Breeder Question

Hey, I need some help from you seasoned breeders...

My boyfriend and I are interested in getting a Ragdoll. We went and visited a breeder today and I have a lot of questions... I was hoping someone could share their opinions on this breeder... I've written a kind of step by step thing on what I noticed/thoughts during the outing and wanted someone who is a breeder (Ragdoll or not) to give me their opinions:

First thing I noticed... she lived in a trailer with 3 BIG dogs, 5 grown Ragdolls, and at least 2 litters. That's a lot of pets in a little space.

There was a very strong smell which concerned me (cat pee, I'm assuming) but, like my boyfriend said, it could very well just be because she has so many pets - I counted at least 3 litter boxes in the main cat room.

Aside from the smell, the first thing I noticed when I got in was that there were 3 adult Ragdolls just chilling on the sofa. Cool - I wanted a breeder who kept her cats with her. Also, the cats would follow her from room to room where she would go, so they liked her.

The cats I saw appeared in good health from what I could tell - clean, soft, pretty fur, clean eyes and ears, well fed, etc. My boyfriend picked up a little one who he later told me thought was a bit cross-eyed... not so sure about that. Likewise I noticed one grown cat who was clearly a blue point but he had a streak of yellow colored fur - can blue point cats have that?

She would hand me cat after kitten after cat and let me see them... the grown cats were very Ragdoll in their behavior, which made my boyfriend fall for them... mellow, would go limp when you held them, etc. However the kittens were feistier than my current kitten... would squirm to get away, I do not think they were well-socialized at all.

So I'm not sure... I was looking for a kitten that would be more snuggly sweet and these would duck away/try to hide if you tried to pet them. Is this because they weren't used to human contact? As far as I could tell, it was just her and her 16 year old granddaughter living there.

Any thoughts? My boyfriend and I are going to continue to look for breeders... he loves the Ragdoll personality now, though he does not love how much they shed. Phew, bad day for him to wear black!

It doesnt sound like you are very comfortable with this breeder. If thats the case you feel uneasy at all about any part of it, dont buy from her. A breeder should make you comfortable, answer questions, ask you questions, have a nice clean cattery and you should have a good feeling when you leave. dont buy on impulse. Just take your time and find another breeder or 2 and check them out. It might take more time to get the kitten you want but it wil be well worth the wait when you have a well socialized healthy kitten. Good luck

TICA.org and CFA.org should be able to give you a list of breeders in your area.

I have looked on the TICA and CFA websites... unfortunately there aren't any listed that aren't between 3 and 6 hours away.

And I'm not sure how comfortable I felt with her... this is definitely something I'm not going to rush into - I'm not even going to have one til May, possibly late February at the earliest. So until then, I guess I'll just have to look some more.

Originally Posted by pinkdaisy226

I have looked on the TICA and CFA websites... unfortunately there aren't any listed that aren't between 3 and 6 hours away.

And I'm not sure how comfortable I felt with her... this is definitely something I'm not going to rush into - I'm not even going to have one til May, possibly late February at the earliest. So until then, I guess I'll just have to look some more.

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You should ask for references from the people she sold her cats too, and also her vet. If she is a good breeder, she would take her cats to a vet, so, vet would tell you if her cats are healthy or not. Does she offer a guarantee with her kittens? A good breeder would offer a health guaranty for a year or longer if kitten dies from genetic defect during that time. Have you visited www.kittysites.com
Here is the link to breeders in texas http://www.kittysites.com/breeder_tx.html
They have breeders listed by areas so you can see if any ragdoll breeders are in your area. I was looking for a ragdoll myself but got persians instead because I couldn't find a ragdoll breeder in my area that I liked.
Are her cats registered? I also would be worried if kittens were not very freindly, because after all you want ragdoll because if it's character and freindliness.

I don't know where you live, but you could go to a cat show or two. You can talk to lots of breeders there. You can see, but not usually touch, lots of cats there. Since there are so many cats the breeders are not too keen on spreading disease to their cats. I went to a couple of cat shows and that really helped me decide on a breed. And many breeders are willing to tell you what to look for. Even breeders who are not of the breed you want can tell you what to look for in a breeder, and who they think is a good one for the breed you want. You can to to the CFA and TICA sites to see when the shows will be held near you. I drove a couple of hours to a show just so I could find out about Birmans.

Hey guys...
I have visited kittysites.com, still no luck. I mean, it's not like San Antonio is a small town!
She does offer a guarantee, but not if the FIP vaccine is administered (I believe it's that one). Also, she said that her cats can be registered with both CFA and TICA so that's good... she said she's relatively new to breeding Ragdolls - my boyfriend and I figure that there were maybe 3 litters there and seeing as how breeders in my area are rare, that makes sense. I'm kinda nervous getting a Ragdoll from a new breeder, you know?
I'll look into going to a cat show... it's something that I've heard of vaguely but I have no idea what it entails... and how to convince my boyfriend to come with me!
Thanks for the help guys, I'll look into it more.

The blue pointed kitty was most likely a blue cream point. This is OK in the breed, just as a tortie point would be.

How old were the kittens? Really young kittens are very squirmy just like little kids. Older kitties tend to mellow out. Remember, no two kittens will have the exact same purrsonality, each will be their own sweet self.

One litter was born in April, the other in September, and I think there was a third that was born in November? I think they were 6 weeks old.

Well, here's my plug for the mutt-kitties.

I would just get another rescue kitten. We have two ragdolls at our school (our school has cats) and they don't seem any "limper" or sweeter than my Penelope or Molly. Also, one of them has a heart condition which requires we give him meds 3 times a day. He has to visit a specialist at Auburn every few months and he will probably not live past 4 years. I know the school visited a reputable breeder but conditions like that seem to crop up with pure breeds.

Besides, you'd be saving a kitty life if you get a rescue.

Plug #2 for mutt-kitties:

Look how gorgeous, sweet, and intelligent Baylee is!! She's not a pure-bred. Can't you just get another kitten from a shelter who gets along with her?

BTW, I'm not anti-breeding. I'm anti-bad-breeding, and I don't think the breeder you visited sounded very good.

If you can't find a good breeder in your area who makes you feel comfortable with your decision to get a pure breed, I think it's better to get a rescue kitty.

Hey Colleen - I've never cared either much about cat breeds... I just wanted a cat when I got Bay! And Bay is special in her own way, the more time she's been with me, the more she loves me and the more I love her.

That being said, I want a little brother for her - I think she gets lonely, at the very least *I* would be lonely if I were her. And if I find an animal at a shelter that I clicked with and who I thought would click with her, I'd go for it. But I've fallen in love with ragdolls and I'd love to get one.

By the way, how cool is it that you have cats at your school? That's neat, or at least I think so!

I understand. My ex-boyfriend and I were thinking about getting a ragdoll, too, but then Molly and Penelope (part of a litter we found in a school parking lot) came into our lives and that was that.

I would just be super careful about where you get the kitten and follow ALL the advice you're getting from the breeders on this web site. We got the ragdoll kitty with the heart problem from what the headmaster and dean thought was a reputable breeder but who knows how much they checked that out? Luckily, our school can afford to give this kitty a good life but most people would not be.

Yes, it is very cool that our school has cats. It was one of the main reasons I decided to work there. They try and create a home-like environment for the students. The campus is comprised of two houses on adjacent properties. The houses are furnished with tables and chairs instead of desks, and each has a kitchen where the students can get snacks on their breaks. The "senior house" has the two ragdoll kitty-cats and the "junior house" has a himalayan. Many of our students have mood disorders or social anxieties and the animals really help them feel more relaxed. The headmaster strongly believes in animal therapy. He's a wonderful man.

Originally Posted by SnowLeop

I understand. My ex-boyfriend and I were thinking about getting a ragdoll, too, but then Molly and Penelope (part of a litter we found in a school parking lot) came into our lives and that was that.

I would just be super careful about where you get the kitten and follow ALL the advice you're getting from the breeders on this web site. We got the ragdoll kitty with the heart problem from what the headmaster and dean thought was a reputable breeder but who knows how much they checked that out? Luckily, our school can afford to give this kitty a good life but most people would not be.

Yes, it is very cool that our school has cats. It was one of the main reasons I decided to work there. They try and create a home-like environment for the students. The campus is comprised of two houses on adjacent properties. The houses are furnished with tables and chairs instead of desks, and each has a kitchen where the students can get snacks on their breaks. The "senior house" has the two ragdoll kitty-cats and the "junior house" has a himalayan. Many of our students have mood disorders or social anxieties and the animals really help them feel more relaxed. The headmaster strongly believes in animal therapy. He's a wonderful man.

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Good breeders are supposed to have a health warranty. At least a year if kitten dies from congenital health defect. Also, if you take your kitten to a vet within 48-72 hours (usually) and the vet says this kitten is sick, you should be able to return the kitten or exchange him for a healthy one.
So, the vet should have picked up a heart problem on your ragdoll-unless it developed later?
Also, good breeder would take kitten to a vet for a health check up.
I would imagine heart problems show up early, and the vet should have picked that up during the check up?
Mine two persians have no heart problems.
The vet says their heart beat is good. Of course purebred cats are more prone to diseases because their gene pool is limited, but not every purebred cat will have genetic defects.


Also, you can kind of predict their behavior. Mine two persians are very well behaved, quiet, don't meow, don't climb, etc. Basically, pretty much follow the breed description, I would say. I would love to have a ragdoll because they are supposed to be very freindly.

As for the FIP vaccine, I don't know of any breeders that will vaccinate for it.
The FIP vaccine can cause FIP.
I do know that there are alot of breeders that have the same in their contract.

Allissa,

This information is precisely why I'm glad I belong to this forum!

The ragdoll with the heart problem belongs to the school I work for so, as a school, there's probably an area in the budget allocated for his medicine and doctor visits. Obviously, I have no problem with that!

I don't think the administrators who got this cat did the research they should have before buying him. In any case, he's a very sweet cat and I'm glad we're giving him a good life.

Ariana's lucky to have all of your advice!

Originally Posted by SnowLeop

Ariana's lucky to have all of your advice!

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Yes she is, and very grateful too!

Just wanted to add a mini-update... I found someone who had actually visited the same breeder before and she, too, was wary... she noticed that her Ragdolls shed a lot (I thought it was maybe because of their long fur but apparently Ragdolls don't shed that much?) and that all the cats would shy away.

I think that considering I wasn't the only one that didn't feel comfortable with her... I'm definitely going to keep looking.

Thanks for the input guys... and remember, if you hear of a breeder near San Antonio don't forget about me!

I added a link to some breeders on your other post, but you should check out petfinder. I searched San Antonio and they had some ragdolls and ragdoll mixes looking for homes. Maybe you'll see one you like.

PetFinder

Heather

Thanks... I noticed one cute little Ragdoll that I would love but I can't get him yet!

You have a Ragdoll mix... is there any difference/concern in getting a mix? Does that make sense?