One document tells you whether you are buying the breed you are paying for.
American Shorthair
American Shorthair mix
American Shorthair mix
American Shorthair
American Shorthair mix
American Shorthair
American Shorthair mix
American Shorthair mix
American Shorthair kittens for sale are easy to find and hard to verify. This is the most commonly misapplied breed name in the United States, and the reason is simple: the breed looks like an ordinary short-haired cat, because that is what it was bred from. A photograph cannot settle it and neither can a seller’s word. One document can. The kittens above are listed by their current owners.
Short answer
On the balance of probability, no. The name is attractive to attach and easy to attach, because a random-bred silver tabby and a registered American Shorthair can be impossible to tell apart at twelve weeks old. Looks will not settle this. Paperwork will.
The American Shorthair is CFA’s ninth most registered breed on its latest published list.[4] People apply that name loosely, and to this breed more than most, because it was built from ordinary American street cats and still looks like them. That is the breed’s history, not a criticism of it.
It does mean that the usual advice fails here. You cannot judge this breed by eye. A registered American Shorthair needs both parents registered with CFA and a five-generation pedigree behind it, and none of that is visible in a photograph.[2]
If the answer turns out to be no, that is not a wasted trip. A cat without papers is still a good cat, and domestic shorthair kittens are the page you want, at a price that reflects what you are actually buying. The problem is never the cat. It is paying a pedigree price for one.
Short answer
The blue slip. That is the CFA Application for Registration, which the breeder hands to the buyer and the buyer sends to CFA. Sellers produce all sorts of other documents. Most of them prove something other than what you need to know.
What each document is, and what it proves
Application for Registration, the “blue slip”
The one that mattersCertificate of Litter Registration
SupportingIndividual registration certificate
SupportingCertified pedigree
SupportingA pedigree the seller printed
Proves nothingThe distinction that catches people out is the fourth row. A certified pedigree looks impressive and is genuinely a CFA document, but anyone can order one for any registered cat.[1] Producing one shows that a line exists on file. It does not connect the kitten in the carrier to that line. Only the blue slip does that.
One thing not to panic about: the Litter-PIN on the litter registration grants breeding rights, and a kitten sold as a pet is usually registered without it.[1] That is normal. A missing PIN is not a red flag unless you were promised breeding rights.
Short answer
No, and most buyers assume otherwise. A registry records pedigrees. It does not police sales. Read the CFA registration rules looking for buyer protection and you will come away empty-handed.
Three specific gaps are worth knowing before you hand over money, and all three come from the registration rules themselves.[3]
So the written contract is the whole of your protection. Get it in writing before you pay. It should answer four things: when the registration application arrives, what happens if it does not, what health guarantee applies, and what the price includes.
None of this means pedigree breeders are untrustworthy. Most are careful people who care about their cats. It means the safeguard you were assuming is not there, so you have to build it yourself.
Short answer
We are not going to give you a number, and it is worth explaining why. Every price range published for this breed comes from commercial pet-content sites. They disagree with each other by thousands of dollars, and not one of them says where its figure came from.
A made-up range would be worse than no range, because it would give you false confidence in a negotiation. What actually protects you is comparing like with like. Two kittens at the same price are not the same purchase if one comes with papers and vet work and the other does not.
Before you compare prices, establish what each one includes:
The clearest warning sign is a price well below what registered kittens are going for locally. Ask whether papers are actually coming before you pay. It can be a perfectly fair price for a cat without a pedigree. It is a bad price for a pedigree you never receive.
This is worth a moment’s thought, because the identity problem on this page mostly disappears with a grown cat. When you buy a kitten you are buying a prediction about the adult it will become, and the breed label is how sellers price that prediction. An adult cat has already answered the question. You can see its size, its coat and how it behaves with people before you commit to anything.
A kitten is still the right choice for plenty of households, and there is nothing wrong with wanting one. Just know which of the two things you are paying for. Adopting an adult American Shorthair sets out what to judge in a grown cat and what to ask its current owner.
Ask for the blue slip, which is the CFA Application for Registration that the breeder hands to the buyer. Looks cannot settle it, because a random-bred silver tabby and a registered American Shorthair can be impossible to tell apart at twelve weeks. A pedigree the seller printed proves nothing.
The Application for Registration. The breeder registers the litter with CFA, receives one application per kitten, and gives it to the buyer. You submit it to CFA with a fee and receive your own registration certificate. It is the document that links this particular kitten to a registered litter.
No. A certified pedigree is an ancestry document that can be ordered online for any CFA-registered cat. It shows that a line is on file. It does not show that the kitten in front of you came from that line. The blue slip is the document that does that.
It is a number on the litter registration that grants breeding rights. A kitten sold as a pet is usually registered without it, which is normal and not a sign of a problem. You only need the PIN if you intend to breed and register kittens yourself.
CFA rules place no duty on a breeder to hand over the application, and say nothing about withholding it. Holding papers back until the buyer proves the cat has been spayed or neutered is a common practice. Because the registry will not step in, your written contract is the only thing that binds the seller.
No. The registration rules set no minimum age for transfer or sale. Twelve weeks is quoted widely as though it were a rule, but it is breeder advice rather than a registry requirement. Judge the kitten on its weaning and vaccination status instead.
There is no independent published figure. Every price range online comes from commercial pet-content sites, they disagree with each other by thousands of dollars, and none of them says where its number came from. Compare what is included instead: papers, vet work, vaccinations, and spay or neuter status.
No. An American Shorthair is a registered pedigree cat with five generations of recorded ancestry. A domestic shorthair is any short-haired cat of mixed or unknown ancestry. The two can look identical. A domestic shorthair is a fine cat, but it should not carry a pedigree price.
Ask for the vaccination record, the worming history, and the name of the practice. Then ring the practice and confirm the kitten is a patient there. A seller who cannot name a vet is a seller to walk away from.
It should say when the registration application will arrive and what happens if it does not. It should also set out the health guarantee, what the price includes, and what the seller expects of you. Since the registry will not enforce any of it, this document is your only protection.
A kitten is a prediction and an adult cat is a known quantity. If size and temperament matter to you, a grown cat shows you both before you commit. Our adoption page for this breed sets out what to judge in an adult.
There is no DNA test for heart disease in this breed, and the two validated feline tests apply to Maine Coons and Ragdolls only. Authorities disagree about whether this breed is predisposed at all. Cornell lists it and the 2020 veterinary cardiology consensus does not. Ask whether the parents were scanned.
Sources
Fact-checked against the CFA registration rules and registration overview, the ACVIM, and the Cornell Feline Health Center.
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