Is This A Pure Bred Ragdoll?

We are wanting to buy a ragdoll kitten. I found a breeder saying she has pure bred ragdolls and she sent me these pictures. I had never seen this coloring before. It seems to not match the categories of coloring recognized for ragdolls either. Were not going to show the kitty, but for the price we want to make sure it really is a pure ragdoll. Any advice is appreciated! Pictures are of kittens and I think the mama.

Since Ragdolls are colorpointed cats, they are born white and then darken up as they age. So, the kittens haven’t reached their final color yet. My guess is that they will end up as seal lynx point, which is an on-standard color for Ragdolls: http://cfa.org/Portals/0/documents/breeds/standards/ragdoll.pdf

That being said, unless the kittens come with pedigree papers, they will not technically be considered purebreds. Do you know if the breeder is CFA or TICA registered?

She said no papers, except from the vet for a clean bill of health. She didnt mention if she was registered or not. I just found her this morning.

(I also posted this thread twice on accident and I'm not sure how to delete it!)

Mariemarie said:

She said no papers, except from the vet for a clean bill of health. She didnt mention if she was registered or not. I just found her this morning.

(I also posted this thread twice on accident and I'm not sure how to delete it!)

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She just sent a current photo of the kittens

They don't all really look fluffy enough to be ragdolls to me, maybe mixes though, which would explain why some are fluffy but others not. Also in the picture with the two adult cats, is the one on the right or left the mother? The one on the left, inside the box, is definitely not a ragdoll, it's short haired with non fluffy tail. I can't really see the other one well enough.

Mariemarie said:

She said no papers, except from the vet for a clean bill of health. She didnt mention if she was registered or not. I just found her this morning.

(I also posted this thread twice on accident and I'm not sure how to delete it!)

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So, without the pedigree papers, there’s no way to know for sure if they are, in fact, Ragdolls. If you want a Ragdoll, I would recommend going to a CFA or TICA cat show in the area to meet reputable breeders.

CFA: Show Calendar

TICA: Show Calendar

I agree with amethyst , the litter appears to include some longhaired and some shorthaired kittens, and one of the adults pictured is a shorthaired cat. The Ragdoll is a longhaired breed, and since longhair is recessive, it would be impossible for purebred Ragdolls ever to produce shorthaired offspring. It's difficult to say if these kittens have any Ragdoll ancestry (they don't look much like Ragdolls to me) but it's pretty clear that they are not purebreds.

If you are looking for a purebred Ragdoll, you'll want to look for a responsible breeder that has registered, pedigreed cats. abyeb has an excellent suggestion to visit a cat show and talk to breeders there. Good luck!

Thank you lutece abyeb and amethyst . It seemed a little strange that there werent more photos of the parents and the angles seemed to hide them. And I noticed some were way fluffier than others. I'm new to this breed, so all this advice is so helpful.

This is a case of someone's cat had kittens and they slightly resemble a breed so that is what they are being called. Maybe its the blue eyes? Maybe the "breeder" doesn't know and took a guess? If they were intentionally bred it is completel irresponsible, if it was accidental the owner may just not know. Either way, I would not spend much money on a mixed breed cat as you can literally find one anywhere.

jen said:

This is a case of someone's cat had kittens and they slightly resemble a breed so that is what they are being called. Maybe its the blue eyes? Maybe the "breeder" doesn't know and took a guess? If they were intentionally bred it is completel irresponsible, if it was accidental the owner may just not know. Either way, I would not spend much money on a mixed breed cat as you can literally find one anywhere.

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That's what I was thinking. It was advertised on craiglist but said they had links to their official website they can send via email and are breeders. But as I'm emailing back and forth, it seems like they just had kittens and hoped no one would try to check if the website is real or question the breed. Every breeder around us in WA, I've found charges $1200 for a pet quality ragdoll and more if the coloring is more traditional. I was hoping maybe for $800 that it was legitimate but just pricing was more affordable for pet quality vs. show quality

Prices will vary between breeders. A low priced kitten may not be a bargain at all when you add in the vet bills you will have after you bring the kitten home. On the other hand, an exceptionally expensive kitten isn't necessarily a higher quality kitten; some people raise their prices to make their kittens appear to be higher quality! It's best to take your time finding a breeder that you are comfortable with, and don't select a kitten on price alone.

A good breeder should provide you with a healthy and well socialized kitten, from healthy parents that have been tested for any known issues within the breed. The kitten should be at least 12 weeks old when it leaves the breeder, and should have its kitten shots completed, veterinary health records, some type of health guarantee, a sales contract, and registration paperwork. Many breeders also have all pet kittens spayed/neutered before they go to their new homes, in which case you won't have that extra expense at your own vet.

If you're not comfortable with the price of a kitten from a good breeder, you can ask breeders if they have young adults or retired breeding cats available; these can be wonderful cats and are normally MUCH less expensive than a kitten. Or, look for a rescue kitty that resembles a Ragdoll... there are lots of wonderful kittens and cats out there that need homes