Voting Results
of the FIFe General Assembly 2007

Albufeira, Portugal, 24th – 25th May, 2007

21a. Proposals regarding the Statutes

from ZFDS

Proposal 1 – Change of Statutes, Chapter VI - Commissions, article 6.2

The Judges & Standard Commission …
To split into two commissions: 2. Standard Commission and 3. Judges Commission

2. Standard Commission shall be responsible for:
- studying the admission of new breeds and the establishment of their the standards applicable to such breeds;
- modifying the standards of recognised breeds;
- co-operation with other Commissions on similar matters;
The commission shall consist of six (6) three (3) members, all four categories to be represented:
- one (1) international judge for category I, or II, or both, or all round judge, preferably an active breeder
- one (1) international judge for category III, or IV, or both, or all round judge, preferably an active breeder
- one (1) international judge for category I, or II, or III, or IV or all round judge

Fluency in, or good knowledge of, at least 2 FIFe languages is preferred.

3. Judges Commission shall be responsible for:
- maintaining the Rules for Judges, Student Judges and Stewards;
- a training programme for student judges and the further education of existing judges;
- co-operating with the admission of new breeds;
- co-operation with other Commissions on similar matters;
The commission shall consist of three (3) members:
- one (1) international judge for category I, or II, or both, or all round judge
- one (1) international judge for category III, or IV, or both, or all round judge
- one (1) international judge for category I, or II, or III, or IV or all round judge

Fluency in, or good knowledge of, at least 2 FIFe languages is preferred.”

If carried, this proposal is to take effect immediately.

Motivation:
From a practical, organisational and financial point of view, it has been shown that smaller and specialized groups are much more effective at work, better organised and produce better results. Split specialized commissions will enable candidates to stand for election for a chosen commission out of interest, motivation and willingness to focus and work on the matters they want and can contribute to. This will therefore produce better results from each individual member.

Splitting the existing Judges & Standard Commission will not increase the already established number of members; it will only split the large group of people into two smaller commissions and will provide focusing on target matters.

This proposal was withdrawn.

21b. Proposals regarding the General Rules

from the Board

Proposal 8 – Change to the General Rules, article 4.11 - date of General Assembly

The General Assembly shall take place each year on the last or last but oneThursday and Friday in May. The exact dates of the General Assemblies will be agreed for a period of 5 years in advance. The Judges Seminar shall take place on the Saturday following the General Assembly.

Motivation:
It is not practical to maintain this fixed last weekend, because sometimes this weekend coincides with religious holidays like Whitsuntide (Pentecost) or Ascension and as a consequence flight tickets and hotel accommodation are much harder to find and are also much more expensive.
If this proposal is accepted, the dates for the coming 5 years will be already fixed at this General Assembly.

The proposal was withdrawn.

from 1.DKZEV eV.

Proposal 2 – Addition to General Rules, new article

FIFe shall establish in the internal Section of the FIFe homepage which can only be entred by
its members via password a list showing the names of the persons which have been expelled
by the FIFe member.

Listing shall include:
Name – Nationality  - Adress -  Cattery Name -  Name of Breed which the person is breeding.

Date and reason for expelling that member (it must be clearly stated what the exact reasen was, i.e. cruelty to animals, healt reason, fraud – false pedigrees,etc.)

The FIFe member is obliged to report its expelled members in due time, at the latest 4  weeks after the member has been expelled, to the FIFe secretary.

Motivation:
Since individual persons can be members in FIFe organisations other than their national oraganization or country where they reside, it cannot be guaranteed anymore that expelled members can travel from one FIFe member to another FIFe member.  The approval of the application form for changing membership to another FIFe member does not protect or prevent this FIFe members member from further travelling.

As an example, how shall a club in the Norwegian federation know in wich national FIFe organisation that individual  member hold its membership who is resing in Germany, but is or was  a member in Italy or France.

This is the reason why a central registration is needed. This enables each FIFe member to control if the applicant has been expelled from another FIFe member.

The proposal was withdrawn.

Proposal 3 – Addition to General Rules, new article

The proposal was withdrawn.

21c. Proposals regarding the Judges Rules

from the Judges & Standard Commission

Proposal 2 – Change to the Judges Rules, article 2.10

Delete: Article 2.10 Judge’s Updating

Motivation:

Since it was carried by the General Assembly, this article has never been properly realised. It is also written in an impractical way and as such cannot be fulfilled in practice. The Judges & Standard Commission will work with and come with a new proposal about judge’s updating, which will be possible to accomplish in practice. Until then, we wish to delete the existing article from the rules.

The proposal was withdrawn.

from SVREK

Proposal 1 – Change to the Judges Rules, addition to article 2.10

Judges who have been inactive during at last three (3) years shall contact the General Secretary to receive a questionnaire. The answers to the questionnaire shall be sent directly to the Judges and Standard commission before any judging activity, but no later than two (2) months after receiving the questionnaire.

Motivation:
Judges who have been inactive for some time have to update older knowledge and also learn about the changes which might have taken place during their inactivity.
To enable the use of the questionnaires for this purpose also seems to present an easy way to update the knowledge of the judges and to ensure the quality as well.

The proposal was withdrawn.

from Mundikat

Proposal 3 – Change to the Judges Rules, article 5.1.11

5.1.11 Participant as a student judge at:

• 10 respectively 15 and 20
• National shows
• International shows
• And/or Special breed shows or breed club matches in one of the following chosen categories:
• • 10 x category I: i.e. a minimum of 450 cats
  • 15 x category II: i.e. a minimum of 675 cats
  • 10 x category IIIa: i.e. a minimum of 450 cats
  • 10 x category IIIb: i.e. a minimum of 450 cats
  • 10 x category IV: i.e. a minimum of 450 cats.

Motivation:
Category III is an ever-growing Category, currently representing some odd 22 breeds. It is becoming more and more difficult to get student judges in this Category, as the sheer number of breeds is disheartening.
Discussions about splitting Category III have been heated but without success so far. Mundikat would prefer a discussion on re-dividing the breeds over the four existing Categories, but realises this may not be very successful.
We have therefore tried to start the split of Category III in the judges training into an A and B Category III, thus still enabling one BIS for Category III, but when so desired two BIS for this Category can be done.

We suggest splitting as follows:

The proposal was withdrawn.

21c. Proposals regarding the Show Rules

from the Show Commission

Proposal 16 – Change to the Show Rules, Change in Heading and article 5.5 – Preliminary breeds

Preliminary recognized breeds
Those cats, which are not fully recognized, will receive a qualification (Excellent, Very Good, or Good) and will be classified, but will not receive a certificate (CAC, CAP or more).These cats may not compete for Best in Show, but may compete together for a 'Best of variety’.

(If the proposal is carried, the Breeding and Registration Rules should be changed accordingly. Already obtained titles will be kept)

Motivation

Because the breed is not fully recognized, it should not be possible to get a title.

A request was made to the GA to deal with this proposal after a similar proposal from the LO-commission. As this was a change of agenda, the GA voted 25 yes to 7 no votes and 0 abstention to accept the agenda change.

The proposal was withdrawn in favour of the proposal from the LO-commission.

from NFFe

Proposal 1. - Title I - reorganization of art. 1.10 by splitting into two articles:

1.10. The Organizers’ Responsibilities

The organizers must:

1. choose the judges ……. (until)…. which they are entitled to judge in their own country/organization, and such invitations must be reported to the FIFe Secretariat.
2. f. 14 days before the show, the organizer is obliged to send the judges that are judging at a particular show, the name and address of the arranged for them hotel as well as. The judges must also be information about as to the transfer to the hotel it at least 14 days before the show.
3. b. send the affiliated societies a schedule stating:

1. the date of the show
2. the location and address of the show hall
3. the closing date for registration
4. the amount of the entry fee and account number(s) (bank or others) to which payment of the entry fees must be effected
5. names of the judges and the categories they are to judge, i.e. I (PER/EXO), II (Semi-longhair), III (Shorthair), IV (Oriental cats)
6. entry requirements concerning health and border formalities
7. opening and closing times of the show
8. availability or not of accommodation for cats on the night before the show and during the following nights
9. a list of hotels where cats are admitted in order to allow exhibitors to make their own reservations.

1. The show management is obliged to give the necessary documents to the judge before the judging commences.
2. provide In the Judge’s ring with there must be cages available for a minimum number of 4 cats near the Judge’s table.
3. g. It is mandatory that equipped the judges’ cages as well as the ones for the nominated for Best in Show cats will be equipped with partitions.
4. c. the show management is obliged to keep the following documents for a minimum period of three years:

1. a show catalogue, including results
2. all copies of judges’ reports
3. original list of the cats proposed by each judge
4. copies of the list stating the cats nominated for the selection of Best in Show
5. list with all the results – from the individual judging and the Best in Show”

Text from l“h.” to the end of existing art. 1.10 becomes new art. 1.10a with rearrangement as follows:

1.10a. Presentation of the cats

1. h. Each FIFe member may organize cat shows according to choosing one of the following procedures ways for presentation of the cats for judging:

1. a. The cats on show are brought to the judge and back to their cages by stewards. In this case at least two stewards must assist each judge. The stewards will take reasonable actions to avoid presenting his their own cats.
2. b. The owner or a person chosen by the owner him/her may presents his/her cats to the judge. In cases where owners, for whatever reason, cannot present their cats to the judge, stewards may be made available. In this case at least one steward must assist each judge. Such shows will be marked with a special sign in the show list (for example *).

1. When the second way for presentation of cats is chosen:

1. c. the exhibitors himself have the possibility of placing their cats inside the appropriate judging cages by themselves. The steward calls up the cage number of the cats (cage number) which the judge requires or places the number on the holding cage.

- Each judge has his judging cages – *exists in art. 1.10*
- Each judge has a steward at his own disposal – *included in letter “a” and exists in art. 2.9.5 of the
 Rules for Judges, Student Judges and Stewards*

1. in cases when owners, for whatever reason, cannot present their cats to the judge If an owner is not able – or does not wish – to bring his their cats to the judge’s cages himself by themselves, the steward is obliged to fetch those cats and, place it them in the appropriate judging cages, present them to the judge and after judging take them back to their showing cages.
2. once the judging has been completed his judging or once and the judge’s results assessment has been given, the judge or his/her steward will ask the owners to collect their cats.

1. The cat should always be presented with the its catalogue number in writing.
2. Once all the cats are ….. (until)… judges ring and the judge begins the judging. and The cats are presented to him/her by a steward or according to the chosen type of the show.
3. A cat is only to be….(until)….. steward has checked that with the show secretariat.
4. During the “Best in show” only….(until)…. present the cats regardless of the type of the show.

If this proposal will be accepted it will change the reference in art. 1.10 in article 6.5, letter “a” as follows:
6.5. Judge’s Ring
a. Access to the judge’s ring is prohibited to:

1. exhibitors, except if the show is organized according to article 1.10a, letter “a”, second bullet
2. members of the organizing committee if they are exhibitors, except if the show is organized according to article 1.10a, letter “a”, second bullet
3. visitors.

Motivation:

The existing article 1.10 is too long and sometimes not clear enough. It mixes the organizers’ responsibilities with the rules for the procedures about the cats’ presentations to the judges. The proposed text is an attempt to separate and group the requirements into two groups – the organizers’ responsibilities and procedures for the cats’ presentation. Thus the rules will be clearer, better organized and more readable.

The proposal was withdrawn.

Proposal 3. – addition to the Show Rules, Title VIII , article 8.2 b

b. An adult cat or neuter which does not have a FIFe title must be entered into Class 9 or Class 10 respectively if the pedigree is recognized by the show organising FIFe Member. A youngster or kitten must be entered into Class 11 or Class 12 respectively. If the pedigree is not recognized by the show organizing FIFe Member, the adult cat must go through the Novice Class and the youngster or kitten must go through the Control Class with respect of the requirements for these classes laid down in article 5.4.
A cat with a FIFe title or one possessing certificates towards a FIFe title shall be entered in the appropriate class.

Motivation: The existing text obliges the show organizer, if wants to accept exhibitors outside FIFe for their first time at FIFe shows, to put pedigreed cats into class 9 or 10 (no information about kittens and youngsters), regardless how trustful their pedigrees might be. And the requirements to get a pedigree in many clubs outside FIFe are not as strict as in FIFe. /Not to speak about frauds from petshops or other sources, who are not controlled by anyone./
The proposed text gives:
1./ additional clarification about entering kittens and youngsters into their respective class 12 or 11;
2./ the opportunity for the show organizing FIFe member, when there are doubts about the pedigree of the cat, to put the cats into position to prove its qualities through the Novice/Control class.

The proposal was withdrawn

from Aristocat

Proposal 2 – addition to the Show Rules

Title I Art. 1.10. a – addition

a Deviations respectively number of cats to be judged (Art. 2.9.3 of the judges’ regulations) should be discussed between the organizing club and the judge.

Title I Art. 1.10. b – addition

b Shows have to be organized in a way that judges are not strained more than necessary. Waiting times should be as short as possible. The end of the Best in Show should not exceed 5 p.m. in order to enable judges to travel home the same day. Deviations should be discussed between the organizing club and the judge.

Motivation:
Many judges are working and put their spare time at the disposal of the organizing clubs. Often, holidays have to be used for the travel to and from shows. For this reason it can be expected from organizing clubs to organize shows in a way to permit judges to travel home the same day.

The proposal was withdrawn

from FFL-Lux Cat-Club

Proposal 2. – Change to the Show Rules, delete Annex 1 and 5

Motivation:

None stated.

The proposal was withdrawn.

from ANFI

Proposal 1. – Change and deletion to the Show Rules, articles 4.14 - DSM

To obtain the title, the cat must win BIS or BOS a minimum of 10 times. The shortest qualifying period possible is one year and one day between the first BIS or BOS and the tenth. This is to prevent a cat becoming DSM to quickly.

Motivation:

Considering that in most FIFe countries shows are held with the 2 days/2 titles system, the fixed time of 2 years of wait between the first and the tenth Best in Show is quite too long to obtain the DSM title. In practice, provided the cat is worth, 5 weekends could be enough to get the 10 titles requested by the rule.  This  would certainly cause no trouble (stress) to the cat itself, if the minimum time is shortened to 1 year.

The proposal was withdrawn.

from ZFDS

Proposal 3. – Addition to the Show Rules, article 6.9

…In the same class the exhibits will be classified with 1, 2, 3, 4; there are no joint places. In all classes, where certificates can be awarded, only the first classified exhibit can be awarded the certificate if it has obtained the necessary points required for the certificate in its class.
…

Motivation:

In practice cats are judged in accordance with a custom that is not set forth anywhere in the Show Rules. Therefore this addition to the rule should be added to be in accordance with practice

The proposal was withdrawn.

21e. Proposals regarding the Breeding & Registration Rules

from the LO Commission

Proposal 3 - EMS list

The LO Commission proposes the so called EMS list (the complete list of all possible breed and colour varieties) no longer to be the responsibility to maintain nor to be an official FIFe document.
The description of the EMS system page 4 shall be a new annex to the Breeding and Registration rules: Annex III. EMS System.

Motivation:
All colour varieties recognized in each recognized breed are listed in the standard for the breed.
The publication of a separate list mentioning all possible combinations within a recognized breed represents quite a lot of work to maintain.  The requirement to have to make a double update in both the standard and the EMS list increases the probability to make mistakes.
The LO Commission feels it should no longer be necessary to be responsible for a separate list as long as all valid combinations will be found in the standard of the breed in question.

The proposal was withdrawn.

Proposal 4 – Transfer of art. 5.1 to the Show Rules as article 3.14

3.14 Distinguished Merit (DM)
The FIFe title of “Distinguished Merit (DM)” shall be awarded to a cat according to the following rules:
a. The required number of offspring to gain the titles of IC/IP or higher or DM should be a minimum of 5 for a female cat and a minimum of 10 for a male cat.
b. Only FIFe registered titles are valid.
c. The owner may claim the title “DM” in the same manner as other existing titles are claimed.
d. The “DM” shall be placed after the full name of the cat.
A female cat with 5 or more offspring which have been awarded the minimum title of IC/IP or DM will be awarded the title Distinguished Merit (DM).
A male cat with 10 or more offspring which have been awarded the minimum title of IC/IP or DM will be awarded the title Distinguished Merit (DM).

Motivation:
The requirements laid down to obtain the title DM should logically be part of the Show Rules. The title DM will thus be described in the same rules as other titles like Distinguished Show Merit and Junior Winner.
The table in B&R rules, article 5.2 should however retain. This table shows how the various titles should be registered in the pedigree book.

The proposal was withdrawn

from SRK

Proposal 2 – Addition to Breeding & Registration Rules, article 4.4.7.3

The EMS codes s and y shall not be used for any hairless breed regardless of their genotype.

Motivation:
It is for the most part impossible to determine the pattern of the hair in hairless breeds (SPH, DSP, PEB).

The proposal was withdrawn

21e. Proposals regarding the Standards

from ARCCA

Proposal 1 – Introduction of 9 colour groups for KBL/KBS

Motivation:
1. At present, there are large amounts of KBL/KBS in Russia, Finland, Estonia, Ukraine, Germany and other countries. In ARCCA alone, the total number of these cats is more than 200.
2. In the LO/Riex book of ARCCA KBL/KBS of all colour groups above are registered.
3. The KBL/KBS is present in numbers at our cat shows. There are several JW´s and EC of the KBL/KBS breed in the ARCCA LO/Riex book.
4.Breeders and owners of KBL/KBS are increasingly interested to participate at FIFe shows. Doubtlessly, their numbers will increase substantially if they are able to compete not only between each other, but with the representatives of other breeds also.

The proposal was withdrawn

from FFH

Proposal 3 – Change of the SOP in the Standards of Group cats in Category II

Concerns the cats judged in groups in category 2 (ACL/ACS, MCO, NFO, SIB, TUA) : Attribution of 5 points for the colour and the pattern and distinction of the points allotted to the length and the texture without any change in the total amount of points allotted to the coat of these different breeds in their current scales of points.

Motivation:

Without changing the total amount allotted to the coat in the current standards, we would appreciate a clear distinction between these 3 different criteria of evaluation:

1. the texture,
2. the length
3. the colour and the pattern
4. • The colour and the pattern are obvious criteria of the beauty of a cat. That’s why we are proposing to allot 5 points for the colour and the pattern taking into consideration the descriptions made in the general part of the FIFe standards.
   • In order to register correctly the EMS codes in the LO books, we have to educate the breeders how to recognize the colours and patterns through the evaluation of these criteria.
   • Our goal is to reduce the production of badly defined colours and not clear patterns which permanently are leading to changes of variety from one show to another and also to incorrect pedigrees.

The proposal was withdrawn favour of the reworded proposal from ČSCH-SCHK.

Back to Top

Back to Table of Contents