Did you try the path/simplify. It is used to see all the nodes and reduce them. If you select the element and do a path/simplify and a window doesn't pop up showing nodes now and after than I would think that something is wrong with the svg file.
Also you could make a bitmap copy of your file and bring it into SCAL with "trace bitmap" and see if that converts it to a scal file.
I'm curious about this so I'd appreciate hearing what you learn. And yes if you could post the file that would make it easier to diagnose.
the nodes show up in the PATH/SIMPLIFY pop up window but not in the main window as in one image I was manually moving/deleting nodes to make the image smoother etc
all the files i'm using have been converted with the same online converter yet its hit of miss whether or not the nodes show up in the main window
I downloaded your svg file and opened in eCal and yes no nodes show upon selection. BUT if you "ungroup" the elements then you are able to see and edit the nodes at least in eCAL.
cheers papasue that seems to have helped alot ill eventually get at least a basic knowledge of how this works as long as I can do the cat decals everything else is a bonus