Having chosen a stud you should get in touch with the owner to see if they will accept your queen when she calls and arrange to visit them well in advance of the proposed mating. Discussions should include: -
- Confirmation that your queen is registered in your name, is on the GCCF Active Register and that her vaccinations are up to date. The stud’s owner may well ask to see this documentation
- Confirmation that the stud is registered in his owner’s name, is on the GCCF Active Register and has a valid GCCF Certificate of Entirety. You should ask to see this documentation
- Compatibility of the cats’ pedigrees
- The blood tests required by the stud’s owner and how far in advance of the mating they should be done. Stud owners will normally expect a test for Feline Leukaemia (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) within 24 hours of a queen's arrival and some may require further tests.
- Whether the stud’s owner requires the kittens resulting from the mating to be placed on the GCCF Non-Active Register making sure that you understand that you will not be able to register any progeny
- The stud fee, which is paid for the service and not for the result. Some stud owners will, as a courtesy, offer a repeat mating when a queen fails to become pregnant but this should not be expected
- The Mating Certificate which will be issued by the stud’s owner when the queen is collected and will be required when the kittens are registered with the GCCF