# hi guys...



## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

can anyone advise....
if your female cat is registered with GCCF but the male is registered with Fife, Can you still breed them? or would you need to transfer them to the same registration?


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

They need to be active registered and both in the same registry so one of them needs registering with the others registry BEFORE mating them


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

Right ok.
And it's straight forward to transfer Either over? 
like my Queen is Active reg with GCCF.
I'm thinking of getting a Male who is Also active but reg with FIFE, so should they transfer him to GCCF before I buy or should I just do it


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Who you transfer depends on how you intend registering the kittens. Transfer is the wrong word though as the cat ends up dual registered, importing is the word the gccf use as in import from another registry. You should read their web page on it before parting with any money, or ask his current owner to do it. Of course there will be some costs either way.

What breed? Photos?


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

Yes I understand...
Thing is I am a complete novice in this.
I've been sent videos of the kitten and he is a beautiful British shorthaired..
I've asked for his blood group and I'm waiting on that.
but I'm kinda thinking maybe I should just wait and get one from here in the UK as I'm not understanding all the guidelines to importing a cat from Europe.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

If you are unsure then yes, getting one in the UK is better. Come to that if you are a complete novice I'd advise hanging fire before getting your own stud. They are a big commitment & tie, plus it won't take that long before your breeding cats are his daughters and you can't use him anymore.

GCCF website about importing into GCCF - this applies to cats in the UK & abroad, registered with Fife, TICA etc.
http://www.gccfcats.org/Breeding-Information/Importing-Exporting


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

Yes excellent advise thankyou.
I hate the idea of caged catteries so I was thinking of putting Mr at my mother's house and keeping Queens at mine , but your advise is spot on really, I'd be happy to not have any males due to the commitment and all the other issues but I'm also equally worried to have to leave my girl with anyone. 
it's a big risk I feel as unfortunately these days you cannot trust many people and breeders are most definitely competitive. 
Anyhow I'm so thankful for your advise.


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## QOTN (Jan 3, 2014)

Eisa Halimah said:


> Yes excellent advise thankyou.
> I hate the idea of caged catteries so I was thinking of putting Mr at my mother's house and keeping Queens at mine , but your advise is spot on really, I'd be happy to not have any males due to the commitment and all the other issues but I'm also equally worried to have to leave my girl with anyone.
> it's a big risk I feel as unfortunately these days you cannot trust many people and breeders are most definitely competitive.
> Anyhow I'm so thankful for your advise.


Not all breeders are evil! Perhaps you need to get to know some well before you consider taking your girl to stud with them. (In any case I think you could be giving your mother the short straw with your current plan. What if he sprayed everywhere?)


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

Yes I'm sure.
and yes I had thought if him spraying aswell...
have been told not ALL do.
but yes I'll Def search about for a trustworthy breeder ,and try and build some time of relationship with them beforehand.
Again Thankyou for all your advise.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Not all spray but you can't be sure you will have one of the ones that doesn't, plus he might when there's a girl round. There's a good reason most studs live in stud houses or something like a conservatory that can be washed down...

Agree you have to trust a stud owner, as far as possible I go visit beforehand. I couldn't with Lola's first litter (too far away), did with her second and with the two litters her daughters have had. I not only want to see the conditions, I want to see the stud and see his nature. Obviously you can't just drop in - for one thing he might have a girl with him - but if possible I do.

A bit of showing will help as well, you will get to know other breeders, and if you have a nice girl doors that are advertised as closed become open.


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

Yes I was thinking about shows actually.
just she is quite nervous ,so I'd worry she would stress too much.
Anyhow I'm trying to send you a pic of her...


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Since she is nervous I'd be looking for a stud with a really super temperament, above his type. Realistically her kittens will almost all go as pets, and health & temperament are the touchstones for pets.


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

I wouldn't sell them for anything other, As I said earlier I'm a complete novice, But I'm curious to know is that why you said that or is it how she looks? to me she is beautiful and a perfect cat, But I have no knowledge as yet on how a BSH should look and at what standard for showing etc.....
I can send you more pictures if you wish?


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

Yes I was thinking about shows actually.
just she is quite nervous ,so I'd worry she would stress too much.
Anyhow I'm trying to send you a pic of her...


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## QOTN (Jan 3, 2014)

Eisa Halimah said:


> I wouldn't sell them for anything other, As I said earlier I'm a complete novice, But I'm curious to know is that why you said that or is it how she looks? to me she is beautiful and a perfect cat, But I have no knowledge as yet on how a BSH should look and at what standard for showing etc.....
> I can send you more pictures if you wish?


Oriental Slave was not making a judgment on your lovely cat. The fact is that most kittens will be loved pets and that is the best option. A show cat would also need an excellent temperament so again it is important the kittens should be sociable. In any case health and temperament should be the priorities in all breeding.


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

Yes I'm sure
just wanted your expertise
but I very much doubt she has the temperament for shows...
She is in fact very bossy now with us, but she has learnt to trust us and feel at home.
However I do worry how she would be in a strange environment...
Again Thanks for your time


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Eisa Halimah said:


> I wouldn't sell them for anything other, As I said earlier I'm a complete novice, But I'm curious to know is that why you said that or is it how she looks? to me she is beautiful and a perfect cat, But I have no knowledge as yet on how a BSH should look and at what standard for showing etc.....
> I can send you more pictures if you wish?


Depending a bit where you live, you can visit some shows and look at the top BSH there to get an idea and I would strongly recommend you do. Not knowing how a BSH should look isn't really a good idea if you want to breed them! Until you are getting an idea buying a stud is in my view a very bad idea. Studs are very influential because they usually produce more kittens than females, a stud should be a healthy cat with a good temperament who is also a good example of his breed.


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

Is the breeder of your girl not mentoring you? 

Showing a neuter before jumping into breeding is very helpful for learning the standard, making friends and networking with others. 

I wouldn't recommend a new breeder begin with a stud, your mentor should be helping with the selecting of a stud to use.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

It's often hard to tell if a cat will take to showing or not, but I certainly think it would be useful for you to go to at least one. The GCCF has it's show dates online:

http://www.gccfcats.org/show-calendar

Agree with SC, whoever you got your girl from should be willing to help you through it all.


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

Yes I'll look into that...
As for my breeder, unfortunately I've had a bad experience with her since getting my girl,I bought another kitten which she died after 4-5 weeks I didn't like the way she dealt with me, I didn't ask her for a penny back, & I didn't blame her in any way, however I believe she should of dealt with me better ( the kitten died from FIP) 
I had no support from her, I've been a complete nervous wreck since watching my girl for any signs & symptoms...
however Thank God she has been fine so far.
I also had put a dep down on other kitten( before mine had died) she asked me if I wanted to swap, I said I'd prefer not to and then a few weeks later she messaged me with a story saying the kitten was sick and I could swap for another, anyhow I politely refused and she did refund my dep, I havnt spoken to her since.
she was going to provide me with a suitable stud, However after all this heartache in a matter of months I don't feel as if I could trust her.
And I'm really upset about it as would be nice to have experienced mentor to guide me instead of random people on line


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Did you know the breeder before you first brought a kitten?


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

no I didn't...I spoke to a few and came across her, she seemed very nice and she is a well known breeder so I felt it be ok.
like I keep saying I am just starting out so I'm bound to fall into certain traps that maybe the experienced wouldn't.


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

but my point is i bought my girl now plus the kitten that died plus I had a dep down on another all from her and I thought she showed very bad character...
Although I've since learnt that starting off you should overload yourself with too many Queens so I'm happy to jus concentrate on my girl and take it slow.


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

no I'm not happy to do that... however I'm humble enough to except advise and I was really hoping if you could discuss this further with me and I've only given you snippets of the story...
And could really do with further Advise.
esp if u know about BSH...


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

Eisa, I have bred/shown British Shorthairs for 30 years but I couldn't give any better advice than that already given. I would strongly advise that you don't think about owning your own stud for, at the very least, a couple of years. I'm happy to go into why I feel that's the best advice but don't want to sound like I'm 'lecturing'  As others have already said, health and temperament come first in breeding and as far as anything else goes, it's pretty much impossible to tell from a few photographs whether a cat is of suitable quality for breed and/or show. British Blues are enormously popular; just as an example, at the show I attended at the weekend there were 17 blue kittens entered (and a little more more than half that number for blue adults) and many very nice kittens/cats went unplaced due to the size of the entry. Judging/placing can also be a very arbitrary process and doubtless if those same kittens/cats were shown again, they would be placed differently by another judge. 

Again, as others have said, by far the best way of gaining knowledge is to visit shows and chat with other breeders/ exhibitors. Over time, it will help you to develop a 'feel' for what the judges are looking for and it's a great opportunity to get to know other breeders who can help you along the way. Believe me, there's only so much you can do from an armchair!


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Guessing you are replying to my PM, maybe you don't have enough posts to do so via PM? If that's the case suggest you fire off a few non-committal ones about photos, think you have to have posted 25 messages to be able to PM.

What in particular are you asking for further advise about?


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## Catharinem (Dec 17, 2014)

I don't know anything about breeding BSHs, Siamese are my breed ( although I have a British Blue neuter and moggies as well as pets). However, alarm bells are ringing all over for the following reasons:
1) Your girl's breeder sold you a breeding queen without knowing you, and didn't offer guidance as to what traits to look for.
2) 2 other kittens have died. Not got poorly, died. And if 2 out of 3 kittens you, as a single new owner, were interested in died, you can bet there's been others, probably quite a few. Her breeding stock may be weak, or chronically infected.
3) Your queen's temperament isn't great. It can be balanced by an extremely well adjusted stud boy, but you still need to consider how she would take to letting you help in labour, if kittens need help latching on etc, and how she would show herself to be with visitors to her kittens.

One thing on it's own might be ok, but put all together I'd say hold fire whilst you get some professional help from experienced breeders of your breed. It may be she isn't, and never will be suitable for breeding, and there's no shame in changing plans, only in ploughing on regardless just because she's on active.
Out of interest, was she advertised as potentially suitable for breeding, or did you ask the question?
Was the breeding price significantly greater than pet price?


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

Catharinem said:


> I don't know anything about breeding BSHs, Siamese are my breed ( although I have a British Blue neuter and moggies as well as pets). However, alarm bells are ringing all over for the following reasons:
> 1) Your girl's breeder sold you a breeding queen without knowing you, and didn't offer guidance as to what traits to look for.
> 2) 2 other kittens have died. Not got poorly, died. And if 2 out of 3 kittens you, as a single new owner, were interested in died, you can bet there's been others, probably quite a few. Her breeding stock may be weak, or chronically infected.
> 3) Your queen's temperament isn't great. It can be balanced by an extremely well adjusted stud boy, but you still need to consider how she would take to letting you help in labour, if kittens need help latching on etc, and how she would show herself to be with visitors to her kittens.
> ...


hi.
firstly 1 of my kittens died and then the other that I had put a dep on she asked me if I would swap kittens, I said I'd prefer not to and see then called me a few weeks later to say the kitten had a vaccine and she wasn't 100% happy with it! ( sorry didn't explain myself ) 
As for my girl now she was actually on non active reg but when I called up and explained I was looking for an active plus a mentor bla bla she said she would swap it over and had this great girl she would sell me.... And then 1 month later I bought a lilac and that was one who died....

As for all your advise, I'm so grateful..
A few days ago I was all set on buying my own stud! Thank God I found this blog first! 
please excuse if I don't reply immediately but I'm still learning how these blogs work...
lol


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

Eisa Halimah said:


> hi.
> firstly 1 of my kittens died and then the other that I had put a dep on she asked me if I would swap kittens, I said I'd prefer not to and see then called me a few weeks later to say the kitten had a vaccine and she wasn't 100% happy with it! ( sorry didn't explain myself )
> As for my girl now she was actually on non active reg but when I called up and explained I was looking for an active plus a mentor bla bla she said she would swap it over and had this great girl she would sell me.... And then 1 month later I bought a lilac and that was one who died....
> 
> ...


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

and yes price did differ from £500 - 700 for active!


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## Catharinem (Dec 17, 2014)

To be honest, would hold fire on that girl whilst you research the breed and breeders a bit more. Maybe someone here can help. As I said, not my breed, but I'd be concerned at so many dying or getting poorly, seems very bad luck. If I had several poorly or die I certainly wouldn't be offering around for breeding until I'd got to the bottom of the problem.
Don't give up though, with the right cats and advice you can learn a lot as you go along ( everyone has to start somewhere).


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

Yes to be honest I'm feeling like spraying her and starting off again, we can keep her as our pet; we love her regardless and I don't want to put her through any stress as rehoming her....


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

gskinner123 said:


> Eisa, I have bred/shown British Shorthairs for 30 years but I couldn't give any better advice than that already given. I would strongly advise that you don't think about owning your own stud for, at the very least, a couple of years. I'm happy to go into why I feel that's the best advice but don't want to sound like I'm 'lecturing'  As others have already said, health and temperament come first in breeding and as far as anything else goes, it's pretty much impossible to tell from a few photographs whether a cat is of suitable quality for breed and/or show. British Blues are enormously popular; just as an example, at the show I attended at the weekend there were 17 blue kittens entered (and a little more more than half that number for blue adults) and many very nice kittens/cats went unplaced due to the size of the entry. Judging/placing can also be a very arbitrary process and doubtless if those same kittens/cats were shown again, they would be placed differently by another judge.
> 
> Again, as others have said, by far the best way of gaining knowledge is to visit shows and chat with other breeders/ exhibitors. Over time, it will help you to develop a 'feel' for what the judges are looking for and it's a great opportunity to get to know other breeders who can help you along the way. Believe me, there's only so much you can do from an armchair!


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

hiya... I would really like to speak to your further regarding my situation with my BSH.
thing is I'm not very familiar with these blogs ,so not sure if this is a private message or for all to see? 
Anyhow do you have an email Address ?


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## QOTN (Jan 3, 2014)

Eisa Halimah said:


> hiya... I would really like to speak to your further regarding my situation with my BSH.
> thing is I'm not very familiar with these blogs ,so not sure if this is a private message or for all to see?
> Anyhow do you have an email Address ?


You are public at the moment. If you click on the envelope at the top right of the page you will see Conversations and 'start a new conversation.' Click on that and you will be private but I think you still need 25 posts before you can pm. (I may be wrong there because it may have changed when the site was altered.)


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## Eisa Halimah (Nov 20, 2015)

QOTN said:


> You are public at the moment. If you click on the envelope at the top right of the page you will see Conversations and 'start a new conversation.' Click on that and you will be private but I think you still need 25 posts before you can pm. (I may be wrong there because it may have changed when the site was altered.)


yes Done! Thanks X


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

Eisa, I'm more than happy to chat with you privately. The only thing I really don't want to get into is the name, etc, or any of the details surrounding the breeder who you had your kittens from... but anything else, fire away


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