Burmese Or Asian Purebred Cats?

Burmese Or Asian Purebred Cats?

by Jackie
(Spain)

Murphy, Mistral and Slick

Murphy, Mistral and Slick

I have to tread very carefully here, but I want to place this experience anyway, as I would like to hear some opinions.

When I set out to find a Burmese kitten 2years ago, I found a lilac boy (which I wanted) on the web. It was too far away for me to go and have a look and as I created a good relationship with the breeder by e-mail I trusted her implicitly.

Our correspondence went on for some 6 weeks. One week before the kitten was going to be flown out to me I was offered his litter brother for free as they were so close. After long deliberation I decided to have him too (I did pay, however, towards neutering etc). And they are great, I love them both to bits and the Burmese is the most human-orientated cat I know.

However, 1 year later I had the chance to go and visit the breeder and wanted to chose another kitten from her. She talked about her different prefixes etc and when I returned home looked up her British prefix, out of curiosity.

There I found an Asian studcat with the same date of birth as my boys, same mother, but different father. When I asked the breeder by e-mail, what the story was, she explained that as she needed an Asian kitten for a friend in the UK, she decided to put 2 males on the same queen. As in the litter of 6 there was one dark kitten, she assumed it was an Asian and it went to the UK as stud. The others were sold (full price) as Burmese.

As I had showed her pictures of my boys she told me that she now thought that they too are Asian, as their colours were getting so dark. My lilac one is like a fawn ticked one and my blue one is getting browner by the week.

I phoned the GCCF and the cat club in Spain and the Trade Description Act people, who all were fuming, but could not do anything for me. She was unrepentant and said her conscience was clear. I told her that there were 3 good reasons for feeling guilty about what she had done, 1) the GCCF, 2) TICA in Spain and 3) the Trade Description Act, who said I should get my money back.

She then offered to do just that but wanted the cats back, which is what I'll never do.

Why I am rather angry is the fact that I do not know what I have, where I implicitly wanted a Lilac BURMESE. The pedigree is worthless, I cannot show them and I cannot ever buy another kitten from this breeder as I cannot condone what she's done.

I wonder if that 'Asian' kitten now at stud in the UK is really an Asian, does the new owner know what happened?

I am sure that accidents can happen, but this was done deliberate and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. After all this I decided to not have another Burmese, because of my geographical position, but searched for an Oriental and found a pukka breeder with a super litter. Now I have a wonderful bicoloured Oriental with my lovely Burmese/Asian? boys and also gained a great friend in the breeder.

Looking forward to feed back.

Jackie

Burmese or Asian? to Burmese cats

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Burmese Or Asian Purebred Cats?

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Apr 13, 2010
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not practical
by: kathy

This is so unethical especially in the breeding of purebred cats. Im not sure if the blood could split and the cat could actually have both fathers. I dont think so because I think only one sperm fertilizes one egg. But then you never really would know which one was the actual father without a DNA test.


Apr 12, 2010
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Comment to Phil
by: Anonymous

Thanks Phil,
Just checked up on that and yep, she could have been suspended for 2 years, where it not, that she lives and breeds in Spain with a Spanish prefix and now also has a UK prefix so that she can export her kittens to the UK. The catclub in Spain does not want to take it any further.(politics etc...)
Anyway, I wanted to put this in the open. I am sure it happens here and there and it is difficult to prove most of the time, but I have it black on white that she did the mating deliberately. Luckily there are still marvellous breeders out there who know what they are doing.
Maybe we should name and shame the bad ones one day?(As the GCCF does)
Jackie


Apr 12, 2010
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Not right at all!
by: Phil

What an unpleasant story! Although I am certain that your love for your cats is undiminished by this experience, I can completely understand your annoyance at having had them 'passed off' (I'm sure Michael will correct my legalese..) as full purebreds, and charged accordingly. Outrageous behaviour on the part of the breeder.

I am surprised that the GCCF say that they can't do anything about this; having taken a brief look at their website, it does appear that there is a mechanism to suspend breeders by the GCCF Disciplinary Committee (follow the tab 'List of Registered Prefixes'), which bans them from registering their cats and kittens and effectively means that they can no longer sell their cats as purebreds. Or perhaps the GCCF doesn't think that the misdemenour warrants such action?!


Apr 12, 2010
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to clarify
by: Jackie

Hi Michael,
Thanks for your comments. I also have been reading up on Asians, obviously, and it is a strange, grey area. But this lady is a, I believe, wellknown and well respected breeder of the Burmese and the Burmilla and wanted a Bombay(Asian) for her friend. What angers me most is that she unscrupulously put 2 different Toms on the same queen(at the same time)and hoped for at least one Bombay, which was not in the litter however, but she reckoned that the darkest kitten could well be an Asian and was sold on as such as a stud and exported to the UK. As she was not so sure about the others, she sold them off as Burmese. Asking full price. That she offered me the brother for free was well after I paid for the one I wanted.
I am not seeking compensation, but I wonder what the opinions are on the practice of using 2 toms on a queen and who may be the father of my cats? Pedigrees are then not worth the paper they are printed on and I feel the breeder should be slapped her wrist by the various catclubs. Am I wrong?
Jackie


Apr 12, 2010
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My thoughts
by: Michael

I find the Burmese/Asian set up a bit confusing. I find the beginning of the Burmese cat a bit opaque! However, the legal stuff is uncomplicated.

For the sake of clarity, I hope I am correct in saying that cats in the 'Asian group of cats' are different types of cat with the Asian cat breed group that have a connection with the Burmese cat as the Burmese is part of the breeding process. Although, it seems to me that two of the cats within the group are free standing breeds as well (Bombay and Burmilla - the original cat in the Asian group). Please correct me if I am wrong.

For instance:

Bombay: crossing a Sable Burmese with a black American Shorthair and following up with careful breeding afterwards.

Tiffanie: long haired Burmilla.

Burmilla: Chinchilla Persian called Jerami x lilac Burmese female called Bambino Lilac Fabergé.

Tabbies: 'Classic, Mackerel and Spotted patterns derive mainly from Chinchilla ancestry, and the Ticked pattern from the Burmese breed'. (quoted from the Asian Group verbatim for accuracy).

Smoke: I don't know what they cross the Burmese to get the smoke coat, perhaps random bred cats with smoke coats.

Anyway, I am surprised that this breeder said that she 'she now thought that they too are Asian..' She does not know what she is breeding or she knew it was the wrong cat and was found out, changing her position afterwards.

To not know what breed she is breeding is hard to understand as it is impossible to create a purebred cat if you don't know what cat you are breeding. If she knew that she was selling an Asian cat rather than a Burmese the same remedy in law in this instance exists. If this was the case it would be a actionable misrepresentation.

Anyway, you bought a Burmese and got something else. Cats are unfortunately considered 'chattels' under the law, the same as household objects for example. That does not work well because cats are living creatures to whom we become attached. Accordingly, the classic remedy in contract law for what is called a 'total failure of consideration' of a return of the money for a return of the item bought does not work well as you say.

If you are unable as you say (and for good reason) to unravel the contract and return to pre-contract status, then you might ask for damages. This means a form of monetary compensation less than the total value of the contract but substantial nonetheless to recognise the fact that you have a cat but not the cat that you contracted to buy.

Michael Avatar


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