| For some of us, a common-or-garden Tom cat is not | | | | the new breed standard. Finally, the one breed |
| enough. We want quality feline company with a | | | | currently in the Miscellaneous Class is still having a |
| pedigree and the only way to guarantee that a cat is | | | | breed standard created and cannot actually compete |
| a purebreed is to contact one of the national cat | | | | for the best in show title. |
| associations or similar organisations in other countries. | | | | In Canada, you can register your cat in the Canadian |
| To find a purebred cat, you may start with the Cat | | | | Cat Association. This association was formed by |
| Fancier's Association. The CFA was created to | | | | Canadians who did not want to register their cats |
| maintain breed standards and to register litters as | | | | with an association in another country. There are |
| purebreds. The association also holds cat shows and | | | | other popular cat registries including the Traditional |
| judges them based on how closely they adhere to | | | | Cat Association, which supports original breed |
| the standards. They recognize only 41 breeds of | | | | standards and does not uphold current trends that |
| cats. | | | | exaggerate breed characteristics, the Governing |
| The breeder registers a litter of kittens with the Cat | | | | Council of the Cat Fancy, which is the United |
| Fancier's Association. Then they have the option of | | | | Kingdom's cat registry, and the Fédération |
| deciding whether or not to allow the kitten to be | | | | Internationale Féline, which is the European cat |
| bred. Only cats with a pin number on their registration | | | | registry. |
| forms will be eligible to have their kittens registered. | | | | All cats fit into one of two categories. They are |
| This allows the breeders to continue to better their | | | | either short hair or long haired. Short haired are |
| breeds. Once the litter is registered, each kitten will | | | | breeds like the Abyssinian and British Shorthair. The |
| need to be individually registered by its new | | | | long haired beads include Turkish Angora and |
| owner. | | | | Norwegian Forest Cats. The most popular of them |
| There are three categories of recognized cats. | | | | all is the American Shorthair which has been in the US |
| They are the Championship Class, the Provisional | | | | for over 300 years. They have been carefully bred |
| Class, and the Miscellaneous Class. Each bred that the | | | | for generations to develop characteristics that would |
| CFA recognizes is in one of these groups. They must | | | | appear in each kitten born. Others include the |
| win first place in their breed and then their class | | | | Siamese, the Rex, the Main Coon, the Ragdoll and |
| before they can compete for the title of best in | | | | the Persian. |
| show. | | | | Choosing a cat with a pedigree allows you to choose |
| The Championship Class are those cats who are | | | | a cat that has the characteristics that you want it to |
| established cat breeds. The breeds in the Provisional | | | | have. They are no more affectionate than other |
| Class have been more recently established. They | | | | cats but they can be a prized possession no matter |
| are still being watched to insure that they conform to | | | | what. |