Why do pedigree papers matter?

[Eurydice84]

I am in the process of buying two kittens (can't adopt as I need a very specific hypoallergenic breed). I see a lot of talk on the pet forums about GCCF certifications, papers etc. If I am not planning to breed, do papers matter? And what about insurance - will a certain breed have to be declared even in the absence of papers?

Having the papers confirms the kitten is the actual breed the seller says and is supposed to guarantee a certain level of breeding standards. If you want a hypoallergenic kitten then you would want confirmation of pure bred status although I would recommend spending time with the kittens first to ensure you aren’t still allergic as a specific breed is not always a guarantee (I have a friend that is extra allergic to another friends sphyinx cat for example)

(I have a friend that is extra allergic to another friends sphyinx cat for example)

Yes - many allergies are to dander rather than hair, in which case a hairless cat might be a worse trigger as there's no coat to capture skin flakes.

Allergens are hormone related in cats; in order of most allergens given off to least, this is:

Entire male
Entire female
Castrated male
Spayed female

They don’t really matter if you’re not planning to breed or show. Our golden retriever has pedigree papers but to be honest they’re irrelevant - I refuse to pay ££ to the Kennel Club for a copy of them when she will only ever be a family pet for us.

The main benefit in my opinion of getting a pedigree is (mostly) responsible + experienced breeders along with proper health testing. Again though this isn’t always the case and you’ll still get some rubbish ones

With dogs it is important because some breeds have a tendency to specific illnesses, and while reputable breeders with papers wouldn't bread from the individual with the illness, the non-paper ones could.

Not sure how healthy the cat breeds are though.

Essentially they are proof you are getting what you are paying for. There are a lot of people that sell "pedigrees" that are far from it but they charge a premium. It should also help reduce the risk of hereditary problems as if the parents are registered they should have been tested and cleared for any breed specific problems (in dogs labradors and goldens should be hip scored for example). Unfortunately a lot (of course not all) of "pure" breed animals have been line bred (close relatives used to breed) so health issues and certain characteristics have become more extreme.

The GCCF sets rules for breeding that benefit the cat. So you may not benefit, but the kitten, and in particular its mother, will benefit from not being in the hands of someone unscrupulous trying to make a quick buck.

Gccf papers don’t matter at all … the gccf was set up to protect the welfare of cats but since the death of its founder it’s all about money, the gccf was intended to operate to control cat welfare and the animal welfare act so a breeder could decide which of its off spring would be bred from and which ones were pets only by its pink slip sadly court case over wrote that and now an owner can re register their pet to breed if they wish, the gccf also controlled the number of litters a cat produced as they can have kittens every 9weeks unless pregnant and the age that the cat was reaching now it no longer matters cats that came from pedigree to moggie matings are registered as active studs and queens welfare is no longer an issue complaints are not investigated and almost impossible to make but you do risk getting a cat that’s not healthy has a high coefficient and short life expectancy TICCA are much more serious about welfare and health…. The insurance will do nothing more than offer a small security against pre existing conditions but won’t offer cover for breed defects ….

my guess is you are after a hairless cat …. There are specific rescues for these cats as they require a huge amount of care including moisturiser and sunblock so instead of your furniture covered in hair its covered in greasy cream residue your door frames will be brown from where they rub themselves and as exotics the pet care will be expensive sphinx cat rehoming has a Facebook page

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We have our cats pedigree papers, and also his family tree certificate going back a few generations. It's interesting (and nice to know what his great grandparents were called lol) but we will probably never use it as he is a pet and not for showing. However, as useless as it is in our case, I would be suspicious of a breeder not having or offering this information, especially if the price tag is for a pedigree

Insurance wise the breed you insure them as should match how they are registered at the vets.
So I have a pedigree Siberian honestly if I didn't know she was Siberian I would register her as a domestic long hair.
But a Sphyx is too distinctive to be anything else.
Hypoallergenic is very tricky some people are allergic to hair, some dander and some a specific protein in a large number of cats saliva.