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Rules for Registration
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Acceptance and Advancement of New Breeds and ColorsA new breed or color first must be recognized for registration before it can become a Provisional Breed and finally enter Championship show competition. CFA is willing to register any litter which fulfills the requirements for registration as set down in this outline. Registration does not guarantee eventual progression to Provisional and Championship status. The Cat Fanciers' Association, Inc. is the largest registry of purebred cats in the world. For purposes of registration, CFA has arbitrarily divided cats into the following groups: Natural, Hybrid, Established and Mutant breeds. Since the British cat fancy has been established long before that of the American, the artificial boundaries of four large groups was necessary to encompass those breeds present and those to come in the future. It should also be pointed out that registration rules need not also follow the laws of genetics. The purpose of a registry of purebred cats is to provide a continuing history of cats as a service to breeders. Because of changes in registration rules that have occurred from time to time in the history of CFA, these rules have been prepared to offer guidelines to breeders interested in developing new breeds and colors of cats. New breeds of cats occur either as spontaneous mutations or result from the hybridization of two previously known breeds. When two cats come together and produce offspring unlike either parent, a mutation is strongly suspected. It does happen that a diff erent offspring may occur as a result of different breeds or colors in the ancestry of the parents. Such a kitten is not a mutation, but rather a reflection of its ancestry. Mutations take the form of skeletal changes (Manx, Scottish Folds), new coat forms (Cornish Rex, Devon Rex, American Wirehair), and new colors (Red Abyssinian). Examples of hybrid breeds are the Himalayan-Persian, the Exotic and the Oriental. CFA wishes to impress upon those breeders who would consider hybridizaton to create a new breed the consequences of such an undertaking. Not only must the breeder consider the validity of the planned breeding program, but whether the product of this proposed hybridization will enhance the fancy by its addition. Will sufficient breeding stock be available from those breeders who will be called on to participate in the breeding program, and most importantly, is the proposal possibly simply a whim? CFA believes that the import of these considerations must be weighed carefully. The future of the proposed breed depends upon just this evaluation; indeed, the future of the fancy is dependent on such conscientious, moral judgments. Although CFA is eager to aid in the development of any cat offering a unique and healthy addition to the fancy, CFA does assume the position that not all hybrid crosses will be acceptable to the fancy. CFA feels that any new breed of cat should be an asset to the fancy both in health and beauty. Realizing that some new breeds will rarely attract the following of some older ones, CFA still insists that there be sufficient numbers of breeders and sufficient numbers of specimens of the new breed to warrant registration. It should be emphasized that registration of a new breed or new color does not automatically ensure future championship status. |
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