Your Breed Council Wants You!
June 19, 2025
Annette Wilson
CFA’s breed councils are often referred to as being the “guardians” of the breeds. CFA first established breed councils in 1970, and they are recognized in the CFA Constitution to “serve as advisory bodies on breed standards to the CFA Executive Board
Led by an elected breed council secretary, the members of each breed council channel their opinions and suggestions through the secretary, specifically regarding any prospective revisions to the established breed standards. Breed council secretaries are elected every two years and must be an active member of the breed council.
Joining a breed council has specific requirements which can be found on the membership application. Membership runs from May 1 through April 30 each year, in parallel with the show season. Applications (new and renewal) are taken from May 1 through July 30 for each current show season year.
So … WHY should you join? If you are a breeder, maintaining the standard for your breed should be of utmost importance. It is what you are all about — breeding cats to meet a “standard of perfection.” No doubt you are aware breed councils can ballot for standard changes (through the breed council secretary and the Breeds & Standards Committee).
The CFA Executive Board is forbidden to change a breed’s standard without at least 60% of the breed council members voting their approval. The CFA Board will also listen to (but is not bound by) a breed council’s input on breed-specific registration rules.
There are two ways to look at this, and what you see depends on what you think a STANDARD should be. My personal opinion is that a standard is just that – a description of the perfect example of a particular breed. It’s not “standard” if it changes frequently, but instead is a moving target. That can be impossible for breeders to pursue and ultimately detrimental to a breed if the current “look” becomes the new standard.
How can one voice among many be heard? There are many who feel they either don’t care about some of the breed council ballot items or they don’t believe their voice will be heard. Given that a standard should really NOT change frequently, it is to be expected that it will take time and much discussion to actually effect a change.
Some breed councils have many members and some very few. Some breed councils’ secretaries are more hands-on and communicative than others. . While each individual breed council differs as to the level of involvement and communication by its secretary, as an active member of the breed council you can join and participate in breed council mailing group discussions, attend and vote at breed council meetings, and generally ensure that your voice is heard. As a breed council member, you are eligible to run for secretary (elected every two years).
Fads come and go in breeds. Some standards change frequently and some hardly at all. While stability of a breed standard is to be admired, sometimes clarification is necessary or a registration rule may change to allow/require the addition or realignment of color and pattern descriptions.
Some breeders only join their breed council when there is a “hot button” issue, which is not helpful to any breed. Maintaining your membership (especially if you are still breeding cats in that breed) makes YOU the guardian of your breed!
And what about all of those members on a breed council who bred cats years ago but no longer do so? Sometimes those very voices of experience will help put proposed standard changes into perspective. These former breeders have the recall and the “long look back” to see how both the breed and the standard have evolved over time. Don’t count them out! Listen and learn, because sometimes the process of trying to convince another to see your side of things will open eyes all ‘round.
Your voice on a breed council IS important – to your breed most of all, but also to the CFA Board and your fellow cat fanciers. Join Up! Your breed Wants NEEDS You!
Originally appeared in Cat Talk Magazine