# GCCF PREFIX NAME HELP PLEASE X



## kirsty100 (Jul 28, 2011)

Does anybody know how close you can have a prefix to somebody else’s? I wanted MoonDreamer but it’s taken so was thinking MoonDreaming, MoonDream etc. Our first idea was EdenMoon but as my sons name is Eden I’m not sure! Any other ideas welcome, I like the words moon, dream and blossom.
Also considered BlossomMoon! Thankyou x


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## QOTN (Jan 3, 2014)

I have just replied to your other thread.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

None of the above as they are all long. There are only so many characters for a registered name including the prefix and a space, so shorter gives you more scope


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## Rufus15 (Dec 4, 2015)

Definitely looking at reducing down your letters. I went for 6 so I had more scope for names and I struggled with this litter having longer names. I just fitted them all in to the limit. 

In terms of them being close, you can't have anything similar to MoonDreamer, so any minor changing of letters (removal of letters, changing to -ing, etc) wouldn't be accepted. Eden is also a popular prefix, so be careful with that also.


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## Tigermoon (Apr 2, 2013)

kirsty100 said:


> Does anybody know how close you can have a prefix to somebody else's? I wanted MoonDreamer but it's taken so was thinking MoonDreaming, MoonDream etc. Our first idea was EdenMoon but as my sons name is Eden I'm not sure! Any other ideas welcome, I like the words moon, dream and blossom.
> Also considered BlossomMoon! Thankyou x


Of the four above I'd only consider Edenmoon. The others are rather long, and a couple are too close to those which are already taken. 
A really long prefix is fine if you are going to restrict yourself to Jack, Bob, Zoe for the rest of the cats name but to be honest that is very boring, and you will end up bitterly regretting your choice down the line.


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## Rufus15 (Dec 4, 2015)

Tigermoon said:


> Of the four above I'd only consider Edenmoon.


Possibly too similar to Edenmaine, which is already taken, although may be different enough to be allowed


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Rufus15 said:


> Possibly too similar to Edenmaine, which is already taken, although may be different enough to be allowed


From the GCCF's website: 
" Words bearing a close resemblance to an existing prefix (words within one letter or sounding the same are considered to bear a 'close resemblance')"

https://www.gccfcats.org/Portals/0/Prefix.Rules.pdf?ver=2019-02-25-090838-503

So Edenmoon would be allowed, though IMHO 5 or 6 letters is a better length.


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

I wouldn't choose anything that sounds like another's prefix.
Edenmoon when spoken sounds very much like Edenmaine.

I also wouldn't ask strangers in a poll, a prefix is a very personal, meaningful thing. Something you will possibly have for many decades of breeding.


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

I agree with Spotty Cats. I would steer clear of prefixes that sound like another or one that is spelled similarly. 

Despite GCCFs own rules I have known them grant prefixes that are very similar sounding which on at least one occasion has caused problems between the prefix holders.


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## Tigermoon (Apr 2, 2013)

Its surprisingly hard work thinking up a prefix. 
I'd suggest NOT using a breed name, or a specific breed trait, in your prefix as it then doesn't work if you add or switch breeds in years to come (which happens more frequently than you might think).
A prefix that is very different makes you stand out from the crowd.
Have a prefix that is no longer than half the allowable characters to give yourself scope for the rest of the name, so ideally no more than 11 or 12 characters (remember there has to be a space between your prefix and the rest of the name, and spaces count as a character!). I personally don't like very short prefixes but each to their own.
Don't use a word that is in common use, I've seen this cause massive issues.
The only problem with the prefix list is many are decades old and haven't been used in almost half a century. In those cases a prefix that _sounds_ similar isn't likely to be much of an issue as the breeder and their cats are long gone, but there is no way of knowing which those are. 
Don't read through the list then try to think up a prefix as that makes it hard to think outside the box. Come up with ideas first then check the list. Make sure you pick out at least 4 possibilities that you are happy with.
There used to be a saying that GCCF never granted your first choice out of principal. This is not true.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Geek alert: To add, I also made sure I could register a suitable domain name and get matching outlook.com and gmail.com email addresses. 

From a show managers point of view it's no longer the problem it was with weird spellings for a STAR show as all entries - online and paper - go through it and get the details from the registration for that cat. However when I'm updating my pedigree database from old records it can be a nightmare, and it's easy to see how errors have crept in.


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## kirsty100 (Jul 28, 2011)

Tigermoon said:


> Its surprisingly hard work thinking up a prefix.
> I'd suggest NOT using a breed name, or a specific breed trait, in your prefix as it then doesn't work if you add or switch breeds in years to come (which happens more frequently than you might think).
> A prefix that is very different makes you stand out from the crowd.
> Have a prefix that is no longer than half the allowable characters to give yourself scope for the rest of the name, so ideally no more than 11 or 12 characters (remember there has to be a space between your prefix and the rest of the name, and spaces count as a character!). I personally don't like very short prefixes but each to their own.
> ...


Thankyou this is really helpful, I also am not keen on a really short prefix. Eden is my sons name so very personal to me however as it's his name I'm not SURE I want to use it for my prefix. It's SO hard I've been racking my brains, I'd have loved to used my nans name (who has passed) but I just can't seem to get it into a prefix that sounds good!x


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## Tigermoon (Apr 2, 2013)

kirsty100 said:


> Thankyou this is really helpful, I also am not keen on a really short prefix. Eden is my sons name so very personal to me however as it's his name I'm not SURE I want to use it for my prefix. It's SO hard I've been racking my brains, I'd have loved to used my nans name (who has passed) but I just can't seem to get it into a prefix that sounds good!x


A lot of breeders use family names mixed up to create a prefix. Some just use the first two letters of each name for example, others go for full names mixed up. Eden could become DEEN or DENE for instance.


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

OrientalSlave said:


> Geek alert: To add, I also made sure I could register a suitable domain name and get matching outlook.com and gmail.com email addresses.


Also Google to see what comes up when the word is searched on it's own. 
A friend of mines brings up adult sites :Hilarious


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

kirsty100 said:


> Thankyou this is really helpful, I also am not keen on a really short prefix. Eden is my sons name so very personal to me however as it's his name I'm not SURE I want to use it for my prefix. It's SO hard I've been racking my brains, I'd have loved to used my nans name (who has passed) but I just can't seem to get it into a prefix that sounds good!x


Take a look through the registered prefixes for your nan's name. Someone I knew her gran's shortened first name plus surname, which was a total of 8 characters. Some use a name backwards. Whatever else make sure you use the latest lists of registered pedigrees - there are some old ones knocking around as far as Google is concerned.

https://www.gccfcats.org/Breeding-Information/Registered-Prefixes

I'd also caution against a prefix specific to a breed, as it's not unknown for some breeders to switch breeds a few years down the line...


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

spotty cats said:


> Also Google to see what comes up when the word is searched on it's own.
> *A friend of mines brings up adult sites* :Hilarious


Oops!!!!


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## Rufus15 (Dec 4, 2015)

Do jiggle around with spelling to make it your own, as said above. I originally looked at using my children's names, but it didn't quite fit. I had another child after I bought the prefix too, so I'm glad I went for something else.

Then I looked at something in Gaelic (being Irish myself), but everything I chose no one could say.

After getting some advice from breeders of my breed, I chose mine based on a town in Maine. I did heaps of research into the town itself including having a mooch around on Google Maps, but I didn't like the spelling so changed it slightly. Shot myself in the foot a bit by basing it around a breed, but it's not obviously related to the breed so has some scope of flexibility.

You want something that's easy to say and easy to remember.


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## lillytheunicorn (Nov 17, 2012)

Also with a shorter you can add an additional word in if you choose to register the cattery name / prefix with a different registry at a later date and some has one sounding similar. Mine with GCCF has to have a an additional word added to my FIFe registered cattery name as it sounds similar to an existing GCCF one. So my FIFe kittens have to have the word added to all kitten names.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

And when you register kittens, remember the power of the hyphen. Apart from a fairly short list, words can't be repeated. But if you join the word to another word with a hyphen, problem solved.


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