 083 384 0285 [email protected] http://siamesebreedersgroup.weebly.com Sphynx Alliance (SA) Annemarie Redelinghuys (Secretary) 083 730 7666 [email protected] Please note: Cat Clubs are listed in the Pink Pages (back of the magazine) Kittycat Issue 1 January/February 2014 42