A pedigree can look daunting the first time you see one, but it follows a simple, consistent layout. Once you know what each part means, you can read any GCCF pedigree at a glance. Here’s how.
The subject cat and its parents
The cat the pedigree belongs to is named at the top. Immediately to the right are its two parents: the sire (father) on the top half, and the dam (mother) on the bottom half. Everything to the right of them are earlier generations.
Generations, left to right
Each column moving right is one generation further back: parents, then grandparents (4), great-grandparents (8), and great-great-grandparents (16). A standard certificate shows four or five generations.
Breed numbers and EMS colour codes
After each cat’s name you’ll usually see its breed and an EMS code — a short string describing colour, pattern and other features (for example SIA n for a seal-point Siamese). These follow the GCCF’s standard coding system.
Titles and the red names
Names shown in red are titled cats — Champions, Grand Champions, Premiers and so on. Red ink is the long-standing convention for highlighting titled ancestors, and it tells you a lot about the quality behind a cat.
Registration numbers
Each cat carries a unique registration number from its governing body. These let anyone verify the cat’s identity and trace it in the registry.
Let Perfect Pedigrees do it correctly
Perfect Pedigrees renders all of this for you — GCCF and TICA-correct, with breed numbers, EMS colours and titled names in red — so your certificates are right every time.
