New To Breeding Questions

Ambertiegan

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I am hopeful to one day become a registered breeder and have some questions for those who are experienced and breeders themselves apologies if these are silly questions i am no were near breeding yet i would just like to get knowledge on basics

I have the male of my hopeful cattery who is currently kitten age WCF mainecoon imported from europe, am i right in saying he can be registered with TICA / Gccf as i am in the uk

In regards to a prefix i have been looking into tica , should i apply for my prefix name before i have started my programme or after as km not sure on how this part works i dont want to apply and be rejected if i would need to have already proved litters and registered kittens

any advice and useful facts for beginners when it comes to becoming registered and reputable , i have been advised to look for a mentor and attend shows which i have done so just trying to make sense of the system , i am not breeding any time soon thanks
 

1 bruce 1

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I'm no cat breeder and hope that someone who is will come along to help you out :wave3:
You were advised to look for a mentor, which is probably the best advice you can get. A mentor is someone that has knowledge to share with you, and also that you can get along with on a personal level that will take you on, "under their wing". And maybe some day, you'll be a mentor as well.
If I remember, posiepurrs posiepurrs is very active in the cat showing community, and I hope they don't my tagging them to your post as they may have some good information. They may be able to tag someone else who can help, too, and might be away at a show as I type so be please be patient, and check back often!
It sounds like you want to do this very responsibly, and are holding off on starting your program until you are sure you've got the knowledge and help to create a good, healthy line. That to me deserves some credit :hellocomputer:
 
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Ambertiegan

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1 bruce 1, Thankyou for your advice ! i am still looking for a good mentor i did have a brief encounter with a mentor but i didnt take to their advice as they were giving advice to rush into the breeding by buying as many females as possible before giving me any information on the system and content so i am out looking for someone more at my pace !

I will drop them a message to see what advice they have as i would like to start showing my male as soon as possible !:)

And thankyou i am indeed i have been learning the breed the past year and owning as pets i am now looking into the system and how it all works , it took me 6 months to chose my male and will probably take me much longer to select the females so in the meantime i would like to become as knowledgable as i can :)
 
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Ambertiegan

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[QUOTE="GoldyCat , thankyou i am looking to register with tica first i see some people register to both so i might look into that :)

I will try TICA for a mentor as the first mentor i had wasnt for me so hopefully they have someone at my pace there :)
 

1 bruce 1

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1 bruce 1, Thankyou for your advice ! i am still looking for a good mentor i did have a brief encounter with a mentor but i didnt take to their advice as they were giving advice to rush into the breeding by buying as many females as possible before giving me any information on the system and content so i am out looking for someone more at my pace !

I will drop them a message to see what advice they have as i would like to start showing my male as soon as possible !:)

And thankyou i am indeed i have been learning the breed the past year and owning as pets i am now looking into the system and how it all works , it took me 6 months to chose my male and will probably take me much longer to select the females so in the meantime i would like to become as knowledgable as i can :)
You are very welcome my friend.
Just keep your standards high and you'll do very well, you're off to a great start in not wanting to cut corners. Your fellow exhibitors and future kitten people will thank you :hellocomputer: You're on the right path!
Keep in mind though keeping a male can be tricky, you may find the perfect female to fit your ideal but she might not be the best match for your boy. This is where branching out will help you, if both cats are good but aren't the best match (for one another, structurally or temperamentally) to improve the breed, others will be able to help you with this and offer you guidance and help you further branch out to someone who might consider crossing their lines of the breed into yours to keep the breed healthy, robust, and happy :wave3:
 
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Ambertiegan

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You are very welcome my friend.
Just keep your standards high and you'll do very well, you're off to a great start in not wanting to cut corners. Your fellow exhibitors and future kitten people will thank you :hellocomputer: You're on the right path!
Keep in mind though keeping a male can be tricky, you may find the perfect female to fit your ideal but she might not be the best match for your boy. This is where branching out will help you, if both cats are good but aren't the best match (for one another, structurally or temperamentally) to improve the breed, others will be able to help you with this and offer you guidance and help you further branch out to someone who might consider crossing their lines of the breed into yours to keep the breed healthy, robust, and happy :wave3:

Thankyou very much i do plan to do this with caution i have a vision of the type i would love to produce so cutting corners isnt for me i hope i can one day stand out with my lines ,

Thankyou for the advice on the future females i will definitely keep that in mind , i will be studying my male until he is at breeding age and then i will start my search but it will probably take me a while to find the perfect match ! i might get some opinions of breeders with experience on what they would suggest in a potential female , really helpful thanks again:)
 

lutece

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Hi Ambertiegan Ambertiegan I'll repeat my advice from your previous post that I gave here:
New To Breeding
You will want to get involved with the Maine Coon breed clubs in your area. They can help you with all of your questions about registration, showing, and breeding. I gave links to the GCCF Maine Coon breed clubs in the previous post.

Each of the Maine Coon breed clubs also has a fall show scheduled. I would suggest trying to attend one or both of these shows (and you could show your cat, too), and talk to breeders at the shows. I am sure that if you contact the breed clubs and/or attend these shows, you can find Maine Coon breeders who can properly advise you. Keep talking to breeders until you find some that are willing and able to offer good advice.

Maine Coon Cat Club show, September 7th
Club Show

Maine Coon Breed Society show, October 5th
Show Calendar and Events

Also, with long haired show cats, grooming is very important. Talk to other Maine Coon breeders and get tips on show grooming, and practice with your male kitten, so that both you and your kitten get some experience.
 

lutece

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About registering a prefix:

To apply for a GCCF prefix you must be a member of at least one GCCF club. In your case I would recommend trying to join one or both of the Maine Coon cat clubs, as this would have many other benefits for you, too. Detailed rules for registering a GCCF prefix are here:
GCCF Online > Breeding Information > Registered Prefixes

You can register a TICA prefix immediately, without having to join a club. You do not even have to be a TICA member (although TICA membership gives you a discount). The form is here:
Our Forms
TICA has a presence in the UK and there are a couple of shows per month there, but it is not as large in the UK as GCCF (which is UK based).

I would suggest looking at the lists of existing TICA and GCCF prefixes and trying to find one that is not registered in either association, as it's really best if you can use the same prefix in every association you work with.
 

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Sorry I am late chiming in. My club had its show this weekend and I have been busy. It sounds like you are going about this very responsibly. My advice is the same as others, try to get involved in a breed club or another cat club and find a mentor. I believe in TICA you can get your prefix before you start breeding. While I show in TICA occasionally, I haven't registered my cattery with them. If I may make a suggestion try to get something with few letters. If you chose something long like my cattery name (Posiepurrs) it limits you when picking out a name for a kitten. Can't really help with registration info, except they require pedigrees on the cats being registered from other associations. The number of generations depends on the breed and registry.
 
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