Blood Groups
and Blood Incompatibility in Birman Cats
More and more breeders are becoming
aware of the need to test their studs’
and queens’ blood group prior to using
them for breeding. Knowing the blood
group of your cats is vital to minimise
the risk of a blood incompatibility
problem (known as Neonatal
Isoerythrolysis).
Neonatal Isoerythrolysis occurs when the
kittens and queen are of a different
blood group; during suckling the kittens
receive the antibodies which destroy
their blood cells, leading to the
kitten’s rapid death. In less severe
cases the tip of the tail dies and drops
off. Kittens from the first mating may
survive, but repeat matings will
increase the level of antibody within a
queen’s milk leading to the risk of up
to a quarter statistically, of her
kittens dying of Neonatal
Isoerythrolysis.
The
AB
system is the major blood group system
in domestic cats.
The common blood groups are
A
and
B.
Cats with blood group
A
have naturally occurring anti-B
antibodies and cats with blood group
B
have naturally occurring anti-A
antibodies. A third rare group "AB"
is also known. Cats of the rare "AB"
group do not have either anti-A
or anti-B
antibodies. The inheritance of the rare
"AB"
group is not well understood and the
incidence of this group is reported to
be less than 1%. Cats which are blood
group A carrying B are shown as Ab and
along with the very rare AB group are
both classed as blood group A.
There are two ways of having your cats
tested for blood group. Your vet can
take a blood sample and can tell you if
the cat is group A or group B. For
kittens this test may be done at birth
using blood taken from the umbilical
cord.
Alternatively your cats may be tested by
DNA buccal swab, administered by you at
home, which is then sent off to a lab.
Unlike the previous test this will tell
you if your group A cat carries the
group B gene. If you are testing kittens
they should be fully weaned prior to
swabbing and to minimise the risk of a
false result, both kittens and cats
should not have had access to food or
drink for 30 minutes prior to the test.
The blood group A gene is dominant to
the blood group B gene. By convention,
group A is shown in results as a capital
A and group B is shown as lower case b.
UC Davis who perform DNA tests report an
N to indicate that the cat may be Group
A or AB as at present they are unable to
distinguish the two. The absence of
anti-A or anti-B antibodies means AB
group cats can be treated as blood group
A.
This table shows you what blood group
results you could get back from a DNA
test and what this means. DNA results
show the gene inherited by both the
mother and the father of the cat hence
the two letter result.
Result Blood Group
AA (or N/N) Group A – this cat is
‘pure’ group A or AB
Ab (or N/b) Group A – this cat
carries the group B gene.
bb Group B
When planning matings, if you are aware
of the blood groups of both stud and
queen, you can estimate the blood group
of the kittens and if there is a
potential problem. The tables below show
the matings that could leave the kittens
at risk of Neonatal Isoerythrolysis. The
kittens’ blood groups are represented in
the unshaded part of the table, each
square indicates 25% of the kittens from
a litter however nature is not fixed in
its percentages!
There will be no problems mating ‘pure’
A to ‘pure’ A or mating B to B.
Table 1.
|
|
|
Stud |
Mating an Ab queen to an Ab stud.
25% of the resultant kittens will be
‘pure’ group A, 50% will be group Ab
and 25% will be group B. All of the
A and Ab kittens will be safe as
they are classed as group A.
The group B kittens
will be at risk of Neonatal
Isoerythrolysis. |
|
|
|
A |
b |
|
Queen |
A |
AA |
Ab |
|
b |
Ab |
bb |
Table 2.
|
|
|
Stud |
Mating an Ab queen to a B stud.
50% of the resultant kittens will be
Ab and 50% will be B. All the Ab
kittens will be safe.
The group B kittens
will be at risk of Neonatal
Isoerythrolysis. |
|
|
|
b |
b |
|
Queen |
A |
Ab |
Ab |
|
b |
bb |
bb |
Table 3.
|
|
|
Stud |
Mating a B queen to a ‘pure’ A stud.
100% of the resultant kittens will
be Ab and ALL
will be at severe risk of Neonatal
Isoerythrolysis. |
|
|
|
A |
A |
|
Queen |
b |
Ab |
Ab |
|
b |
Ab |
Ab |
Table 4.
|
|
|
Stud |
Mating a B queen to an Ab stud.
50% will be group Ab and 50% will be
group B. All of the B kittens will
be safe.
The group Ab kittens
will be at risk of Neonatal
Isoerythrolysis. |
|
|
|
A |
b |
|
Queen |
b |
Ab |
bb |
|
b |
Ab |
bb |
Table 1 shows how two apparently blood
group A cats can produce a blood group B
kitten. The safest bet with a group Ab
queen is a ‘pure’ group A stud, although
you can use an Ab stud there will be
some risk. A ‘pure’ group A queen can go
to any blood group stud. If your
queen is blood group B your safest
option is to only use group B
studs.
What if you want to use a stud of an
incompatible blood group? You may choose
to do a risky mating but in order to
keep your kittens alive you should
ensure that they do not suckle from
their mother for the first 16 hours of
life. After that, their gut no longer
processes the antibodies and they should
be safe to suckle. An old sock, stocking
or baby grow adapted to fit over the
queens body can be used to prevent
kittens nursing but the safest method is
to keep the kittens shut in an enclosed
space such as a carrier.
Veterinary Genetics Laboratory,
University of California
Website
www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/myvgl/login.html
simply create an account which is free
to do. The VGL do various DNA tests for
cats: blood group, coat colour including
colour carrier tests and certain
diseases are covered.
Further Reading:
www.dr-addie.com/Blood groups.htm
Dr Addie’s website
www.fabcats.org/owners/blood_groups/info.html
Feline Advisory Bureau.
Nicola Bailey
Nicadaemus Birmans
ADVICE FOR BREEDERS
Over the years, a
number of breeders have broken GCCF
Rules regarding the registration and
selling of kittens, often innocently,
because they are not aware of the rules
or the implications of those rules. I am
attempting here to explain some of the
complicated procedures involved and give
reasons why breeders are not allowed, by
law, to act in certain ways. Of course
we all know there are disreputable
breeders who obey no rules, register no
kittens and sell them without
vaccinations at an early age. This
article is not for them, I am writing
for those who love their cats, are proud
of their kittens and want to do the
right thing .
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT
TO REGISTER ALL OF MY KITTENS?
The “Sale of Goods
Act” and the “Trade Descriptions Act”
bind anyone selling a pedigree kitten.
The GCCF has to ensure its own
registration rules comply with these
acts of parliament. So, if a breeder
describes a kitten they are selling as
“pedigree”, they must provide the proof
of this to the purchaser at the point of
sale, by handing over all the necessary
paperwork. It is, therefore, very
important for breeders to protect their
kittens and the integrity of their
prefix by taking great care when
registering a litter.
When you take your
queen to stud in the first place, you
must give the stud owner a copy of the
registered name, breed name/breed
description and registration number of
your queen and let him/her see the
registration documents that prove she is
registered on the Active Register and
can be bred from. You must also make
sure you have seen the stud’s
Certificate of Entirety, together with
his registration and vaccination
documents etc before you leave your
queen with the stud owner.
Section 1 Rule 1a of
the GCCF Rules states:
…………All male cats
used at stud must have a Certificate of
Entirety deposited with the GCCF prior
to the registration of their first
litter of kittens.
Then, when you return
after the mating has taken place, the
owner of the stud cat must provide a
Certificate of Mating to the owner of
the queen upon collection of the
queen. (Section 1 Rule 3d.)
A certificate of
mating must state the registered name,
breed name/breed description and
registration number of the sire,
together with the registered name, breed
name/breed description and registration
number of the dam and the dates of
mating, and must be signed by the
registered owner(s) or specified keeper
of the sire.
(Section 1 Rule 3e)
It is important to
remember that you, as the queen’s
registered owner, must be given the
mating certificate, it cannot be
withheld. Make absolutely sure you
have agreed about this, the price of the
stud fee and any special conditions
and/or requirements BEFORE you leave
your queen with the stud owner in the
first place. The best option is to visit
the stud owner, see that the
circumstances and facilities are
acceptable and agree on all terms
before your queen calls and you take her
to stud. If there is any aspect you are
not happy with, then do not take or
leave your queen for mating, it is not
worth it, believe me!
When the kittens are
born and reach about four to six weeks
of age, you need to think about their
registration. The GCCF helps breeders
make a clear distinction between cats
that are for breeding purposes and those
that are not by having the ACTIVE and
the NON-ACTIVE Registers. Here are the
GCCF Rules that apply:
Section 1 Rule 1a.
Only cats/kittens
required for breeding purposes should be
registered on the Active Register.
Section 1 Rule 1c.
Cats/kittens which are not required for
breeding should be registered on the
Non-Active Register. Progeny of cats on
the Non-Active Register will not be
registered.
So, breeders can make
it absolutely clear from the outset
whether a pedigree kitten is intended to
be used for breeding or is being sold as
a pet by using the relevant register.
Often prospective
buyers beg for their kitten to be
allowed “just one litter”. If you agree
to this request, you and the purchaser
need to realise that kitten must be
suitable for breeding and has to be
registered on the “Active” Register. The
breeder must, of course, also realise
they cannot actually stipulate she only
has one litter. If she is on the Active
Register, the breeder is agreeing with
the new owner and the GCCF that she is
suitable for breeding purposes. However,
if the breeder has decided the kitten is
not to be bred from, then, if it has
been registered on the Non-Active
Register it is protected. A stud owner
would be severely disciplined by the
GCCF if they allowed a female on the
Non-Active Register to visit their stud.
They must check each queen’s paperwork
before accepting her.
Some breeders simply
do not register kittens that are sold as
pets; they feel it is an unnecessary
expense. That is a dangerous route to
take! If some, but not all, of the
kittens in the litter are registered by
the breeder, the GCCF requires a
declaration to be completed giving the
following information: The number of
kittens in the litter; The breed and
apparent colour/pattern of each kitten;
The sex of each kitten. This information
must be provided for each kitten alive
when the first kitten is registered.
(Section 1 Rule 3a).
Simply “declaring”
your kittens, offers them no protection
at all, they are in reality
unregistered, and, as a breeder, you
are, to all intents and purposes,
abandoning them. Section 1 Rule 3b
states: Kittens which have been
declared may be registered at a later
date, either by the breeder or by the
new owner. Similarly, a breeder
may decide if there are no kittens of
show quality in a litter, not to declare
or register any of them. Once again,
those kittens are sold without
protection, “If NO kittens from a
litter have been registered by the
breeder, any kitten from that litter may
be registered at a later date, either by
the breeder or the new owner.
(Section 1 Rule 3c).
Furthermore, to
protect the rights of someone purchasing
an unregistered kitten, the GCCF Rules
Section 1 Rule 3f states: “If a
kitten is sold unregistered, in addition
to the pedigree, the seller shall supply
a copy of the certificate of mating
whether or not the seller is the
registered owner of the sire. Any
application to register the kitten at a
later date must be accompanied by this
certificate.
The laws of the land
protect the purchaser and they make it
quite clear that after buying a pedigree
kitten that was simply “declared” or
unregistered, the new owner can go
ahead, register it on the Active
Register and breed from it. However,
the unregistered or declared kitten will
have the GCCF prefix rather than the
breeder’s.
I hope I have made it
clear to everyone, after reading the
above, that a pedigree kitten of pet
quality, or one with perhaps a defect
that should not be passed on to future
generations, could be bred from, quite
legally, UNLESS ITS BREEDER TAKES THE
RESPONSIBLE STEPS TO PREVENT THAT FROM
HAPPENING by registering all kittens not
suitable for breeding on the Non-Active
Register.
WHY IS THE PAPERWORK
SO IMPORTANT?
According to the Sale
of Goods and the Trades Description
Acts, someone selling a kitten as
“pedigree” must provide proof of that
at the point of sale. SO, the seller
HAS to provide the pedigree, and, if the
kitten is just declared or unregistered,
HAS to provide the certificate of
mating.
Some breeders think
they can get round all of this hassle by
withholding paperwork until the new
owner provides proof the cat has been
neutered. It must be realised though
that this is against the law and the new
owner could take the breeder to court
and WIN. Breeders HAVE to provide the
necessary paperwork, the Sale of Goods
Act is adamant about this and the GCCF
has to comply with the requirements. It
is for this reason we have Section 1
Rule 10a:
“When a cat or
kitten is advertised or sold as a
pedigree cat or kitten the vendor shall,
at the time of sale, provide the
purchaser with a properly completed
pedigree signed by the breeder, carrying
3 generations at least, showing all the
breed numbers and registration numbers,
also the breeders name and address. If
the vendor is not the breeder, the
pedigree must, additionally, be signed
by the vendor. If the cat/kitten is not
registered, a copy of the mating
certificate shall be supplied by the
vendor to the new owner.”
That is the GCCF rule
and all breeders with a GCCF prefix must
adhere to it. There is, however, one way
in which you could insist the new owner
provides you with proof of neutering for
kittens on the non-active register and
that is found in Section 1 Rule 10b:
“If at the time of
sale, the cat or kitten is registered,
the seller shall provide the purchaser
with a transfer form, duly completed and
signed by the seller, unless it is
jointly agreed in writing by both
parties at the time of sale not to do
so.
So, the only form
that can be withheld until the owners
provide proof the kitten has been
neutered is the Transfer Form but only
if both parties have both agreed, in
writing, as described above. However it
does mean the new owner cannot show the
kitten until after neutering as it would
still be, officially, in the breeder’s
name.
SO WHAT CAN I DO TO
ENSURE MY PET KITTENS ARE NOT BRED FROM?
By far the best
way of protecting those kittens that are
not to be used for breeding and to
ensure no purchaser deceives you when
buying a “pet” is by having them
neutered before they are sold. This is
called “Early Neutering”. There is a
great deal of information about this on
the GCCF website at
www.gccfcats.org.
From the home page go to “Information
for Breeders” and then scroll down to
“Early Neutering”. You can also search
The Cat Group’s website on
www.thecatgroup.org.uk,
which has a Policy Paper on neutering.
If you log onto “Timing of Neutering”,
this gives further information. The page
also has a paper you can refer to your
Vet. It details the risks involved in
anaesthetising young kittens and gives
informed advice on suitable methods of
procedure etc. My own vets were very
interested in the information contained
on this website and also the specialist
advice to be found on the Feline
Advisory Bureau’s website,
www.fabcats.org.
Their practice is now, officially, “FAB
Cat Friendly”!
Early neutering has
been undertaken in many countries for
more than twenty years, with no adverse
effects reported. The cost can be
included in the price of the kitten and
you can be confident that genuine pet
buyers will be delighted the neutering
has been done. The younger kittens make
a rapid recovery and can still be shown
in the same Open Classes as entires. I
have had a female kitten spayed at 14
weeks and my greatest problem was
stopping her from leaping around the
room in a “wall of death” within an hour
of coming home! Reports from animal
welfare groups confirm feral kittens are
being spayed as early as eight weeks,
they are easier to catch and tame at
that age, but usually pedigree kittens
are neutered at around fourteen weeks or
two weeks after the completion of their
vaccinations.
Anne Gregory
June 2007
The quotations in
italics are copied directly from the
relevant GCCF Rule. Copies of the GCCF
Rules can be obtained from the GCCF
Office, 5 King’s Castle Business Park,
The Drove, Bridgwater, TA6 4AG price £2,
or from GCCF stalls at various shows
around the country.