Читать книгу Cats For Dummies - Gina Spadafori - Страница 45

The Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) estimates that a very small number of cats (less than 5 percent) are pedigrees — that is, registered with the CFA or another organization. Although around 50 individual breeds of cat are recognized by various groups around the world, most of these breeds are pretty rare. Many of the rarer breeds hardly show up in “ordinary” pet homes at all, because their breeders are dedicated to preserving and improving the lines and either keep most of their kittens or place them with other dedicated breeders.

The more-popular breeds have many fans, including those folks who aren’t the least bit interested in showing — they just want a good pet with a certain “look.” But a lot of people don’t seem to realize that a cat is not like a piece of electronics. Finding a cat isn’t a matter of searching for the right product like the latest smartphone. Nor is it a matter of deciding on the right brand and then shopping aggressively for the best price and most convenient location.

Registration means nothing concerning a cat, and the breeder’s knowledge and reputation mean everything.

Think of a registry as being like the department of motor vehicles — you fill out the paperwork and send in the money, and the DMV sends back something that says, in effect, “Yep, it’s a car.” That slip of paper doesn’t say a thing about the reliability of that car or whether the vehicle has a manufacturer’s defect that can cause you trouble down the road. The department of motor vehicles didn’t manufacture the car, and it’s not guaranteeing quality.

The same is true of a feline registry, except most require even less in the way of proof that what they’re registering even exists. Everything is done on the honor system. We surely don’t need to tell you that where the possibility of making money exists, some people aren’t very honorable. Others are well-meaning but just not knowledgeable enough about genetic problems and socialization to be breeding cats. You want to avoid both kinds of people if you’re looking for a pedigreed cat.