Joan Miller’s Cat Fanciers Association and Related Activities

Joan Miller – Recipient of the CWA Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018

Cat Fanciers’ Association and Cat Related Activities:

Legislation, cat population and welfare issues:

Established Government Affairs strategy and structure for CFA’s grassroots response to laws detrimental to cat breeding and pet ownership. Initiated epidemiology studies, including those to help determine the reasons cats are relinquished to shelters. Defined and developed solutions on methods to solve cat population problems. Have coordinated and attended numerous animal related conferences. Completed HSUS certificate courses on Shelter Design; Feral Cat Management.

Highlights –

CFA Legislative Coordinator for 12 years ; CFA Legislative Information Liaison for 6 years.

Chair of the CFA Legislative Committee 15 years; current member for over 20 years.

Member of the California Council of Companion Animal Advocates 1990 to 2000 – participated in the “Pet                       Overpopulation” symposiums every other year at U. Calif. Davis

Member of the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy 2000 to 2012, President for 4 years  when the Council was incorporated into the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA)

Associate Member of SAWA.

Presentations –

California Federation of Dog Clubs meeting1994 – presentation, “Introducing the Cat Fancy”

Speaker at the American Veterinary Medical Association Animal Welfare Forum, 1995 –                                                 “Diversification of Cat Lifestyles” (Published in JAVMA).

Co-coordinator with American Humane Association – first major national feral cat workshop 1996.

“Turning the Tide” CFA workshop in Florida to train legislative network liaisons 2001.

Tufts University Expo 2002 – track leader for Multi-Cat Environment Track. Talks on – Cattery Design and Space Management; Handling Cats in the Shelter Environment.

CHAMP (Conference on Homeless Animal Management) 2003 – “Wildlife and Cats” Panel moderator.

NAIA (National Animal Interest Alliance) Conference 2007 presenter – “Overview of Cat Population

Dynamics”.

Asilomar Accords Meeting 2009 – invited consultant on feral cats.

Shelter staff training and related presentations

Topics include diversity of cat lifestyles; fundamental nature of cats, origins of pedigreed cats and breed identification, the basics of color/pattern, how to handle difficult    cats in the shelter environment.

Maddie’s Fund Interview 2003 “Handling Shelter Cats and Assessing Their Behavior” –

http://tinyurl.com/d55krfq

No-Kill National Conference, Washington, DC – “Cultivating Cool Cats” – Handling difficult cats in the  Shelter   Environment so they will be adopted – 2009 and 2010.

Video is on the Alley Cat Allies Website – http://tinyurl.com/sheltercathandling

Partial list of shelter outreach and staff training:

San Francisco SPCA; “cat expert”, adviser for cat issues including housing – during the 1980’s and 1990s;

Denver Dumb Friends League staff training presentation – 2000;

Solano County, CA Animal Care and Control – 2001;

California Animal Control Directors Association (CACDA) presentation at conference – 2001;

Marin County, CA Humane Society – presentation at the Cat Care Conference – 2002;

National Animal Control Association (NACA) presentation at Conference – 2002;

Boston Animal Rescue League staff training and public presentations – 2003;

Hawaiian Humane Society staff training, Honolulu – 2004;

Rancho Cucamonga Shelter staff training, San Bernardino CA – 2006;

Iowa State University Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program student and faculty presentation – 2006;

Nevada Humane Society staff and volunteers presentation – 2009;

No-Kill conferences – Washington, DC – “Cultivating Cool Cats” presentations – 2009, 2010;

New York City Mayor’s Alliance Adopt-a-Cat all day public presentations with shelter/rescue cats – 2010;

Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA staff training and public presentations, Virginia – 2011;

New York City Mayor’s Alliance and ASPCA staff training – 2011;

Prince William County Animal Services, Virginia. Staff training and public presentations – 2015.

Feline health:

President of the Winn Feline Foundation – sixteen years (plus four years as a board member and Vice                                 President); 1978 – 1998

Member of the Cornell Feline Health Center Advisory Board – 10 years; 1980 -1990.

Chair of the External Advisory Board, University of California – Davis, Center for Companion Animal  Health and member for over 10 years. 1988 – 2003.

Presenter at two International Genetics Conferences – topics were breeding strategy for health and the basics of feline color/pattern genetics.

International Feline Genetic Disease Conference, University of Pennsylvania 1998

Conference on Feline Inherited Diseases, University of California, Davis, 2000

Recipient of the American Veterinary Medical Association AVMA Humane Award – 2017

 Community and veterinary outreach and education:

Lecturer, U. Calif. Davis Veterinary School “Advanced Feline Medicine” extra-curricular course 1988 – 2003. Topics included Pedigreed Cat Origins, Feline Color/Pattern; Breeding Strategy; Cattery Management; Breeder-Veterinarian Relationship; Breed Preservation; show cats. (This course was eventually accepted by the University into the regular curricula.)

CFA Breed Showcase Education 1988 to 2010 – 6 San Francisco Revelers Cat Shows, 9 CFA/Iams                                              Championship shows, Madison Square Garden, New York City; 4 CFA International Shows – San Mateo CA and Atlanta GA, CFA/Iams National Show Indianapolis 2011; CFA/Royal Canin World Cat Show, Columbus Ohio, 2012, CFA/Dr.Elsey’s Litter    International Show, Novi, Michigan 2013.

Education Programs for San Diego Cat Fanciers annual shows for 11 years – 2005 – 2016

“Feline Fix by Five” project with Esther Mechler and Marion’s Dream to encourage spay/neuter of pet cats and community cats prior to puberty – 2014 to present. Member of the Task Force on Feline Sterilization.

Other Presentations:

Rotary Club, Fremont, CA 2002 – Origins of the Domestic Cat, Development of Breeds.

Royal Canin Trade Show Education 2007, 2008, 2012 – Anaheim, CA; Washington State; Washington, DC

Paws in the Park 2007–Event with dog fanciers, Los Angeles, CA – all day presentations on cats.

Cat Writers’ Association – Cat Legislation Panelist 2005.

Cat Writers’ Association – CATalyst Council Panelist 2008.

San Diego County Fair talks on the place of the cat on American farms – 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.

Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA) Conference 2008 – “Cats Count – Marketing of Cats to the Public”.

Amazing Pet Expos – Del Mar Fairgrounds – public presentation 2016.

Cat writing highlights:

Numerous articles on legislative and animal welfare issues for CFA Publications.

CFA Guidance on Legislative Issues; policy statements for the CFA Legislative Group

Co-author – National Pet Alliance Santa Clara pet population demographic study – lay summary, 2005.

Two chapters in Feline Husbandry (Neils Pedersen, DMV)– “History of the Breeds” and “Cattery Design and Management” – 1991.

Chapter in The CFA Complete Cat Book – “What is a Pedigreed Cat” – 2003.

Consultant and contributor of stories for The Cat Behavior Answer Book, Arden Moore, 2007.

“Pedigreed Cats in Peril” – article for Cat Fancy Magazine, Cat Writers’ Association Special Award 2008.

Script writing for video productions – 8 webisodes with MonkeySee/Knowera Media, including visual and audio content for – “Adding a Cat to Your Life”, “Introducing the New Cat”, “Comfort for the Cat”, “How to Handle Stray Cats”, 2010.

Four part Series – “High Quality, High Volume. Low Cost Spay/Neuter” – for Cat Talk Magazine –

Cat Writers’ Association Muse Award, 2012.

Three part Series – “Understanding Word Usage in the World of Animal Activism” – Cat Talk 2015-16.

“Choosing a Pet Cat” – Discover Animals website –2016.                                                                                          http://www.discoveranimals.org/pets/overview/cats-overview