• It is essential to buy a Kitten from a reputable, registered breeder, to ensure you receive a pedigree, healthy and robust Kitten. The Breeder should be registered with a Governing body, as a 'Breeder' for example: the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy or TICA or Fife. another example: You can be a registered breeder with the GCCF and hold a 'Prefix' and Register pedigree kittens. You can also be elevated to be part of the GCCF Breeder Scheme. The GCCF Breeder scheme map is available on their website . There are many breeders, of the various breeds on this scheme. There has been recent changes to the scheme, whereby the GCCF are now inspecting all the breeders and completing home checks,  but not all of the breeders have been inspected yet. We recommend contacting a breeder, that has been inspected and therefore has received the GCCF's full endorsement. The breeders that have not been Inspected yet, have until January 2026 to be Inspected otherwise their membership will be suspended, until it has been completed. Until then, obviously, very little is known by the GCCF about the breeders, their protocols, premises and their cats welfare conditions.

• The breeder should also hold a Local Authority License to sell animals as pets, otherwise they are breaking the Law. 

• The GCCF Currently monitor Cat registrations, Kitten registrations, they monitor how many litters a female is producing to avoid over breeding, they monitor Kitten sell complaints via the kitten feedback forms, and ensure all breeders abide to a code of conduct, amongst numerous other functions. They do not currently check that a breeder holds a Local Authority license as well, however, we hope their stance on this will change in the future as a duty of care, to ensure their registered breeders operate in compliance with DEFRA.

• If the breeder is not registered with a governing body, then the Kitten you are considering, is a moggy. Unscrupulous unregistered breeders, will try to convince you that the kitten is pedigree, despite not being able to prove it or provide you with the correct paperwork. They will say, the parents are pedigree, so therefore the Kitten is, but if the Kitten is not registered, its still a Moggy. They can also fraudulently, provide pedigree lineage which they have made themselves, in order to look authentic, so beware. This is all done to fool you into paying pedigree prices, for something that is not and never will be a pedigree.

• Unscrupulous unregistered breeders will purchase Kittens meant to be for Pets only, manage to purchase them un-neutered and then breed from them without the original Breeders knowledge or consent, this is why the parents may 'possibly' be pedigree and 'possibly' registered with a governing body, but the breeder can not register the Kittens. Cats have to be Pedigree, registered with a governing body and registered to be used for breeding purposes, called 'Active', this can only happen with the original breeders consent. 

• Many free sites like Gumtree and Preloved allow people to place adverts but do not require proof to validate the statements within the advert. Looking at the advert, it is easy for us to spot the unregistered breeders, but it may be harder for you, if you have little experience, which is why you need to be patient, ask questions and do your research first. We have approached Gumtree and Preloved on many occasions, when we have seen certain adverts, designed to mislead people and have had them removed. Its a shame the platforms do not do this for themselves.

• Pedigree Ragdolls are only in certain colour variations, so if you see a Ragdoll Kitten advertised and the picture is of a black Kitten, then it is clearly , not a Ragdoll, not pedigree and is just a moggy. Unscrupulous unregistered breeders, will go to great lengths to include certain breeds into their advert due to the breed popularity, in order to sell. Adverts claiming the Kitten is ¼ Ragdoll is stretching to say the least, but this is a true example of an advert seen recently. If you made a car and ¼ was a Ferrari and the rest was a ford focus, you would have an idea of what you are getting, its the same for Cats.

• The Kitten should come with registration paperwork and the official pedigree certificate, already neutered, has received all Primary Vaccinations (two), 5 weeks FREE Insurance, Micro-chipped and the micro chip registered to you, Health checked by a Vet, treated against parasites, litter Tray Trained, used to the hustle and bustle of a family home and appliances, fully weaned & feeding on quality food, with a small bag for you to either continue to use or to slowly change to your own preference of food, full Support from the breeder in the future and a diet sheet and advisory guide.​........... most of this is mandatory to provide, by the Governing body the Breeder is registered with, so if you dont get this, then I would question why. 

• The Kitten should not leave the breeder and its mum before the age of 13 weeks and One Day, if you are offered the kitten before this age, then I would question why.

• The Kittens parents should be fully health tested, so ask to see the paperwork and you must be able to see both parents when you view the Kitten.

• Moggy cats prices range from free to £100, pedigree cat prices range from £650 to £1300. Anyone selling a Kitten between £1300 to £2500 as a pet, regardless of the justification, is obviously breeding for financial gain and something we feel detracts from the enjoyment and the considered side of breeding. In our opinion, breeding should always be for the enjoyment, providing a sound service and for the enhancement of the breed. When it becomes a primary salary how much of the money is going back into the Cattery ?.

• On the other side, a cheap Kitten, which does not come from a Registered Reputable Breeder, does not come vaccinated, the parents are not health tested, is sold too young, is not neutered prior to collection, the Breeder cannot produce references of previous Kitten sells, does not provide full transparency and full disclosure, you will receive at least one guarantee, a guarantee that any saving you made initially, will be spent after the purchase.

• Thankfully with the Internet, information is available to everyone to research prior to purchasing a Kitten, but it is an individual choice to do so. Unscrupulous unregistered breeders thrive on that feeling you have when you view a kitten for the first time and the gorgeous fluffy little one, is all you are thinking about at the time. 

• There is more information on our FAQ page.

​

The above Guidance is provided in the hope that, one day there will be an end to unscrupulous breeding of all animals and an end to horror story's. We are very passionate in what we do and will continue to fight for better welfare for felines, better governance by governing bodies and local authority's, Less victims of unscrupulous sells and less unwanted Felines in rescue center's due to back yard breeding and irresponsible ownership.

Change can only come from better informed purchasers, if Unscrupulous breeders can not sell their Kittens they will stop breeding Kittens or become better ...........This however, is just our View.

Disclaimer: We completely understand that we ruffle the feathers of the breeding community and other breeders with our statements, however despite the fact we do 'care' , we do believe 'things' should be done properly and within the rules, regulations and the Law.

If it cant be done this way, it shouldn't be 'done'.