The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy of South Australia

GCCFSA Registered Breeders, as a condition of being granted a cattery prefix must sign a declaration that they will abide by the Code of Ethics for Breeders/Owners. Where relevant, the Code also applies to owners. Infringements of the Code may be dealt with in accordance with the disciplinary powers of the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy of South Australia Inc.

LEGISLATION FOR BREEDERS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

From 1 July 2018, anyone in South Australia who wishes to breed dogs or cats for sale or trade must register with the Dog and Cat Management Board. This isn’t limited to pedigree breeds, and includes people whose dogs or cats have accidental litters. If you breed and you sell, you must register. 

DOG AND CAT MANAGEMENT (DACO) - BREEDER REGISTRATION

From 1 July 2020, all breeder registration fees must be paid directly to Dogs and Cats Online (DACO).

A lifetime DACO breeder number will be allocated on 1 July 2020 to all Governing Council of the Cat Fancy of SA (GCCFSA) members who are registered breeders, and a breeder registration renewal will be sent directly to your members during July 2020.

Members of your organisation who are required to register as a new breeder after 1 July 2020 will do so directly in DACO and confirm their GCCFSA membership number. GCCFSA will be advised of all new members.

The $75 breeder registration fee applies from 1 July to 30 June each year. GCCFSA members only need to register as a breeder in DACO in the financial year that they intend to sell cats they have bred. A DACO breeder registration number applies to one person and is not transferrable.

DACO breeder number and breeder contact details must be included in all advertisements for sale i.e. newspaper, noticeboard, on-line and social media etc. For more information, visit www.dogandcatboard.com.au/buying-or-selling-a-dog-or-cat.

DACO Enhancement

Dogs and Cats Online has been enhanced with improvements to make it easier for breeders to transfer DACO microchip records to new owners and for new owners to complete the microchip record in their name.

The Dog and Cat Management Board have produced some guides and a pamphlet to support these processes, which are available to your members on the Dog and Cat Management Board website at www.dogandcatboard.com.au/breeders-guide/.

GCCFSA membership numbers will be retained in DACO and this will appear with the DACO breeder number when someone performs a breeder search, identifying the breeder as a member of GCCFSA upholding the standards set by your organisation. GCCFSA membership numbers may be entered into more than one DACO owner account, and also serve as an exemption to the desexing requirements.

Before registration renewal notices are issued we will make direct contact with GCCFSA members currently registered in DACO to assist them with the impending changes.

 

CODE OF ETHICS FOR BREEDERS & OWNERS

1. Cat breeders must ensure they comply with current Federal and State Government legislation and Local Government regulation applying to the responsible keeping, breeding, management and selling of cats as well as ensuring that GCCFSA’s requirements are adhered to.*
2. Breeders breed with the intention of improving the standard of their chosen breed, and not for commercial purposes.
3. To register an entire cat or kitten, the applicant must have a GCCFSA registered prefix.
4. All applications for registration and transfer submitted to registrars must be complete with all colours and registration numbers for four (4) generations and be accompanied by the original or high-resolution scan (original to be sighted) of pedigree from an ACF recognised body. If queried by the registrar, the applicant must comply in a reasonable manner.
5. All litters of GCCFSA registered breeders MUST be registered with GCCFSA. All individual kittens MUST be registered with GCCFSA.
   1. Dam MUST be registered with GCCFSA when registering a litter.
6. Transfer of a cat or kitten must be completed within three (3) months of gift or sale to a new owner and will include a GCCFSA Certificate of Registration and Pedigree. Sale must be conducted in line with new South Australian Legislation. This is the responsibility of the breeder.
7. Transfer may be made for ‘Breeding’ (entire) or ‘Non-breeding’ (desexed). Should a ‘Non-breeding’ cat be transferred undesexed and the cat produces kittens, none of its progeny can be registered as the cat is meant to be desexed. It is the responsibility of the breeder to explain to the new owner the meaning of ‘Non-breeding’ status.
8. Not knowingly sell or transfer from their care, any cat/kitten to commercial wholesalers, retail pet dealers, or directly or indirectly allow a cat/kitten to be given as a prize or donation in a contest of any kind.
9. No kitten should be sold at less than twelve (12) weeks of age.
10. Cats and kittens should be handled sufficiently to be well socialised.
11. The cat or kitten shall be in the best possible condition and health before it goes to a new home.
12. As far as possible it should be free from internal and external parasites.
13. The cat or kitten should be immunised against Feline Infectious Enteritis and Feline Respiratory Diseases – the final effective Feline Infectious Enteritis injection for a kitten being given at not less than twelve (12) weeks of age.
14. All breeding cats shall be tested for known heritable diseases.
15. Furnish the new owner with details of diet, and any information that will ensure the cat/kitten fits into its new environment with minimum stress.
16. Ensure that the purchaser of a stud male is made fully aware of the care, responsibility and the standard of facilities required to keep such a cat.
17. Do not permit a mating between registered and unregistered animals or between pedigreed breeds except as an allowable outcross as outlined in the Australian Cat Federation Book of Standards unless as part of a registered experimental breed program.

 

We recommend that buyers purchase only vaccinated, microchipped and desexed kittens of appropriate age, and that pedigreed kittens be purchased only from breeders registered with an approved Cat Control. The registering bodies can confirm registration status of breeders.

If you plan to exhibit or breed, please check with the breeder and the registering bodies that your feline will be registered as a pedigreed cat of breeding or show quality and not as a desexed or pet-quality animal.

 

Download the Code of Ethics for Breeders & Owners

 

Last updated 28.06.23 - GCCFSA