Table of Contents
Basic ground rules for an FBRL listing
The following lists basic ground rules
of a listing:
- All listings must include an e-mail address.
I cannot list a breeder only under a telephone number,
because that is not the point of the list. Ideally,
each breeder should have his or her own e-mail address,
though I realize not all breeders have access to computers
and e-mail. For information about listing more than
one breeder under a single address, see Listing
a friend who is not online later in this document.
-
Home (postal mail) addresses will
not be listed, even by request. I prefer not to
keep this information online. This leads to too many
kinds of trouble.
-
Breeders must have registered catteries.
You must have a registered and approved cattery name registered with at least one major registry to list with the FBRL.
-
I will
not list catteries associated with wild (undomesticated)
animal breeding and brokering (this does not count
the breeding and sale ONLY of accepted hybrids such
as the Bengal, Chausie, and Savannah. I still do not
support the pet sale of wild animals used in the production
of these breeds -- only of their hybrid offspring).
-
I reserve the right to edit entries
for grammar, spelling, and to conform with overall style
and stated policies of this list.
-
The FBRL is a place for advertising
pedigreed, registered, domestic cats ONLY. The FBRL
will not list exotic (non-domestic) cats, mixed-breed
cats, or unregistered cats at any time or for any reason.
-
New breeds will be added only if
they meet minimum criteria. The minimum criteria
is that a new breed will be listed if it has at least
NBC or exhibition status in a major domestic cat registry.
A major registry meets the following requirements: it
registers individual domestic cats and cattery names,
issues registry and pedigree papers, keeps pedigree
data, maintains written conformation standards, and
licenses conformation shows. It also keeps pedigree and registration data that is recognized and accepted with other major registries. I will confirm such status
through contacts with the registries. I will list catteries
who breed experimental colors of established registered
breeds.
-
As the list maintainer, I assume
NO responsibility for transactions conducted on this
list. I do not police breeders; I accept payment
to list them. I am primarily selling advertising space.
Breeders listed here are expected to maintain high ethical
standards in breeding and business practice. However,
since I have no way of checking up on breeders, any
and all aspects of transactions conducted as results
of contacts through this list are entirely at the risk
of the breeder and purchaser. The breeder is also responsible
for complying with all list rules; violations of list
rules will be dealt with as discovered.
[ back to the top ]
Information included in an FBRL
listing
An FBRL listing contains the following
information (those marked in bold are mandatory):
- Your name*
- Your cattery name
- Which associations you have your cattery/cats
registered
- Your country
- Your state or province (mandatory for US, Canada,
and Australia)
- Your city or other location
- Your home page address
- Your e-mail address
- Your home telephone/FAX number
- Crosslinks to other breeds (mandatory if you breed
more than one breed)
- What kind of lines you have (champion, grand, national,
etc.**)
- Whether you offer a written health guarantee
- Some specific health guarantee information
- Spay/neuter policies
- Information on whether you ship your cats
- What colors you work with
- Other notes (optional -- restricted to certain concrete
information listed below)
All listings must be submitted through the online New Cattery
Signup Form (link below).
*Names will be omitted by request if
there is a good reason not to list a name. However, you
must sign up with your full first and last name.
** Some people have asked me to define
"regional winner", "breed winner", and "national
winner" lines. If you have a cat in your pedigree in the
last three generations of your active breeding cats who
is a regional, breed, or national winner, it's regional,
breed, or national winner lines as far as I am concerned.
Three generations means parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.
[ back to the top ]
CFA
Cattery of Excellence, TICA Outstanding Cattery, etc.
These designations must include expiration
dates. CFA has a rule that states that to advertise
a CFA Cattery of Excellence or CFA Approved Cattery designation,
you must include that designation's expiration date. This
is to prevent people from continuing to advertise this designation
even after it has expired and is no longer current. If you
do not select an expiration date, this designation will
not be added to your listing.
I thought it was such a good idea I am
extending these rules on the FBRL to TICA Outstanding Cattery
and ACFA's Cattery of Distinction program as well. Expired
designations are removed if I am not given updated information.
[ back to the top ]
About the Notes section
The purpose of the Notes section is to
give brief, clear, quantifiable, stable, and noncompetitive
information.
What I mean by "stable" is that the information
does not change frequently. Remember: there are hundreds of breeders listed on this service! If I had to keep track
of what each cattery did and did not have available at any
given day, or how many grands everyone has after every show
weekend, I'd either be doing nothing else, or doing nothing
at all because I'd have completely lost my mind.
Just stick to the basic facts, please,
using the rules laid out below.
The Notes section MAY include any of
the following:
- if you are a Breed Council secretary or chair (specify
association) or an officer in a large-scale breed organization.
- if you are a Breed Council/Committee member (specify
association)
- if you edit a breed-related newsletter or wide-circulation
general interest cat newsletter
- if you are a member of a breed-specific organization
- colors you work with or specialize in
The Notes section MAY NOT include such
information as:
- any information about individual cats in your breeding
program, including cats in residence and cats/kittens
for sale. This changes too frequently. (example: "Home
of GC, NW Big Kahuna of Mycattery").
- whether you have kittens available or not. The Litter Announcement Service is available for those wishing to announce litters.
- lines you work with, such as "Lines from
Mycattery, Yourcattery, and Thatcattery". Exception:
You can use "Imported lines" if you use imported lines.
- number of grands in your household. This changes
too frequently.
- "Pet, breeder, show". This should
be redundant. Most catteries offer this.
- membership in local cat clubs. Some of you
belong to dozens of them, and I need to keep the ads
relatively short so pages load quickly.
- statements like "bred for health and temperament",
"raised underfoot", etc. All breeders are expected
to conform to high ethics of breeding and business practice,
and therefore this should be redundant. (Please
prove me right!). Your actual cattery practices should
be a part of your own website.
- statements like "outstanding patterns", "bred for
clarity", "exceptional type", "quality important", "wonderful
personalities", "perfect ears" etc. These are too
subjective and don't fit into the "hard facts"
approach I take on the FBRL.
- prices -- I don't want to encourage people
who are only interested in finding the best "bargain",
nor do I want people to get the impression that the
FBRL sells cats directly like some kind of online pet
store. Prices should remain a private matter between breeders and buyers.
- how long you have been breeding. Unfortunately,
longevity doesn't necessarily translate to common sense.
There are bad breeders out there who have been in it
for twenty years, and great breeders who have only been
in for a couple years. (The opposite is also true, of
course).
- breeding philosophy statements
- anything that basically boils down to "I have the
most wonderful cats in the world". You might, but there
is no way for anyone to define that in any meaningful
way.
- tag lines or cute slogans.
The purpose of the Notes section is information.
I also have to draw some lines for the sake of brevity (people
generally want pages to load sometime before next Tuesday).
If you want to give out more information beyond the bare
facts, make yourself a homepage and I'll be happy to link
your entry to it.
All cute misspellings with cat puns, such
as "purrfect" or "purrsonality", that
do NOT occur in cattery names will be corrected to their
proper spelling. It gets repetitive and looks unprofessional
across an entire page.
But please know that I will edit
out information from your Notes section that does not conform
strictly to the rules listed above.
[ back to the top ]
Cost and payment for
an FBRL listing -- and what it covers
The FBRL standard listing subscription
costs $50 per year (U.S. funds). There is an one-time setup
fee of $5 for a new listing, so the first time you sign
up, it will cost $55. Renewals each year will cost only
$50 for standard service. If you allow your subscription
to lapse and your listing is removed, you will need to pay
the $5 setup fee again, so it saves you money to keep on
top of your subscription!
The standard listing service includes the
following:
- basic line listing for your cattery under all relevant
breeds, with all information included in the cattery
signup form. It's the same price whether you list under
one breed or six.
- unlimited maintenance of this information
-- you don't pay for changes to your listing.
- unlimited use of the Retired
Friends cat placement service (up to 3
listings at one time) and unlimited maintenance of Retired
Friends entries
- photo included every listing under every breed
(only one photo per breed, however). When and if you
choose to take advantage of this option is completely
up to you.
- right to use the Litter
Announcement service. This is an extra
for-fee service, but only FBRL listed breeders may use
it.
The FBRL accepts Visa, Mastercard, Discover,
and American Express, as well as checks and money orders.
I also accept PayPal for those with a preference for this service.
Credit card payments ensure fastest
service. Your cattery listing will go up within 7 business
days of verified payment. If you plan to pay by personal
check, you will need to wait for the check to clear my bank
prior to having your cattery listed.
Your official subscription start date
is the first of the month after your listing first appears.
In other words, if your listing goes up on January 15th,
your official subscription start date is February 1st.
You will not be sent a bill
by postal mail. I don't even ask for your mailing address.
You are expected to pay when you sign up. If you pay by
check or money order, you will see the mailing address on
the payment information screen.
Payment is due immediately. You
will receive a reminder by e-mail if payment is not received
within 30 days. At 60 days' overdue your listing will be
removed.
If you are not from the United States
and want to know how much $50 US translates to your local
currency, go to the Universal
Currency Converter.
[ back to the top ]
Sending photos
If you want to read the instructions now,
you can go to the Photo Submission
FAQ. Otherwise, you can go to any FBRL breed listing
page and click "Add A Photo" for photos.
It is your responsibility to send your
photographs. I have too many breeders listed to chase
after people for pictures. You are not required to submit
a photo; it's your option when and if to do so.
Photos may not appear on the same day
as a new listing. They may appear 1-2 days after a listing
because they are processed separately.
[ back to the top ]
Listing a friend
who is not online
Some people may wish to allow friends who
are not online to use their e-mail address. This is OK,
but there are some ground rules:
- No more than five (5) breeders/catteries per e-mail
address.
- Each listing must be paid for separately, if listing
separate catteries. (ie. If both John Doe of Mycattery
and Jane Smith of Ourkitties use the e-mail address
"johndoe@aol.com", this is treated as two, not one,
cattery and must be paid for accordingly).
- If two breeders share both a registered cattery
name and an e-mail address, they may pay for one listing.
If they wish to be listed separately, they must pay
for two listings. If they live in different locations
and have different e-mail addresses, they must pay for
two listings. If I am just confusing you, write to me
at info@breedlist.com
and we'll try to straighten out your situation.
- Each cattery must be submitted separately on its own
form.
Keeping your listing
up-to-date
I rely on you to keep your listing information
updated. To correct or update a listing, go to the Update
Form. It is your responsibility to inform me if
your FBRL listing information changes. Fixing ads is free.
Unlike some pay advertising services, I don't charge for
fixing your data!
Please use the form. Your listing will
be corrected much more quickly if you use proper channels.
[ back to the top ]
I work with more
than one breed. Is there an extra charge?
No. There is no additional charge for listing
your cattery with more than one breed. When you pay for
a subscription, you are paying as a "customer", not as a
number of breeds. This is true even if your catteries for
different breeds have different names.
[ back to the top ]
Can I be listed in
more than one state, province, or country?
You can be listed in more than one state
IF you own legal residences in more than one state.
For example, I have several "snowbird" listers who have
homes in the north and winter homes in the southern US.
I also have a few bi-coastal marriage partners who maintain
cats in two places. Under any of those circumstances, you
may list in more than one state.
People who have only one legal residence
may NOT list in adjoining states -- even if you're right
on the border. You must list in your state of legal residence.
For example, if you live in one state but near the border
of another, you can only list in the state where you maintain
a legal residence. If your home is in New York state but
close to the Ontario, Canadian border, you must list in
New York, but you cannot list in Ontario. You may put in
your Location: section that you are located close to the
Ontario border. Folks in Ontario who live close to the New
York border will figure out that they can check for breeders
in New York, too. We border folk are pretty smart that way.
:-)
[ back to the top ]
Disciplinary
suspension from the FBRL
I cannot police breeders. However,
I do try to follow up on complaints, and there are some
few cases under which I have stopped listing breeders.
I will and have permanently de-listed breeders
from the FBRL for the following reasons:
- proven cases of unethical breeding practice in which
cats are harmed and/or in danger. Usually requires submission
of veterinary paperwork. Examples include selling sick
and/or infested kittens in cases where the breeder knew
the kitten was sick and/or infested at the time of the
transfer.
- the breeder is put under disciplinary suspension from
any major cat registry. Even if the disciplinary suspension
is temporary with the association, the breeder is permanently
barred from the FBRL. If you have ever been suspended,
don't bother signing up. (Only exception to this is
if the person was suspended from TICA for an uncollected
bad check. This is the only association I know who does
this; please discuss this with me before signing up
if this is your situation).
- The breeder has engaged in proven fraudulent behavior
of misrepresenting himself or his cattery to others.
This includes providing false information for an FBRL
listing.
- The breeder has had animals confiscated by their local
animal control agency for proven violations of hygiene,
animal welfare, and/or animal cruelty.
- The breeder has been arrested and convicted of a crime
that was either directly animal related, such as animal
abuse, or has been convicted of a lower charge where
the root cause was animal related (such as plea bargaining
an animal cruelty charge to something such as "disorderly
conduct").
- The breeder has been proven to be purposely breeding
and selling mixed-breed cats.
- The breeder is engaging in the sale and/or brokering
of wild (non-domestic) animals.
- The breeder is selling cats through a pet store or
online auction (see below).
- These represent only some of the cases presented
and does not constitute an exhaustive list of offenses
that may merit expulsion.
I have ejected a few breeders for other
reasons. There are other circumstances under which I may
choose to remove a breeder from the FBRL. These are handled
on a case-by-case basis and usually have involved a blatant
violation of the rules of this list. I do investigate these
as well as I can; there have been many cases of complaints
against breeders which have proven to be unfounded or greatly
exaggerated. I will make every effort to be fair. However,
there are certain serious circumstances in which immediate
dismissal is the only ethical action I feel I can take.
I have the legal right to refuse service when I feel the
customer no longer represents the best interests of the
FBRL.
Any breeder selling a cat through a
pet store or through an online auction is subject to immediate
and permanent dismissal. This practice is totally unacceptable
for selling cats, as both pet stores and online auctions
sell only to any individual with sufficient money or to
highest bidder and do not take into account the suitability
of the home. Online auctions even make it clear that the
result of the auction is legally binding, and this does
not give the breeder an opportunity to screen a home properly.
I do monitor auction sites for such activity.
If a breeder is de-listed for disciplinary
reasons, he or she will receive, at that breeder's written
request, a full refund of the unused portion of the yearly
subscription price. Refunds are not given without a written
request. The breeder will not be allowed to re-list with
the FBRL at any time in the future.
For more information on filing a complaint,
go to the Filing A Complaint
FAQ.
[ back to the top ]
Canceling
service
FBRL Cancellation Policy: If you
choose to cancel your FBRL service, please use the this
form to remove your listing: http://www.breedlist.com/forms/notrenewing.html.
Refunds are not issued for early cancellations.
[ back to the top ]
Signing up for the service
Can't access the online forms?
If you cannot access the online forms (this is an
occasional problem with AOL subscribers), write to me
at problem@breedlist.com
and we'll work it out.
|
