Article by/courtesy of Maggie Whiteley

The Southern British Shorthair Cat Club organised a PKD testing session in June 2008, Maggie Whiteley reports. We did originally conceive of this plan as being one of two sessions in the year, thus allowing cats who had kittens for the first date or owners with alternative appointments anohter chance to come. This is a summary of what we learned which might act as an aide memoire should we repeat the experiment and may be of help to other clubs who might be thinking of doing the same.

Why do it?
At present 8% of British cats test positive for PKD. In place of the uncertainty and expense of the scans, we now have available a simple, non-invasive and accurate test. We know that if two negative cats are mated all their progeny will also be negative. We have the possibility of ridding our cats of this disease within one generation. How should we not try to achieve such a prize?

How do we do it?
One or two people will need to be committed to such a project for probably a minimum of three months.

Publicity

Website: For provision of background information on PKD and giving notice of the event.

Letter: To all members three weeks or slightly more before scheduled date. This should outline the problem. It should state what is on offer, what information will be required, provide a fee structure and specify acceptable methods of payment. It should also give contact details and instructions for booking. It should include a map.

Emails: probably 2 following up on the letter.

Cat Journals: might be used for additional publicity.

Venue and its use
It is essential to find one conveniently placed for those one hopes to attract. Adequate parking is a must. We found that one large hall with a kitchen attached proved convenient. Two smaller rooms might also work. The advantage of one large space is that everyone can see at a glance how things are progressing. Areas need to be differentiated for particular functions.

1. Form-filling/waiting/social/refreshments: Here one needs tables and chairs, space to put cat carriers, peace to fill in the forms and to have a gossip with others attending. There needs to be easy access to refreshments. This area will be supervised by the person(s) responsible for the security of the entire space and for organising the form-filling.
2. Micro-chipping: This requires a steady table with good light and two chairs. Persons who wish to have a cat (s) micr-chipped will have filled in the necessary form(s) prior to presenting themselves at the table.
3. Testing: Again a steady table with light and two chairs. Persons who are presenting cats for testing must have their cats micro-chipped either on that day or on a prior occasion. They must also have completed the two short forms which will be attached to their samples. While constant help is not required, it is good to have a person experienced in holding cats should a beast take against the procedure.
4. FAB registration and payment: Again a table and a couple of chairs are needed. Those who wish their cats, providing they test negative, to be placed in the FAB register should have completed the requisite form. At this point the fees can be collected. These comprise monies for (a) PKD testing, (b) micro-chipping, if necessary, (c) entry on the FAB register, if wished, and (d) donations to the Club or to the FAB, if proffered. A receipt should be given.

General points:

Vet: It is good if the vet will bring as much of the required equipment as possible including the swabs, a spray for table-cleaning etc. Vets generally know what they require and will feel more comfortable with their own equipment.

Micro-chipper: The same applies. Do make sure that either the micro-chipper or the vet bring a reader for same.

Booking: Members can book in by contacting the organiser and informing him/her how many cats they expect to bring and whether they are chipped. It is helpful to have at least the cats' predigree name (s) at this stage. If they are given appointment times at least 15 minutes before they are due to meet the person doing the chipping and/or the vet, they can progress through the various stages. It is good to have some cats in reserve belonging to those working on the day; they can be popped in at quieter times.

Information required: This is not all needed for each stage but it is sensible to give the list at the outset to all persons thinking of attending.

Owner(s): Name, Address, Telephone number, E-mail address
Cat(s): Full pedigree name, micro-chip ID, Registering body, Registration number, Breed, Colour, Sex, Date of birth

When they are filling up the forms, it is probably good to ask if they can use block capitals.

Payment: I remian convinced that cash is best. If people are asked to pay in advance and disaster strikes them, one feels obliged to reimburse. While we can keep the costs down and give clear notice, there is nothing simpler than dealing with cash.

During my years as the secretary of the breed club, I have from time to time had immensely sad conversations with and letters from pet owners who had brought a kitten which turned out to have PKD. Some of these kittens were obtained from well-known breeders of good reputation. In days gone by I could explain how difficult it was for a breeder to be able to predict such an event. This is no longer the case. We need not confine ourselves to testing our own cats and encouraging others to test theirs. It should become part of our advice to anyone who askes for guidance as to how to obtain a kitten that they start by making certain that both parents come from PKD negative stock.

Postscript:

Organiser's Check list: PKD files, Bookings list, PKD test forms (2 per cat) Micro-chip forms, FAB register forms, Receipts, Paper (notices), Marker pens, pens, sellotape, stapler
Kitchen Roll
Disinfectant (cat friendly)
Cash box
Camera
Tea/coffee/etc

Article by/courtesy of Maggie Whiteley