Is My Cat Really A Ragdoll?

[pimjaa]

Hello!

I recently adopted an 11 month old male from a breeder for a really low price considering he's a ragdoll. However, his personality doesn't really fit the breed description. I understand all cats are different but it just makes me wonder, is he really a ragdoll?

He's quite skittish around my boyfriend and me when we walk by. He would run away when we approach him normally but won't if we do very very slowly. However, he follows our 5 year old cat, Max, around everywhere. He seems to prefer Max's company over us where I thought ragdolls are supposed to prefer human? Lastly, he's quite short. Atleast 2-3 inches shorter than Max. Is it because he's just young or is he just small?

Also, would you describe him as a flame point or a cream point? His ears are brightly colored but aside from that, all his other points are quite muted in my opinion.

 

[abyeb]

He’s cute! I think he looks like a Ragdoll. When you say he’s small, how much does he weigh? Ragdolls do keep growing for four years, so he could still get bigger, but we wouldn’t expect a pet-quality Ragdoll to match the breed-standard perfectly, anyway.

Personality-wise, typically cats of a breed will fit the personality mold, but all cats are individuals as well. A lot of that skittishness could come from him being poorly socialized as a kitten.

I would describe him as a flame point. A cream point would be lighter.

Did you get pedigree papers on him?

 

[StefanZ]

Flame, no doubt. His face isnt barely rosy, its reddish. Also, he got already his coat on. A creme wouldnt get the coat visible. Not impossible he is a tabby too ("lynx point". I mean, all reds are tabby, but some are more tabby than others.
This coat is another hint in that direction, as lynx points darkens up over the whole body.

Observe, he also carries white, so he is "mitted"

If he is real ragdoll? It depends of course on the breeders honesty. But as you got him for a low pet quality price, and the breeder didnt try to make money on you, I would guess he is ragdoll for real.

Unsold almost adult kittens do tend to go cheaper. Also, him being shy makes him immediately of pet qualtity in practice.

Here again; breeders in Sweden have typically their cats as family cats. so they are always fully socialized.

Breeders in USA tend to be bigger breeders, and often have their breeding cats in cages. A good breeder makes her outmost to socialize her cats, handling them a couple of hours every day.
But some dont handle them enough, and thus - they tend to become shy...

Its probably one of the reasons why many BYB breeders sell them at 6 weeks age - ie way too early. Not only because to make money, but out of necessity and some sort of good sense: If I cant socialize the kitten properly, better to sell it early, so it will be socialized in its permanent home... As I will get anyways a decent price of a purebred 6 weeks, but hardly any good price of a shy 12-14 weeks kittens...
Few people are willing to pay a full price of a shy kitten unless of stunning show quality...

So, I guess he is a ragdoll for real.

Did you got the pedigree and certificate??

 

[GemsGem]

He is a gorgeous boy

Did you get registration papers from breeder? Registration papers from one of the cat registries like CFA or TICA is your proof that a cat is pedigree.

Personality also depends on how the kitten was raised. A kitten that's had only minimum human interaction in the early weeks is going to be skittish around humans. Hopefully, you can build some trust with him. Ragdolls are a big breed but are late at maturing. It can take up to 3-4 years before he reaches full size.

 

[pimjaa]

Thank you everyone for your input!
He doesn't have papers since the breeder claimed his mom didn't have papers so she couldn't register the litter.
I'm only keeping him as a pet so it doesn't really matter to me.

His dad though is gorgeous and the friendliest cat I've ever met hands down. I was told his dad is registered but was not shown papers.
Hopefully, those traits are passed down to him and will show more once he's more used to us.
I guess I'll have to keep working on socializing him for now.

He's currently at 10.4 lbs. Not sure if that's too low for his age?