Paperwork

Once you have decided you want to breed Ragdolls, you have found your breeder/mentor, and purchased your cats, you will have to register your cattery with the various registration bodies. The three biggest ones are CFA, TICA, and ACFA. It usually costs about $50.00 to register your cattery. It is a onetime charge in TICA and ACFA, but CFA charges you $10.00 every few years to renew. You do not have to be a member of these associations to have your cattery or litter registered. However, it is a good idea to join as a member, not just your cattery. You will get their magazines and know what is going on in the associations, and how it will affect your breed. You will also be able to vote and have a say in the future of your breed.

Once you get your cattery registered, you can register your cats. Your cat will come with a litter registration paper. It will have the name of the cattery you bought the cat from, with blank spaces for you to fill out the cat’s name and your cattery name. So the cat’s full name will contain, the breeders cattery first, the cat’s ‘call name’ second, and your cattery third. Any kittens you produce from these cats will have your cattery name first. That way, people can tell at a glance who the breeder is and who the owner is. If you keep your own kittens, then your name will go first, with just the call name. That means you are both the breeder and owner.

When you have a litter, you must fill out a litter registration for the litter. It consists of information on the parents and the kittens born. You then send this in (along with the registration fee), and they will send you back a slip for each kitten. You will sign these and fill out the sex and color for the people who buy these kittens.

If you’ve gotten this far, and are still interested in breeding, then you may have what it takes to become a breeder. No matter where you go to purchase your cats, I wish you all the luck and blessings in the world, and hope to see you at a show sometime.