Pet Quality – No Breeding Allowed

Many times people that are looking to purchase a pedigreed kitten are surprised to learn that the breeder stipulates that the pet kitten must altered, or may already be altered before being placed for sale. There are several reasons that breeders insist on this.

The active show breeder is dedicated to improving the breed they are working with. This means that only the best quality kittens should be used in a breeding program. Kittens can have “slight faults” which are only apparent to a pedigreed cat breeder, and if these cats are bred, the quality of the breed will regress instead of improve. Some of the “slight faults” might include ears that are too large or too small, poor eye color, or head and / or body conformation that does not meet the standard. To the untrained eye these kittens still look perfect and they make wonderful, loving companions. Occasionally, a breeder might offer a high quality kitten as a pet. This is sometimes done when usually a breeder has a large number of male kittens, but these kittens too, will likely be neutered before placement.

Each active show breeder has a cattery name that is used to identify cats that are produced by that breeder. The cattery name appears on pedigrees, registration certificates, in show catalogs or whenever a particular cat is mentioned. Pedigreed cat breeding is a serious undertaking, and each breeder takes pride in protecting their cattery name.

Reputable breeders are also particular about where their cats are sold or placed for use as breeding cats. Most breeders will likely want to develop a close relationship with anyone who is interested the cat being used in a legitimate breeding program. The Breeder will want to affirm that the new breeder’s interest is primarily a desire to improve the breed. When a cat is sold as a pet, the breeder understands that the cat is not being placed with a person who is knowledgeable about a breeding program, but is being placed with you strictly as a companion pet.