.1. Owners
should think carefully, take advice before getting a kitten, and choose a
breed of cat suited to their lifestyle. They should only keep as many cats
as they can care for adequately.
2. Cats and
kittens must be provided with warm and comfortable housing, with plenty of
opportunity for exercise and play. Cats should be kept indoors at night for
their own safety. Drinking water must be available at all times and cats
must be fed regularly and adequately. Breeders will supply written details
of all dietary requirements and give guidance concerning responsible
ownership when placing cats in a new home.
3. All cats
need some grooming to keep the coat in good condition and to check for
parasites, eg fleas. Longhair cats need daily grooming to prevent the
formation of knots and matted areas of fur, which cause considerable
discomfort to cats.
4. Veterinary
attention must be sought whenever a cat is showing signs of illness.
5. Cats that
are bought as pets, not for breeding, should be neutered or spayed at the
age recommended by your veterinary surgeon. If cats are registered on the
Non-Active register, this means that under no circumstances should the cats
be bred from; no progeny from these cats will be registered by the GCCF.
6. Breeders
agree only to sell cats where there is a reasonable expectation of a happy
and healthy life. An offer should be made at the time of sale to help with
the rehoming if at any time circumstances require the cat to be found a new
home.
7. Owners
should not sell any cat to commercial cat wholesalers, retail pet dealers or
directly or indirectly allow cats to be given as a prize or donation in a
competition of any kind.
8. Breeders
must not knowingly misrepresent the characteristics of the breed nor falsely
advertise cats nor mislead any person regarding the health or quality of the
cat and must draw the attention of purchasers to the implications of the
Non-Active register when selling pet kittens.
9. Breeders
selling a kitten on the Active register should offer advice and support to
the new owners. Owners should not breed cats in a way that is deleterious to
the health of the cat or the breed.
10. Owners
should consider carefully the best means of identifying their cat in case it
should become lost. This can be done by means of a microchip, which can be
painlessly inserted under the cat's skin by your veterinary surgeon and then
registering the number of your cat with the RSPCA registration scheme run by
the Kennel Club and also by notifying the GCCF of the cat's chip number. The
alternative is for the cat to wear some form of identification on a collar.
However, there are dangers for cats wearing collars as they may become
hooked up and caught by them or more likely the collar will break or come
off over the cat's head, so preventing easy identification.
11.
Breeders/owners must ensure that all relevant Governing Council of the Cat
Fancy documents are provided to the new owner when selling or transferring a
cat in accordance with Rule 10 (see below), including a copy of this
code.