This page is dedicated to anyone wanting to purchase a ragdoll. Whether you purchase your kitten from me or any other breeder, please be aware of some of the "tricks" of dishonest, unreputable, so-called breeders (also sometimes known as backyard breeders and other names) .
The photos above are breeders I paid alot of money for and afterwards found out both breeder/owners did NOT have the paper registrations for either one! One of these breeder/owners did finally replace the one on the right. I had to neuter both of these males as I couldn't use them for my breeding program. This was a huge loss of money for me, as well as starting over in my breeding program with new males.
I found out that the breeder/owner of the cat on the left NEVER had papers on the stud they were using in their cattery until after the cat had mysteriously died (at a young age). They also never attempted to get this stud's registration papers until I investigated their unethical practices and contacted the original breeder of that stud. This family told me personally that it was "no big deal" to not have this stud's registration papers and as far as they were concerned it didn't matter to them if they did not give pet buyers or breeders the registration slips. Who knows how many litters of ragdolls they produced to unsuspecting buyers without any registration slips!!! Many breeders were using this stud as well.
PLEASE be careful and check breeders out.
1) Go to their homes. If they have their cats locked up in an outdoor pen/building with no human interaction other than feeding - RUN! If they have their cats locked in cages in their home/building - RUN! If you can smell their home from the driveway - RUN! If their cages are so nasty you wouldn't touch the cage itself (much less the cat) - RUN!
2) Check with TICA to see if they are a registered cattery and if they own their own cats. If they don't own their own cats (borrow other breeders' cats) then that person has no financial investment in their own cattery. How would you expect that type of person to stand behind their health guarantee? Trust me, they won't be there when you have issues and need help. CHECK THAT EACH BREEDER BOY HAS BREEDING RIGHTS NOTED ON THEIR TICA REGISTRATION SLIPS!!!
3) Watch out for "wholesalers". These are people who call themselves breeders. Perhaps they are friends with a ragdoll breeder and don't have the money to invest in their own cats. So they "borrow" cats from another breeder and then sell the cats with a contract from the original breeder's cattery. Or perhaps they don't have the parents of the kittens at their home. A red flag should go up to you as these people will never stand behind the health guarantee. (Or maybe they don't even offer a health guarantee and try to only charge you $200 for a ragdoll kitten.) Which person is legally responsible should something happen to your precious kitten?
4) Demand to see vet reports/bills for the kittens. Too many breeders give their own vaccinations to save money. Many breeders NEVER take their kittens to the vet! All kittens should be seen by a vet at least once prior to going to their new homes. DEMAND RECEIPTS AND CALL THE VET PERSONALLY! The majority of veterinarians will NOT accept any vaccinations given by a breeder - so you will have to vaccinate all over again. Not only is this expensive but difficult and not healthy for a young kitten!
5) ANY BREEDER WHO ALLOWS KITTENS TO GO TO THEIR NEW HOMES WITHOUT THE SPAY/NEUTER IS NOT AN ETHICAL BREEDER! NO EXCEPTIONS!The cost of your new ragdoll kitten INCLUDES the cost of a spay/neuter by my licensed vet. DEMAND WRITTEN PROOF AND CALL THE VET TO VERIFY!
4) Ask how many litters a year they have. Ask how many litters the mother of the kitten has had. Check out their website - the photos with captions will answer these questions also. Too many breeders breed their females every opportunity they can. This is NOT healthy for a female. A female breeder should only have no more than three litters in a two year period. IF THEY BREED THE FEMALE MORE THAN THIS - IT IS A SIGN OF A KITTEN MILL!!!
5) Ask which lines the male/female came from. A reputable breeder can tell you which lines they come from and can show your a 3, 5, or 7 generation pedigree from each parent. This is important because there are known pedigree lines that have had serious health issues due in-breeding, out-crossing, and just plain bad genetics.
6) Ask for dates or copies of their scan reports showing their adult cats have been HCM scanned. This is a very serious and fatal illness that ALL cats can get (not just ragdolls). By scanning adult cats yearly, breeders can be somewhat assured they are not producing kittens which carry the genes of this horrible disease. There are no guarantees even with scans; however, it is the best alternative we have at this time.
These are some of the differences between a back yard breeder or "unethical" breeder and an "ethical," reputable breeder.
**Breeding is expensive if you do it correctly. A reputable breeder tries to better the breed - not make a living by it.**
