How to Choose a Ragdoll Breeder

Choosing the Best Ragdoll Breeder

If you are looking to Adopt a Ragdoll Kitten, there are so many things to consider when choosing the right Ragdoll Breeder. Ultimately, it is best to go with the breeder who you feel the most confident in and comfortable with.

In this blog post, we have laid out some of the most important questions to take into consideration when searching for a breeder who is both responsible and reputable!

Are They a Registered Breeder?

Registration papers from a reputable cat breeder association are the only way to ensure that the kitty you are adopting is a true, purebred Ragdoll kitten. Anybody selling kittens on classfield ads, or elsewhere online, can claim that they are purebred (or part purebred), but what proof do they have without proper documentation? They have no proof.

Any Ragdoll breeder that you are considering should be registered with a recognized cat breeder association. The two main breeder organizations are The International Cat Association (TICA) and Cat Fanciers Association (CFA). You can check each website to verify whether or not a breeder has registered with them.

Pastel Ragdolls is registered with both TICA and CFA and all of our kittens come with TICA registration papers.

Do They Breed to the Ragdoll Standard?

When it comes to breeding pedigreed Ragdolls, there is a Ragdoll Breed Standard set in place by breeding organizations for how the Ragdoll cat should look. These standards help to ensure that the beautiful Ragdoll Breed remains true to its physical characteristics. Ideally, you want to find a Ragdoll Breeder who understands the standard and breeds cats that exemplify this standard. This shows that they are truly breeding to preserve the beloved breed.

Unfortunately, not all breeders have taken the time to educate themselves on the breed standard and they will breed any Ragdoll, even ones with major physical flaws. Because of this, you may notice that the “look” and quality of Ragdolls may significantly vary between some breeders.

While all breeders do have their own personal preference on some physical characteristics, all Ragdoll cats should be beautifully balanced, with no feature extreme. You can rest assured that here at Pastel Ragdolls we have hand-picked each of our breeding cats, with a major focus on breed conformation.

Do They Breed for Temperament?

When choosing a Ragdoll Breeder, you should also try to determine whether or not they breed for temperament because Ragdoll kittens do tend to inherit personality traits from their parents. You will also want to look into how well socialized their kittens are, as this also has a major impact on their temperament.

While all Ragdolls have their own unique and individual personalities, the breed is known for being very gentle, docile and friendly. They are nicknamed “puppy-cats” because of how truly dog-like they are.

When searching for a Ragdoll Breeder, I recommend trying to find one who has the goal of breeding floppy, puppy-cat Ragdolls! When choosing the breeding cats for my personal Ragdoll Breeding Program, good temperament was an extremely important qualification for me.

Do They Health Test their Cats?

Every cat breed is prone to their own set(s) of genetic conditions. Any ethical Ragdoll Breeder should have genetically tested Ragdoll cats in their program.

The two biggest genetic health concerns specific to the Ragdoll Breed are Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) and Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). HCM causes the heart muscle to thicken, resulting in an inability to pump blood and often progresses to heart failure. PKD causes fluid filled cysts to grow on the kidneys, leading to severe kidney damage and eventually kidney failure. Every Ragdoll that is part of a Ragdoll Breeding Program should be tested negative (N/N) for both of these genetic mutations.

In addition, all cat breeders, regardless of their chosen breed, should have their cats tested negative for Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) via blood test by their veterinarian.

A reputable Ragdoll Breeder should be able to provide you with the negative test results for all of these tests. The test results for all of our breeding cats are available to view publicly on our website.

How Many Breeding Cats Are in Their Program?

Another thing to take into consideration is how many adult cats the breeder you are considering has in their program. Breeding program sizes vary greatly amongst different breeders. A typical or standard breeding program generally consists of 2 males and 6 females, but you will find programs that have more or less than this number.

Rather than focusing on a specific number, the most important thing is that the breeder you do choose is able to confidently stay on top of all of the cleaning, chores and maintenance required for their cattery space and provide love and proper socialization for every cat + kitten in their care.

Here at Pastel Ragdolls, we keep our breeding program relatively small. One of the most important things to us is that each and every one of our cats and kittens is provided with adequate space, daily love and lots of attention!

How Many Kittens Do They Produce Each Year?

Some Ragdoll breeders produce as many kittens as possible, while others only produce a few litters per year. The latter group of breeders tends to focus more on quality and proper socialization.

Here at Pastel Ragdolls, we fall into the latter group, only producing a small number of Ragdoll kittens for sale each year. We consider ourselves a Boutique Ragdoll Breeding Program, meaning we focus on the quality, rather than the quantity, of our kittens.

Does the Breeder Practice Early Spay/Neuter?

Early spaying/neutering of kittens is a topic that we are very passionate here at Pastel Ragdolls! We firmly believe that all kittens should be spayed/neutered before leaving from their breeder to their new homes (if the kitten won’t be helping to preserve the Ragdoll Breed by being part of an ethical breeding program).

While responsible breeders are not the issue when it comes to the homeless cat population, it is still important to make sure that every breeder is doing their part to prevent unintended feline pregnancies through the practice of early spay/neuter.

If you have questions on the safety of early spay/neuter, please click here to read an article on the topic.

Do their Kittens Come With a Health Guarantee?

Any reputable Ragdoll Breeder will stand behind the health of their kittens and will generally offer a health guarantee (usually 1 year minimum) against genetic conditions such as HCM and PKD, which are more prevalent in the Ragdoll Breed. Adopting a health tested Ragdoll kitten will provide you with confidence and reassurance!

Our Pastel kittens come with a 2-year genetic health guarantee, as well as an initial 72-hour health guarantee.