Pedigree cats

Flynn

Just a quick Q..

When pure breed cats are advertised for sale they all say "for pets only not for breeding"....

Why is this?

How can someone start breeding?

Ruu_Old

I think it usually means that they have a minor "flaw" that doesn't fit breed standards (maybe the wrong colour, nose isn't long enough or legs shorter). It doesn't mean that the cats aren't right but means that they can't be showed.

If you wanted a cat for breeding then go directly to the breeder and ask. Remember alot of breeders won't give a cat for breeding to anyone. They want someone who is serious about the breed and not someone who wants to make money.

bounty_hunter

On the contrary Ruu, cats advertised as Flynn has described are generally fine for showing, the reason they are marked for pet only homes is simply because the breeder does not wish for them to be bred from. If they were not suitable for breeding they would be marked as "pet standard" or "pet quality".

Any breeder with their wits about them will be EXTREMELY cautious when it comes to offering their animals to people who intend to breed from them, as the huge majority of these people have no idea what they're doing. To be quite honest I would be very wary of anybody who had no qualms about selling breeding animals.

Flynn, if you want a cat specifically for breeding you need to approach the breeder personally and explain your reasons to them. You will find that if you prove yourself to be genuinely interested in breeding to improve the quality and standard of the breed the breeder will be much more willing to discuss options with you. On the other hand, some breeders just do not want their cats to be bred by anyone else, full stop.

Flynn

well what if you didnt want to make money..

Can u take one of those "pet standards" cats and if it has kittens just keep them or give them away? I was just wondering is there something wrong with the cats that they wont produce healty offspring.??

bounty_hunter

No, you can't. Not because there is something wrong with the animal, but because unless the breeder has specifically agreed that it is alright for you to breed from it, it is morally wrong. If a breeder provides you with a cat on good faith that you will not breed from it, then you should not. You will be expected to have any kitten sold on these terms neutered/spayed by an appropriate age (the general agreed age is 6 months).

If you genuinely just want to breed to keep the kittens yourself then talk to the breeder about it and you may be able to arrange something legitimate. If you intentions are in any way dishonourable, the breeder will have plenty of ways to ensure that you do not get away with it. For one, if they cat is sold as pet only it will be on the non-active register, which means that any offspring it produces will not be able to be registered as pedigrees. And therefore you cannot sell them as pedigrees, because they will have no paperwork.

There is nothing wrong with a "pet standard" pedigree animal that will not produce healthy offspring, unless it is specifically stated that it has some kind of medical condition. The offspring it produced would just not be of show quality, and to breed from it would therefore be detrimental to the further improvement of the breed, as is main goal of any reputable breeder. "Pet only" is a completely different matter.

If your intentions are as innocent as you are making them out to be, you should have no problem discussing any plans you may have with a prospective breeder.

Ismishacats

While many cats you may see for sale as non-active may actually suitable for breeding in terms of their quality, just one major issue (among many) is that very few people are willing and able to do what it takes to ensure they can find a suitable mate for this cat as our gene pools in Ireland are tiny. Realistically you must be willing to travel (to the UK at least) to access or import cats of suitable lines. This also requires some knowledge of the genetics of faults and being prepared to learn about the lines.

Good cat breeding is a very expensive and time consuming hobby if done ethically. It's not something to decide upon lightly. Thankfully genetic faults are actually in decline among pedigree cats due to good breeders while many such inherited illnesses in Dogs are sadly growing. This I believe is due to the fact the cats can be restricted to the non-active register while most pedigree dogs can be bred from as long as they are registered at all. So in short (and this is just one example) cat breeders in the most part sell as pets only for the good of their breeds