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PEDIGREE ADVENTURES - Part I By Diana Fineran A pedigree is the most valuable tool to trace and confirm the lineage of a cat. As people began to take pride in the unusual or unique qualities of their cats, pedigrees became popular. Years before the science of genetics came to be and variations of cats were studied by the scientific community, pedigrees were discovered to be valuable in providing insights into the predictability of matings. What is a Purebred Cat? A pedigree and a Breed Standard are the supporting basis of a purebred cat. These tools establish the desired characteristics of what a pure bred cat is. To some a purebred cat is one that is registered with TCA, INC. , because that cat meets TCA, INC. requirements. The method is quite simple. When a number of cats bred from recorded parentage are registered, pedigrees can be generated from those records to trace the family trees or lineage of parents, grand parents and great grandparents. A pedigree signifies the TCA, INC. proper registration of the parentage of a cat. Registration with TCA, INC. reflects to some degree the actual appearance of the cat, because of the breed types we use. Traditional and Classic head and body types with their corresponding Breed Standards are definite and we Register each cat and kitten accordingly. A breed is defined as a group of cats, possessing a set of genetic characteristics that are agreed upon as unique, distinguishing and reproducible. These are such features as head shape, body structure, long hair, short hair, body color and eye color. Each is an inherited characteristic that creates the whole. In the past the exotic origin of a cat qualified as a method to determine its breed. The Traditional Siamese and Classic Siamese coming from Siam, the Traditional Persian (Doll Face) coming from the area of the ancient Persian Empire, the Traditional Turkish Angora coming from Turkey would be examples. In more modern times understanding genetics and inheritance has grown over the years. Breeds of cats have come to be distinguished by their genetic make up as well. This scientific tool is so valuable in maintaining purebreds pure. Reading a pedigree can be a learning experience for a
beginner, so let’s take a walk through that process. In essence it is your cat’s
family tree with all the branches of the family given by name. A pedigree is
presented using a series of brackets. Your cat’s name is given on the farthest
left hand side of the sheet of paper on it’s own single line. Progressing to the
right, the next set of two brackets provides the sire (father) and dam (mother)
of your kitten and so on for each successive generation. I’ve given an example
pedigree for your reference. Always remember, when reading a pedigree, the
male is on the top side of the bracket and the female is on the bottom side of
the bracket.
PEDIGREE ADVENTURES - Part II At this point, I’m going to expand upon the reason why I invented the three step process of proving purity and the three Sections in the TCA, INC. Registry. It came to my attention that so many breeders over the years became absolutely fed up with all of the other cat associations, that they left those associations entirely. Many maintained their own breeding records, thank goodness, and some did not. Either way they began Registering their cats with TCA, INC. once I founded it and established the rules in the TCA Constitution and Bylaws, Registry and Show Rules. Their cats were purebreds. It’s just that they abandoned those aberrant associations that insulted, attacked, and/or abused them. Also the direction taken by those associations to breed, reward and promote the most extreme and deformed cat they could produce was inherently offensive to breeders of the original types, as well as the general public. I invented the three step process of proving the Traditional and Classic Cats as purebred through the breeding process. It works this way. There are three categories to the TCA, INC. Registry. They are Foundation Stock, Pure Foundation Stock and Championship Stock. The Championship Stock category is for cats that are already registered with other TCA, INC. recognized registries in addition to those kittens born from cats that have gone through the 3 step process of proving purity. Purebred cats absent of pedigree records can be registered in our Foundation Stock category. After a Foundation Stock cat has produced 3 litters, all Registered with TCA, INC. proving its purity, that cat is then eligible to be upgraded to Pure Foundation Stock. This is done by filling out an Application Form called "Application for Recognition As Pure Foundation Stock. The TCA, INC. Registry periodically sends out notification to the respective owners as to the upcoming or achieved eligibility of their cats. We also encourage owners to keep track themselves and let us know too. A new Registration Certificate and a modified Registration Number, reflecting the upgrade, is issued. There is a $10.00 fee for doing this. Ok! Now you have a Pure Foundation Stock cat. All kittens produced by a Pure Foundation Stock cat are automatically eligible to be registered as Championship Stock if they are bred to another Pure Foundation Stock or Championship Stock cat. If the kitten is already registered as Foundation Stock, it can be upgraded to Championship Stock. To further clarify, only kittens of Pure Foundation Stock cats or Championship Stock cats can be registered as Championship Stock. There is a $10.00 fee for doing this. There you have the three step process. This reflects directly on the pedigree created. Each pedigree is backed up by historic proof of its accuracy. Each Foundation Stock cat has to pass the three step test to ascertain and establish the truth and validity of its purity of breed by evidence and demonstration. Its genuine purity, and being a reflection of the Breed Standard for its breed, is not questioned from then on.
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