Breeding Policy for the British Shorthair
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British Shorthair Breed Advisory Committee Guidelines For Healthy And Responsible Breeding Breeding Policy For The British Shorthair Jun-18 Draft British Shorthair Breeding Policy – Genetics Committee – after BAC Seminar Summary When an individual or group makes a decision to ‘breed’ an animal for any purpose that decision carries a degree of responsibility. This British Shorthair ‘breed specific’ policy seeks to safeguard the genetic health, distinctive type and integrity of our wonderful breed, by providing our breeders with sufficient information to inform their breeding programs or systems, such that they understand those responsibilities relative to the genetics of the breed and seek to protect and improve all aspects of the most popular pedigree cat in the UK today. This policy is intended to support and accompany the British Shorthair Registration Policy. Acknowledgments • The GCCF Breeding Policy • Steve Crow and the Asian Breeding Policy • Dr Diane D. Addie and her Invaluable Website. • Contributing British Shorthair Breeders1 • Robinson’s Genetics for Cat Breeders and Veterinarians • Photographers: Alan Robinson and Robert Fox 1 These can be found at Appendix 4 Contributing Breeders 2 Draft British Shorthair Breeding Policy – Genetics Committee – after BAC Seminar Contents Summary ...................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgments .................................................................. 2 Contents ....................................................................................... 3 1. Introduction ..................................................................... 6 1.1. Purpose of this Document........................................... 7 1.2. Exclusions .................................................................. 7 2. Background to the British Shorthair Cat ..................... 8 2.1. Origin .......................................................................... 8 2.2. Breed Description ....................................................... 8 2.3. The Show Cat ............................................................. 9 2.4. Registration ................................................................ 9 2.5. Characteristics and Temperament .............................. 9 2.6. Longevity .................................................................. 10 2.7. Recognition .............................................................. 10 3. Breeding System Information ..................................... 11 3.1. Genetic Make Up ...................................................... 11 3.2. Size and variety of gene pool .................................... 14 3.3. Inbreeding ................................................................ 15 3.3.1. Best Practice Advice and Recommendations ........ 20 4. Type ......................................................................... 21 4.1. Overall ...................................................................... 21 4.2. The Head .................................................................. 21 4.3. Nose ......................................................................... 21 4.4. Chin .......................................................................... 22 4.5. Ears .......................................................................... 22 4.6. Coat .......................................................................... 22 4.7. Eyes ......................................................................... 23 4.8. Body ......................................................................... 23 3 Draft British Shorthair Breeding Policy – Genetics Committee – after BAC Seminar 4.9. Legs & Paws ............................................................ 23 4.10. Tail ........................................................................... 24 4.11. Size and Weight ....................................................... 24 5. Health ...................................................................... 25 5.1. Genetic Defects ........................................................ 25 5.1.1. PKD ...................................................................... 25 5.1.2. HCM ..................................................................... 25 5.2. Blood Groups and Neonatal Isoerythrolysis .............. 26 5.2.1. Recommendations ................................................ 28 5.3. Brachycephaly .......................................................... 29 5.4. Weight ...................................................................... 29 5.5. Infectious Disease .................................................... 30 6. The Self Coloured British Shorthair ...................... 31 6.1. The White Self .......................................................... 33 6.2. Black and Blue Self .................................................. 37 6.3. Chocolate or Lilac Self .............................................. 40 6.4. Cinnamon or Fawn Self ............................................ 42 6.5. Red or Cream Self .................................................... 45 6.6. Tortoiseshell (all colours) ............................................ 49 7. Non-Self/Non Tabby ..................................................... 52 7.1. Bi-colour ........................................................................ 52 7.2. Van Pattern (Preliminary) ............................................ 56 7.3. Tortie and White and Van Pattern Tortie and White . 59 8. Smoke ............................................................................ 61 9. Tabbies and Spotties ................................................... 64 9.1. Ticked Tabby ................................................................. 67 9.1.1. Ticked Tabby (All colours) Non Silver (Preliminary)67 9.1.2. Silver Ticked Tabby (Preliminary) .......................... 71 9.2. Mackerel and Classic Tabbies (non Silver) ............... 72 4 Draft British Shorthair Breeding Policy – Genetics Committee – after BAC Seminar 9.2.1. Mackerel Tabby .................................................... 73 9.2.2. Classic Tabby. ...................................................... 75 9.2.3. Spotted Tabby (non-silver) .................................... 78 9.2.4. Silver Tabby, (All colours) ..................................... 79 9.2.5. British Silver Spotted Shorthair. ............................. 81 10. Tipped – Silver Series ............................................... 83 10.1. Black Tipped ............................................................. 83 10.2. Golden Tipped including all Non-silver Series Tipped.87 11. Colourpointed ........................................................... 92 11.1. Colourpointed, Non-silver, without white spotting ..... 92 11.2. Colourpointed -Silver Series ................................... 101 11.3. Colourpointed & White (Any colour) Preliminary ..... 104 11.4. Silver Colourpointed & White (Any colour) Preliminary106 12. British Shorthair Variant .......................................... 107 13. Eye Colour .............................................................. 109 14. Record Keeping ...................................................... 112 15. Recommendations .................................................. 114 Appendix 1 References .......................................................... 115 Appendix 2 Glossary .............................................................. 116 Appendix 3 Key Genes ........................................................... 117 Appendix 4 Contributing Breeders ....................................... 117 5 Draft British Shorthair Breeding Policy – Genetics Committee – after BAC Seminar 1. Introduction It is very easy to breed a cat, in fact if you share your life with a female cat and do nothing to prevent it you will soon have a litter of kittens and a very good mother taking care of everything. However, if one makes a decision to become a breeder of pedigree cats all sorts of responsibilities accompany that decision. Fortunately in the UK we have a well respected registration body, the GCCF 2 which has an established framework that determines the Registration Policy for each breed of cat and an official Standard of Points3. To accompany these, the British Shorthair Group Committee (Breed Advisory Committee) 4 has compiled this ‘breed specific’ Breeding Policy, the aims of which are to provide the dedicated and ethical breeder with advice and guidance such that the cats that they breed, whether for companion, show or breed purposes, are healthy, and conform to the Breed Standard. GCCF BAC Breeders Registration Breeding SOP Policy Policy Breeding decisions become easier if breeders develop and manage a breeding program within which they consider the key points of cat breeding, which are: • Maintenance and perpetuation of the Breed • Improvements in quality of the phenotype (appearance) as measured against the Breed Standard There is a trade off in any successful breeding program, in order to increase homogeneity (similarity) we must reduce random variation. Therefore, breeders must use a robust process of selective breeding. 2 Governing Council of the Cat Fancy 3 SOP 4 BAC 6 Draft British Shorthair Breeding Policy – Genetics Committee – after BAC Seminar In doing so we run the risk that: • Undesirable, and even harmful, genetic anomalies will begin to express themselves • extremes of physical type may begin to appear • Inbreeding becomes attractive In order to achieve the desirable goals, whilst managing