Moggie crosses

[Valkirie]

We’d been thinking about getting a pair of kittens, and whilst looking online I have been surprised to see lots of pedigree x moggie crosses. I think this was surprising to me because I had expected that someone with a pedigree cat would typically choose to breed pedigree litters. Are advertised crosses likely to be genuine crosses, or do I need to assume that a good number advertised as a pedigree cross will actually be 100% moggie with only a resemblance to a named breed?

Remember that a moggy/pedigree cross is still a moggy.
The only reason that a moggy/pedigree cross would be advertised is for the seller to try and get a higher price for the kittens. You'll get no documentation, and almost certainly no injections, vet checks or flea & worming treatment.

That's why most people here recommend getting rescue kittens rather than from dodgy home breeders.

My friend adopted a Persian/Selkirk Rex cross. She has bits of each breed but is definitely a moggy!

Forgot pic

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I’d looked at rescue centres first of all, but we already have one older cat at home, and the paired cats/kittens I’ve seen available for rehoming are listed as needing to be the only pets in the household. I’d been considering buying Burmese as I’ve loved the personality of other Burmese cats I’ve met before. Getting a pair of pedigree cats would be very expensive though, hence considering crosses as an alternative. But if they’re listed as crosses on the basis of appearance rather than breeding (and temperament) then that’s rather as I feared and not really what I’m looking for!

Crosses are just moggies at the end of the day.

I love a moggie though - we have three and they're all fantastic 🥰

When you buy a pedigree it from a breeder it is either active or inactive status. An active cat can be used to breed and the kittens can be registered but kittens from an inactive cat can't.

I would be cautious, I have a ragdoll so will comment on that breed, but I'm sure it is similar for other breeds. Registered ragdolls are free from the gene that causes HCM (a heart condition) but it is common in unregistered kittens. I would never buy an unregistered or cross for that reason.

Former veterinary receptionist - I saw a lot of people paying hundreds for apparent crosses, with no evidence of parentage.
I'm in London and unscrupulous sellers will happily describe every tabby kitten as "part bengal" & every longhair as "part maine coon/ragdoll" etc in order to push up the price.
Unless you see the kittens with the queen and she is definitely the breed, I wouldn't believe it to be honest.

^ this is also a very good point

Also agree with this being a very good point (I have a pure registered Ragdoll)

Thank you, this is all really helpful advice. It wouldn’t have occurred to me that the risk of genetic disease could be higher in an unregistered animal (I’d have instead assumed that outbreeding would be to its advantage!) Lots to think in here, thank you.

*think on here.

I have unregistered Persians who were rescued from a kitten farm. One of them will have passed her HCM down to all her kittens.

This is my "Bengal", clearly mixed with a tabby or something. She was sold to us as Bengal breed but not pedigree. Her temperament is amazing so I think the mix works

I agree with this, it's likely that the 'pedigree' parent (assuming owners aren't lying about this bit too) was sold as a pet and so registered inactive. So even if the owners arranged a mating with another pedigree animal of the same breed, the kittens could never be officially registered.

When we were looking for DCat (also a Ragdoll) we saw a litter where this was the case. They seemed a nice family and I think they were legit but they only had papers from the queen's side and I was worried about HCP so ended up waiting and travelling further to a fully registered breeder. Glad I did because DCat is the best cat in the world!

We have adopted two "bengal" cross kittens. They definitely have bengal personality and face shape but I wouldn't have known if they hadn't told me.

Before we adopted we nearly bought another cross, the owner's pedigree cat got out of the house and pregnant by a moggy, she still tried to flog them for hundreds!!

Hi Op,
If you do like the idea of a specific cat like a Burmese perhaps look at the charities that re-home Burmese cats, that way you know the breed of cat you are getting and you have the support of the charity too for advice, health checks etc.

Or you may be able to get a moggy from a charity but it just might take a bit longer for one to become available that is a single cat able to slot in with a resident cat.

We have some kind of pedigree cross. She is pointed with pale blue eyes. We got her as a rescue though so no idea what kind of cross she is. She is the sweetest, quietest cat we have ever had and adores belly rubs. Personally I wouldn't pay for a pedigree cross though because like others have said you never really know what it is you getting yourself in for.

My friend paid nearly £400 for a "Maine Coon x " who looks exactly like a domestic short haired tabby.
I'd get a kitten from a rescue as they are overflowing.

There's no such thing as a pedigree x

They are moggies that chancers are trying to flog for extra cash! 😂

I've got a moggy with a ped Burmese mum. We got him for free so deffo nobody trying to make a few quid.

He's like a standard black and white cat but he has a funny face and the direction his fur grows in is unusual. I'd say he had a very friendly temperament like a Burmese but maybe he's just a nice cat.

Here are my two cats whose mum was a beautiful Birman and dad was the local ginger Tom. I got them from my local cat rescue and as beautiful as they are I would never pay hundreds of pounds for them as they are just moggies. They are, of course, priceless to us!

This is Cat One. Apparently, his mother is a Russian Blue. 😂

No idea what Changes background is. He's a semi long haired tuxedo, very vocal, intelligent and an absolute unit. Nothing like his bruv (white & black).

Every tabby cat now seems to be called a Bengal cross when I suspect few if any actually are.

Loads of Persian crosses as well. Look like normal cats with big eyes!