Purebred vs Pedigreed

Pedigreed cats almost never come into shelters with their registration certificates or pedigree papers. This presents a dilemma for the average shelter or rescuer, who must guess at whether the cat belongs to a particular breed or is pedigreed.

As a result, the following definition was added to the Policies and Procedures of Purebred Cat Breed Rescue:

"Purebred", as used herein for purposes of rescue only, is defined as any cat which appears to look like or closely resemble a breed fully recognized by The International Cat Association, Inc., the American Cat Fanciers Association, Inc, or The Cat Fancier's Association, Inc. "Purebred mix" is defined, for purposes of rescue only, as any cat which appears to have several significant characteristics of a breed fully recognized by The International Cat Association, Inc., the American Cat Fanciers Association, Inc, or The Cat Fancier's Association, Inc., but which lacks the combination of features, colors, and/or conformation that are expected in that breed.

As such, Purebred Rescue involves the rescue of both pedigreed cats and "copycats". Purebred rescue organizations are usually composed of people who are expert in identifying the various breeds of cat and dealing with the specific needs of the breed(s) that they rescue.

And What about Other Cats?

To be maximally effective, the rescue of purebreds from dangerous situations must be the top priority of Purebred Cat Breed Rescue efforts. In civil seizure and hoarder situations where both purebred and domestic cats are involved, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue makes every effort to coordinate with general domestic cat rescues to get ALL cats involved in the situation to safety. Bonded domestic partners of purebred cats are always rescued when a Purebred is rescued for the sake of both cats. Purebred Cat Breed Rescue does appreciate and support efforts to get any at-risk cat to safety or provide rescue and will aid in such efforts whenever feasible.

Purebred and Breed rescuers are not "elitists". Most would rescue any animal at risk if they had the resources to do so. However, with limited resources and with extensive expertise regarding pedigreed cats, they have chosen purebred rescue to fill a need for such rescues that has been largely unmet.

There is no financial incentive to doing purebred rescue as most of the cats rescued are poorly bred and come from extremely bad circumstances. The resultant significant veterinary work needed to get them healthy and ready for adoption far exceeds the income from adoption fees.