Th. Scra.rch$h. et - Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association

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The Official Publication of the Maine Coon
l;,';
Winter
Th. Scra.rch$h. et
2OOO
s(n
Inside this issue:
Rebecca's
Story
1-2
Short Sheets
Bits and Pieces 2
Winners
Gallery! 3
McBreeders
Quiz
4
Overseas Winners 5
Family
Album
6
Hevengift Rescue 7
Mikey. A couple of months later, our pets were
due for spa)4llg and neutering. Gerqr came
over, looked at our'pets'and then asked what
we thought about an up and coming Atlanta cat
Visiting my sister in Maine where she operated a Bed and Brealdast Inn on
Isleboro Island, we met our first
coonie. Not being used to cats
(having trained Brittany Spaniels)
it was a sqprise to have their cat,
Raleigh, jump into myanrls-me,
perfect stranger. Usually what
show.
VOV!
After our second kitten show in
Louisville where Rebecca and
Mikey took 17 finals, saying we
were merely'hooked' was an understatement. \fle were in delighted
shock Nowcame decision time.
We needed a cattery name and we
had a 6 hour drive to put it together. \fle had been asked many
times at those first few shows what
was the price of a Maine C-oon.
I
saw were littie furrJ' creatures
From the Rainbow
Bridge
Ten lean ago we didnl know what a
Maine C.oon was. Nowtheylive here and tolerate us in theirhome.
a
s(&tenture!
Un exltectee{
9
Mission Impossible
10
running quicklyunder a bed. I
didn't expect such boldness in
a
mere cat.
But this cat enchanted us.
Retuming to Atlanta after our
visit, we set out to do some research on the Maine Coon car.
Ve alreadyknewwe
were
Sometimes our answer had been:
"\il/hat do you think
IYalnu Rehra
a
coon's
worth?" Flence our catteryname.
TICA OD C}]
Milrey eventually went on to become a Reeionai Kinen tX/rnner in
1992 and then , deciding shows weren't his cup
of tea, he was retired. (That's whywe onlyplace
pets: ycu can't guarantee showcats. $fle have
alwap let the owners decide whether to go on
and show).
CFA DM CIT €, PR
hooked. Now came the hard part.
Acat showwas nowin order
f
CmltuDrth
and it took
several to determine what breeder of Maine
C-oons we might relate to-and this was most
important. Luckily, we met Gerry'Walsh of Valmet C,anery. She eventuallybecame our best
friend, mentor and MCBFA sponsor. But let's
not jump ahead of the Rebecca story.
After a few months, Gerr;rcalled: were we
still interested in a Maine C-,oon? Crrtain$ And
to reduce the boredom factor. we decided q/e
needed two kiftens since we were both working
people. Mind you: we oniywanted'pets.'
The happy day finaliy came n July of 1992
and we acquired Rebecca and her litter mate,
Vell, that's history and this is the story of Rebecca's achievements, possibly the only certified
Maine Coon to have kinened at least 5 Grands
in'2 different organizations. Yes, Coonsworth is
very proud of Rebecca and very grateful to
GerryValsh for giving us the opportunityto
reach such loftyheights so quickly.
Details about Becky include:
Sire:
TGC !flalmet
Caleb of Gralee.
(Continued ftont Page
I
Page
Winter 2000
The Scratch Sheet
)
r
2
TICA DGC Tipsnnrfts Bella of Alafair
Dam: TICA RW SGC and CFA GCMedievil
Madame of Chaudvant
Born: April 12,l9g2
(a
Rebecca was awarded CFA Distinguished
brown classic tabby)
Merit (DM August 14,1999
Her lines include many Regional'Winners,
Grand Champions, Outstanding Sires and
Dams: she is a paternal granddaughter of CFI
\flaimet Suzette, TICA's first Outstanding Dam'
She is a matemal great granddaughter of SGC
Walmet Daniel Coon of Cowtown, OS' (Daniel
C-oon is still the highest ranked Maine C-oon
in
TICAhistory)
She had at least one
Grand Champion in every
one of her litters save one. Son CH
Coonswonh Tut of Chattacoon was a Regional
Some of the other 15
'W4nner in the Northwest.
males among her offspring' went on to receive
the following awards (and she was awarded Outstanding Dam on JulY 28,1997):
o R\X/GCA C,oonsworth Tabasco C-at
. QGCA C-oonsworth Indiana Jones
. GCA Coonsworth Ezekiel
r DGCA C.oonsworth CuPid
. @C Coonsworth Runninbear of
Tipsntufts
GC & GP Coonsworth Indiana Jones
GPC.oonsworthJack-O-Lantern
GP C-oonsworth Generai Panon
GP C-oonsworth Cupid
GC C-oonswonh Nigel of Hissinghunt
Nigel has sired these CFA'Grand" kids for Rebecca
R\7, GC, GP ltrssinghurst Charles
R\( GP Hissinghurst
of Nandi
SkiPPer Rau
GP Ffusinghunt Scout Finch
GP Flssinghurst Jim Finch
GP Hissinghunt l{arPer Lre
Daughter CH Coonswonh Meritaten produced our first CFA "One-shov/' Grand: GP
C,oonsworth T. Tl was never shown as a kitten,
he CFA Premiered (winnen ribbon$ in his first
show and Granded in his second'
(lnterestingly, we also entered grandma
Rebecca in the same show, her fint in 3 lean
after being altered, causing TJ to have to go one
more ring because she finaled-at the age of 7
Runninbear has sired these TICA
CFA'grand'kids' f or Rebecca:
TICASGCand CFAGC
1/2 ) A small lesson in humbling your descendants!
bought a
only
not
'pet' kitten from Gerry \X/alsh that
would we have the pleasure of her companybut the whole new wodd of the C-at Fancy, its
TICA TGC TiPsnnrf ts Hunter
I-aceY
6'
Litle did we
'Tipsntufts Chandler
TICA TGC TiPsnnrfts
.
.
.
.
.
of
Mainstasia
realize when we
gits end tieces
oAfter a cat has been show
bathed-and You don armor
for the blow-drying. consider this instead: beforehand put a bunch of clean
towels in the dryer. As soon
as the Tasmanian
Devil
comes out of the sink, start
wilh a warm. dry towel. rub-
bing him/her brisklY all
over. Then brush awhile.
Then repeat the towelingalways with WARM towels.
He will be fluffY in the end.
Without all the trauma of the
noisy blow dryer.
trials and triumphs-and a real matriarch to
SF{ORT SFIEETS
Hi List: This isn't serious, just
a
little amusing' Can anyone
relate?
years
I have a half-bred MC brown maciwlwhite female, 3
and she has recently (always) amazed me'
The other day, she ran up to me with her paw (I thought)
at me
caught in her collar. She promptly fell over and looked
got
poor
babying'
and
oohing.
piteiusly. I irnmediately began
same
again:
it
happened
it.
Well,
irer foot out and forgot about
cudresult. This morning, after my alarm went off-which was
my
out
blearily
looked
and
button
dle time-I hit the snooze
-door. She didn't think I could see her' (I guess) and I
;;1.;;.
it into
saw her bite her rabies tag and lift her foot and put
room' up
the
into
ran
then
She
kidding.
not
I
am
her collar.
injured
had
she
like
me
at
looking
over,
fell
and
bed
the
to
herself again. Well, I was so surprised I just repeated what
I'd done earlier and took her foot out again'
Is this some sort of weird MC behavior I was unaware of?
I swear, she seemed to follow a thought process to its conclusion! Has anyone experienced this before?
Just wanted to share...
Anna
From the online MCList and Anna Arrowood'
Comments, anYone?? Ed'
-*.
The Scratch Sheet
Page
Winter 2000
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GP Coonsworth's TJ
Brown Classic with white
DOB: 1/18/99
e
rS
Dam: CH Coonsworth Meritaten
Sire: GC Honeycoon johnny Angel of
Big Meow
Breeder: Jack and Darlene Sweeney
Owner: Larry & Joanne Huff
GRC Rurnford's Emberrose of Classycoon
Red classic tabby female
Breeder: Caron and Steven Gray
Owners: Judith and David Harvey
C
a
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SGC Luvpaws A Torrid Affair of Pinecoon
Brown classic with white female
TICA's 6th Best International Alter 19981999
Breeder: Richelle Godfrey/ Rob Goodall
Owners: Elizabeth Tinney and Rob Godfrey
e
f
We# v
_--ri::::-:
-
Best
GRP Purrdefurs' Little Big Foot
Brown classic with white alter
MC in Premiership and fifth Best LH Alter
the 1999 CFA International November 1999
Breeder: Tara Lanier
Owners: Tara Lanier & Deborah Williams
at
3
Winter 2000
The Scratch Sheet
Hcbroo)ct Quiz
collected,zedited,zwritten by Janet Marr
It is the intention of this article to present genetic
concepts in an easy to understand and practical
form. If you have any questions, answers, comments or ideas, please send them to me at furkats@ole-net
a.
If you breed a brown patched tabby to a brown classic
tabby male and they produced 2 brown classics, 1 blue
patched tabby girl, 1 red classic tabby boy and 1 cream
classic tabby boy and if the mother cat's sister who is a
brown classic tabby, was bred with a brown mctabby,
and produced solid blacks and brown tabby kittens, can
you say that the mother cat carries the dilute gene (true
or false) and her sister carries the solid gene (true or
false)? And if so, does that mean that because one sibling carries solid and dilute then the other must also (true
or false)? The Mother cat's parents were a brown patch
tabby w/white female & a Blue Mctabby male'
(Question Asked by: Jake & Corinna Miller
<j
Could carry the gene and still not produce solid kittens.
You can be 100% sure a cat carries arecessive if either it
produces a recessive kitten or one ofits parents expresses
the recessive. With repeated test breedings you can get
good odds it does not cal'ry a recessive, but it never
reaches 100% certainty. That's why some breeders use the
adage "a recessive is forever." You can never be sure it is
not there.
Answered by George Eigenhauser, Eigenkatz Maine Coons
& CFA SW Regional Director
: Booholthe
Geigehauser@ixpres-com, Source
a
Cat
Ifyou have a halfbrother and sister pair that
has the
same father and unrelated mothers, the mating of these
two individuals will be an out cross because the mothers give all the genetic information in a breeding (all
traits are sex linked). True or False
Answer: False (An established breeder stated this in order
to sell a halfbrother and sister pair for breeding.) Source:
Book olthe CaJ
a.
"The Y chrornosolne has few genes on it other than
those involved in sex determination, but the X carries
genes for many other traits as
referred to as sex-linked.
cmaine@wbellnet.on ncats@oleli st-com list>
True/False, True/False, True/False
Page 4
.
.
well. Such
traits are
" True or False
Answer: True (Source: The ComellBook of Cats)
Answer: True, True and False. You already knew before the
breeding that the mother cat and her sister each carry the di-
a. lf you breed a red tabby male to a brown tabby female
lute gene. You now know that the sister who produced a
solid carries that gene and the dilute gene. You also know
the sire you used with your girl carries dilute himself.
Whether your girl carries solid is unknown, but possible.
Answer: True (Source: Rook of the Cat)
you will not get any red tabby males. True or False
a.
You already knew your girl's sire carries dilute (because he's
So both girls rnust have inherited the dilute gene from
him. There is no other choice. To express it he must carry
two copies of the gene, so he must pass it to his offspring.
blue).
Since neither girl is dilute herself, they could not have inherited a second copy of the dilute gene from their dam. If they
had two copies of the gene they would be dilute, but they are
not. So both of the girls got the dilute gene from the sire and
not the dam.
least one of their parents carried solid. It is even possible
that both parents canied it (that may be proven by more test
breedings, such as ifa repeat ofthe breeding between the parents produces a solid.)
At
That your girl did not produce solid could mean:
A. The father of her litter does not carry the gene,
B. She may not carry the gene, or
C. They both carry the gene but luck of the draw.
With a
I
in 4 chance of a solid between two carriers, both
The best known mating systems are inbreeding and
outbreeding or hybridizing. True or False
Answer: True (Source
tion)
a.
: lntroduction
tolivestockProduc-
Heterosis is breeding strength gained by crossbreeding. True or False
Answer: True (Source: The{ornellBook ofCats)
a.
a Mackerel tabby pattem that produced a Classic tabby pattern in one of their kittens is
considered to be homozygous for pattem. True or
A breeding cat with
False
Answer: False (The breeding cat would be heterozygous
for pattern: Source Book of the Cat)
References available upon request
Page
Winter 2000
Scratch Sheet
rv
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T
e
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C
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SGC Willowplace Nautilus of Moulincrecy
TICA Best International Maine Coon Cat
7th Best International Cat of All Breed
Silver classic with white male
Breeder: Barbara Ray
Orvners: Jacques
& Evelyne Berneur
e
f
v
Masaitana Puma of Hispanocoon. MCO Male, black tabby blotched,
adult. The number one cat in Spain's FIFe for 1991 and 1998
Breeder: Marianne Simon
Owner: Hannalore SPahn
SP Wrevenik Pinball Wizard
Brown McTabby alter
lOth Best Neuter in South Africa Cat Club (all
breeds) for 1999
Breeder: Vikki Spacey
Owners: Kim and Dave Hawkins
Masaitana Milva of Hispanocoon
MCO female, black tabby blotched,
6-10 months. The Number two ranking cat in Spain's FIFe for 1998
Breeder:Marianne Simon
Owner: Hannalore Spahn
5
The Scratch Sheet
M|(ffiljYYlWlg#
5^.'
Winter 2000
Page 6
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iqdijt R-xm{:r sl{d},t{/cA {iu
"BY
S {}F(;AI,
Available in mesh onfy.gt *itn
fiastic front * Cat can be seen clearly but NoT touched
Can also be used for breeding and "feut
birthing * Non-toxic material with solid a-lurninum shape hoops
No one else uses the cage but you cat * Very lightweight and porlable * Easy
to set up
..IT'S
AN OPEN AND SHUT CASE"
Holyfold Enterprises Ph#770-346-g4g6
Stephanie Smith
Child of Fortune
Keegan, a red tabby boy, is another
Hevensgift rescue kitten
Makanacoon's Foxfire Ali'I at Roanoke. VA
Undercover Cat
"Yes: those are all my
ribbons..."
"And, yes, you may interview me now..."
FA]V{NLY ALBUN4
We blew his cover, as it were:
This is the guy behind the CIA*
files on Page l0:
GC Pawtalk's Aroostook
of Acadiacoons
il
"Crash? What
crash? I bin here
alla time..."
Walter, the Masked Marauoer
of Panther Hill
The Scr"alch Sheet
Wi
nter
Page
2000
T}IIIE WON]D]ER OF
FRON4 THIE E]DNTOR'S ]DESK
General Information
7
; There are several MCBFA
lpublications available to help
lyoo pto-ote our wonderfi.rl
lbreed as well as our Associa-
Some are free, others
a
lhave nominal charge. Please
lavail yourself of these re-
Ition.
I
so.t...t.
these from:
Deborah
Hall
I
lo.d",
Karol S\7
lAlbuquerque, NM 87121
lPhotte' 505-873-2704
14405
I
I
t-MCBFA
I
Information Booklets
ofdrae booldes to arryinquira
about a kfttsr,
loneu.{ro
or bu),s a kimr fiom you
MCBF,\
I
I
Gir,e one
Thryprovi&
great publicity and
(occept for posage)
FREE!
dre;.re
I
I
I
s*a +:.oo (wi$in fie us)
or $6.00
I (oletseas) for eadr bundle of 25
lU*la*. PqabletoMCBEA All
+d)zmqrts must be in US finds.
7
[T
AN-]-.",
When I was a kid growing up in a small West Tennessee country town, farmers and sharecroppers hitched their cotton wagons up every Saturday for a trip to town. They bought supplies, had new shoes put on their mules and learned what was going on in a wider world. They
had no cars, no radios, no electricity and no phones. lf you were lucky enough to live in town
and had all these marvels, you called the operator to make a call-and phone numbers were
rarely more than two digits.
I worked as a 'printer's devil,' for the county newspaper, running errands, delivering handbills
and manipulating the newspaper's page cutting machine. All type was made on a monster machine called a 'Linotype' and I always marveled at my boss/edito/s ability to read upside down
and backwards as he set the type in big trays, preparing it for the press. Nobody had a better or
more interesting childhood than l.
Fast forward to 1965. My husband was an Air Force pilot in Viet Nam, not flying his beloved
fighters but an aircraft as old as he was: the DC-3. lt was a waiting time for me and my children.
And not an easy waiting time. That's when my old boss/editor called me and asked if l'd write a
weekly column for him. I grabbed at it for a lifeline, something to keep my mind occupied and off
a war that wasn't a war.
"What do you want me to write about?" I asked.
"Whatever you wanf to write about," he replied.
So I named my column 'Motherhood and Apple Pie' and kept at it for '16 years, picking up
other small weeklies in time and doing freelance magazine work as well. (The only fly in the
ointment being that, try as I might, I could not type: l'd get all the letters in the word, but rarely in
order. My hands and my brain are just not in sync). But I persevered because it kept me sane.
My husband had come back from Viet Narn--but not as the same man. Eventually he would
mix valium with his vodka and it would kill him. I didn't write a word after that for ten years.
But at the end of that ten years, two more wondrous things happened. I remarried and a
deep mahogany mackerel tabby named Deuteronomy came into our lives. My husband says he
isn't quite sure which event was the more influential in turning my life around, but turn it did.
At this moment in time, we have 15 of the woolly rascals, a new litter of six and we're cardcarryin' members of the Maine Coon Cat Fancy. Now l've taken on the editor's job for The
Scratch Sheef and to tell the truth, l'm enjoying myself immensely. No linotypes, no presses, no
paper cutters-or a hated typewriter. Dunceworth, my contrary computer, does it all. One editorial assistant keeps my CPU warm, another keeps close watch on the printer while a third
makes sure my papers are properly scattered and a fourth does the same for my pens and pencils. None of these furry persons can correct my typos, but no matter.
Forthat I havea mouse. Amouse??l
Ah, the wonder of it all: Welcome to the 21st centuryl
Hevengift Rescue
Moving?
Send us
your new address on
the RENEIW'AB LE/AD D RESS
CHANGE form inside the back
cover. You don't want to miss a
single issue!
Letters To The Editor
The Scratch Sheet will publish
letters and articles at the discretion ofthe Editor (no letters defamatory to particular persons or
catteries will be published), but
right to edit letters
and articles in the name of clarity
reserves the
and space. lrtters must be
igned in order to be published
,although narnes can be withheld
lfrom the printed article or letter.
I
Most everyone in the Maine
Coon Fancy is aware that a lady
named Marge Beebe (Hevengift
Cattery) recently died in New
York, leaving some 80 cats orphaned and homeless. This is
the start of a diary about one of
those that was rescued by Sheila
Foster. Ed.
Hunter has passed his 3-way
test.
Fleas are minimal. He was not at
all bitten up and flea infested.
There was some flea dirt near
the base of his tail, but it was not
dropping off his coat as it will in
heavily infested cats. His coat is
actually quite good; no mats or
tangles and it appears he will be
a fluffy boy. He was given a flea
bath immediately and handled
himself well. I received one
small scratch.
A stool sample was tested this
morning and no worms of any
kind were found. I really expected roundworms and tapeworms, but all was clear
Hunter is using his litter box. lf
he is out of his cage, he will
return and use the litter box.
He has not sprayed.
He is extremely hungry. His
weight on Wednesday was 3.9
lb. And his age is estimated to
be 4-6 months. He does not
understand what dry food is,
but dry food is available to him
at all t times. He is eating a
large tablespoon of Hills Feline
Growth about every two
hours. I think he would eat
until he burst so it is better
for him to eat small
amounts several times a
day.
His urine output and stools
are normal.
He is being treated for a
URl. His eyes and nose
are clear, but he does
sneeze. He has no fever
and there is no flying goop
when he sneezes. He is
quite co-operative about
being given pills.
The first night with us was
hell. He screamed all night.
Last night after lights out,
he settled down quickly
And is beginning to accept
Continued on page 8...
\Winter 2000
The Scratch Sheet
Page 8
t!!
l!!!t!!
Itr!!!!fLl
!
ongratulates F urkats
0n their contribution to another CFA National Winning
Polyl nk
C
:
L
l
!
:::::::::::::::
:::::"w:
:
I
:t::::::::::::::::: :: :
L
i
l
L
!
!
!
!l
f
!
fl
!
!
l
Furkats Outcrossing NationalWinning Lines to Polydactyl /Foundation Lines
CFA Cattery of Excellence, MCBFA Breeder Member
Near Cincinnati, Ohio phone: 606-282-819
Http://fpw. isoc. net/polyi
n
k/fk/
http://fpw. isoc. neUpolyi
n
!
L]
!
k/
I
!!!!!tttatL!r:
Continued from page 7...
Hunter's Rescue Diary...
the fact that he is going to be confined.
Hunter is outgoing and affectionate. He
follows me closely when I am with him;
lots of bumps and purrs. He shows no
sign of fear. Does not hide and loves to
be in someone's lap. Loud noises do not
upset him. He is beginning to play and is
quite interested in the ring with the ball
inside (never can remember its name!) My
shoelaces are also a favorite. He loves
exploring.
My children spent some time with him last
night and he seemed glad to see more
people, again showing no fear. He does
need to learn not to dig his claws into people and he will climb your legs. I don't
think this is uncommon behavior for a kitten. I have brought a scratching post for
him and have begun introducing it to hlm.
The word "no" is unknown to him. Hunter
seems quite intelligent and is eager to
please. Today I will be spending more
time with him, one on one.
I
:L-!
:: !!l!l!tl.aL
What he will be like when he is able to
join the family, I don't know. I don't
know what genetic health problems we
may face. He is a young cat and I think
he will be able to fit into a family.
Should he become hostile and aggressive and/or develop a serious genetic
illness we would have to make a difficult
decision. Not all cats become good citizens, but Hunter shows great potential
and he'll be given every chance. Most
of all Hunter needs to be watched medically, given lots of love and good food.
My biggest concern with Hunter right
now is how much his lack of nutrition
will impact his health. Our vet says he
will make progress, but it will be some
time before we know how much it will
imoact his bones and overall health.
The situation with the Hevengift cats is
aMul. Without a doubt there will be
some who cannot be saved. But rumor
and opinion are not helping the cats
who might be rehabilitated. Taking in
one of these cats requires extra effort
but it's not an impossible situation.
Sheif a Foster b be continued...
abcats@nycap@nycap. rr.com
Hevengift's Hunter
P.S: Betsey Piper and'$7endy
McGbnn were both involved in the
Flevengift Cats rescue effon and certainly deserve much credit. This tragedy has pointed up the need for more
of us to be involved with Maine Coon
rescue. We hooe to have an article on
the LMCRL and efforu to broaden
its base in tlre next issue of Tlx Scratdt
Jb@L I:d
Winter 2000
The Scratch Sheet
IFRON4
I|HE RNNBOW BRMG]E.."""
Page 9
A LOV]E SIIORY
GC/NW Terrificats P.C. Gambit was the second NationalWinning Maine Coon in
championship in CFA. In the 1987-88 show season, he attained the rank of 14th
Best Cat and Best of Breed nationally and 2nd Best Cat in the Gulf Shore Region in
CFA. He was a brown classic tabby with white male...'high'white to the East Coasters! With an inverted v blaze that was perfectly symmetrical. At his peak, while being shown, he weighed about 1B pounds. In his retirement he once weighed 22
pounds for a couple of years. Gambit was the result of an accidental breeding between a young male cat I was babysitting (didn't think he knew what females were
for): GC Unicoon's Pine Cone, and Pine Cone's 9 year old grandmother, GC/GP/RW
Jaidee's Panda of Terrificats, DM. Panda had delivered a small litter by c-section
within the last 4 months and was about to be spayed when Pine Cone bred her. lt
was considered too risky to spay her at that time due to her age, so the pregnancy
continued. There were two kittens, a male (Gambit) and a female, GP Terrificats P.
L. Tango. P.C. Gambit stands for "Pine Cone's Gambit"..a gambit being an opening
move in chess in which something is sacrificed...it was Pine Cone's first litter and we
"sacrificed* Panda's grand championship for a few more months. P.L. Tango stands
for "Panda's Last Tango" as it was definitely her last litter! Gambit was a rather extreme, gawky kitten. I only had hopes of granding him in order to make his mother a
distinguished merit dam. I almost sold him to Carla Blair (Carlacats) to show in premiershiol
Gambit did fairly well in the show ring as a kitten but
was born at the wrong time of year for a regional kitten
win. He went along as I campaigned GC/RW Terrificats
Joint Venture to his regional win and rank of National
Second Best of Breed for 2986-87. Gambit was bigger
than the cats I had been showing: JV and Tom Terrificat. He was easy to show and bathe, but pretty heavy.
He had some favorite judges who loved him dearly and
nearly always gave him BEST CAT. They were Jimmy
Thompson (who said "Karen, get out the check book
and run," when Gambit granded in Wichita, KS in July
1987 with over 400 points), Donna Jean Thompson
(who helped sneak him out of a tiny air port in Sioux
City, lA),Georgette Warwyzn Melotik and Leta Williams.
Leta would carry him around the ring upside down in
her arms. Gene Darrah was also one of his fans.
Gambit was awarded BEST CAT 33 times in about 130
rings during his nationalwinning season. Showing
Gambit to his nationalwin was a very thrilling experience. There were those who said it couldn't be done.
But he did it. He was showy, easy to handle and loved
being in the ring. Gambit made lots of friends for our
breed. Before Gambit, there were judges who never let
a Maine Coon's feet touch the table. They'd just whip
them out of the cage, graze the table and throw them
back in the cage. Gambit wouldn't stand for thatl He
was a happy camper that demanded to be petted on the
table and shown off. His jaw could have been squarer
and his chin a bit stronger but he had a great profile and
big, beautiful expressive eyes. He was always balanced and kept his show condition easily. He ate like a
horse without coaxing. His body was rock hard; his
chest broad; his flanks filled out. He was as wide at the
hips as he was at the shoulders. His nature was gentle
and loving, especially to the women judges
Gambit was also a good traveler and didn't object to
flying weekend after weekend. He never made a sound
on the plane. Once I was on Delta (which didn't allow cats in
the cabin at the time) so he was in baggage. He was not taken
off the plane by the baggage handlers when we returned to
Houston. The plane and Gambit continued on to Las Vegas!
Needless to say, I was hysterical. However, Delta Airlines flew
him home the next day and delivered him to me at work by taxi.
Gambit was the sire of the first Maine Coon show
grand: GC/GP/RW Magicoon's Batmaine. Gambit himself
had been to one other show and gotten 198 grand points
before earning over 200 points in Wichita. Gambit was
the grandson of the first Maine Coon male distinguished
merit sire, GC/RW Lovabacon's Tom Terrificat, DM,
(National Best of Breed in 1985-86). Gambit was the sire
of GC/NW Groovycats Alexander the Great and grandsire
of GC/NW Bangor's Eskimo Pie. He has at least 3 daughters who are distinguished merit dams: GC/RW Terrificats La
Joya Negra, Groovycats Ticket to Ride and GC Lagunacoon On
the Button of Bangor. (Eskimo Pie's mother). I need a printout
from CFA to count his Grand offspring; I am sure there are
close to 30, many of whom are regional winners. He produced
several remarkable offspring, both grand champions, grand premiers and regional winners for Groovycats, Purrtigers, Magicoons, Buctales, Lagunacoons and others.
I have lots of great memories from showhalls across the US
with Gambit. And lots of close memories with him at home. He
was a wonderful stud male who would woo his girls with his
cute little "meerrraaanch." He didn't like the nails clipped on his
left rear foot-something that bothers many of his male offspring, too. Must be some kind of nerve sensitivity. This photo
of him at 9 was taken by one of his greatest fans, Cathy Conley
of Lovepurries in Garland, Texas.
I really can't believe he's gone. He was the last kitten born for
my first Maine Coon, Panda. Her first born, GP/RW Lovabacon's Miguel of Kreidcats lived to be almost 18. I had hoped to
have 5 more years with Gambit.
Purr on and sniff the Flowers at the Rainbow Bridge,
Gamby. Your kittens will try to fill your footsteps.
KAREI{ CROOK]E TERRNFNCA:|S HOUSTON,TX
:
The Scratch Sheet
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Winter 2000
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THE MAJOR CAT,REGISTRIES: The two *aj:lTegis-tri", ,ron,u.,.O lCFA and TICA) do not give out breeder referrals unless
thebreederhaspaidtobeonthe"referral list",'CFA-will sendyoualreereferral listofMaineCJonbreeders. TICA'sYearbook
has a referral listing -- or you can call rhe maiiir.p,ffi;e ior the in
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MACAZINE.ADVELTI_SEM.ENTS: Popular cat magazines thrive or breeder adverlisernents. Breed magazines, such as the
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Advertising
Scratch Sheet
ITRES,IDENT
Mary Armentrout
RR 1 Box 3076
Camden, Maine 04843
207-236-CATS
Fax: 207-236-2594
Marya@midcoast.com
Only full Breeder Members
may advertise cats or kittens
for sale, stud service, catteries,
or any other service related to
animals,
Any member may submit listings and photos for the Grand
or \Tinners Gallery.
No one may run more than
one ad per issue (excluding
"Cat Link," "Grand Gallery,"
"Lonesome Toms" and
"Ior"ly Hearts" listings and
merchandise ads.)
Payments must be received
with
ads.
Ads may be sent camera-ready or
we will set yorrr ad for you.
Please send your ads and payments to t}le Editor: all checls
made payable to MCBFA.
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time $35lyr.
time $65lyr.
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pg. $20.00/one
ll4
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Full
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Please NO laser color copies; they
do not reproduce well. Photos will
be returned if accompanied by selfaddressed stamped envelope.
Scratch Sheet Submissions
Anyone may submir anicles, pioures,
and stories to the Scratch Sheet; however only a Breeder, Provisional or
Fancier member may submit $Tinners
Gallery information
Reprint Permission
C"pyrght 1998 by MCBFA. No part of
the Snatch Sheet may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or otherwise copied with the writ-
N4Cts]FA O]F]FNC]ERS
PROV.BR.EEDER SEC'Y
Joan Gaudet
Rt 1 Box 61BM
Marrero, LA70072
504-689-4535
Lafittcat@aol.com
V]CI_PR[51DINT
vacant
FANCIER M[I\4tsER SEC'Y
Liz Flynn
208 Kings Chapel Road
Augusta, cA 30907
TRIASURER
706-860-'1521
Karen Mclnchak
27590 Via Sereno
Carmel, CA 93923
Tankopje@aol.com
408-622-0819
Fax: 408-622-0814
Wendy McGlynn
39 Broadway St
Pembroke, NH 03275
603-485-5074
MCWISKERS@prodigy. net
NORTHENST DTRECTOR
F,ECORDING sICF.I rI-ARY
Sandy Stirling
36762 Charles Towne Pike
Purcellville, V A 201 32-27 43
540-668-6836
Fax: 540-608-61 44
Cooneyisle@aol.com
COF,RESPONDINC S[CR.
Taelcat00l @erols.com
Deborah Hall
SOI]THIASII DTRECTOR
Rebekah Cumbie
1000 Tammy Anne Dr
Birmingham, AL 35235
205-853-7905
Acrith@world net. att. net
Nmcooney@flash.net
11
SOUTH CENTB.A]- D]R,
Karen Crooke
PO Box 35407
Houston, fX77235-5407
Gambitsmom@aol.com
WTSTTR.N DlRilCTOR
Helen Johns
PO Box '1983
Julian, CA 92036-1983
31 0-548-6896
Fax: 760-765-3968
Pedropurrs@earthlink. net
OVERSEAS D]RECTOR
Misha Peersman
Spoorwegstraat 42
8-2600 Berchem, Belgium
32-3-230-9373
Dorsai@pop3.203. glo.be
M]D'ATLANTIC DIR,
JoAnn Genovese
541 First Ave #4
Linthicum, MD 21090
41 0-850-0574
4405 Karrol SW
Albuquerque NM 87121
508-873-2704
tsRIEDIR MTMBER sEC'Y
MJDWTST DiRICTOR
Edith Dunford
9 Cliff Street
Stonington, CT 06378
860-535-291 7
Coonstone@aol. com
Page
Susan Lee
4795 Arapaho Trail
Okemos, Ml 48864-0043
517-332-2184
Coo ns cross@ a o l. com
AIPOINTID
OFF]CERs
ARCHIVIST
Catherine Glynn
424 Shelbyville Road
Knoxville, TN 37922
423-769-0322
EDITOR, SCRATCH
S]_JEET
Kit Mounger
485 Cottontail Lane
Afton, TN 37616
423-639-1 585
Mou nta inma ines@aol. com
Has anyone seen the lrish Bog Cat
lately?
MEMBERSHIP DUIS & POSTAI RATES
Fancier Membership: ( payable in US funds only)
us: $20.00/one year, $35.00/2 years, $50.00/3 years (this incrudes first class postage)
Canada: $15.00 + $6.00 postage per year (total; $21-00)
All other countries: $3 1.00 per year: International Money orders only. No Bank
checks
Please send membership fees and addresses to the Fancier membership
secretary: DO NOT
SEND TO THE TREASURER OR EDITOR.
Always use a cunent application/renewal form from the masazine.
Provisional Breeder membership:
First; write to the Provisional Breeder Secretary for information and application
o
o
packet. Do not send money at this time.
Second: Follow instructions in the application packet. Then send dues ($3g/first
year;
$25 subsequent years.) and address changes to the Provisional Breeder Secretary, address above.
Breeder Members: $25.00 per year to Breeder v".b..rhip se.rcrury A
copy of a
cuffent litter registration must be included to enable you to stay on the Active
Breeder
list.
Four little Dutch girls belonging to
Tonja de Waard
the inremet
-from
$20.00 charge on all retumed checks!
.i
I
The Scratch Sheet
Fandier DUes
Jan uary'Februar14,
Allaire, R/M Maurice
Alklison, Jan
Anderson, Joan
Bennett, MiM Harry
Besch, Robert
Brady, Jane
Burgo, Eloise
Burton, Ron
Clardy,Jill/David
Crain, Helen
Czyz, Penny
Delony, Sherry
Fenwick, SAr'/
Haines, Eleanor
Hawkins, Charles
KR
Ann
Hilburn, M/M
Huff, Mary
Charleen
Karkut, Kristin
Kwiatowski,
Sara
Provo-Kangas, Robin
Rogers, Lisa
Lichtenstein, Henry Rush, Robert
Sharistanian, Janel
Mccauley, Mary
Silber, Linda
McKean. Susan
Simmer, Peggy/Edward
McNeil, Lisa
Martin, Mary/Lyn Stewart, Diane
Stilner, Gloria/Roy
Merz, Noreen
Morgan, Melissa Svetich, B/L
Murphy, Rhonda/ Thompson, Jacque
Tirabasso. Mia
Michael
Nowakowski, Sue Todd, Molly
Magnus, Joan/Orin
Meehan/ KathY/P
Milling, Howard
Mitchell, Karen
Faustman, Dr.
Filomena,
Forney,
Goss-Baker,
Graham, C/
B
Joann
Jennifer
April
M
Vargas, Amy
Walton, Julie
Ward, Mary Pat
Watts, Kay
Brunet, Jean-Pierre
Gass, Kenneth
Jouhtinen, Ritva
Oliver,Nikola
Palmen, Maarit
Saris-van Dijk, G M
Nov. 13-14, 1999
Andover, MA.
At left: Debbie May
with Maycoons
Brassua, brown tabby
female who got her
winners ribbons
t0nt
Kerr, Jessica
Anne
Sandra
Gray
Drennon,Linda
Ehrler, Mrs. Paul
William
snowiimer rrninuleman Feline rancieii
p.h 2000
Oexman, Carla
Ortiz, M/M Carlos
Cagle,CathyiBenny Lawlor,Claudia
Dailey,
Dheilly,
Dixon, Annie
Jt71s
Jordan,Eve/Ralph Pesce,Elizabeth
Fan ier Dues lPiil-MaY';Ju6a
Hagen, Tonya
Alpert, Gary
Johnson, Shari/C
Barton, Carole
Keleher, M/D
Bernhard, Arlene
Brundage,
Page 12
Winter 2000
Summers, K/R
Tackett, Ruth Ellen
Thompson, Jean S
Threet, Karma
Weidner, Katherine
Wilson, John
Woldt, Wendy
Wright,Patricia
Zavecz, Kathleen
Nachmias-Kedesdy
Nissen-Foley, K.
Osgood, Darlene
Riley, Ann
Corbin, Barbara
Green,Diane
Hill, Victoria
CONGRATULATIONS
TO THE FOLLOWING
FOR THEIR lOTH YR.
FREE!
Adams, Linda
Allen, Paula/Jeff
Battifarano, Mrs. R
Jameson, B/J
Pretzer, E/A
Philipsen, Birgitte
At right:
Molly Maynard with
Punmayne's Bethany,
seven month old female brown Classic
with white kitten
Sailors, Carol
lr*.r
**re
#* * At Left:
Paul Shuba with
Shubacoon's Jonesy, 6month-old male brown
mactabby kitten
Membership Application
(or Change of Address Form)
New Fancier membership,
Renewal, Address Change
Liz Flynn
208 Kings Chapel Rd.
Augusta, Ga30907-3730
706-860-1521
Tankopje@ aol.com
Breeder Member Address Provisional Breeder
Member & Address
Change:
Change & membership
Information:
Edith Dunford
9
Cliff Street
Joan Gaudet
Stonington, CT 06378
860-535-2917
RRl Box 618M
Marero, L1..70072
Coonstone@ao1.com
504-689-4535
Address
State--
City
Zip--
Phone
_Please send me information on how to become a Breeder
New Fancier member_
Fancier Renewal_
Change of
Address_
Member of MCBFA
have included the extra postage required to mail the Scratch
Sheet Io my overseas country
This is a new address. Please Change on MCBFA mailing list,
_l
Edith Dunford & Coonstone's Augusta, best
Longhair Champion
Cheryl Komino with Tabbyroad Martha My
Dear,2ndbest longhair Champion, both Br.
mactabbies (in Walter Hutzler's AB ring)
.i
}J