The name of this certificate, the pedigree, is very well known, but what it actually is, what it is for, and why you should ask for it is decidedly less familiar territory.

First of all, it is the ONLY document that can guarantee that a cat is purebred. Many people believe that having parents with a pedigree is enough to make the kitten purebred as well. False. If the document is missing, there is a reason, and all certainty is lost. The result? Under Italian law (Legislative Decree 529/1992, Art. 5), a cat without a pedigree is not purebred and cannot be sold as such.

The pedigree (technically the Genealogical Certificate) is, to all intents and purposes, the identity card of a cat or dog. Its presence guarantees several fundamental aspects:

• the animal comes from a breeder who follows precise rules;

• it is the offspring of two parents who both have a pedigree and have undergone the health checks required for the specific breed;

• the breeder operates in compliance with animal welfare regulations and is subject to inspections;

• the birth has been duly registered, and the kitten consequently entered in the Stud Book (Libro delle Origini), the official database managed by ANFI, the association recognised by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture (MASAF), which records the genealogy of all purebred animals.

These are the basic definitions, but to understand the importance of this document, we need to look at the matter from another angle: who is denied a pedigree, and why?

One typical situation is an offer to sell a kitten for €1,000 with a pedigree, or for €500 without. Considering that the actual cost of issuing a certificate ranges roughly between €10 and €26, the disproportion is obvious. Which seller would give up around €480 in profit just to avoid spending about twenty euros on administrative paperwork?

The reality hides very different scenarios, often hard to decipher for those buying an animal for the first time.

• Exploitation of breeding females: FIFe rules forbid a queen from having more than two litters in 12 months and more than three in 24 months, unless a veterinarian and/or the association has given prior written approval. Anyone who exceeds these limits cannot register the litters without incurring penalties. Buying a kitten without documents in this context means funding the intensive exploitation of the mothers.

• Lack of health guarantees and contractual restrictions: animals sold as “pets” often come with an explicit ban on breeding in their contract, set by the breeder to protect the health of the bloodline and prevent the transmission of genetic defects or hereditary diseases, such as early-onset cataracts or certain heart conditions. Those who breed these animals illicitly cannot request the pedigree without incurring contractual penalties, putting the health of future kittens at risk.

• Improvised matings: it is also common for someone who has bought a cat without documents to mate it with another “lookalike” animal, then sell the litter under the claim of a “purebred parent,” counting on the fact that the buyer is unlikely to run a DNA test.

These are unscrupulous practices that feed on common myths, such as the idea that the certificate is needed “only by those who want to show their cats” or “only by those who need to breed the animal.”

In reality, the pedigree is the key tool for knowing the genetic history of your four-legged companion. Knowing for certain which bloodlines it comes from makes it possible to monitor and prevent hereditary diseases, to identify, in some cases, possible predispositions, and to fully understand the specific needs of that breed. Supporting the circuit of official certificates means protecting animal health, supporting scientific research, and avoiding feeding the black market of makeshift breeding operations.”