ADVICE FOR BREEDERS
Over the years, a number of breeders
have broken GCCF Rules regarding the registration and
selling of kittens, often innocently, because they are
not aware of the rules or the implications of those
rules. I am attempting here to explain some of the
complicated procedures involved and give reasons why
breeders are not allowed, by law, to act in certain
ways. Of course we all know there are disreputable
breeders who obey no rules, register no kittens and sell
them without vaccinations at an early age. This article
is not for them, I am writing for those who love their
cats, are proud of their kittens and want to do the
right thing .
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO REGISTER ALL
OF MY KITTENS?
The “Sale of
Goods Act” and the “Trade Descriptions Act” bind anyone
selling a pedigree kitten. The GCCF has to ensure its
own registration rules comply with these acts of
parliament. So, if a breeder describes a kitten they are
selling as “pedigree”, they must provide the proof of
this to the purchaser at the point of sale, by handing
over all the necessary paperwork. It is, therefore, very
important for breeders to protect their kittens and the
integrity of their prefix by taking great care when
registering a litter.
When you take
your queen to stud in the first place, you must give the
stud owner a copy of the registered name, breed
name/breed description and registration number of your
queen and let him/her see the registration documents
that prove she is registered on the Active Register and
can be bred from. You must also make sure you have seen
the stud’s Certificate of Entirety, together with his
registration and vaccination documents etc before you
leave your queen with the stud owner.
Section 1 Rule 1a of the GCCF Rules
states:
…………All male
cats used at stud must have a Certificate of Entirety
deposited with the GCCF prior to the registration of
their first litter of kittens.
Then, when you
return after the mating has taken place, the owner of
the stud cat must provide a Certificate of Mating to the
owner of the queen upon collection of the queen.
(Section 1 Rule 3d.)
A certificate of mating must state
the registered name, breed name/breed description and
registration number of the sire, together with the
registered name, breed name/breed description and
registration number of the dam and the dates of mating,
and must be signed by the registered owner(s) or
specified keeper of the sire.
(Section 1
Rule 3e)
It is important
to remember that you, as the queen’s registered owner,
must be given the mating certificate, it cannot be
withheld. Make absolutely sure you have agreed about
this, the price of the stud fee and any special
conditions and/or requirements BEFORE you leave your
queen with the stud owner in the first place. The best
option is to visit the stud owner, see that the
circumstances and facilities are acceptable and agree
on all terms before your queen calls and you take
her to stud. If there is any aspect you are not happy
with, then do not take or leave your queen for mating,
it is not worth it, believe me!
When the
kittens are born and reach about four to six weeks of
age, you need to think about their registration. The
GCCF helps breeders make a clear distinction between
cats that are for breeding purposes and those that are
not by having the ACTIVE and the NON-ACTIVE Registers.
Here are the GCCF Rules that apply:
Section 1
Rule 1a. Only cats/kittens
required for breeding purposes should be registered on
the Active Register.
Section 1
Rule 1c. Cats/kittens which
are not required for breeding should be registered on
the Non-Active Register. Progeny of cats on the
Non-Active Register will not be registered.
So, breeders can make it absolutely
clear from the outset whether a pedigree kitten is
intended to be used for breeding or is being sold as a
pet by using the relevant register.
Often prospective buyers beg for
their kitten to be allowed “just one litter”. If you
agree to this request, you and the purchaser need to
realise that kitten must be suitable for breeding and
has to be registered on the “Active” Register. The
breeder must, of course, also realise they cannot
actually stipulate she only has one litter. If she is on
the Active Register, the breeder is agreeing with the
new owner and the GCCF that she is suitable for breeding
purposes. However, if the breeder has decided the kitten
is not to be bred from, then, if it has been registered
on the Non-Active Register it is protected. A stud owner
would be severely disciplined by the GCCF if they
allowed a female on the Non-Active Register to visit
their stud. They must check each queen’s paperwork
before accepting her.
Some breeders simply do not register
kittens that are sold as pets; they feel it is an
unnecessary expense. That is a dangerous route to take!
If some, but not all, of the kittens in the litter are
registered by the breeder, the GCCF requires a
declaration to be completed giving the following
information: The number of kittens in the litter; The
breed and apparent colour/pattern of each kitten; The
sex of each kitten. This information must be provided
for each kitten alive when the first kitten is
registered. (Section 1 Rule 3a).
Simply “declaring” your kittens,
offers them no protection at all, they are, in reality
unregistered, and, as a breeder, you are, to all intents
and purposes, abandoning them. Section 1 Rule 3b states:
Kittens which have been declared may be registered at
a later date, either by the breeder or by the new
owner. Similarly, a breeder may decide if there
are no kittens of show quality in a litter, not to
declare or register any of them. Once again, those
kittens are sold without protection, “If NO kittens
from a litter have been registered by the breeder, any
kitten from that litter may be registered at a later
date, either by the breeder or the new owner.
(Section 1 Rule 3c).
Furthermore, to protect the rights of
someone purchasing an unregistered kitten, the GCCF
Rules Section 1 Rule 3f states: “If a kitten is sold
unregistered, in addition to the pedigree, the seller
shall supply a copy of the certificate of mating whether
or not the seller is the registered owner of the sire.
Any application to register the kitten at a later date
must be accompanied by this certificate.
The laws of the land protect the
purchaser and they make it quite clear that after buying
a pedigree kitten that was simply “declared” or
unregistered, the new owner can go ahead, register it
on the Active Register and breed from it. However,
the unregistered or declared kitten will have the GCCF
prefix rather than the breeder’s.
I hope I have made it clear to
everyone, after reading the above, that a pedigree
kitten of pet quality, or one with perhaps a defect that
should not be passed on to future generations, could be
bred from, quite legally, UNLESS ITS BREEDER TAKES THE
RESPONSIBLE STEPS TO PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING by
registering all kittens not suitable for breeding on the
Non-Active Register.
WHY IS THE PAPERWORK SO IMPORTANT?
According to the Sale of Goods and
the Trades Description Acts, someone selling a kitten as
“pedigree” must provide proof of that at the point of
sale. SO, the seller HAS to provide the pedigree,
and, if the kitten is just declared or unregistered, HAS
to provide the certificate of mating.
Some breeders think they can get
round all of this hassle by withholding paperwork until
the new owner provides proof the cat has been neutered.
It must be realised though that this is against the law
and the new owner could take the breeder to court and
WIN. Breeders HAVE to provide the necessary paperwork,
the Sale of Goods Act is adamant about this and the GCCF
has to comply with the requirements. It is for this
reason we have Section 1 Rule 10a:
“When a cat or kitten is
advertised or sold as a pedigree cat or kitten the
vendor shall, at the time of sale, provide the purchaser
with a properly completed pedigree signed by the
breeder, carrying 3 generations at least, showing all
the breed numbers and registration numbers, also the
breeders name and address. If the vendor is not the
breeder, the pedigree must, additionally, be signed by
the vendor. If the cat/kitten is not registered, a copy
of the mating certificate shall be supplied by the
vendor to the new owner.”
That is the GCCF rule and all
breeders with a GCCF prefix must adhere to it. There is,
however, one way in which you could insist the new owner
provides you with proof of neutering for kittens on the
non-active register and that is found in Section 1 Rule
10b:
“If at the time of sale, the cat
or kitten is registered, the seller shall provide the
purchaser with a transfer form, duly completed and
signed by the seller, unless it is jointly agreed in
writing by both parties at the time of sale not to do
so.
So, the only form that can be
withheld until the owners provide proof the kitten has
been neutered is the Transfer Form but only if both
parties have both agreed, in writing, as described
above. However it does mean the new owner cannot show
the kitten until after neutering as it would still be,
officially, in the breeder’s name.
SO WHAT CAN I DO TO ENSURE MY PET
KITTENS ARE NOT BRED FROM?
