I have had a lot of people say to me “I can get an unregistered ragdoll/persian for £x less, I only want a pet”. I would like to address why I became a GCCF registered breeder for ragdolls and chinchilla Persians.
There are other registering bodies, mainly TICA and Fife, but the GCCF is the largest in the UK. The GCCF lays down certain rules and standards about how kittens should be bred, their health, and any genetic testing requirements. Importantly; it also offers additional protection to anyone buying a GCCF registered kitten.
The GCCF:
- monitors and regulates kitten parentage, and will not permit matings from cats that are too closely related, as this can produce very unhealthy kittens
- ensures that certain cats that do not meet the requirements for health or type cannot be bred from by preventing them from being registered ‘Active’. Any offspring from a cat on the non-active register cannot be registered
- provides certified pedigrees, so that we know the genetic lineage of every cat and can make sure we avoid dangerous matings
- sets certain health tests as standard, so where there is a prevalent disease within a breed, all parents must be genetically tested and proven free from it before they can be used to breed from
- has the power to penalise breeders whose conduct falls below a certain standard. They are able to impose fines on breeders and will help people who have bought a sick or improperly registered kitten by helping them pursue a claim in court
- can suspend and ban breeders, meaning that the breeder will never be able to sell registered kittens again.
If someone has taken the extra time and effort to become a registered breeder, and follow all of the additional rules that this imposes, it tells you something about their character. Chances are they like to do things properly, and to the best of their ability. This is so critical when you are choosing where to get your new kitten from, rather than saving a few pounds and taking a chance.
I am registered with the GCCF because I want to do things right. I want to breed beautiful Ragdoll and chinchilla Persian without cutting corners and putting their health at risk. I want to provide the best experience possible from start to finish. Registration, for me, is a no-brainer!
The GCCF only have the powers mentioned above where a breeder is a registered. Where a breeder is not registered, you have no protection at all other than your basic legal rights and these are very limited.
Unregistered kitten scams and excuses
Do not accept imitations! Some kitten sellers have become quite skilled at creating highly misleading adverts, and the rise of online sale sites has given them an easy route to people, that requires very little effort and does not rely on the need to maintain a good reputation. Unfortunately a seller using just an online advert can simply change their name every time they advertise, and then they become basically untraceable. Here are two examples of misleading adverts:
Misleading kitten advert 1
- ‘Show Quality Pedigree Chinchilla Persian Kittens’ for £750
- on very close inspection it said ‘are the kittens registered: no’
- but the advert gave the distinct impression that they were
- unregistered kittens cannot be shown properly (only in the ‘household pet’ section, for moggie cats) so by describing the kittens as ‘show quality’, the advert was highly misleading!
- they will not have had any genetic testing
- they will likely not been checked by a vet or indeed had vaccinations
Misleading kitten advert 2
- ‘Pedigree Ragdoll kittens £600 and then it said ‘unregistered as we only want them to be pets, not bred or shown’
- this is nonsense! Almost all of our kittens go to be pets, and they are all registered
- unregistered cats can still be shown but only in the household pet classes
- unregistered cats are often bred from by back-yard-breeders
- registering your kittens on the non-active register is the only way to create any protection for them
- In this situation the reality is that the parents of those kittens are either not registered at all, or are registered on the non-active register which means that they are likely not good enough or healthy enough to breed from
- given a cat only costs circa £9 to register with GCCF, they are avoiding such a small cost for a reason and that is likely one which is down to the health and well being standards
To protect yourself:
- read adverts all the way through
- if in doubt ask for confirmation
- a misleading or deceptive advert speaks volumes as to the integrity and attitude of the advertiser
- double check everything and ask lots of questions
- check to see if the breeder has their own website – this is a good sign, because it means they have a reputation to maintain
- are they asking for a significant deposit even before you’ve seen the kittens or you’ve visited
- and as always; if it looks too good to be true, it often is…
We are happy to answer questions about what we do because we love what we do and we take pride in it. If you find a breeder who doesn’t want to answer your questions, or can’t, then something is not right. If something is not right, walk away and find another breeder.