XPost: alt.cats, rec.pets.cats.health+behav 
 From: mmontcha@OregonVOS.net 
  
 On Fri, 26 Sep 2003, Misty9999 wrote: 
 |>|The provisional breeder's cats are allowed in the registry. 
 |>| 
 |>|Backyard breeders or people who bought from backyard breeders can NOT 
 |>|simply buy their way into the registry. 
 |> 
 |>Yet the registry is meaningless without some way of knowing whether 
 |>one cat is really the cat in question, and whether it belongs to 
 |>a breed that is so well-defined that even a blind man could say what 
 |>it is, or that it belongs to the putative breed. 
 | 
 |The " family tree " or pedigree papers are what stay on file. I don't 
 |see how that is meaningless. 
  
 How do you go about proving the cat that you happen to be carrying in 
 a cage is ostensibly enough the very same cat that is on the papers? 
 Forgive me, I'm very naive about these matters.  If you aren't relying 
 on DNA testing, or on computer analysis of the iris, then on what do 
 you rely on to prove a cat's identity? 
  
 |>|These cats are the ones who often end up in shelters. Breeders rescue 
 |>|their respective breeds. The scumbag backyard breeders have violated 
 |>|a legal contract. 
 |> 
 |>What, would you say that it is a tort or a crime, and would you care 
 |>to say which? 
 | 
 |Tort 
  
 Okay. 
  
 |>|Once they are caught ( the backyard breeders , not the buyers ) are 
 |>|eaten alive in court by cat loving attorneys . 
 |> 
 |>Cite some cases, please. 
 | 
 |In the cases I am personally familiar with, a cease and desist letter 
 |or an out of court settlement solved the problem. The out of court 
 |settlements are sealed records , but it is always a surrender of the 
 |cats and ( in some cases ) a financial settlement in favor of the 
 |breeder. There are cases of both breeders and shelters enforcing these 
 |agreements in court , but I don't have the time right now to get the 
 |exact cites. 
  
 Okay. 
  
 |Also it CAN become a criminal matter if the backyard breeder treated the 
 |cats in an inhumane way. 
  
 I agree, cat abuse ought to be a crime regardless of whether it is 
 a professional breeder or a backyard breeder doing the abuse. 
  
 |I will look for some cites at the state level as time permits. 
 | 
 |>|Whatever money they might have made from backyard breeding is quickly 
 |>|wiped out in civil court. 
 |> 
 |>On how many counts of common law slander of chattel? 
 | 
 |The " wipe out" occurs if they ignore the cease and desist letter and 
 |consult an expensive attorney .   Legally the cat is the chattel of 
 |the breeder. It becomes the chattel of the owner when the contract is 
 |fulfilled. Backyard breeders have breached the contract. 
  
 If I may digress, I think I have an old high school buddy (from 25 years 
 ago, more or less) who is a "backyard breeder" of Collie dogs.  I don't 
 think he entered into a contract with any "professional breeder" so the 
 real question is what the exact language of the contract entails, and 
 whether past performance can illuminate the matter in any way.  Don't 
 ask me if I condone what he does, I can't stand the smell of the dogs, 
 and try to avoid his place whenever I can. 
  
 |>|There is nothing you can do if a backyard breeder manages to find an 
 |>|unregistered stud and queen ( not obtained from a reputable breeder 
 |>|who requires a legal contract ). Thankfully , that does not happen 
 |>|very often. 
 |> 
 |>Yet there must be some way of deciding what constitutes a breed, 
 |>and what *is* a departure from that breed. 
 |> 
 |>|>|There is little difference in looks and no difference in temperament 
 |>|>|between " show " cats , breeder cats, and pet quality cats. 
 |>|> 
 |>|>I've noticed that different cats have different personalities.  This 
 |>|>may not be a factor in winning a "show" but there may be a genetic 
 |>|>basis to the cat's personality.  With enough DNA samples, modern 
 |>|>science might realize a new discovery or two. 
 |>| 
 |>|Agreed , but ALL cats have unique personalities. Temperament is a very 
 |>|important thing to both breeders and prospective buyers of purebred 
 |>|cats. 
 |> 
 |>I would agree that a hissssing cat is not too likely to win a cat 
 |>show.  But the tendency to hissss may be genetic in origin. 
 |> 
 |>|>|Very few people want to get involved in breeding or showing. It is an 
 |>|>|expensive and time consuming endeavor. 
 |>|> 
 |>|>It can be a lot of work restricting access to your cats if you allow 
 |>|>them to roam around in your south forty, a couple hundred miles from 
 |>|>civilization. 
 |>| 
 |>|I have never heard of a breeder or cat owner ( purebred or moggie) 
 |>|allowing their cats to roam around in the south forty a couple hundred 
 |>|miles from civilization 
 |> 
 |>Do cat breeders live only in cities? 
 | 
 |No , but rural areas do have houses. 
  
 Cats deserve a little bit of freedom, so rural areas are good places 
 to raise them. 
  
 --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05 
  * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)