Policy and Guidance Statements

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Cat Overpopulation - CFA's Position

The Cat Fancier's Association, the United States & World's largest registry of pedigree cats and the largest sanctioning body of pedigreed cat shows, wishes to reaffirm its commitment to the promotion and protection of all cats, pedigreed and otherwise, with the following representing our position on cat overpopulation.

• Needless euthanasia of healthy, adoptable cats is offensive to all cat lovers.

• To reduce the numbers of animals euthanized in the United States, cat lovers should be willing to cooperate with others in the animal field to find solutions which will:

  1. Decrease the number of unwanted births of cats, both random bred and pedigreed.
  2. Decrease the number of homeless stray cats and increase the return of lost cats to their homes.
  3. Increase the number of cats adopted into permanent homes and decrease the number surrendered to the shelters.

• The responsible breeding of pedigreed cats is of value to society in order preserve the domestic cat breeds and to provide animals with desirable and predictable physical and personality characteristics. Further, our position is that we are opposed to any law or regulation which would prevent the exercise of these activities.

• Those who are involved in the responsible breeding of pedigreed cats should recognize that, while the proportion of pedigreed kittens produced is small compared to kittens born at random to random bred cats as a result of indiscriminate or unplanned matings, this group should promote ethical breeding practices which will help reduce the number of unwanted cats.

Adopted by the CFA Board of Directors on June 20th, 1991 in Philadelphia, PA.

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