If I just want one liter, do I need to register?

I have a 1.5 year old female tortie himalayan with papers whom I love. I would like her to have a liter because my sister and mother really love her and want a cat from her line. If I only plan on having one liter and would have to find good homes for some of the kittens, do I need to register as a breeder in Maryland (If so how)? Thanks!

If you want to mate with a purebred male, I would think that the male owner might require that you register. So that may be a factor to consider. Another thing is that you may want only one litter now, but that may change!

Does your contract say anything about breeding? If your mother and sister really like you kitty, maybe they could get kittens from her siblings' litters? Check with the breeder from whom you bought your cat.

Another point to consider is that if you should succeed in finding a male that would be "allowed" to mate with you female on unregistered terms, what if you end up with 5 or 6 kittens? You would have to pay for the mating, I suppose. You would probably not be able to sell the kittens without papers. So you would have to give them away.

So why not register? And take the breeding seriously while you are at it. Then you could find a good male for your cat. And I am sure the breeder who sold the cat to you would be happy to help you.

Originally Posted by krkyria

I have a 1.5 year old female tortie himalayan with papers whom I love. I would like her to have a liter because my sister and mother really love her and want a cat from her line. If I only plan on having one liter and would have to find good homes for some of the kittens, do I need to register as a breeder in Maryland (If so how)? Thanks!

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As an alternative plan ... unless you are just absolutely heart-set upon having a litter, could you not simply contact the breeder from whom you acquired your pedigreed kitty? That way, your sis and mom could still get kittens from the same line but you wouldn't have to go to the trouble of finding a suitable stud and making all the preparations (both environmentally and financially) to have your girl bred, raise a litter for 10 - 12 weeks, find good homes for any kittens your family didn't take ... Just a thought.

~gf~

The breeder whom I got my cat from had a heart attack and had to fix all his cats and adopt them out, so that's not an option. I live in a good area and I am not worried about the work invovled (I'm willing to do it) or finding good homes for all of the kittens. If you could point me in the right direction: How do I go about registering?
Thank you so much for all your help and advice!

I have a few questions if I may ask, we breed Himmies for 6 or 7 years
1. The blue slip that the breeder gave you when you aquired her did it say
may be used for breeding with a litter id # if not, you cannot register her kittens.
2. Is it CFA or another registery?
3. Check your area if you live in the limits of a town you may have to register
with the city, most states do not regulate breeders.
If you can breed her and register the kittens write CFA and request a litter registration form, then just follow the directions.

Most importantly of all, has this girl been ultrasounded by your vet and deemed clear of PKD (polycystic kidney disease)? This often doesn't appear in Persians and Himmys until they are at least several years old and causes them to go into early renal (kidney) failure. Unfortunately, it is all too common in Persians. Before breeders started getting diligent (several years ago) about screening breeding cats, I think 1 in 4 cats were affected. Some breeders wound up spaying/neutering their entire catteries.

Being a dominant gene, if both parents are ultrasounded and proven PKD free, there is no danger of passsing it on to kittens, as it cannot be carried.

Even if you are having "just one litter" (by the way, that phrase is legendary in rescue circles - most mixed and purebred cats in shelters were from that "just one litter") those kittens deserve to be given as good a start as possible, and good health is more important than a birth certificate they are going to get from a registry.

Originally Posted by Catfolks

I have a few questions if I may ask, we breed Himmies for 6 or 7 years
1. The blue slip that the breeder gave you when you aquired her did it say
may be used for breeding with a litter id # if not, you cannot register her kittens.
2. Is it CFA or another registery?
3. Check your area if you live in the limits of a town you may have to register
with the city, most states do not regulate breeders.
If you can breed her and register the kittens write CFA and request a litter registration form, then just follow the directions.

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What if the father cat has no breeding rights but the mother cat does?
Can you register the litter or not?

Originally Posted by krkyria

I have a 1.5 year old female tortie himalayan with papers whom I love. I would like her to have a liter because my sister and mother really love her and want a cat from her line. If I only plan on having one liter and would have to find good homes for some of the kittens, do I need to register as a breeder in Maryland (If so how)? Thanks!

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This response is probably a little harsh...but I've found that being blunt is much more effective means of communication than being 'Politically Correct'.

Before you even consider breeding, I would urge you to instead consider rescuing.

Having worked with many different rescue orgs, and having co-founded one, please understand that I have seen way to many "One Litter" rescues. I've also seen these "One Litter" breeders, not be able to follow through with the concept, instead after the kittens grow up, considering "Just One More"....even the best intentions of "One Litter" breeders are really only that; intentions.

Unless you plan on breeding to contribute to the betterment of the breed, there is absolutely no reason to breed. Single litter breeding is simply a selfish excuse that people use to get kittens of their own. (JMO)

So, if you truely want to become a breeder, then I would suggest you consult your local library, courthouse, and animal control. Seek a copy of all the applicable municiple, state and federal laws. Also, I would suggest for you to have your kitty medically screened for any breed specific and specie specific genetic defects.

Furthermore, I cannot stress enough the amount of thought you really need to put into this course of action. You obviously have put a fair amount into it already, otherwise you wouldn't be asking for help. Just please understand that Responsible Breeding encompasses more than just simple reproduction. That there is a lot more to breeding than simply facilitating the creation of new life.

Once again, please consider that there are a ton of unwanted kittens, and cats in animal shelters, in rescue organizations, etc. Most of these cats have only two options; one option, is a chance for a happy, loving life with a new owner, the other option, is not life.

I hope I did not come across as mean spirited, or otherwise ill intented. I only want the best for you and your kitties.

Please think through this decision. If you decide that you want to become a responsible breeder, we can help you, and I will be right there with everyone else to help you. If you change your mind, that's fine too, we'll still help you out with whatever we can.

Spotz

Alissa...I was just looking at an application and it asks for the sire's registration # and name so I think that both parents must be registered. It makes sense an an unregistered male could be "pet quality" and not "breeder quality".

Katie

Thank you for all of your valid and helpful tips. I will look at the papers I got from the breeder and talk to my vet. I will let you know what I decide.

Originally Posted by allissa

What if the father cat has no breeding rights but the mother cat does?
Can you register the litter or not?

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No - the key word here is breeding **rights**

Originally Posted by allissa

What if the father cat has no breeding rights but the mother cat does?
Can you register the litter or not?

Click to expand...

That would be a big no! Usually, there is a spot on the registration that says "Not for Breeding".

Once an organization sees that, you'll not be allowed to register a litter, therefore no paperwork on the kittens.

Associations keep ver good track of paperwork on the cats registered with them, so all they have to do is look on thier computer and it will tell them if the sire has breeding rights or not, even if the registration you have doesn't say it.

Plus, lets say that by some chance you did manage to register them, the cat fancy is a pretty tight knight group of people, and someone is likely to figure it out. From there, I can only imagine how you would be treated.

Nope it has to be on both parents to reg. a litter DON"T waste your time trying
if the Sire has no breeding rights. you can breed but NOT as reg. kittens.
Sorry to be blunt but I have a female Himalayan that is a Flame Pointe
but the will not reg. her as that color because they are only males that color ?
So to reg. her we had to call her a tortie pointe go figger.