My Lilibet Looks Like A Weird Ragdoll Kitten

[Miu]

This is a pretty different experience than I have. After some advice regarding me adopting or even purchasing kittens with Ragdoll ancestry from friends (that are pretty much backyard breeding), I decided to purchase an actual Ragdoll kitten. Having no experience with actual ethical and reputable breeders, I searched for good island-bred Ragdoll catteries. I have cats, all of them are either rescues or adopted domestic shorthairs. I'm from the Philippines and island bred kittens that are with papers are less expensive than imported ones. There are no known Ragdoll breeders here where I live so I only have an option for shipping from the capital. The first three legit catteries I inquired just had their last litters reserved, leaving me to 2 breeders that seemed dodgy to me. However, there was this cattery that posted that they need their last ragdoll kitten rehomed. I called, video-called and messaged them and also asked for the vet cards, the parents photos, and registration papers and the like. I asked previous buyers and they all said it's a legit cattery. The only weird thing is that the little kitten is to be shipped around 2 weeks earlier than the planned release for September. I asked the breeder to hold on until then but stated that I will have more additional fees if I will go through the original plan. I went to meet the 10-week-old kitten and named her Lilibet. After meeting her, I actually find her appearance to be quite different even compared to her sisters. Also, the breeder said that she sent her vet card with her carrier, but all I received was a different card with a different birthdate and sex. I asked what happened to her booklet and they sent me a cropped out photo of the supposed booklet, but with a vaccination that has been done last year. Also, her parents are bi-color and can it be possible to sire a seal color pointed kitten? I felt fooled in this whole ordeal also I want to even know if the kitten I received was even a ragdoll.

Lilibet before I received her:

Her parents:

Her sister from the litter before:

Her sisters:

Lilibet now:

I'll keep her despite what happened. I really love her regardless if she is indeed a ragdoll or mixed one. She's a very playful yet gentle kitten. She greeted me with cuddles when we first met. She's a little angel.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ HA - look at those pretty cats ! They could almost be toys . I don't know about breeds but someone else here will. ( all my cats are strays that adopted me )
Good luck ...

 

[Miu]

~ HA - look at those pretty cats ! They could almost be toys . I don't know about breeds but someone else here will. ( all my cats are strays that adopted me )
Good luck ...

I hope someone will. The only cats I ever had were rescued strays before she came along.

 

[lutece]

her parents are bi-color and can it be possible to sire a seal color pointed kitten? I felt fooled in this whole ordeal also I want to even know if the kitten I received was even a ragdoll.

Yes, it is definitely possible for two seal bicolor parents to produce a seal point kitten without white markings. In fact, you would expect to get some seal point kittens from such a mating. In a mating of two bicolor parents where each parent is heterozygous for white spotting (has one white spotting allele), you would expect on average 25% kittens to be homozygous for white spotting (typically will have lots of white on them), 50% kittens heterozygous for white spotting, and 25% kittens without white on them (in this case seal point).

As far as whether your kitten is a Ragdoll, she looks enough like a Ragdoll in the pictures that she could be one, but the best way to tell is to look at her registration papers and pedigree.

To me, she doesn't really look so different from her parents and siblings, other than color and developmental stage (kittens grow and change a lot during development). She appears to have a plush coat and relatively short broad face like her parents and siblings. So I am not seeing anything particularly "fishy" about the pictures, but it does sound like the situation with the paperwork is a bit "fishy." Have you received registration papers?

 

[Miu]

Yes, it is definitely possible for two seal bicolor parents to produce a seal point kitten without white markings. In fact, you would expect to get some seal point kittens from such a mating. In a mating of two bicolor parents where each parent is heterozygous for white spotting (has one white spotting allele), you would expect on average 25% kittens to be homozygous for white spotting (typically will have lots of white on them), 50% kittens heterozygous for white spotting, and 25% kittens without white on them (in this case seal point).

As far as whether your kitten is a Ragdoll, she looks enough like a Ragdoll in the pictures that she could be one, but the best way to tell is to look at her registration papers and pedigree.

To me, she doesn't really look so different from her parents and siblings, other than color and developmental stage (kittens grow and change a lot during development). She appears to have a plush coat and relatively short broad face like her parents and siblings. So I am not seeing anything particularly "fishy" about the pictures, but it does sound like the situation with the paperwork is a bit "fishy." Have you received registration papers?

Thanks for the information, it is so helpful!

No, I did not receive any registration papers much to my disappointment except for that bogus vet booklet with wrong info. It seemed like she wasn't registered or properly taken to the vet for deworming and vaccinations. I talked to the breeder where I felt like he's making excuses. I have taken to the vet who had the same suspicions. Pretty much the paperwork side is non-existent. I will register her through the Feline Council of the Philippines to start and follow through her deworming and vaccinations.

 

[lutece]

In that case, you don't really know if she is a purebred Ragdoll kitten. The parents may be Ragdolls, Ragdoll mixes, or possibly domestic longhairs without significant Ragdoll ancestry... although they do look enough like Ragdolls in the pictures that they certainly could be. The breeder might have originally acquired Ragdoll cats without papers or breeding rights, in which case he would be unable to register the kittens.

It's too bad that the breeder didn't provide you with accurate paperwork. The most important thing is just what you are doing... making sure she's healthy and getting her the routine vaccinations and other vet care that she needs. It sounds like she's a sweet and lovely little girl, so in any case, enjoy her

 

[StefanZ]

Her actual littermates seems none of them has white. At least one "should".

She has darkened much to be a pointed kitten in a warm climate, even if her basic color is black (seal).

 

[lutece]

Her actual littermates seems none of them has white. At least one "should".

In the pictures described as the "sister from the litter before" you can see white whisker pads, half of the chin is white (look closely!) and it looks like there is white on the front paws. That's definitely a kitten with white on it.

In the two pictures described as "her sisters" the second one does not appear to have white, but for the first one it's not clear. There could be white on the whisker pads and around the eye, but the picture is really too blurry to tell. And anyway, you could have a litter of 3 kittens without white, even if you would expect to see some with white on them. 3 is not a large sample size and there could also have been additional kittens in the litter that are not pictured.