Bangkok, Thailand

The 2024 World Cat Congress returned to Thailand hosted by WCF by ARC, delegates received a warm welcome, before being taken to Pattaya for two days of networking, and meeting new delegates which allowed for informal discussions with other delegates from WCC, member bodies. The two days included insights into Thai culture and cuisine which included a visit to the very impressive Buddha Mountain or Khao Chi Chan a limestone hill that has become a Pattaya landmark due to its large 109 m (358 ft) by 70 m (230 ft) golden Buddha laser engraving.

Delegates returned to Bangkok which is often described as Asia’s most cosmopolitan city, the country’s cultural, financial, and educational centre.

Judge delegates and advisors were invited to judge at WCF World Show held over two days, with nearly 600 entries, many coming from other Asian countries, 20 judging tables, and three stages set up, it was a bustling and impressive venue.

The overall winner after the two days was a truly beautiful Scottish Fold Longhair with an equally impressive Cornish Rex as reserve. For anyone with a Facebook account, you can see hundreds of photos from the show and dinner by going to the “WCF Thailand by ARC” page.

The seminar & open meeting hosted by Royal Canin was on Monday, presenters included Dr Leslie Lyons, Dr. Woraporn Sukhumavasi, Preecha Vadhana, Royal Canin, and Svetlana Lalovic. Among the attendees were the representatives from the world’s largest feline registries, aiming to promote the health, welfare, and responsible ownership of cats while delving into the latest advancements in feline genetics, nutrition, and breeding practices, also included were many attendees from the Thai Cat Fancy including visitors from many Asian countries who had converged on Bangkok for the show and the Gala dinner.

Dr Lesley Lyons’ presentation included the latest developments in DNA research, of note, there have been twenty new mutations discovered in cats in 2023/24, including one that causes muscular dystrophy in Maine Coons and others that cause some new forms of PKD.

Leslie also elaborated on the potential dangers associated with the Dominant Blue Eye mutation that she alluded to at last year’s seminar in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia confirming that along with blue eye colour the mutation can cause hearing issues and deafness, she also noted that along with the blue eyes comes a white forelock of chin spot.

It is also now known that there are at least three genes that can cause dominant blue eyes, and four different mutations involved with the Corin colours, elucidating the intricate relationship between blue eyes, white spotting, and hearing in cats, shedding light on how these factors intersect in feline genetics.

The interplay of CORIN and Cat Coat Colour Genes: Dr. Lyons continued her enlightening presentation by exploring the correlation between CORIN and cat coat colour genes, providing attendees with valuable insights into the genetic underpinnings of feline coat variations as they relate to the CORIN gene.

Dr. Woraporn Sukhumavasi from Chulalongkorn University presented an interesting topic on parasite control in multicat households, she addressed the critical issue of parasite control in multicat households, offering practical strategies to safeguard feline health in shared living environments.

Royal Canin Thailand shared essential information on key nutritional requirements for cats, emphasizing the importance of a balanced diet, based on the age and needs of the cat, in ensuring optimal feline health and longevity in addition to common health issues in tropical climates.

Another captivating presentation was an overview of the Suphalak cat’s history and breeding practices in Thailand and breed standard was delivered through an interpreter by Mr Preecha Vadhana a renowned Wichien Maat breeder who preserves and develops the Suphalak. The Suphalak breed (the Solid Chocolate Thai cat) and the Thai breeds in general, with the Black, Blue, Chocolate, White, and Pointed all being regarded as separate breeds of Thai cat.

Svetlana Lalovic, Allbreed Judge from the World Cat Federation (WCF), outlined the proposed breed standard for this unique feline breed, with information about the breed in terms of history, breed characteristics and genetic information. Since this presentation, the Suphalak has been recognised by WCF.

Professor Lyons finished by reminding everyone about the publicly accessible genetic website.

Monday evening was the formal dinner which incorporated the WCF annual Asian awards. It was an amazing night, the scale and “class” of the event was a spectacle to behold.

The WCC business meeting was held the next day at the same venue as the Seminar.

After the opening of the meeting and going through the formalities of approving minutes etc. Laureline Malineau, Charlotte Venet and Elodie Morel from Royal Canin gave a presentation on a new project, Royal Canin is currently working on.

A broad overview of the project is that it is aimed at educating potential pet buyers and new breeders and what they should be considering or thinking about when looking to purchase a kitten, using multiple media formats including television advertising.

Amongst the things that they are looking to address is the growth of online pet sales and the importance of buying from reputable/registered breeders and moving away from extremes in type amongst breeds where these lead to health or wellbeing issues.

They would like to see mandatory DNA health testing in breeds with known issues and that health becomes the main criteria that potential new owners look at when making choices about getting a new pet. They are looking to create an Accreditation Scheme where accredited catteries would benefit from ongoing promotional work done by Royal Canin. Some of the above has already commenced in the Northern Hemisphere with dogs and is moving on to cats.

Other business to hand was Genetic Testing and Breeding Practices, Leslie Lyons spoke briefly to the meeting and presented her thoughts on mandating genetic testing, addressing concerns related to breeds such as Manx and Scottish Folds, and urging a shift away from extreme breeding practices. and reiterated that she feels that governing bodies should be looking at whether to continue to recognize/register the Scottish Folds and Manx breeds due to the health issues associated with their breed-defining mutations.

She also spoke about the fact that there are four separate mutations that cause tail-lessness in Manx and that further study could reveal that not all of them cause the health issues that are in the breed, if this were the case then the more dangerous ones could be bred out. Leslie also mentioned the importance of avoiding type extremes that lead to health issues within breeds.

GCCF, responded to requests for collaboration from the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) and the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG), highlighting the importance of cooperative efforts in advancing feline health.

7.8.2, the proposed amendment to the constitution, was passed, in the future member organisations may send proposals and items for discussion and nominations on letter-headed paper, in an appropriate format by e-mail 2 (two) calendar months prior to the date set for the annual meeting the receipt of which shall be acknowledged by the WCC Secretary by e-mail. The rationale was to allow time for the member bodies to discuss/investigate candidates prior to the meeting and allow proper direction to be given to the delegates.

Under matters for discussion there were two items:

Concerns raised by the CFA regarding breed restrictive legislation, that WCC make a coordinated effort to tackle breed restrictive legislation. After a robust discussion it was finally resolved to coordinate efforts to combat such regulations globally and affirm a commitment to feline welfare and advocacy, the meeting agreed to the following statement which member bodies can place on their websites. The World Cat Congress, an organisation consisting of the nine (9) largest feline registries in the world, promotes the health and welfare of all cats and the responsible breeding and ownership of them.

The second item was from TICA to discuss cooperation and reciprocity of pedigrees between WCC members. TICA at a meeting with ACF and CCCofA discussed concerns about the recognition of TICA pedigrees, it became apparent that TICA was under the impression that ACF and CCCofA had stopped recognizing all TICA pedigrees. The situation was clarified that this was not the case, and it was only the “locally produced” TICA pedigrees and the reasons behind this, both TICA representatives accepted the current situation.

As a result of these talks there was very little additional discussion at the WCC meeting it was agreed at the WCC meeting that members would be mindful of the mutual recognition of other WCC members as per the current WCC constitution.

The presence of delegates from all nine major feline registries underscored the collective commitment to promoting the welfare and responsible stewardship of cats worldwide. Through collaborative initiatives and knowledge exchange, the World Cat Congress continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of feline health, genetics, and welfare on a global scale.