Every year, the convention committee has somehow managed to outdo itself. But this year stands out from all the others. What really set this convention apart from all previous conventions) was how this convention was organized

The Feline Husbandry Course is one of the best things that FCF does. The teachers this year were Mindy Stinner and Kathrin Stucki. Although the basic organization of the course has not changed much, the material in the course has been constantly updated. There have been many changes in regulatory areas, as well as in areas of nutrition, vet care, etc.

Running parallel to the Husbandry course was the Wildlife Conservation Educator's course. Ron DeArmond was the instructor for this. There were plenty of attendees, and that course ran nearly as long as the husbandry course.
     
Convention Thursday began as it usually does, with the Board of Director's (BOD) meeting. Much of this meeting was spent implementing the bylaws changes that had been voted into effect earlier in the month.
   
I cannot remember a year when there were more cats around. We had Geoffroy's cats, bobcats, servals, and Salty the Siberian Lynx (all kittens of course). No cougars, cheetahs or other large cats this year, but there were sure kittens everywhere!

A workshop started Thursday afternoon in the back of the room where people had a chance to build enrichment toys for various sized cats. These toys would be tested the next day at Tiger Safari. They would use techniques later presented by Debi Willoughby on measuring the effectiveness of enrichment items.

The general membership meeting was an opportunity for members to have questions answered by the Board of Directors, as well as present their own ideas and opinions. Robert Johnson, FCF director of Legislation, presented his video, entitled An In(CAT)vienent Truth. This video examines the issues facing exotic feline owners today, and debunks many of the mistruths that are circulating in legislative and regulatory circles.

Friday we boarded a bus for Bill Meadows' Tiger Safari. It is a park-like setting featuring a number of big and small cats, as well as a variety of other animals. The morning was spent on a guided tour of the facility. A news crew from a local TV station was there, covering what was going on, and interviewing people.

After a morning with cats, the lecture presentations began. The first presentation was by Dr. Jim Sanderson, entitled Progress with the Andean Cat Conservation and Monitoring Center we are Building in the Chilean Andes, the program largely concerned the Andean Mountain Cat. Dr Sanderson spoke about ongoing work to conserve the Argentinean guigna cat. This is one of the world's rarest cats. Dr. Sanderson updated for us the conservation status of many other small cat species. As usual, Dr. Sanderson's presentation is always a highlight of an FCF convention.
   
The next presentation was by Robert Johnson, of T.I.G.E.R.S., entitled The Perception of Private Ownership: Societal, Political and Legislative Implications, it was a follow-up on the previous evening's presentation of An In(CAT)vienent Truth.

After lunch, we heard from our guest host Jarod Miller. He did a presentation entitled Life and Times With Animals. This program addressed some of his experiences with animals in his career as a TV show host.

David Sol, of Exotic Feline Foundation of America, did a presentation entitled Operant Conditioning for Exotic Cats (and all animals of the enchanted forest). It was a basic tutorial on different conditioning techniques, with an emphasis on operant conditioning (clicker training).
   
Patti Maness, DVM, who works at Tiger Safari, did a program entitled Health Updates, What are Those Diseases? This program looked at some common feline diseases, and what can be done to prevent them. Some unusual cases were looked at as well, including a lion that made a heroic recovery from necrotic gastritis.

The next presentation was given through SKYPE, as the presenter could not physically make it to the convention. The title was Power and Impact of Wildlife Ambassadors, and Jim Fowler, host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, gave it. The two-way nature of SKYPE allowed Mr. Fowler to see and hear us, as well as for us to see and hear him. Based on audience participation, this seemed to me to be the best presentation of the day.
   
The final general presentation was by FCF's Executive Director Lynn Culver and was entitled FCF Moving Forward, this presentation was kind of a “State of the FCF” presentation. It showed what we all are expecting, that most populations of captive exotic cats are decreasing, while some that are less regulated (like hybrids) are increasing. The strengths, weakness, triumphs and challenges facing the FCF were also presented.
   
After a short break, a presentation was given just for those who are enrolled as FCF Registered Cat Handlers. It was presented by Jarod Miller, and was entitled Conditioning Wildlife for Public Situations: From the Classroom to the Big Media.
   
Saturday we boarded a bus for the Oklahoma City Zoo. This was a big place, with surprisingly large paddocks for various hoof stock. They had a sizeable lion enclosure with big viewing windows that let one get really close to the cats. The rest of their cats were located along a circular trail, called the Cat Forest. Along this trail were three rondavel huts that were centered where many of the cats were. They had some of the more unusual cats, such as fishing cats, black-footed cats, and clouded leopards. Many of the cats were not showing themselves to us that day.
 
Saturday evening was a very nice banquet dinner followed by various awards and certificates presented. The Lotty is specia, and is not awarded every year. But this year, we had a recipient who really deserved it--Mindy Stinner, of the Conservator's Center. Mindy has been a steady contributor to the FCF for many years.
  
After the awards were done, the live auction began. Jarod Miller was the auctioneer, and he did a good job. Like last year, only the more valuable items were auctioned off. This years' top item was a very special and exclusive visit to Las Vegas to see the Fercos Brother Magicians in their home compound. This is a really neat package that included many extra perks, such as dinner and a show. It also included two tickets to see the Fercos Brothers perform anywhere in the world.  After the auction, there was an evening of Karaoke. A number of people were made to get up on stage and sing for a donation. A new song was also introduced, about joining the FCF, set to the tune of The Village Peoples' “YMCA.”
   
The evening wound down with more conversations among friends. For many, this was good-bye until next year. Although there are some very exciting possible locations picked for next years' convention, the convention committee is going to have to “pull out all the stops” to beat this one!

Tim Stoffel