What Do You Think Of This Breeder?

[Northernangelnimya]

Hi there,

I’m just wondering what you all think of this breeder? Home - Pleasantdoll Ragdolls
I have been in touch with her and she’s really nice, just wondering if anyone has gotten a kitten from her on here?

 

[abyeb]

Hi! Their website says that they screen for common genetically-inherited diseases (PKD and HCM), which is good. My main concern with this breeder, is that their breeding cats don’t have any show titles listed, so it’s unclear if they’re breeding to standard. My recommendation would be to go to a cat show, to meet breeders in your area. Since Pleasantdolls is located in Saskatchewan, my guess is you live in Canada? If so, then I would recommend checking out TICA, and CCA shows. I’ll link to both show calendars.

TICA: Show Calendar

CCA: Upcoming Shows - Canadian Cat Association - L'Association féline Canadienne

 

[lutece]

March/April is a great time to visit a show and talk to breeders, since usually there are more shows at this time of year. I'll link to a couple more show schedules, since we don't know exactly where you are located:

CFA: Show Calendar

ACFA: Show Schedule

I do think it's ideal for a breeder to try to get some kind of show titles on their breeding cats. However, I will note that it looks like this breeder at least attended *one* show, as there are pictures on their web site from a TICA show last September. Perhaps they are working towards showing their cats more in the future? The profusion of pictures posted on this breeder's web site and Facebook do give me the sense that their cats appear healthy and well cared for, and have a typical Ragdoll appearance.

 

[Northernangelnimya]

Thanks everyone for your responses, you’re feedback is greatly appreciated as I’m saving up for a Ragdoll kitten( hopefully from her) in the near future

 

[lutece]

I also see that this breeder acquired her most recent two breeding cats (a new stud male and a new female) from two different established show breeders (La Cat Dolls and Chiffondolls) who have earned national wins in CCA and CFA. These cats are not listed on her web site yet, but there are pictures and information on her Facebook page. So it appears she cares about improving the quality of her breeding program, and it is also a positive sign that these established breeders trust her with their cats. Of course, you can't tell everything about a cattery from their web site and Facebook... but I am not seeing red flags here that make me concerned.

 

[mservant]

I agree with what has been said already. I also like what is said on the web site about how long they keep the kittens, that they spay / neuter before re-homing their kittens, and state that they have a contract and conditions of re-homing which include no declawing. The other thing I like is that photographs of their cats include pictures of both cat shows and in a home environment.
Hopefully the cattery is within reasonable distance for a preparatory visit so you can meet the breeders and at least one of the parent cats. This would go some way to confirming the content of what is photographed and stated on the web site and add to any information you are able to gather from cat show visits and any other web sources. I made a very scenic 250 mile round trip several times to visit the family breeder I obtained Mouse from and the time and effort was well worth it.
Wishing you well in your quest to adopt.

 

[Northernangelnimya]

I agree with what has been said already. I also like what is said on the web site about how long they keep the kittens, that they spay / neuter before re-homing their kittens, and state that they have a contract and conditions of re-homing which include no declawing. The other thing I like is that photographs of their cats include pictures of both cat shows and in a home environment.
Hopefully the cattery is within reasonable distance for a preparatory visit so you can meet the breeders and at least one of the parent cats. This would go some way to confirming the content of what is photographed and stated on the web site and add to any information you are able to gather from cat show visits and any other web sources. I made a very scenic 250 mile round trip several times to visit the family breeder I obtained Mouse from and the time and effort was well worth it.
Wishing you well in your quest to adopt.

Thankyou! I don’t know if I’ll be able to visit, depends on my future living arrangements . But thankyou for your response( and to others to)

 

[Northernangelnimya]

Hi there,

So I asked about one Ragdoll breeder in here not too long ago, wasn’t sure if I should start a new thread. Anywho, I’ve been in touch with another Ragdoll Breeder and I want to know what you guys think?

ADEN RAGDOLL CATTERY - Ragdoll Cats Breeder in Ontario

That’s their site, they go by ADEN Ragdoll Cats Breeder

Thanks for all your responses in advance and I apologize if I didn’t need to make a new thread( still new to this lol)

 

[lutece]

The "ADEN Ragdoll Cattery" site is the sort of web site that makes me uncomfortable about a breeder. The text on the web site is not very informative, and appears to be primarily designed so that the web site will appear in a web search for "ragdoll kittens." There is almost no information about the parent cats; their names are not even listed. The web site and Facebook page (Aden Ragdoll Cats Breeder) are all about selling kittens... the Facebook page is basically a list of kittens for sale, you don't see the cats and kittens in a home or show environment. Finally, kittens are listed as being ready to go at 11 weeks, which is too early.

 

[Northernangelnimya]

lutece thanks for your feedback I get what your saying. I will ask the breeder some more questions about the concerns brought up and see if she responds.

 

[Northernangelnimya]

I understand where you are coming from about the website, but if you dig deeper. She does provide quite a bit of info about the breed. She also does test her her kittens for all diseases and make sure they test negative. Her website also stated that she sends kittens home around 12 weeks. Not exactly it depends on the kittens and owners. I’m no expert, I appreciate your advice.
Thanks for bringing my attention to a few details

 

[lutece]

If you look at the kittens posted on the Facebook page, each kitten has a date listed as when it's ready to go home, and it's exactly 11 weeks.

I also see on the web site that the kittens are not neutered / spayed before placement. Neuter / spay before placement is a positive sign of a breeder's commitment to their kittens' health and welfare throughout life, and is also a cost savings for you.

Is there a specific reason you are considering this breeder rather than the first breeder?

 

[Northernangelnimya]

I never indicated that I was considering this breeder over the first one, I was just doing a bit of research out of curiosity for more reputable breeders in Canada. I was possibly considering this Cattery because they have more chocolate genes in their breeder cats. I have been in touch with both of them and this lady does raise a couple of red flags. But I have also checked TICA and CFA, both of which she is registered with. I'm still new to finding a breeder and I am looking for a breeder that will provide me with a kitten who is happy,healthy, properly socialized but also offers a colour pattern I am look for. The most important thing to me though is the ethical breeding and health of the kittys

 

[lutece]

Having a registered cattery name doesn't mean much; anyone can register a cattery name in CFA or TICA, you don't even have to own a cat. It does not mean that the cattery is inspected or checked in any way by these associations.

When talking to a breeder, the first thing you want to understand is what are the breeder's motivations, why are they breeding cats? Then you want to understand how the cats and kittens are housed, raised and socialized? And then you want to know about details such as bloodlines, health testing, contracts and so on.

Hobby breeders typically show their cats, and have a lot of friends and contacts who are also involved in showing cats. Most hobby breeders are not doing this to make a profit (in fact, they may lose money on this hobby). They enjoy placing kittens in happy homes, and seek to find an appropriate home for each kitten's individual personality. They may not have as many pet kittens available, as some kittens are kept by the breeder or placed with other breeders who will show them. They normally won't place kittens earlier than 3-4 months, and may hang on to their kittens a little longer to evaluate them for show. If they have a web site, it usually focuses on the adult cats and their accomplishments.

Other breeders are focused more on producing and selling kittens at a profit. For-profit breeders usually don't show their cats. They typically place kittens as early as they can (because that saves them money, and people like to buy cute little baby kittens). Their web sites typically have lots of pictures of young kittens for sale, and not as much information about the parents. The parents normally do not have show titles and were generally either purchased from other for-profit breeders, or sometimes from overseas (where it's easier to buy cats that haven't been spayed/neutered).

Sometimes, a for-profit breeder can also be a good breeder who is motivated by placing happy, well-socialized kittens in good homes... but be cautious, as there are also a lot of people out there who are not honest and who cut corners to save money, and these people often have the biggest online presence because their business is selling kittens online.

 

[Northernangelnimya]

Thankyou for your advice, I will take that into account