Letter to the Editor

A LITTLE STORY OF RECENT

I am a New Zealand breeder with NZCF Inc and have held one of my prefixes for twenty years. I enjoy going to shows very much but over the recent years have not exhibited often because I have a big fear of virus infection from these occasions which is based upon experience of my cats getting them.

So ... on the 17 th August 2019 I attended a show and I would like to now share with you a big concern I have. It is not that I didn’t enjoy the company of my friends, or the lovely venue, but rather I am concerned for my cats, everyone else’s cats too, and the reputation you might say, of NZCF Inc.

I was showing two cats. My male cat was only nine months old and was between another one of my cats and someone else’s. Not long before judging, and certainly after vetting was done, the cat adjacent to my male starting coughing. It coughed so badly that many people commented and muttered under their breaths, “I hope that cat isn’t sick?” Some even commented it was sick, in their opinion. The owner went and got some water for the cat and it quietened down, no more coughing. Later on, as I sat next to the owner, I made the comment “I think your cat has a sore throat as her swallowing seems painful to her”. During the day the cat fidgeted and fussed and many times could not get comfortable. We all watched her fidget. Did she want to pee or did she want to poop? None of us could truly read the signs that perhaps she was in pain but obviously was darned miserable. However there she was, stuck in an exhibition cage and unable to get out, let alone be happy. In hindsight maybe I was a real klutz for doing nothing and trying to be diplomatic and kind, not really making it plain to the owner what I suspected.

The following Tuesday (three days later) I set off on a nine day break as I hadn’t had a holiday in five years. There were no more kittens at home and no girls close to kittening. My lovely daughter and grand-daughter were in charge of the cats whilst I was gone and everyone was clean and well-fed when I returned.

Upon returning from my break I brought my two domestic cats inside from my cattery outdoors and the rest of my pedigree mob of indoor mates the following day. One of my domestics was sneezing and finding it hard to swallow. You can probably guess she had picked up a virus from the fellow next door (the boy that was in the show next to the cat aforementioned) .My boy was also sneezing but coming to the end of his bout with the virus. My daughter wasn’t probably at my place long enough, nor was she well experienced, to know anything was wrong with him and my stud boy is such a big stropping lad he may not have been showing much in the way of signs of illness, except sneezing. Because the domestic is nosey, and I hadn’t put up a sneeze barrier big enough to stop her inquisitiveness, she too had got the virus from kissing my stud boy through the netting. So as a few days went by and I wished I hadn’t put my indoor cats together, as two young cats came down with it too. One little male didn’t do well at all and at the time of writing this still has a very sore red eye which I am applying tricin to, many times in the day.

Around fourteen years ago I attended a show where a cat next door to my exhibit sneezed his head off all day in his cage. He was a cat bred by a very highly-respected and very experienced breeder, but I was new at this business. My cat came down with a virus before the week had expired at home and passed it on to the next run and then in turn it went on another run. So three cats were infected because of one sneezing show cat. Two years ago I attended a show in Tokoroa and many of us witnessed a gentleman poking his fingers into numerous cages and allowing cats to lick him. He just went from cage to cage and none of us had the courage to tell him to STOP, but a judge kindly suggested he shouldn’t do it. As a consequence of his doing that one of my friends took home two cats that became seriously ill within days, requiring vet hospitalization. The virus went through her house like wildfire amongst her pets. It was a very worrying time for my friend.

The point of my story is some of us breeders are too nervous of being accused as trouble makers at a show to demand someone look at an exhibit if we are unhappy about it for any reason. There are no vets on scene to check an animal out and therefore it is on the exhibitor to have a conscience and withdraw a cat with the loss of the entry fee along with it. From what I have seen at shows it makes some exhibitors pretty damned angry when asked to remove a cat by show administrators. Some people will simply not believe their cat may be sick or showing ringworm?! Eeeks!

I think the whole system NZCF has of vetting cats at a show is now extremely lacking. I think you should go back to the old days of vetting cats with a bit more time before the show with a thorough examination. I would bet my dollar that some cats would be removed and not allowed to sit in cages with the chance of passing on viruses that may lead to the destruction of someone’s exhibit if it became a complicated illness. In this day and age where there is antibiotic resistance, virus mutation, allergies, immune systems being tested to the hilt, lessening the risk of exposure is common sense especially for vulnerable young cats whose immunity is not in full swing. Showing a cat should not mean we have to put a kitten or cat into isolation for ten days when we return home, because it might have been exposed to a virus which may or may not become lethal.

I don’t much care whether folk disagree with me but my cats are my world. I hate to see any animal suffer and I hate stress loaded upon us who care when our pets catch something at a show. Showing cats should be a pleasurable experience and not something we regret later. There is no use saying the exhibitor should realise a cat is sick as even the most experienced owner can miss what a vet should correctly see. Twice I have had breeding cats flown to me that have been ill ... from breeders.

Some folk are just NOT observant or just plainly don’t know from inexperience. . If vetting was done as it is overseas before a show, then we lessen the risk. If it continues this way I have no choice but to go with my gut feeling which is to stay clear of such events. Frankly this is not something I want to do but the lack of scrutiny scares me.

That’s how I see it. Hilary Tait Carterton

The vetting procedures for shows, are clearly stated in the NZCF Show Rules and must be strictly adhered to by NZCF Affiliated Clubs. these rules can be found at http://nzcf.com/downloads/ 2019-06-06-SB-ISSUED.pdf.