Steve Crow: Welfare Is The Theme...

As Chairman of the GCCF, Steve Crow is naturally excited that Britain is finally hosting the World Cat Congress (23 to 27 April at the Liverpool Exhibition Centre) having been thwarted from doing so in 2020 by the pandemic. 

With the world’s nine global cat registries attending, and a great many breeders and cat enthusiasts, the GCCF has decided to host its Supreme — the Uk’s largest competitive cat show — at the event, too on Sunday 26th — contested by Britain’s best of the best.

The Congress will also include a Saturday seminar entitled ‘Safeguarding the future of cats’ on cat health (to be live streamed and recorded) from top veterinary experts. These include possibly the world’s leading cat geneticist, Professor Leslie Lyons, and the topics being discussed range from cancer to extreme conformation. “As pet welfare has been very much in the news lately, we’re making it a bit of a theme at Congress,” Steve explains.

“Welfare is improving, but we are trying to learn lessons from what other species are doing about more extreme conformation; we do have problems in a few breeds,” continues Steve. “There’s still a great need to educate people to buy responsibly, especially with the explosion of influencers on social media.

“People don’t always buy from breeders who register with an organisation like the GCCF [which sets out best practice] but there’s also work to be done helping breeders to breed and sell more responsibly.”

Nothing could better illustrate why Agria is proud to be a partner of the GCCF; animal welfare is at the heart of all that Agria does, from helping cat owners when their pets become ill, to supporting veterinary research, rescue charities and educational work.

Cat ownership is thriving, and Steve points to evidence from organisations like Battersea Dogs Home and Cat Protection which suggests increasing numbers or people are buying pedigrees, partly because improved neutering has reduced the number of litters of unwanted moggies. 

“This drives people more to pedigree cats, but they’re also thinking about what sort of cat will fit their family or their lifestyle.. People do more looking online,” Steve elaborates. Media exposure can play a part in a certain breed seeing a spike in popularity, too: “We tend to see a surge of interest if a pedigree cat appears in an advert.”

There are many dangers for free-roaming cats, not just traffic but also, sadly, with pedigree breeds especially, theft. So among the seminar speakers will be Dr Sarah Heath speaking on enrichment and mental health for the more confined cat.

“Responsible cat husbandry leads to less veterinary intervention, but of course you have to have the vet sometimes,” adds Steve. “You must ask ‘can I afford this animal?’ before acquiring it.” Agria has policies to help owners of every kind balance the risks of cat ownership, including its Home Cat products which provide tailored insurance for cats which are not free roaming. 

Next month’s Congress is also a chance for the GCCF to share with the world the very good work it does with registered breeders — requiring DNA testing in some cases to ensure cats are free of genetic anomalies, microchipping, inoculations and more.

Much thought is being given to how the insight, expertise and best practice being discussed and shared at Congress can percolate down to regular cat owners to the benefit of cats everywhere. “We try to work with influencers interested in cats, use social media, breeders and breed clubs to encourage them to have health-focused breeding policies and we hope to get these messages out to the kitten-buying public… it’s a multi-level approach,” Steve explains.

His ultimate hope is for Congress to produce “positive publicity for responsible breeding and cat ownership, and what we do to ensure healthy breeding.”

“Partnering with the GCCF allows us at Agria to champion the highest standards of cat welfare, from responsible breeding through to lifelong care. With protection from gestation for life, we’re committed to supporting cats and their owners every step of the way,” says Sarah White, Breeder Channel Manager. “ With the World Cat Congress and the Supreme taking place in the UK, it’s an exciting opportunity to share knowledge, inspire best practice, and put welfare firmly in the spotlight.” 

https://www.gccfcats.org/show-calendar/word-cat-congress/

Congress takes place on 26th April