Pedigree Cats Exposed - Could Cats Be Next Under T

Most cat owners are at least peripherally aware of the BBC documentary, ‘Pedigree Dogs Exposed’ that aired in August 2008. The documentary, which was several years in the making, caused massive upheaval across the pedigree dog world, and resulted in large-scale public outcry at the ultimate exposure of the fate of many pedigree dogs in the UK, and the unsafe and unethical breed standards that The Kennel Club and many pedigree dog breeders supported and encouraged.

Few people could deny the facts and supporting evidence that the programme used to make their case, and despite initial vehement denials by The Kennel Club, ultimately, almost every issue highlighted in the documentary was eventually upheld. Now that many of the issues highlighted in the programme are finally under the spotlight and being addressed, the obvious question in the minds of many cat lovers must surely be ‘what about the cats?’

Do pedigree cats have similar issues? Could the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy and other breed organisations be equally at fault in terms of their management and stewardship of the cat world? Read on to hear our thoughts.


Pedigree cats: is there a genuine issue?


Jemima Harrison, the director and editor of ‘Pedigree Dogs Exposed’ and ‘Pedigree Dogs Exposed: Three Years On’ believes that there is. In April 2012, Jemima Harrison posted on her Pedigree Dogs Exposed blog that ‘Pedigree Cats Exposed’ is already underway as a project, and since that time, the documentary itself has entered production. The programme is likely still unfinished and there is no airdate yet, and in fact, Pedigree Cats Exposed will probably take many months or even years to make it on to our screens due to any amount of legal wrangling and liability issues. But even so, the fact is that the pedigree cat world will almost certainly find itself under the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons in the near to mid-term future.


What issues might Pedigree Cats Exposed highlight?Signi