Papers & Documentation For Pedigree. Advice Please

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

My birmans were sorta rescues but came from the daughter of the original owner and I got tthe family tree for each, handwritten and also the pink slips which showed that they had never been transfered from original owner to her daughter.

However I have not bothered to register them with me either.

I agree if you are buying a pedigree you should have clue what you are doing but have to say many dont cos they see a picture of a cat they like and then just go out to find one looking like it.

Someone in my family did that and consequently ended up with a very sick cat, I dont know if they have the papers and registration or even knows that this stuff exists.

Luckily the cat in question is now much more healthy but has been through so much to get to that point and it has cost thousands in bills.

I wish there was a way of getting the message across big time, about breeding and also the situation on unregistered breeders.

[CurlyCatz]

I was given all the relevant papers when i collected & paid for cody, this included the pink slip.

[Dawn F]

looking on the past threads relating to this kitten I think the breeder may do things a little differently

[Gillian Harvey]

My inlaws have had their Seal Point two months now and she is coming along fine. However they have not received any papers or documentation, what should they expect in the way of pedigree authenticity, where do they come from and how long before they should arrive.

Yes I agree with Suzanne - your inlaws should have been given the pedigree certificate showing the cat's lineage at the time they purchased the cat - plus a pink transfer slip which is sent to GCCF to transfer the cat into their name.

[Millys Mum]

I have to say, I'm not impressed that they have been sold a cat on the active register.  That is totally irresponsible of the breeder, imo.

Me too, if you dont know what the active register is you certainly shouldnt be doing it.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

We called him "Spanglepaws Fantasyfoosteps" in honour of his new moggy status, but Corporal seems to fit better!

   I like it 

In the case of rescues, it's a bit different as you can't always know their background.  Not all breeders have their own prefix.  While some register their prefix at the outset, others wait until later and kittens they register are given an administrative prefix by the GCCF. 

I agree it can be a minefield, and I dont' want anyone on here to think I'm criticising them directly.  But it isn't hard to find out basic information.  There is only 1 UK registration body (GCCF) and googling that will bring up advice for anyone looking to buy a pedigree cat, including what documents should come with a cat.  There is TICA and FIFe as well, which are international organisations.  I hear so many stories about sickly pedigree cats and cats with no registration documents or dodgy breeders (not just on here) and none of these people would continue to sell cats if prospective owners spent a bit more time researching the subject before they took the plunge.  I hate reading about bad breeders because they give all breeders a bad name.

[sheryl]

Why is he/she on the active list? are they going to breed.  Some breeders dont release the papers until they have seen proof of spaying/neutering.

[Corporal Smokey]

It's a bit of a minefield to someone new to pedigree cats though imho, although I do agree, research should be done. I think that it's easy to assume that if they are born from pedigrees and you visit them and the parents, as well as having the pedigree printed out then they're bona fide pedigrees themselves. It must be fairly easy for dodgy breeders to dupe unsuspecting customers.

I know that Josh and Hope were pedigree British but I never got hold of their papers as the person I took them off had had them dumped in a cardboard box after offering to help out a friend. Smokey has the printed out pedigree but no registration. I've tried to find out some of his "family tree" but not really got anywhere (apart from finding an amusing picture of his uncle who'd been groomed so much he looked like a big blue cloud!). I thought that must mean Smokey was registered but the lack of prefix started me thinking otherwise. Thankfully they have all been rescues so I haven't been hit in the pocket.

I always thought it would be nice to have known Josh and Hope's pedigree names, as well as Smokey's if he had one as, frankly, Smokey wouldn't be my choice (apologies to any Smokeys out there  ). We called him "Spanglepaws Fantasyfoosteps" in honour of his new moggy status, but Corporal seems to fit better!

I hope you get it sorted soon Alphapets!

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Got a bit side tracked there - to get back to the OP's questions

alphabets-home - the first thing your inlaws should do is contact the breeder and ask if their kitten  has been registered.  If the kitten has been registered then they should ask when they will receive the transfer of ownership slip (which they will need to send off to the GCCF with a small payment).  If the breeder says s/he is waiting for proof of neutering then morally that is ok, imo, although your inlaws should have agreed to this with the breeder when they bought the kitten.  It's not something the breeder is allowed to just decide on without the agreement of the owner.

If the breeder says the kitten is not registered then your inlaws should ask why and/or ask for a copy of the certificate of mating so that they can register the kitten themselves.

If the breeder does not co-operate, then they need to contact the GCCF to report the breeder.  That's assuming the breeder does actually register his/her cats with the GCCF.

Your inlaws should have received the following when they bought their ktiten:

Pedigree certificate
Registration documents
contract including GCCF code of ethics
proof of vaccination

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

sounds like a back yard breeder.   

No offence to anyone on this thread (we all make mistakes) but I do wish people would do a bit of research before buying a pedigree cat.  There is information on the GCCF website and if people read that first, it would prevent a lot of this kind of thing from happening.  Unfortunately, there are too many people who are happy to buy from backyard breeders and end up with cats that are either unhealthy or for whom there seem to be no registration documents.  These kind of breeders would go out of business if no-one bought from them.

[Dawn F]

that's the problem there was no registration document the family tree that she showed me was pre printed and the space for the registration number was left blank so this person seemed to be charging full price for unregistered cats

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Pedigree papers and registration papers are not the same thing, Dawn.  Pedigree cats come with a pedigree, which is usually hand written (well, they usually use computer programmes these days but it looks handwritten) and shows at least 5 generations.  The registration papers show that the cat is registered with an organisation such as the GCCF, and is the only real proof that a particular cat is actually a pedigree.

[Dawn F]

a friend of mine took a spraying persian off her sister in laws hands recently and was very excited to show me the pedigree papers - it was a handwritten sort of family tree but the cats still costs £450

[Dawn F]

but this one is on the active register so spaying shouldn't be an issue, to be honest looking back on the other posts for this one I'd be straight on the phone

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

The paperwork should have been given to your inlaws when they collected their kitten.  The breeder registers the kittens and the new owners get copies of the pedigree, contract etc and a pink slip which they send away to the GCCF in order to get the ownership details changed.  Your inlaws should have asked about this when they got their kitten and need to chase it up with the breeder.  They cannot do anything directly with the GCCF.  If the breeder did not have the registration documents when your inlaws collected their kitten s/he should have explained why - it is GCCF guidelines that these papers are given to the new owner at the time of purchase.  If it was due to the breeder not having received the documents then that should have been explained, or if s/he is holding on to them until proof of neutering is received then that should be specifically stated in the contract.  Have your inlaws got any paperwork at all?

I have to say, I'm not impressed that they have been sold a cat on the active register.  That is totally irresponsible of the breeder, imo. 

[Gail Bengal Slave]

If she is pet only they now don't send you the papers until she has been speyed and they have recived  confimation from the vet. This is to stop people having pet quality kittens and breeding from them.

I still haven't sent my pink form off to change me as Zebedee's owner, well Zebedee's slave 


She sounds adorable. What's her name?

[Dawn F]

active register means she can breed the documentation is a pink slip from GCCF which has registration number, name and breed on (there are other things but can't remember off the top of my head) when I got my cat I had to send a form off to gccf with £8 I think to change ownership details but this was done on the day I picked her up.  I'd contact the breeder to see if they have sent the paperwork off or not

[alphapets-home]

Dear All

My inlaws have had their Seal Point two months now and she is coming along fine. However they have not received any papers or documentation, what should they expect in the way of pedigree authenticity, where do they come from and how long before they should arrive.

The breeder states she has been registered on the active list...what is this? No contact from GCCF?

Thanks