The Pedigreed Cat Fancy
A Brief Overview of Cats in Society
by Anna Sadler

The world of breeding and showing pedigreed cats knows no national boundaries. Thousands of people all over the globe proudly display their pets to judges and to the public on any given week-end. An example of cat fancier dedication is that once the Iron Curtain was lifted, the Russian cat fancy emerged from the underground and began holding cat shows. Russian breeders have introduced their country’s own unique breeds, including the Siberian (one of the oldest known breeds); and the Mei Toy and the Kural Bobtail which were previously unknown to the rest of the world, but which were carefully developed and nurtured despite a restrictive society’s laws and hardship.

Pedigreed cats are registered with various independent registries throughout the world, each of which promulgates written “standards of perfection” against which the cats are judged in competition, and that constitute the ideal toward which breeders strive. The Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA), founded in 1906, is the world’s largest of these registries and licenses shows held by the 582 affiliate clubs in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia. CFA recognizes 37 distinct and unique breeds, and approximately 15-20 additional breeds may be recognized by one or more of the other world’s registries.

It should come as no surprise that cat fanciers love cats, and that this love is not limited to the pedigreed cats. CFA leads the world in activities that promote the health and the welfare of all cats. Cat shows include competition for pedigreed championship cats, and for altered (neutered or spayed) pedigreed cats, and even for the lovely random-bred household cats. CFA’s Winn Feline Foundation funds important veterinary medical studies. The non-profit organization also has an active disaster relief effort and programs that promote breed rescue and management of feral cat colonies. Clubs work with local humane agencies to help place homeless random-bred cats in new homes, and in promoting and funding low-cost neuter/spay programs, as well as countless activities to educate the public about responsible cat ownership and care.

According to the Pet Food Institute, there are approximately 65 million pet cats in the United States today. There is a vast, but unknown number (possibly a number nearly equal to the owned population) of unowned or feral cats. These unowned cats and their unweaned litters represent the bulk of shelter euthanasia currently. No traditional approach over the last century has effectively reduced this population. The common “trap-and-kill” programs are not only unpopular but inhumane, and restrictive licensing and “ownership” laws punish people whose only crime is to provide kindness and food to these unowned cats. With no owner to comply with laws, any that are passed are singularly ineffective in controlling feral cats.

The cat fancy, in cooperation with other feral cat advocacy groups, is supporting programs that have been proven in wildlife management, involving trapping, testing for disease, vaccinating, sterilizing, returning to their original location where there is ongoing maintenance by caregivers. The cats in these colonies, then, will continue to defend their territory from intruders, will be safer with respect to public health, and will over time reduce in numbers due to attrition as older cats die and younger ones are incapable of reproducing. People might tend to forget that cats still perform the public service that they have done for thousands of years ... no one has yet invented a better mousetrap! In areas where either massive trap and kill programs or natural disaster has decimated the feral population, there has been an almost immediate rise in rodent populations and their associated health risks.

Current campaigns promoted by some national animal welfare organizations are designed to eliminate - by trap and kill - feral cats, purportedly to protect birds. Most scientific studies of the contents of feral cats’ stomachs show that the feral cat’s diet exists almost exclusively of rodents, garbage, carrion, and lizards, with birds representing only a miniscule amount. Birds represent under 10% in most of these studies, and even then no distinction is drawn between live-caught birds and those consumed already dead.

New pet demographic studies are proving that, despite what is being incorrectly touted as “fact”, cat owners are being very responsible. Five different studies show that more than 87% of all owned cats are neutered or spayed. According to a recent independent study in San Diego, which supports that percentage, a significant number of those few that are not yet sterilized are too young for the surgery, or their owners cannot afford it. In fact, were it not for the kittens from feral populations, it is estimated that all of the owned, unsterilized cats can fulfill only about half the United States public’s demand for kittens - what is called the "replacement rate".

In fact, while some animal protection organizations continue to lobby for stronger laws to restrict breeding and to fund raise based on skewed shelter data, others have moved on to address the real problems of why animals die in shelters. The National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy released in 1998 a study of pet relinquishment to shelters. Information from this study shows that pet cats obtained from breeders and pet shops represent a lower risk of later relinquishment than those obtained from most other sources. Only 3.4% of cats relinquished at shelters were pedigreed cats originally obtained from breeders or pet shops, compared to 23.3% which were obtained as stray.

Progressive animal welfare organizations are now recognizing that laws restricting breeding are not needed, and are even not desirable. Many, with the help of studies such as the National Council’s, are beginning to identify and address the real reasons why the human/animal bond might be severed. As risk factors are being identified, educational programs are being targeted to accomplish the most good. Education and positive programs - not laws - have already accomplished a 75% reduction in shelter euthanasia nationally in the past decade. Notably, the cities that have achieved the greatest success in that reduction, such as San Francisco, have done so with virtually no restrictive laws, i.e., mandatory neuter/spay, breeder permits or cat licensing.

While the cat fancy is dedicated to promoting the well being of all cats, we are primarily committed to preserving our breeds. These pedigreed cats are pieces of history, each having a distinct story and past. Some of our ancient breeds have only 100 or fewer cats registered each year, yet they have devoted admirers. Without responsible breeding programs, many breeds would today be extinct. Current state and local legislation proposals involving mandatory neuter/spay, expensive and intrusive breeder permits and large intact license differentials could well mean diminished cat fancy involvement that could lead to the demise of some of those breeds. All pedigreed cats could become difficult, if not impossible to obtain.

While pedigreed cats have not been bred to perform specific tasks as many dog breeds have, their beauty, predictable temperament, history and individuality is worthy of preservation. The American Shorthair, for example, is currently bred to the standard of appearance that existed at the turn of the century in America, before the advent of the imported breeds. The Turkish Angora cat had been thought to be extinct until a controlled breeding colony was discovered in the Ankara Zoo in the 1960’s, and imports allowed this distinct breed to once again grace showhalls and peoples’ homes. These and the other beautiful and unique breeds have devoted admirers among both cat fanciers and the public.

Cat fanciers are strong and unified in our opposition to anti-breeding laws which violate our constitutional rights as well as put our beloved cat breeds in jeopardy. The Cat Fanciers’ Association has joined forces with other animal organizations to ensure that public officials are aware of the serious consequences of these anti-breeding laws on our pedigreed cats. A study of the issue clearly shows that many of these laws are promoted by those organizations and individuals who are fundamentally opposed to any purposeful breeding - indeed, even the keeping - of pets.

Copyright © 1998-2005 Anna Sadler. All rights reserved.