I still don’t get it, the “to fix type” bit. Why would I want to fix the type of a kitten if I couldn’t even register that kitten on the active register? What purpose would fixing the type serve if I could never breed from it?

This bit I do get, just don’t (at all) like!!!! I cannot believe that breeders would mate mother to son (or father to daughter) just to shut up a calling queen or to save on stud fees and the inconvenience of going to a stud. Surely there are terrible health implications for the kittens born out of such a pairing? Do breeders fudge the paperwork when they breed in this way or does the kitten buyer get a pedigree that states father’s name and grandfather’s name as the same cat. Oh geez, this is making me feel ill.

I don't think the OP will be able to answer the FIP question as there was no biopsy done post mortem.

It is only very recently (within a year, I think) that the rule has been introduced. I have a two year old stud boy from such a mating (I did not breed him myself)

What concerns me far more is the hidden inbreeding. I am thinking of a breeder with a less common breed, where the least closely related stud in the whole coutnry was her own queen's grandfather. Or one of my breeds, where the average mating is equivalent to mating half-siblings, if you trace the lines back to foundation.

No fudging as far as I know. Of course anything is possible: unless you have DNA testing on all kittens, linked to a microchip number on both parents, how can you ever prove who the parents are?

Liz

Following on from Liz's point about 'hidden' inbreeding, I know of several breeders who are line breeding but don't appear to have a clue they are doing it as they just haven't researched enough? The matings of father/daughter and mother son ruling re kittens on active came in last year.

Reading the symptoms it could have been FIP, or FIP in combination with FeLV, it seems FeLV increases the probability of the existing corona viruses mutating and causing FIP. Could also be something else entirely of course.

If it was FIP without FeLV, then more to do with probabilities than diseased cat breeding presumably?

Dear Mark.

I am sorry to hear of your loss, I truly am

Unfortunately, as hard as it is to hear you've only yourself to blame for; 1. Not knowing what he died of, so you couldn't possibly say if it's the breeder fault or even yours (you could have stepped in some cat poo outside from a cat with a number of illnesses). 2. If it was down to the breeder, you didn't research enough to prevent this happening.

Unfortunately the only way this will stop happening to folks like you is if folks like you stop buying from irresponsible breeders.

I do know that when people buy their first kitten they don't necessarily think about the importance of health first. Ideally this would not be the case. But unless you're part of a community that is aware of health problems in cats and kittens then you would have no reason to be concerned.

On that basis I have a suggestion. Instead of concentrating on figuring out a way to have all breeders regulated like you suggest ... why not instead try to raise public awareness on the importance of kitten health before they buy?

You could contact a national paper and see if they would be prepared to do a story about it. Full of facts and why it's important to do research to avoid heartbreak. Or you could even contact the likes of This Morning, who often do slots about dogs during adoption drives. They could well be interested.

Public awareness is probably the only way to change things. Try going down that route instead I'd be (and I'm sure other here) happy to help you do this! I've been trying to get the CP to sit up and take notice on rescue issues (which doesn't seem to be working ), so I'd welcome a slight divert. It's all linked after all.

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Hi Aurelia,

What your saying makes a lot of sense about publicising the possible problems.

Certainly last time i lived in a house with cats was probably ~30 years ago, and at that time none of them ever got any of the diseases that i'm now reading about, at least they all lived a long life. Even the feral cats that i tamed and brought into the house were seemingly disease free. Which makes the current loss even more of a shock I guess.

Whats the effect on their health, with parrots inbreeding is responsible for them dropping out of the sky with a heart attack.

O, I'm truly sorry to hear that

Liz