Chit Chat14 August, 2008 14:33

Nowadays, I had seen a local cat club struggling with both internal and external affairs. When it’s own committee member himself said that ,’Just look at the current club situation around you and you can see that many had their own agendas, not be able to see eye to eye, not wanting to help the club in anyway but only criticism & back stabbing…‘, I really felt amused with such sarcasm remarks being made because the next question I would throw it back at his face would be, ‘What had the club done for the members? What does a cat club member had benefited when he/she joined your self-proclaimed prestigious club?’ and don’t start preaching by saying what can you do for the club first. Without members, there will be no club!!

You see, anyone will have their own personal agenda(s) given any time (even yourself mind you!!) at any place or in this case, in any cat club and it is just a matter of how these personal agendas thingy coincide with the responsibilities for an example as a committee member of a cat club?

I for once knew a group of people who are office bearers of a local cat club had used the club for their own benefits by holding as many cat shows as possible so that their own cats will earn that extra points plus using all kinds of dirty tricks to ward off their foreign competitors. These unscrupulous and irresponsible people are so obsessed into winnings and titles (title freak maniacs?) for their cats that they had TOTALLY neglected their responsibilities and duties as office bearers of the cat club, just to name one of it.

Again, the very same people running cat shows like what…… a zillions times ranging from a 1-ring to an 8-ring shows but still the way they had done it in EVERY show is like they were just born yesterday! When people started to question their credibilities and professionalism, a representative (or two) from the club will start lashing them giving all sorts of grandmamma or papa excuses.

(Funny that most of the times, the President’s tongue was conviniently caught by a Persian cat.)

Do you think if they had done a proper preparation and post mortem (or even they had the intention to perform a post mortem) of every activity or show they had done, will they will keep screwing up their own arses?

So, please don’t be like below…
pot and kettle

Guard your own matters before start minding about others!!

What makes it more interesting to see them calling themselves as homo-sapiens being born with (high?) intelligence better than an ape but actions shown were worst than the intelligence of a pig!
ape and pig

Again, a very good example would be the way of the very same people I once knew handling criticisms. It is just so amused to me (witnessed by a majority of the public) to see how these goons reacted so negatively when someone criticized about their behaviors, their remarks they had put in public forums, the way how unprofessionally a show is being handled etc (which is true anyway). Instead of accepting these criticisms as good faith and chance of improvements, these bunch of people blare it out in the public forums and slap these criticizers a lesson (or two). Worst still when a self-proclaimed Honorary thinks that with a little knowledge that he had, acted as if he is the so called experienced and of course not forgetting asking god for forgiveness when he had finished criticizing others.

(Nowadays the word Honorary had been removed from his title???)

So, you see… before start pointing finger towards other people, bare in mind that 3 of your own fingers are pointing back to yourself.
point finger the la mafoolat

Look at your own cause(s) first and justified them before expediting others. In short, if you had done it professionally at the very beginning, you would not have landed in so much shit!!

Chit Chat8 August, 2008 08:08

Episode 1: The Beginning
It had been few years I had been involving myself in the cat fancy and perhaps I would like to share some of the stories about the cat fancy. I will pick the time when I was a Secretary of a club because that is when I have the oppurtunity to learn about human characteristics and also to see how someone is so into winning that can change one self. I will keep this post running and will update as soon as I have the time since it is going to be a long one.

I had joined with some close friends to plan to open up a new club but that idea was halted when a senior member of an existing club came to us and convince us to take over the existing club since the club is an established and proven club. It would be sad to see the club died should we proceed to open a new club. At that time, only me and another fellow member were not in favor of the idea knowing the fact the amount of backlog work need to be cleared. Honestly, I thought I was with the right crowd of people and I thought what the heck and agreed with them finally. So, we started planning our strategies for the upcoming AGM.

We managed to take over the club without any opposition (so to speak) and I was chosen as the new Secretary. Anyway, there is no contender for my post (and so are the other posts!) In short, it is just a walk over kind of election and my life as the Secretary had not been fun nor easy either; just imagine the incomplete documentations such as minutes, official letters, expenditures that does not make sense or any sort of supporting documents etc which there is no starting point to start with. And to make things more interesting, tasks and orders were given out not by the President or Vice President but just an ordinary committee member!! He kept on reminding that a Secretary like me is the most powerful person in a club (which I begged the differ of course!).

On one EXCO meeting, I had tabled out on the roles and responsibilities of each office bearers to make certain that all of us understand our roles and but a committee memberall this is already stated in the club constitution. I was like Hello!!! The VP only starts to do his role in the absence of a President. As long as the President is there, what is the function of a VP then? And does a Treasurer collects money only and updating accounts?

Besides having to endure that the EXCO meeting started late, occasionally an hour or so as depicted time, either the grand President arriving fashionably late or someone need to close the shop or another one need to help a cat to deliver some babies; one MUST important agenda of the meeting is the discussion on how to expel the 2 specific members from the club. I started to feel bored and tired of going the issue over and over again in every meeting and also my suspicious started to arouse on why the they were so determined to have these 2 members being expelled.

Episode 2: The Banquet
Let’s forget about the 2 lucky members whom had been tried very hard to get expelled but to date were still with the club and let’s talk about my very first show…

Not bad actually! As my memory serves me well, I had the least important role for this first round. My tasks were only setting up the hall in preparation of welcoming 120 guests or so, arranging close to 150 tables and chairs, supervising some donkey numbers of contractors, draw out a baboon layout plan….. that’s about it and you were right, I am just being sarcastic on this! But I must sympathized to the royal highness of our beloved President for enduring such painful task by taking the judges to wine and dine few consecutive days before the show. Imagine those calories they have to endure and you were right again, I am just being nice on this!!

Where are the rest of the people? Well, the Treasurer need to make sure his streak winning cats will give him that streak winnings he always wanted and therefore he need to perform the streak winning special mantra grooming session with his cats. The VP was unreachable at that point of time which highly understandable since this is a voluntary work and he needs to take care of his rice bowl. The entry clerk had confidently screw up as an entry clerk and in the midst of rectification which was not one of his best talents anyway. OK lah since everyone would have their own problem right??

The show went quite well with just some missing curtains which led some cats and exhibitors had to absorb more Vitamin D than they should as per the daily recommended dosage by the FDA, patrons started to trip and balance themselves like they were performing a 10cm long jump no thanks to the worn torn dusty carpets (You should see when the hall is empty! You can see the whole world map on the floor!!!), lightings as bright as the power of 5 candlelight watts but thanks to the missing curtain which straight away charge up to 1000 candlelight watts and safe the day!

Alright, that is about the show and let’s talks about the banquet. Oh my god!! I had never seen the most terribly run banquet with totally NO MONEY given to the committee who run it but still able to make everyone who walks in like going for an Oscar (Pleaseeee excuse the Treasurer’s dressing since it had been so way out of his time to walk into an Oscar - which he didn’t has the chance anyway!). At the end of the banquet, from ZERO financially had gained THOUSANDS. Sorry for being, again, sarcastic at the opening of this paragraph.

‘But hey wait a minute, did I attend the banquet. No I did not!!’

‘But how do I know what’s happening?’

Hello! If I can put pieces of evidences together to get the whole picture and solve a crime in less than 1 hour (depending how long is the commercial breaks), do you think I can’t figure out things by seeing pictures taken during the banquet? Duh!!!!!!

So what did I learn from this show?

Hall rental - RM5000
Booth rental - RM3000
Wine and dine by the your highness - RM had never been disclosed
Working like an ass and got no appreciation at all - PRICELESS
Still owing money for the hotel - QUESTIONABLE because foreign exhibitors were barred ever since then
Got 20,000 and still claim not enough - DUMBASS
Got nothing but still make profit - THAT IS SMART!!

Episode 3: The Hoax
After the last show, I did not have time to rest because there is another show coming down the road and there is just no time to rest!!! Anyway, we do have a post mortem for our first show which takes place a few several weeks later. All of us came just for one thing, getting our money back!! Do you know we have to fork out our own pocket money amounting from hundreds to thousands depending who is that idiot? (OK! I am one of them!!!)

I guessed a cheque book will be a good main witness in this case of course, provided it was not conviniently lost or disappeared by the time of this episode had been released! There is so much thing that a cheque book can tell!!!

After we happily got our cheques, we were start talking about the cat fancy of other foreign lands and do you know what?

‘WHAT?????’

They do HAVE the intention to bar people from the foreign place-that-the-name-we-do-not-speak to show their cats here…

‘How are they going to do it?’

Simple! By holding frequent smaller shows (their master plan nicknamed, DUMBASS) which definitely deter these people from the foreign place-that-the-name-we-do-not-speak from coming in and their own cats; mainly their LHs and Semi LHs will grab all the points. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA…….. (lightning strikes 3 times…. at their arses!)

‘But how do they get the numbers to grab more points?

Simple! Firstly, by asking those who owned their cats to participate and also from other locals (In order words, ’shiokkk sendiri’ lah). Or else, how does the title freaking maniac would have his cat achieved DM title so fast? By manipulating the buyers of his cats, he only benefited solely to himself, both cash and title!

Let’s talk about the permits for foreign cats coming in and out from the country. Do you know how much exactly these permits cost? RM8 that spells EIGHT RINGGIT!!! And how much this idiots charging the foreigners from place-that-the-name-we-do-not-speak? Just add another ZERO at the back! Why there is a 90% hike up when we suppose to be encouraging cat showing for the betterment of the cat fancy (Eggs threw at my face!!!)

How much does a Health Cert cost then? Well, that depends but just a simple form and processing is only cost RM25. And how much the idiotas are charging? RM100!!

Anyway, whose brilliant idea is this? I give you a hint…. There were 2 people involved in this scam!


Still could not guess who? Oh man! How naive you could be!! Refer 6 paragraphs up and the answer is there!

And who told you guys that you MUST go through them in order to get the permits done?? And do you know that these people at the back saying ‘GOTCHA’ in every foreign entry they received!! Money (ka ching ka ching) coming in mah!!

So, what do we learn today?
1. If you had been a jackass once (or twice), don’t be a jackass anymore in the future when dealing with such people!!

2. Talk to the right people should you need further clarification and confirmation. Call up local authorities yourself would be the best advise or anyone that you can trust to help you get the necessary information.

3. Some scumbags still owned their mighty trusted runner on his running fee to do the permits and as of to date, they are now refugees running away from the runner!!!! Muahahahaha….

…. to be continued!!!

‘WAIT!!!!’

‘What??’

‘What is the result of the post mortem?’

‘There is none you idiot!!!!’ Name only call post-mortem but (shook my head and walk off…… screen faded to black)

Episode 4: The Awakening
Ever wonder how many people had been pissed as of this date? Ever wonder why people were pissed? Ever wonder why some people had no shame to admit their own mistakes but continually licking their own spits on the filthy floor in front of the public?

There is an incident whereby in the midst of finalizing the horrendous first show and looking for the last remaining judge in which 2 of the initially contracted judges were ditched for the reason of insufficient funds. One of the ditched judge was not happy about it and decided to report the committee to the international board for violating and dishonouring a contract which had been signed.

Then out from nowhere, a short huglie man came out with his Soh-Loh outfit sprang into action. Representing himself as the so called legal advisor and there, he swung his soh-loh twisted tongue with the judge and guessed what! The results that the entire nation where the judge came from was informed by the rudeness of Soh-Loh and the judge promised will not set her foot in shows organized by the his team! There goes the good image!!!

The irony is that, such rogue appearance was not discussed with the committee first and the committee believed that they had never appointed him as the legal advisor! The correspondence sent to the judge by Soh-Loh was also not made known to the Secretary at that time. So, a Secretary is not the most powerful person but a soh-loh .

Therefore, the correspondence by Soh-Loh with the judge was entirely on his rogue behaviour and was not made known or notified to the committee. In short, he had illegally represent himself???

The same thing happened again when for another show. Soh-Loh clad on his soh-loh outfit again had made a proposal by himself without the discussion with the entire committee and only show the committee the final draft by self electing himself as the Chairman . Man!! Do you know that some had felt to throw chairs on his huglie distorted Persian face which in hope can correct some of his deformations??

It is also got to some committee’s attention that Soh-Loh with the Treasurer had been having back closed door discussions on the future shows which solely may have benefited themselves especially appointment of judges, which cat to bring in to kick off their opponents’ cats etc.

Sigh!! Would you to work with such people?

You’re the judge…

Episode 5: The Unexpected

Last weekend, I received a message from the Secretary asking me to contact him since he had something to talk about. Being bound with the contract of my episodes, I brought to the attention of my directors and all of them with the same kepala (thought), they told me;

‘Quick! Quick! Call him. Let’s see what he wants and we may have an additional bonus episode for the viewers’

and I said, ‘Ok loh…..’

So, I managed to grab hold of the Secretary and I asked him what does he wants.

He told me that he understood that I had personally knew the committee way longer than he is and so, I knew a lot of things than he is (that is a bull cause he is damn know what is going on but chose to ignore!!).

So, I straight away asked him the identity of 5XH and tom_cattery and he quickly denied BUT he did said he ’suspected’ who is in HIS COMMITTEE behind these 2 nicknames.

For the viewers’ information, both 5XH and tom_cattery had went into a public forums and had said that I had no life lah (Oh please!!!), go back to the hole I came from (obviously I could not go back to my mom’s womb!!) and associating me with some nicknames. At the time of the allegations, I knew very well that 5XH and tom_cattery were from some dirty committee.

In fact, few months ago I received a threat SMS from an oversea number and claiming that I was using the nickname F14_tomcat and the message stated that if I (the so-called F14_tomcat) still continue to post in the public forum, I will be exposed! Dazed on what actually was meant by the SMS, I ignored it. Few weeks later, the VP and I went out over beer and dinner and I’d brought up the SMS joke and I laughed like a mad cow (and it is got nothing to do with the beer!!). The VP was not laughing at all and looked at me right in the eyes and said that the SMS was actually sent by xxxxx (one of his committee). I was dumb-founded and asked him why he need to do such coward act and what prove did he or the committee had that F14_tomcat was actually me? According to the VP is ‘the wayF14_tomcat wrote in the public forum which ‘sounded’ just like me. I told him that either they were born with a penis size brain or they had evolved to the extent that the brain had shifted to their arse which made them thinking based on baseless assumptions.

The VP said he knew about the wrong-doings of the his committee, decisions dictated and done by a committee member without the consent of the others, how some members collaborated secretly behind the committee’s back as well as the club’s financial account which was highly questionable since when I was the Secretary, I had never seen any sort of accounts prepared by the Treasurer. Even the shows’ accounts were not presented to the committee during meetings.

Unfortunately, the VP who knew the situation and he had chose to close an eye although he did threaten to resign his commission as the VP but I had heard of this over and over again and until today, he is still with the club. Anyway, I’ll bet my life savings that he will not resign from the committee since he had became a joint breeder with a member and resigning from the club would certainly has devastated consequences towards his breeding plan.

Honestly, the Secretary had used nicknames and bashed people in the public forum and that is why he thought that I will expose him.

I told him that his committee acted like a crazy hound and kept on hurling many false accusations towards other people. I still remembered that the last I spoken to the VP, he told me that the committee had intercepted an email whereby the content of the email stated that I had forwarded a members’ list to another third party. I had asked the VP for the copy of the email which he refused to send to me. I had also asked the VP who is the third party that I had been implicated with but the VP do not want to disclose the name. I told the VP if he wanted to believe whatever his committee is saying and do not trust me, I do not honour such friendship and I even threatened to make a report to the necessary authority about the accusation in which I will personally hand delivered the report to him, in which the VP said it is not necessary for me to do so!!!

Finally, I told the VP, if I had done such thing, please by all means ask his committee to sent me a show cause letter or even expel me from the club and I know what I need to do.

Up to date, I had not received any thing from the club. (COWARDS!!!!!!!!)

Lastly, I told the Secretary that I knew the certain individuals in his committee are shaken that the truth is slowly leaking out to public knowledge since people already start talking about them and to stop all this, is very simple;

5XH and tom_cattery need to go to the public forums and make a public apology!!.’

Before he hang up, he said he had no personal vendetta against me and I told him that only god knows that and I told him also that I do not trust him as well as everyone in his committee.

Episode 6: The Big Showdown (Part I)
(Everything is in pitch black and you hear my voice uttering this…..)

It was the biggest show that I had ever involved and seen which also the last that I will ever work with the arseholes. This show had actually reached my boiling point and there were so many things that had took for granted as well as some procedures where some maybe so condemned, it happened in this show!! A great eye opener actually.

(Coming out from the dark into the limelight now…..)

Let’s talk about preparation of the show (What preparation????). There was only 1 confirmed sponsor, which like 1/5 of the total estimation budget I would assume so where the hell is that going to be enough??? Anyway, for the attention of my faithful readers, this show had never ever EVER NEVER tabled and discussed about the budget.

In other words, it is like ‘OK lah let’s do a big show n heee haaaa here we come baby!!

But hold on to your horses or anything that you’re riding on. Rumours had it one of the committee member did came out with his own budget report of the show (nicely printed in color and binded some more!) which amounting up to whoopiiii ridiculous amount which will be shown to some agencies for sponsorship. I admit that I had no interest for any discussions or meetings since I already had lost interest seeing how it was not been managed properly. The thought of quitting did crossed my mind but I still continue helped out in this show, is solely for one reason….. FRIENDSHIP!

(You heard The Rembrandts singing, ‘So no one told you life was going to be this way….. (clapping hands 5 times). If you have no clue what this song is, you had no FRIENDS at all!!!!!)

Anyway, I’d mentioned in my previous episode that a committee member had self-elected himself as the so-called Chairman for the show WITHOUT the consent of the committee. I still remembered when I attended the club’s AGM, he said loudly that it is SO WRONG for the president acted on his own by running activities in the name of the club without the consent of his committee. Now ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I presented you the same person is doing the direct opposite of what he had preached (another spit licking session please!!). What a shock!!

What role did I play this time? I was the clerk for the show and I had done what I need to be done or suppose to be done. (Perhaps not to some people’s expectations who had busy backstabbing people from the back and do nothing!!) One of my task is to obtain medical records from foreign participants and there were a few that (after numerous counts of reminder via emails) had not submit the proper or complete documentations.

Is that going to be my problem?

Now, one of the committee member’s job is doing the application for necessary permits for the foreign exhibitors coming in and out of the country using these medical documentations. In other words, he is supposedly to check all documentations himself since it was his responsibility which he did not. So don’t blame me for not doing your job!! For your info, ladies and gentlemen, this fellow did not do the permits himself but appointed another third party to do it!!!! Neat huh!!!

When I was asked to go outstation (meaning travel out of state) due to an emergency, blames started hurled against me by the committee claiming that I ‘disappear’ just like that!! I did notified to everyone about this.

(Hello!!! My salary was not paid by the club ok!!! What did you guys do all this time? Wine and dine with the judges? When the VP went MIA for the first show, did you guys say anything besides yakking behind his back??)

The night before I left, I had to wait for the VP to arrive at my place in order for me to pass all documentations and he had the luxury of 5 days to check whether the they are in order or not. He was an hour plus late from the time we suppose to meet and when I handed all documentations with some briefings, my 5 hours journey drive at night starts!!

Knowing what’s at stake, I managed to convince my superior to allow me to come back a day before the big show (I supposed to stay until Friday! The same Friday of our big show). Upon arrival, I washed up and I went to the show hall in order to help setting up the show hall. I had even brought the VP our favourite drinks which is BEER!!!! Luckily, there were many volunteers came and help up million thanks to the Advisor (now became EX-Advisor!!) of the club. She had contacted some senior club members and they came with their family to help us!! She even prepared a very nice sumptous dinner to all volunteers that night. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Well, the President did came to the show hall that night and do you know what the President??

***********
***********
***********

2 bunches of bananas!!!

Photobucket Photobucket
If you can’t see the similarity between the 2 pictures; it means that the President came empty handed lah!!!

What pisses me off is that the President came to the show hall and started to change the layout of the benching!! (Sounds familiar???) The President had no sense of shame and guilt of not just knowing the fact no help was given during the set up, came to me and told me that the President wanted to be closer to the judging ring. I told the President that the benching allocations is already half way through and the President said that I can handle it since it is only minor adjustment need to be done.

(Hello!! Easy for the President to say. FYI, the President had personally done benching layout for a 2 ring show 2 years ago and it was a total mess!!!)

Tired, I said, ‘Whatever lah…’

Because of the changes, the volunteers had to work extra hours and this also pisses a lot of them. Most of us were already tired and with frustration baking inside most of us, the VP could not tolerate anymore. The victim of course is one of the committee member for not getting some judging numbers done. Both of them argued and shouted at each other. I tried to stop them and I said that everyone is tired and let’s not picking on small issues but the VP could not control himself. The committee member dropped everything in his hands and walk off leaving the show hall. He even shouted loudly that he will RESIGN after the show! (Can i have the bucket of spit over here again, please!) All of us went back subsequently after that and I told the VP that I will continue to do the new benching allocations and also print out the benching numbers (which he had not done!!!!)

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, cats and dogs, I did not have the opportunity to sleep that night!!

I went to the show hall about 6.30am and started putting up the benching numbers at respective cages and thank god, all numbers were up before the registration started.

What do I learn from this episode?

Monetary from A sponsor: RM47,000
Airfare for 8 judges: RM42k+
Show hall rental for 3 days: unknown
Other expenses: never been revealed
Prediction: FULL OF DEBTS!!!
Lesson learnt: PRICELESS!!!

Episode 7: The Big Showdown (Part II)
It may not be a perfect show but thank god there are no major hiccups. I guessed this is so much someone could offer to prevent a major disaster. Luckily, I only show 1 cat (initially was 3). I could not imagine if I’d showed 3 cats and behaved like the rest of the cat committee enjoying the show, sitting in front of the judging rings and watch how their cats being judged, I am very sure things would turn out to be very different. But what the heck, I told myself, as volunteer since this is going to be my last show might as well I kept myself useful and do my best to keep things running.

I was also handling the agility contest and most of my time, I had to be at the agility ring while the rest were enjoying the show. Even the agility barrier nettings were half done and I had to finish the remaining. Whatever labour work needs to be done, some committee members will ‘tai chi’ the responsibilities either to me and other volunteers. I had not seen these committee members do anything throughout the entire show. One being too busy watching his cats being judged, busy entertaining the foreign MCO breeder from the States whom had brought in a MCO for him just to name as an example.

Anyway, talking about this new MCO from the States… I may not be a breeder but the first time when I saw that cat, I was shocked. I turned to owner and asked him what happen to his nose? No, the cat was not injured but OMG! The MCO’s nose looks like being slammed on a 10 inch concrete wall at the speed of Mach 1 !!!! I mean the dip-ness (sorry I know it’s wrong spelling but just want to stress my level of shock) of the nose. I guessed the owner knew exactly what I am talking about and did not say a word. I think he would say 2 words…. ‘Zia Lat !!!’

Anyway, few weeks prior from the show, a statement (obviously written by some hot shot) was released to the public that the show committee will not process any permits for cats coming to the show which is not from their origin country or in other words, any exhibitors who wanted to buy a cat from a foreign breeder, that cat will not able to be granted quarantine exemption. So, question now is, why is that so?? Rumours had it that one of the committee did brought in a cat from overseas to the show. Why the double standard?

When volunteers were busy running around, I noticed that one of the committee member will always gliding (not walking!!) slowly around the show hall with his hands positioned behind the back (thinking he is some great politician or something… Oh pleaseeee!!) enjoying every moment of the show. What can I say??

During lunch, both the President had conveniently gone MIA and all judges were left seated in a room waiting for their lunch. No one had informed the volunteers anything about the judges’ meal. I took the initiative to call up the President and when she picked up the phone, I heard noisy background so I knew that the President is outside somewhere. I asked the President about the judges’ lunch and you know what the President says?

‘Just let them eat the lunch packs that were prepared for the exhibitors loh!!!’

I said, ‘WHAT??? See Pui Kia and who will entertain the judges then??’ and the President said that the volunteers will handle them!!

While the President went out and have their own cosy private lunch, the volunteers were ditched with the responsibility to take care the judges. Personally, I had no issue of serving the judges but proper coordination need to done in the first place. The judges were left sitting there and asking is their lunch being prepared? For your info, the lunch packs for the exhibitors consist only plain white rice and spicy chicken where most them could not take it!

SIGH!!!!!!!!!!!

Episode 8: The Big Showdown (Part III - Season Finale)
The next day after the show had finally over, I got a called from the President and asked me to meet up with the Treasurer to sign a cheque in order to pay off some bills. I asked her what is the total amount and also payable to who.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID????

‘Never mind, just go and sign the cheque only!’

I was like….. If the President was in front of me, I will slap the President’s face with a trout and knock some sense out of the head!!

First of all, I told the President that I need to drive 35-40 minutes all the way to meet with the Treasurer!!

Second of all, I said as a President, I was asked to sign a BLANK CHEQUE!!!

I just had it and gave my piece of my mind. I continued;

1. Ever since we had took over the club, all meetings were either held at the Treasurer’s place due to the reason that the Treasurer need to guard his almighty business or at the President’s place due to the reason that the President happened to be conveniently on stand by for that night. I said that I had been very accommodating with that since I lived the furthest of both location.
(Moral of the story: Never take advantage on people for your own convinience)

2. It is the responsibility of a President to make sure all funds were allocated and pay the necessary bills accordingly and timely
(Moral of the story: Be responsibile!!)

3. It is very irresponsible and unethical as a President to ask any authorized signatory to sign a blank cheque.
(Moral of the story: Be ethical!!)

In reply, the President asked me, ‘You don’t trust the Treasurer meh??’
(Moral of the story: Never deviate a subject!!!)

I was darn mad when the President said that and I asked this question,

‘Why do you asked me whether I trust the Treasurer but instead of you as the President?’
(Moral of the story: Stand firm what you think is right!!)

I continued, ‘Please do not involve my existing friendship that I had with the Treasurer and the club matters because it is 2 different things. When it comes to club matters, as Secretary, I have all the god damn right to ask and do it professionally and not because we were buddies, we neglect some procedures.

The President did not say a word.

I told the President that I will only meet the Treasurer after I knew the exact amount and who is the payable person to. Finally, the President let me know the amount and off I went to see the Treasurer.

When I was there, the President and a committee member were already present and I asked for the cheque book and write the cheque which is payable to whom and before I wrote the amount, I confirmed the total amount again. In which, the Treasurer said that the club’s account is insufficient to pay all that!!. I looked at the Treasurer and said,

‘WHAT??? How much money do we had left?’

I turned to the President and told her that I was asked to come ALL the way to sign a cheque to pay ALL the necessary bills which turn out that the club do not have ALL the funds it needs??

Finally, we agreed to withdraw everything out from the club’s account and I’d wrote what it is supposed to be paid for auditing purpose as per normal practise at the cheque stub. My action was immediately halted by the committee member. He said I need not write that down. I looked at him giving the stare which obviously penetrated his eye balls and skull and asked him why.

‘Isn’t that the fund is going to be used to pay some of our bills or unless it was meant for other things?’, I said

I continued to write at the stub and left immediately.

After a long thought, I tendered my resignation as Secretary. The President had contacted me to ask me to reconsider my decision (without asking me why I had resigned in the first place) and gave all sort of craps in order for me to change my mind. Not even a micro-second to think about it, I rejected the offer!!

There were 3 things that had came to my attention:

1. Foreign exhibitors had been offered free nights accommodation who bring in certain number of cats. Question is does the so called ‘attractive’ entry fee able to cover the hotel payments?

2. A judge and the MC had been asked to donate back their fees (the key phrase here is ‘asked to donate back their fees!!!), lower their airfare price and even miscellaneous charges that the club supposedly to pay! This is very humiliating and one of them said that if the club had not had the funds to run a big show, DON’T DO IT!!!

3. A company which was contracted in this show has family linkage with one of the committee member which was not disclosed to the committee. I think this is important to highlight it out to avoid any sort of conflict of interest.

To my faithful readers, I had resigned for the following reasons:

1. I have NO CONFIDENCE in the President’s leadership who was only there as a puppet, had show no signs leading the club and also allowing an ordinary committee member dictating the whole committee and taking actions on his own accord without the consent of the committee.

2. Matters that supposed to be discussed with the entire committee were not done and were kept closed doors between the 2 committee members only.

3. Some committee members had conveniently violated rules stated in the club’s constitution as well as business ethics

4. No proper post mortem was being done after EVERY show and show accounts had never been produced.

5. The objective of the club is only to have shows which benefit certain individuals in the committee

I had enough seeing these people. Tired of seeing all the manipulation and seeing innocents volunteers being used to benefit some individuals. What a good show some of these people had put on and honestly, I am thankful to able to see all this since I was given the chance and opportunity to know how self-centered, selfish, snobbish, ungrateful and manipulative a human being can be. I had learnt my lessons (very well!!). It is a shame that some prestige clubs with some more than 10 years in history had been brought down by unscrupulous people; smearing the clubs’ good name, pissing everyone off; both local and abroad and yet these people still think they are in the right.

I received quite a number of emails since Day 1 of my story and how many had agreed with me on some of the things I highligted and I thank you all for the supports and comments that were given. Anyway, although my story is coming to an end, I had more stories that I would like to share with my fellow readers. It is just that I could not believed that I had over 100 readers per day (just click on the World Map with red dots on the right column of my blog) and I had not even do any marketing promo!!

Before I pen off, I would like to dedicate a song in honour of my tribute to these unhealthy people. Listen to the lyrics carefully ya.

Hit it girl!!!!


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Chit Chat24 July, 2008 08:10

I had been extremely busy. This month had been destined as travelling month for me whereby I travelled almost every weekend!

Anyway, I just came back attending both the CFA Award Banquet and FFSS (Feline Fanciers Society of Singapore) show last weekend at Singapore lending my support on behalf of the Malaysian contingent (not club ok!!). It was certainly a magnificient show and I thanked the host and other fellow Malaysians that volunteered to put up such a flawless show. I will blog about them later.

What I would want to highlight today is that when I was at their show, the famous of all BYB (see here) surprisingly came for the show as well.

Sneaking at the back from me, he asked me what I had wrote in the internet? I gave him that ‘what-the-xxxx‘ look and said, ‘God gave you a pair of eyes and you don’t use them to read?‘, assuming that he was talking about an (or some articles) that I had wrote about some being unethical and unprofessional in breeding ethics. He asked me to step out of the show hall asking for a fight. Being a professional, I said there is a show going on in his country and asked him to save his 1 cent dignity as the countryman. I also told him to send my regards to his ‘play-mate‘, Rozita.

He left not long after that…. Ha!!!

P/s: In a not related issue, I wish Azhar and Rozita all the best in their forthcomings.

Chit Chat1 April, 2007 05:57

I got this ‘buzz’ from Katz Tales, a regular contributor of my blog and also to the Star paper on cats.

Katz Tales said: “Horatio, I’m having a problem accessing your comment box. As you can see, the top 3 didn’t show for days, then all appeared together. Sorry for the spam look and feel. Now, you’ve been tagged! Your turn to come up with 5 Reasons Why We Blog (you can blame at Sharlene and her Spice Cats who started this meme!)”

I had been busy, mostly due to work and in the cat fancy. (Yup! I am still active in the cat fancy world and there will be something to be announce later…)

Ok, back to the tag, ‘5 Reasons Why I Blog‘ huh…

1. Bringing the public’s attention especially Malaysians (and also other ASEAN countries) regarding cat shows held in Malaysia
2. A one stop information about cats; how to take care of them etc
3. To educate the public on how to select a Reputable Breeder against Backyard Breeder (more updates on this soon!)
4. Share my cats’ pictures to the world
5. Educating the public on protecting the welfare of cats and never treat them as a Thing or Comodity but treating them as how you wanted to be treated.

Chit Chat18 October, 2006 11:47

I had been actively involved in the cat fancy world for the past few years now; from volunteering in cat shows and cat exhibitions, becoming a steward and personal assistant to judges, giving advice to other cat owners and maintaining my cat blog.

I would like to talk about the atmosphere at cat shows here whereby the majority of exhibitors who send in their cats had 1 sole purpose in their mind; it is to win.

Many cat owners or breeders would go to the extent of purchasing the most expensive and various kinds of shampoos and cat grooming products just to make sure that their cat will look at its best and for this, the money they had spent must be equal to the top achievement the cat should get.

I had seen many with frowning faces when their cats did not win. Even some resort to cursing and swearing, not just to their cats (obviously the cats had done nothing wrong in the first place), but have even accused the judge of being unfair or prejudiced.

It is sad that many of these people (who are abundant in the show hall) do not have the spirit of sportsmanship. A cat competition should not be a place for cats just to win but it should be an educational ground. Exhibitors should take the chance to gather as much knowledge and share their knowledge and experience from raising a kitten, nutrition, grooming techniques, supplements etc with other fellow exhibitors. I had learnt an exhibitor from Philippines had came all the way here to show her Exotic and had even offered her experiences of grooming technique to another Exotic owner but he had refused to listen to her by saying she might sabotage his Exotic so he did not get a placing in the show. How ridiculous!!

A cat competition is also very important for responsible breeders to know whether their cats had any sign of faults or shortcomings. Most cat shows practice open judging whereby the judges will give comments on the cats they judge. With this vital information, these responsible breeders will determine whether to use the cat as breeding or show them as Show Neuter or even keep them as a pet (not for showing).

Some ‘smart’ breeders seem to have only one motivation: entering their cats and trying to get the Champion titles for them. Once the ‘Champion’ had been given to the cats, their career in shows will be over and the next step, the Champion cats either be sold at a higher price or used in breeding in order to produce kittens which are sold at higher prices since the parents (or maybe 1 parent) are Champions. Many buyers do not know how the ‘Champion’ title is earned and were blinded by this Champion title thinking that the cat or kittens produced must be a good (or even Show) quality which is not necessarily true.

A good (or Show) quality pedigree cat is determined by its ancestry which can be seen on their Pedigree Certificate obtained by recognized cat associations such as The Cat Fanciers Association (CFA), Federation Internationale Feline (FIFe), The International Cat Association (TICA) etc. From the Pedigree Certificate, the achievements for each parents’ cats can be seen by the titles they obtained or earned.

In short, whether your cat wins or loses should not be used as a benchmark in a cat show. Should your cat not win or achieve the results that you expect, learn from it and determine how your cat can be improved (if that is possible, as in the case of grooming or condition). Should it be a fault, it is best to neuter the cat and not use it for breeding purposes since the fault may pass down genetically to the kittens.

Should you win, be modest and there is no need to go around shouting in the show hall that your cat had won or had beat your rival’s cat. Just remember this, your cat may win this round but that does not mean that it will in the future shows because you would not know what other good show quality cats may entered in the future. The last thing an exhibitor would want is to have unnecessary pressures before and during a cat competition.

Theoretically, a cat show is a gathering of dedicated cat owners and their pets and it is a hobby, not a life or death event. Whether your cat wins or not, at the end of the show, you take home the best cat in the world, because it is your much loved pet, whatever decisions a judge might have made that day.

Cat showing is supposedly fun and educational and should not be treated as a battlefield

Chit Chat21 September, 2006 13:37

Last year, I volunteered as a steward in a cat show at Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur, (see here) I had the oppurtunity to meet Ms. Lesley Morgan Blythe (LMB) who was a judge for the pedigree section. Again, I met her at Surabaya, Indonesia while attending a cat show there (see here) and again become her personal steward. It was great fun and educating working with her and now, I decided to write an article about LMB.

Name: Lesley Morgan Blythe (LMB)
Type of Judge: All Breeds
Attached to: Australian Cat Federation – Tasmania

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Above: LMB with a Burmilla

My introduction to the cat fancy was in 1964, with Chinchillas and shaded silver Persians, my first breed. My mother acquired a Burmese in 1965, so that became another interest. In 1968 my parents (Tops and Trevor Jowett) imported the first British Shorthair breeding pair into Australia, and thus the “Redwyton” British (top winners in several continents) began.

Diversifying, I bred the first lilac tabby point Siamese on the bench in Aust, in 1969. Since 1985, I pioneered Exotics in Australia (”Comyn” prefix), breeding quite a number of Group 1 (in Australia, Persian/Exotic and all Semi Longhair) Cats, Kittens and Neuters of the Year. Most recently, I bred Group 1 Kitten of the Year in 2000 (Persian) and 2002 (Exotic).

In complete contrast, from April 1997 I became owner of a castrated tawny Abyssinian housepet/show neuter, who was 1997 Group 3 Kitten of the Year, and 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 Group 3 Neuter of the Year, as well as National Desexed Abyssinian, 1998. It’s fair to say that my taste in cats is catholic!

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Above: LMB with her faithful Abyssinian named Zack

I qualified as a judge of all shorthair in 1968 in the days when there was a very limited number of breeds in that category, and in 1971, added Longhair, British and Manx (as the licence then was) to become All Breeds (AB).

(Probably, and scandalously, the youngest AB judge ever – it could never happen now with so many more breeds and more sophisticated training!)

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Above: LMB eyeing on a Siberian

In 1979, I qualified as a FIFe International All Breeds judge, during the period ACF was a FIFe member body. This has never been revoked by FIFe. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to judge many times in all states and territories of Australia, as well as NZ, and have on many occasions judged in Malaysia, Singapore, UK, Sweden, Holland, Finland, Norway, Germany, Denmark, Italy, France, South Africa and Austria. I represented the Australian Cat Federation Inc at WCC (World Cat Congress) meetings from 1995.

For some years, I have been involved in various administrative positions within the Tasmanian (and national) cat fancy, and was Acting President ‘97 - ‘98, International Liaison Officer for the national body, the Australian Cat Federation 1989 - 2003, (and from June 2006) as well as editor of the ACF Judges’ Guild journal, “Felijudge” and the ACF Yearbook. I am VP of the committee of the Cat Association of Tasmania, and have been head judge tutor (All Breeds) in Tasmania since the 1970’s.

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Above: LMB attending the very first Malaysian Cat Club Cat Show (1982)

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Above: LMB presenting prize to winner (1982 MCC Show)

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Above: LMB holding a Kucing Malaysia during her visit in 1992

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Above: LMB attending a dinner function in one of Feline Society of Malaysia’s event.

Chit Chat4 September, 2006 09:48

Some interesting pictures that I received from a friend of mine. Enjoy…

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The House Cat

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The Hip Hop Cat

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The Metal Cat

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The Stevie Wonder Cat

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The Stoner Rock Cat

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The Techno Cat

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The iCat

Chit Chat29 July, 2006 11:02

This should be a clear cut scenario but I would appreciate your feedbacks especially those who belongs to a cat club which affliated with cat organisation such as CFA, FIFe, TICA, GCCF etc. The question is that,

“Can a hobby breeder whom owns a petshop and sell off his/her cats or kittens via his shop?”

Currently, in my country, sad to say, there is no regulations that this act is illegal but I would appreciate someone who could enlighten me from ethics point of view and preferably that had stated in the General Code of Ethics in your club.

Thank you.

Chit Chat18 July, 2006 08:47

A few short video clips for you guys to enjoy…



A cat that is fascinated with the flush…



Potty toilet



Quick! Quick! I am almost at the….

Chit Chat, 10 Commandments13 April, 2006 10:57

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS OF RESPONSIBLE CAT OWNERSHIP
1. Your cats/kittens should be fed with adequate balanced diet.
2. Your cats/kittens should be supplied with clean, fresh water all the time.
3. Your cats/kittens should be provided with a cozy dry sleeping area.
4. Your cats/kittens should be provided with regular exercise and allow regular family contact.
5. Your cats/kittens should have an up to date vaccinations, regular worm control & control of fleas and ticks.
6. Your cats/kittens should have an identification tag on an elasticized collar. Permanent identification increases the chance of recovery if the pet is lost.
7. Your cats/kittens must be kept indoor at all times, especially at night.
8. Your cats/kittens should be provided with love and care.
9. Cats/kittens that are not used for breeding should be spayed/neutered.
10. Ensure that all your cats/kittens adequately cared for during holidays, preferably at a reputable boarding cattery/vets/cat-sitters.

10 REASONS NOT TO BUY CATS / KITTENS FROM A PETSHOP
1. Health - That adorable cat/kitten in the pet store is hard to resist, but you may be paying a lot of money for a kitten that you know very little about. Pet stores generally rely on impulse buys to sell their product. There is a good chance that the pet store kitten will develop a health problem sometime in its life that may cost you a lot of money. It is very unlikely that the parents were screened for genetic diseases that can be passed to their offspring.

2. The Myth about Cat Club Certificates - Most pet shops would like you to believe that if a cat/kitten is registered, this guarantees they will be healthy and a good example of the breed.

3. The Pet Shop Guarantee - Many pet stores provide a form of guarantee for people buying cats/kittens from them, but their guarantees may be as bad as none at all. A not-so-uncommon scenario goes something like this: after your family has become attached to your adorable new kitten you find out it is sick. It will cost you several hundred dollars to treat, so you take the kitten back to the store to receive your guarantee. What they will most likely offer to do is trade kitten - take away your beloved pet and replace it with a new kitten, not necessarily a healthier one, either. They will most likely euthanize the kitten you brought back, because this is cheaper for the store. The other tactic that some stores use is to tell you your kitten will grow out of the problem - until their guarantee has expired. Do you want to take this risk?

4. What Will The Kitten Look Like When It Is Full-Grown? You may have seen specimens of the breed that you are buying, but this does not guarantee that this cats/kitten fit the breed standard. You do not know if the parents fit the standard either and cannot see the faults that each parent has.

5. What Do They Know About The Breed? Employees of pet stores generally know very little about the cats/kittens that are in the store. They can probably tell you a little bit about the breed and then point you to a rack of generic cat books. What do you do after you bring the kitten home, only to find that this breed is not the right one for you and your family? Good breeders are full of information about the breed that you are considering. They should be able to tell you the general temperament aspects of the breed and help you predict whether this breed will fit into your lifestyle.

6. Housebreaking and training problems - This kitten that you are buying from a pet store has most likely spent much of its life in a cage. Due to the conditions that kittens were kept in at pet stores, they have been forced to eliminate in the same area that they sleep and eat. A Reputable breeder would have trained the kitten. So by the time the kitten are ready to go to their new homes they will be well on their way to being house trained.

7. How About Socialization? Your pet store kitten may well have never been in a house before. If this is the case then everything will be new and scary for them. The doorbell, vacuum cleaner, and children playing are all new sensations that can be terrifying to an unsocialized kitten. Good breeders will expose their kittens to many situations so that they are used to them by the time that they go to their new homes.

8. Pedigree Worth? The pet shop owner can only tell you that this cat/kitten is pedigree but wont be able to prove it. Worse is they are telling that this kitten is purebred but its actually just a domestic cat.

9. Do You Want To Support Kitten Mills/Backyard Breeders? 99.9% all kittens that are in pet stores come from kitten mills/Backyard breeders. These operations are exactly what the name implies. Most mass-produce kittens with money as the prime motive. Their breeding cats are often kept in very poor conditions and are sometimes malnourished. The cats are almost never tested for genetic diseases and may not receive vaccinations. Females are generally bred every heat cycle until they are worn out and then they are often sentenced to death. The horror of kitten mills is encouraged every time a kitten is bought from a pet store. How do you know that they come from one of these places? The main reason is that almost no responsible breeders will sell to pet stores. Good breeders what to make sure that their kittens go to good homes and are well cared for. They want to be actively involved in screening the home that they go to.

10. After The Cat/Kitten Goes Home? Once you take the kitten home from the pet store they do not generally care what happens to it. Responsible breeders are more than people who sell kittens; they will also be good friends to you and your kittens. They care what happens to their kittens once they are sold. Almost all good breeders sell on spay/neuter contracts or limited registration. This practice enables breeders to keep cats that are not breeding quality out of the breeding population. Most reputable breeders care about each of their kittens’ futures and will be concerned about their welfare. They care not only about their own cats, but also the impact their cats will make on the breed as a whole.

10 TIPS ON HOW TO RECOGNIZE A KITTEN MILL / BACKYARD BREEDER / UNETHICAL BREEDER
When you talk to people about their kitties there are a few warning signs when you are dealing with a disreputable, unethical, or irresponsible breeder:
1. The “breeder” is more interested in the price your paying rather than the welfare of the animal.
2. The “breeder” lacks knowledge about the breed.
3. The “breeder” shows ignorance or denial of genetic defects in the breed.
4. The “breeder” doesn’t let you observe the kitten or adults, or let you see the cattery.
5. The “breeder” has no vaccination records.
6. The “breeder” is not a member of the respective cat club.
7. The cats are not socialized.
8. The “breeder” has too many cats more that they can take care of properly.
9. The “breeder” doesn’t care about the welfare of her cat/kittens.
10. The “breeder” locks the cats and kittens in small cages.

10 COMMANDMENTS OF A REPUTABLE BREEDER
1. A Reputable Breeder places cats/kittens by contract.
2. A Reputable Breeder places cats/kittens with a health guarantee.
3. A Reputable Breeder insists and contracts the return of a cat/kitten should the purchaser be unable to keep the cat/kitten.
4. A Reputable Breeder carefully interviews prospective owners and has specific requirements that are to be met i.e; cat/kitten is to be altered by 8m old if the breeder is not already practicing early altering, cat/kitten is not allowed to roam outdoors, etc.
5. A Reputable Breeder is willing and able to educate the novice. He/she happily answers any/all questions regarding the breed and his/her breeding program.
6. A Reputable Breeder insists on being informed of any health, genetic, or behavioral problems the cat/kitten may develop in its lifetime.
7. A Reputable Breeder does not have more cats/kittens then he/she is able to keep clean, healthy and well socialized.
8. A Reputable Breeder spends individual time with each of his cats/kittens.
9. A Reputable Breeder is very concerned with excellent temperament in his/her cats/kittens as well as excellent health.
10. A Reputable Breeder makes him/herself available for advice and help to other breeders, and throughout the life of the cats/kittens he/she has placed.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A REPUTABLE BREEDER AND A “KITTEN PRODUCER”Depends on the concern and the responsibility the person shows towards his/her breed, breeding program, fellow breeders, and his/her individual charges; cats/kittens and purchasers thereof.

1. The Reputable Breeder spends large amounts of time and money on that which he/she believes to be for the best interest of the breed, the cats and those directly and indirectly affected by his/her actions.

2. The Reputable Breeder sees his/her breeding program as an unfinished work, a creative masterpiece that drives him/her towards excellence and perfection. Whereas, the “kitten producer” is motivated by profit. While the “kitten producer” is happy to sell quantity to whomever; dealers, brokers, … the reputable breeder insists on individual contact with each prospective owner and will only place a kitten after careful and thorough screening.

Direct contact is necessary in order to insure a mutual compatibility between the would be purchaser, the cat/kitten and him/herself. Because of this great concern on the part of the reputable breeder, he/she will help the novice purchaser select the cat/kitten that is compatible with their lifestyle, personality and expectations, even if it means talking them out of a cat/kitten. Screening is necessary to ensure a successful placement and this is foremost with the reputable breeder.

3. The Reputable Breeder is concerned with pedigrees and the breed standard is of utmost importance to his goal for excellence and the betterment of the breed. Because of the goal of betterment in mind, NEVER would this breeder think to breed without knowing the pedigree or without holding the papers qualifying the dam and the sire as breeder quality. A reputable breeder will own the right to breed, the papers proving such and will have the pedigree of his/her cats as well. This breeder is willing and able to educate and be educated, has a willingness to answer questions correctly and cares about the concerns of the potential new owner. He/she will allow visits to see the mother and if available, the father, and kittens in their environment when it is feasibly safe to do so. The “kitten producer” may offer seemingly good reasons to meet in places with available kittens other then the raised environment.

4. The Reputable Breeder insists on contracts and requires that the cat/kitten be returned to him/her if for any reason the purchaser is unable to keep the pet. It is this breeder who shows responsibility to the breed, and the cats/kittens they have “created” for the lifetime of this pet. Health records, pedigrees and care information are a source of great pride to the breeder that is reputable as well as a sanitary, clean, healthy and happy environment.

5. The Reputable Breeder is excited at the prospect of furthering his/her education through breed clubs, cat shows, and seminars and will take advantage of available resources. This reputable breeder tends to live around their cats/kittens. Every opportunity to participate in activities with other reputable breeders ensuring them that their breeding program compares to others within their breed group is looked upon favorably by this reputable breeder.

6. The Reputable Breeder realistically understands that sometimes things go wrong but, he/she maintains a responsibility to the situation, if it is within his/her power, they do what is needed to rectify a problem fairly. The reputable breeder does not abandon a situation.

FOR MORE INFO, pls email me at horatio168@gmail.com