# Fédération Internationale Féline

The Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFé) (International Feline Federation) is a federation of cat registries. There are currently forty-two member organizations in forty countries. Membership spans Europe, South America, and Asia. FIFé is one of the nine members of the World Cat Congress.

## History

Founded by Marguerite Ravel, the federation was unofficially started in 1949 in Paris, France, at a meeting between the Fédération Féline Française (French Cat Federation), the Royal Cat Society of Flanders, and the Associazione Nazionale Felina Italiana (Italian National Feline Association). At the organisation's first general assembly, in Ghent, Belgium, the federation was officially founded. For the occasion, all participants received a cat shaped statuette, in pink sandstone, that Marguerite Ravel had commissioned from the sculptor Jan Martel.
The original name was Fédération Internationale Féline d'Europe or FIFE. In 1972, the Brazilian Cat Club joined, making it necessary to change the Euro-centric name of the federation. The d'Europe was dropped, and the abbreviation was changed to FIFé.

## Organisation

FIFé is organized into national sub-federations (e.g. Felis Britannica in the United Kingdom) which handle pedigree registrations, cat shows and awards in each country. FIFé's executive board and general assembly are supported by five commissions:
* Judges and Standards Commission
* Breeding and Registration Commission
* Show Commission
* Health and Welfare Commission
* Disciplinary Commission

## Members

* Asociación Felina Argentina – Argentina (1988)
* Klub der Katzenfreunde – Austria (1950)
* Österreichischer Verband für die Zucht und Haltung von Edelkatzen – Austria (1979)
* Felis Belgica vzw – Belgium (1949)
* National Federation of Felinology – Bulgaria (2006)
* Federação Felina Brasileira – Brazil (1972)
* Felinolog – Belarus (1994)
* Fédération Féline Helvétique – Switzerland (1949)
* China Cat Union – China (2018)
* Asociación Club Felino Colombiano – Colombia (2009)
* Český svaz chovatelů – Sdružení chovatelů koček – Czech Republic (1968)
* Deutscher Edelkatzenzüchter Verband e.V. – Germany (1951)
* Landsforeningen Felis Danica – Denmark (1950)
* Eesti Kassikasvatajate Liit – Estonia (1994)
* Asociación Felina Española – Spain (1978)
* Suomen Kissaliitto r.y. – Finland (1961)
* Fédération Féline Française – France (1949)
* Felis Britannica – United Kingdom (2005)
* Feline Federation of Greece – Greece (1999)
* Savez Felinoloških Društava Hrvatske – Croatia (1994)
* Felis Hungarica - Magyar Macskások Egyesülete – Hungary (2008)
* Indonesian Cat Association – Indonesia (2007)
* Kynjakettir Kattaræktarfélag Íslands – Iceland (1995)
* Associazione Nazionale Felina Italiana – Italy (1949)
* Verein der Katzenzüchter Liechtensteins – Liechtenstein (1981)
* Lithuanian Felinology Association – Latvia (1994)
* Cat Fanciers Clubs Association – Latvia (1995)
* Lux-Cat-Club (Fédération Féline Luxembourgeoise) – Luxembourg (1983)
* Association Feline Felis Moldova – Moldova (2015)
* Federacion Felina de México A.C. – Mexico (1982)
* Kelab Kucing Malaysia – Malaysia (1985)
* Felikat – Netherlands (1949)
* Vereniging Mundikat – Netherlands (1979)
* Norske Rasekattklubbers Riksforbund – Norway (1951)
* Polska Federacja Felinologiczna - Felis Polonia – Poland (2007)
* Clube Português de Felinicultura – Portugal (1987)
* Felis Romania – Romania (2007)
* Felis Russica – Russia (1989)
* Zveza Felinoloških Društev Slovenije – Slovenia (1981)
* Federácia Felis Slovakia – Slovakia (1993)
* Sveriges Kattklubbars Riksförbund (SVERAK) - Sweden (1955)
* Ukrainian Felinology Union – Ukraine (1998)

## Recognized breeds

FIFé currently recognizes 48 official breeds of cat for championship competitions. All breeds are divided into four categories and identified with a three-letter code, according to the Easy Mind System (EMS), used by FIFé and all its members to easily identify cats by alphanumeric codes.