Advice On Pedigree Breeding

[Ambertiegan]

hi just looking for some advice , I am slowly in future planning to become a breeder (Maine coon) I already have Maine coon pedigrees as pets so I’m familiar with the breed and have spent a lot of time just to know the breed well , now i am on the way to getting my male who is FIFE registered he is being imported, is FIFE the same as other registers ? Is this register fine for a stud male ? The same as a TICA just as I’ve not heard much of this organisation , and just any other good advice from breeders here how to best start up , it will be a while yet I’ve spent over a year just learning about the breed and having them in my home , I am hoping to become a registered breeder of pedigree Maine coons so any good advice would be helpful aswell ! Thankyou

 

[lutece]

Where are you located? If you are in the United States, you'll want to register your FIFe registered breeding cat(s) in a registry such as TICA, CFA, ACFA etc., because FIFe doesn't have a presence in the US.

The best advice for a new breeder starting out is to find good mentors. You'll want at least one breeding mentor located near to you (so that they can help you if you run into trouble), and also at least one breeding mentor who works with Maine Coons (they could be the same person, if you are lucky enough to have a good and experienced Maine Coon breeder near you).

Here are links to TICA's and CFA's mentorship programs:

TICA: Mentorship Program

CFA: Mentoring Program Overview

 

[posiepurrs]

I agree with the above. I am not really familiar with the Maine Coons (other than they are magnificent!)but I would also suggest you study the breed standards for them in FIFE and whatever registry you are planning to register the cat in as what is accepted in one may not be with another. Here is a link to FIFE breed standards page:Fédération Internationale Féline :: Breed standards
In CFA you will need a 5 generation pedigree to register a Maine Coon from another registry, not sure with TICA or others. I think the first step should be getting a mentor though and be willing to listen to their advice. You have made a good step in trying to learn about the breed before jumping in, but a mentor can save you from making costly mistakes and setting your program back.

 

[Ambertiegan]

Thankyou I will have a read through their standards I’d like to start learning about the different registers and how it works ! I’m getting a imported male who is with FIFE and so will the queen , will the offspring need to be with the same organisation or could I register with any ? Yeah I’ve been learning about the breed for a while and owning them as pets I’m now just looking to learn about programmes and about the pedigree registers so a mentor would be a good idea

 

[Ambertiegan]

Hi, I’m located in the uk and my male is being imported from Russia he is with FIFE , I’ve not heard much about FIFE in the uk either , could I still register my kittens with TICA or CFA if my adults are with different registers ?

Thankyou I will have a look if there are maine coon breeders online , not many Maine coon breeders in the uk from what I can see when searching they are usually overseas from me !

 

[lutece]

If you are in the UK, you will probably want to work with the GCCF.
Here's information on importing cats into the GCCF: Importing & Exporting

I don't know if the GCCF has an official mentor program, but you could search for experienced Maine Coon breeders in two ways:
(1) Visit cat shows and talk to breeders. The show schedule is here: Show Calendar and Events
(2) Find Maine Coon breeders who are part of the breeder scheme here: Breeder scheme map

 

[posiepurrs]

Importing & Exporting
This may answer your questions about the GCCF. One thing I am fairly certain applies to all registered is that to register kittens, the parents must be registered with them.
You might want to check out the list of GCCF clubs for one near you. Maybe someone in the club would be willing to mentor you. Here is the link: https://www.gccfcats.org/Portals/0/pdf/Club%20listing%20for%20website.pdf?ver=2018-03-08-121531-933
Check out the CFA and TICA too.

 

[StefanZ]

Fife is a maior european organisation. I guess you wont have difficulties with reregistration, be it your Gccf or Tica whom are represented internationally.