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Ok, so tell me if this is dumb! I was thinking of bake sales and car washes for HCM (obviously impossible with how far apart most of us are) but figured we could all brainstorm! Any ideas?
I think that any HCM research support is very good and hopefully sooner or later it will be a problem that is gone.
However...
The best way to get this problem under control is to get the breeding under control. I can't believe how unregulated the breeders can operate over there.
The organisations that gives out official documents for cats need to have much harder rules for doing so.
Sure it is nice to have as few interferances as possible and just fix the problems that arises but without a controlled breeding more and more bad genes will poison the lines and in the end a very large portion of the kittens will have to get these new fixes not to speak about the deceases that can't be cured at all. Maybe HCM will be one of them.
Organise with interest groups for other breeds and put hard pressure on your organisations to regulate and control better. Other countries have gotten this problem under very good control this way.
Now HCM needs money for research as well ofc, I'm just saying that it seems that everyone (most) just accept that the situation is like it is and can't be changed but that is far from true.
With a list of rules to be followed to get official papers for a kitten breeders will have to comply or they can't get any money for their cats, far from what they need to continiue at least.
That's my idea and one I know works since it's been done.
I do wanna see a cure for HCM as well though.
Would LOVE to hear from an American who is knowledgeable about politics / breeder regulations. As far as I know the US Govt has NO involvement in breeding regulations. And besides the TICA and the CFA, who has any control over breeding sphynxes??
I am SO curious...
Just to clarify. Goverment have no control over breeding here either more than through quite hard animal rights laws etc. It's the federation (your TICA/CFA) that has and it has a very rigourus system of rules etc.
A breeder need to comply with all of those to get a "S*" before their cattery name and to get papers for their kittens.
People would never buy a pure bred from a cattery without authorisation because it will be demed a "house cat" no matter how pure bred it is and no papers will be issued for it. No matter if it would be a show quality cat it can't be sold for more than a very small amount of money.
Deceases need cures but the ultimate way of getting problems with deceases under control is to control the breeding itself.
This is how is should be, the lines should be researched before breeding is even allowed (for kittens with papers) and anyone who breeds without all the research into the lines and proper scans etc, just does not get papers for their kittens. This will not stop back yard breeders, but you know if you spent the $ on a cat with papers all the proper channels have been taken. This will not eradicate HCM but it sure will but a leash on it.
So does TICA or CFA require the lines, scan results, blood type, etc. for registering? If not, does anyone know why it is so different here than in Europe?
Me too, Bella! While I was waiting to take my cats for their scans, I worried what I would do--how would I possibly take it if one or, God forbid, all of them had it....that goodness we were HCM clear, at least for this year. Will go through the same thing next year, I'm sure....I feel so sorry for anyone that has to deal with this rotten disease.
Kitty tees!!!!!!!
So does TICA or CFA require the lines, scan results, blood type, etc. for registering? If not, does anyone know why it is so different here than in Europe?
Do you just get your breeders scanned? Or pets as well? Gizmo is a very healthy boy who gets check ups every year (this year included the full blood panel)... but is it a good idea to have a pet scanned??
It is a good idea to have everyone scanned, but there are different schools of thought on it--some sources say only if your cat is symptomatic. I prefer to scan. But I am fortunate that near Detroit there is a cardiologist that does scans for $95 a cat--which is a great price, so it's a little more affordable than some of the fees I've heard from others around.
I am going to scan mine at the TICA show the end of this month.
I am trying to get my dad to loan me the money to scan Cleo and Wrinkles.
I also am scared of the results.
I
Do you just get your breeders scanned? Or pets as well? Gizmo is a very healthy boy who gets check ups every year (this year included the full blood panel)... but is it a good idea to have a pet scanned??
Does the cardiologist matter for the scan?? I know that I would research a cardiologist for myself and try to find the best one... but there are very few near by... I would rather not have to travel all over creation just for the scan. If Gizzy was sick, I would find the best out there for his condition... but for just a scan, does it matter?
So in other words, can a scan be read wrong ??
TICA and CFA are registries. They are that and nothing else. They are not government agencies- they are not law enforcers. TICA and CFA are there to register our cats and host our cat shows- not to slap breeders on the wrists.
Do other countries do things differently? Sure. Germany, for one, has a pretty darn strict German Shepherd Dog registry- at least, their requirements to breed are pretty strict. And good for them! Does that make GSD breeders across the board in the US horrible? Hardly.
Is it wonderful that a specific country or organization requires health testing? Well, on one hand- yes. On the other hand- no. It is foolish to believe a yearly test will wipe out HCM and actually- YES, we DO NEED MORE RESEARCH. Maine Coons- you can DNA test for HCM, but cats who have tested clear still develop HCM. So how does this fit into the yearly scanning for registries? That just shows that scanning yearly isn't really the answer. We need more research and money put into HCM. If we can pinpoint the actual cause, locate the DNA marker for ALL HCM (which is the problem with Maine Coons- there must be something missing) and find out a better way to treat HCM- that's how we will help out cats.
Look at what Susi just posted- she has done her scans for the year and yet, like any other Sphynx breeder, she is biting her nails worried about next year. The scans are not enough.
Also, from the last few posts about the lack of American regulations when it comes to breeding- you might assume that HCM does not exist in European lines. You would be very very wrong to make that assumption. Very, very wrong. It does exist and many people have imported cats only to lose them down the road to HCM.
If anyone is that concerned that TICA or CFA is not running their ships properly- you have every right to take the time and money to become actively involved and eventually man that ship yourself. Instead of complaining about the registries, which do their job- register cats- you can take action and become actively involved in the show community as well as the registries. They have presidents and vice presidents, etc... They are ordinary people just like you and me.
Ah, and to sum it up- TICA is international so even Europeans can be involved with it and help change the rules if they don't like them.