The influence of registries.
The external beauty of the individual cat plays a vital role within pedigreed cat breeding. It’s the starting point for most breeders. They are fascinated by the exterior and appearance of “their breed” and decide they want to contribute to it. There’s nothing wrong with that, on the contrary; it’s because of all these breeders that a multitude of breeds were able to survive the test of time and not get lost in the increasingly equalizing society we live in today. Breeds represent a unique piece of the human cultural history, and are worth being maintained.

The problems with health and well-being that we observe within many breeds are mainly the result of individualism within the fancy. Breeders make their choices within their lines and for their own catteries, and in most cases one can’t find anything wrong with them. However, when a collective plan for the maintenance of the population as a whole lacks, the result of all the individual choices added up often doesn’t turn out to be that good. This is where a problem lies, not just for purebred cats, but also for other companion animals that are bred as a hobby.

If we want to change this situation, breeders must become willing to set up a general breeding policy with their association or registry. Breeders will have to realize that some problems are out of their control as long as they are trying to handle them on their own. All breeders of a breed combined maintain the genepool of that breed. Each and every one of these breeders is completely and utterly dependant on the breeding policies of all the others. Setting up such a cooperation wouldn’t be about accomplishing a centrally controlled breeding policy; it would be about laying down a set of rules and guidelines together, that are in the interest of the breed. Obviously, this will lead to some restrictions here and there, but this doesn’t mean the individual freedom of the breeder is at stake. There would still be room for breeders to fix certain characteristics within their lines and to strive for their own ideals.

If we succeed at changing our breeding- and selectionpolicies, if we succeed at slowing down or even stopping the further loss of genetic variation within the breed, then we will have made our first big accomplishment in favor of the breed. We will have accomplished putting a stop to further degeneration of health and wellbeing. Vitality will no longer deteriorate and no new explosions of genetic defects will appear. Breeders will be able to take their time to select against the defects that have become breed related issues, without being constantly surprised by new problems arising.

The ball is in the breeders’ court; they are the ones who hold the key to the future of their breed