Australian Cat Federation (ACF)
Founded in 1973, the Australian Cat Federation (ACF) is one of Australia’s three main national cat councils. The ACF has 11 member bodies across all Australian states and territories, each managing breeder registration, pedigree papers, and shows within the ACF’s national framework.
The ACF is a member of the World Cat Congress, connecting it to the major international cat fancies worldwide.
- Founded in 1973 — one of Australia’s three main national cat councils
- 11 member bodies across all Australian states and territories, each handling breeder registration, pedigree papers, and codes of ethics
- A member of the World Cat Congress
- Cat breeders who are members of an ACF affiliated body are eligible for Perfect Pets membership
What the ACF does
The Australian Cat Federation (ACF) acts as a national coordinating body for its member bodies across Australia. While registrations and day-to-day administration are handled by state and territory affiliates, the ACF provides the broader national framework that helps maintain consistency across the Australian cat fancy.
In practical terms, the ACF’s role covers several key areas.
Breed standards and breed recognition. The ACF develops and maintains national breed standards for every pedigreed cat breed it recognises. These standards guide how cats are assessed at shows across Australia and provide a national process for recognising new breeds, colours, and patterns.
Breeding rules and ethical practices. The ACF promotes responsible cat ownership and the ethical breeding and showing of pedigreed cats. It develops national breeding rules and guidelines that member bodies apply within their own organisations, helping create greater consistency across states and territories.
Prefix registration and pedigree oversight. The ACF maintains a national cattery prefix database and checks new prefix applications to help prevent duplication across Australia. While pedigrees and registrations are issued through member bodies, the ACF provides the national structure that supports consistency between them. For more on what an Australian cat pedigree contains and how to read one, see our guide to cat pedigree papers.
Judges training and education. The ACF operates a national judges training programme designed to support consistent judging standards across Australia. Its member bodies use this framework when training and accrediting judges, with some regions adding their own additional requirements.
Shows and national events. The ACF holds an annual National Show, hosted in different locations around Australia, featuring both Australian and international judges. It also supports the broader network of cat shows run by its member bodies throughout the year.
Animal welfare and international collaboration. The ACF promotes cat health and welfare through both its own policies and its membership of the World Cat Congress. Through this international involvement, the ACF supports welfare-focused approaches to breeding and opposes practices that negatively affect the wellbeing of cats.
For breeders and exhibitors, your state’s ACF member body is the right first point of contact — they handle the day-to-day, and they’re the route through to the ACF for anything that needs to go further. The ACF website has more detail.
ACF member bodies
Each ACF member body publishes its own breeders’ code of ethics. The full codes for all ACF member bodies are available in this combined PDF: Codes of Ethics — ACF Member Bodies (PDF). State and territory law applies in addition to council codes; see our animal welfare legislation reference for state-by-state detail. For how kitten rehoming ages compare across all three councils, see our council-by-council kitten rehoming standards.
Victoria — Governing Council of the Cat Fancy of Australia & Victoria Inc. (GCCFV)
Email: [email protected]
South Australia — Governing Council of the Cat Fancy of South Australia Inc. (GCCFSA)
Email: [email protected]
By requiring cat council membership, our breeders are affiliated with recognised breeding bodies and operate within established codes of ethics, health testing requirements, breeding standards, and relevant state or territory legislation. Perfect Pets also maintains its own onboarding and review process, including a detailed standards and practices questionnaire, two-step verification, and manual review of every breeder profile and listing, supporting and reinforcing these existing frameworks while offering additional transparency for pet lovers.
Find a registered cat breeder on Perfect Pets · Tips for contacting a breeder
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