Animal fancy is a hobby

Hobby

A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.- Etymology :A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse...

 involving the appreciation, promotion, or breeding of pet

Pet

A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...

 or domestic animals.

Fancy may include ownership, showing, trialling and other competitions, breeding

Selective breeding

Selective breeding is the process of breeding plants and animals for particular genetic traits. Typically, strains that are selectively bred are domesticated, and the breeding is sometimes done by a professional breeder. Bred animals are known as breeds, while bred plants are known as varieties,...

 and judging. Hobbyists may simply collect specimens of the animal in appropriate enclosures, such as aquaria

Aquarium

An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...

 and aviaries

Aviary

An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds. Unlike cages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages...

. Fanciers with means may keep hobby farm

Hobby farm

A hobby farm is a smallholding or small farm that is maintained without expectation of being a primary source of income. Some are merely to provide some recreational land, and perhaps a few horses for the family's children...

s or private zoo

Zoo

A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....

s. There are many animal fancy clubs and associations in the world catering for everything from pigeon

Dove

Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...

s to Irish Wolfhound

Irish Wolfhound

The Irish wolfhound is a breed of domestic dog , specifically a sighthound. The name originates from its purpose rather than from its appearance...

s; members may own many animals or none at all.

• In the United Kingdom, the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) was formed in 1910. As of 2010, it comprised 146 affiliated cat clubs. It licenses cat shows and it issues about 30,000 pedigrees per year. It also conducts research into feline diseases through its charity, the Cat Welfare Trust.
• In the United States, the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) was formed in 1906. It has more than 600 member clubs. It licenses cat shows, maintains breed standards, registers cats and catteries, and has programs to encourage participation in the cat fancy.

See also

• Cat Fanciers' Association
  Cat Fanciers' Association
  The Cat Fanciers' Association was established in the United States in 1906 and is the world's largest registry of pedigreed cats and the predominant pedigreed cat registering association in North America...
  
  
• Cat show
  Cat show
  A cat show is a judged event where the owners of cats compete to win titles in various cat registering organizations by entering their cats to be judged after a breed standard. Both pedigreed and companion cats are admissible, although the rules differ from organization to organization...
  
  
• Dog breeding
  Dog breeding
  Dog breeding is the practice of mating selected specimens with the intent to maintain or produce specific qualities and characteristics.Dogs reproduce without human interference, so their offsprings' characteristics are determined by natural selection. Domestic dogs may be intentionally bred by...
  
  
• Conformation dog show
• Dog sports
• Domestic varieties of guinea pigs
  Domestic varieties of guinea pigs
  There are many breeds of Guinea pig which have been developed since its domestication ca. 5000 BC. Breeds vary widely in appearance and purpose, ranging from show breeds with long, flowing hair to those in use as model organisms by science. From ca...
  
  
• Fancy mouse
  Fancy mouse
  Fancy mice are domesticated breeds of the common or house mouse . The terms fancy and "feeder mice" are often used interchangeably by retailers, and are in fact the same variety of mouse....
  
  
• Fancy rat
  Fancy rat
  The fancy rat is a domesticated brown rat , which is the most common type of pet rat. The name fancy rat derives from the idea of animal fancy or the phrase "to fancy" ....
  
  
• GCCF
• Horse show
  Horse show
  A Horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer for major, all-breed events or national and...
  
  
• Novelty pet
• Pigeon keeping
  Pigeon keeping
  Pigeon keeping is the art and science of breeding domestic pigeons. People have practiced pigeon keeping for about 10,000 years in almost every part of the world...