Questions for Ragdoll Cat Breeders to Sniff Out Kitten Farmers

Considering becoming the owner of a Ragdoll cat? As with any pet, it’s important to choose a breeder that has the kitten’s best interests at heart. There are certain things you’ll want to ask your shortlist of Ragdoll cat breeders to ensure they’re not running a kitten mill.

In today’s post, I’m going to give you some questions to ask to find out if Ragdoll breeders are acting ethically and morally to ensure the integrity of the breed and ensure you get a healthy kitten.

Table of Contents

Why is it Important to Vet Ragdoll Cat Breeders?
Questions to Ask Ragdoll Cat Breeders
General Advice For Interacting With Ragdoll Cat Breeders
Summary
Related Posts

Why is it Important to Vet Ragdoll Cat Breeders?

It would be wonderful to cruise through life and never meet anyone untrustworthy. You could guarantee that everyone you encountered had a decent moral and ethical code to which they abided. In terms of Ragdoll cat breeders, you’d know that they all truly cared for the integrity of the breed and health of their cats.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the case.

Some cat breeders have scant regard for the health and wellbeing of the cats they breed and the kittens they produce. Some unethical breeders only care about money and will happily use cats as machines to make products they can sell.

Because Ragdoll cats are popular, there is market demand to satisfy. Sadly, this encourages unethical breeders driven by profit to enter into the fray to make money. The result can be Ragdolls with health issues… or cats that are not actually Ragdolls at all, but lookalikes.

By contrast, a good breeder is one who truly cares for the breed and is less driven by profit. They produce pedigree Ragdolls with provable lineage that are both healthy and loved.from birth.

Consequently, it’s important to ask questions of any Ragdoll cat breeder you’re considering, to find out if they truly care for the Ragdoll breed and the cats they care for.

Questions to Ask Ragdoll Cat Breeders

Ethical Ragdoll breeders who truly care for their cats will not have any issue fielding questions about them and their cats. In fact, they’ll probably expect it and find it surprising if you don’t want to find out something about them and their cats.

In fact, ethical Ragdoll breeders will probably want to ask you questions, to satisfy themselves that you will be a good potential owner for their kittens.

With all of this in mind, here are some ideas of the sorts of questions you might ask Ragdoll cat breeders. Their responses to them should give you confidence that they genuinely care for the Ragdoll breed and the health of any litter they have available.

If not, do not buy a Ragdoll kitten from them!

Is the Ragdoll Cat breeder a member of a breed club?

What breeders club or clubs does the breeder belong to? Membership to a breed club might indicate the breeder is not a fly-by-night owner of a Ragdoll kitten farm.

Ask for references from people who’ve taken a Ragdoll kitten from the breeder.

If you’re able to speak to people who’ve had dealings with the breeder, you’ll be able to find out if the breeder was reliable and whether their kittens are healthy.

Does the Ragdoll kitten have a health certificate?

Usually reputable Ragdoll cat breeders will supply a health certificate issued by a veterinarian as a matter of course.

Is there a certificate of sale?

Depending upon where you live, there may be a legal requirement for a certificate of sale.

Is there a breeder’s contract?

If there is, what does it look like? Are they clauses within it that require something of you? What will the breeder take responsibility for? For example, depending on where you live in, some breeders may be happy care for your Ragdoll when you take a vacation.

Be aware also though that some breeders may require you to neuter your Ragdoll by the time it reaches a certain age to prevent irresponsible breeding themselves.

What is the breeder’s guarantee?

Does the breeder agree to conditions that provide a guarantee to you? For example, If your veterinarian discovers your Ragdoll kitten has a severe genetic condition, what responsibility will the breeder take?

When was the kitten born?

You should know the precise details of the kitten’s birth date. A responsible breeder should be able to tell you without difficulty.

Where was the Ragdoll kitten born?

As with birth date, understanding the details of where the kitten Was born can help you to feel confident about the breeder.

Was the kitten raised with its mother?

You might think this a pointless question, but some breeders take kittens away from their mothers at a very young age and hand rear them.

This would be good for you to know in advance, since it’s better for Ragdoll kittens (or any kittens for that matter) to be raised by their mothers.

Can I see the kitten with the mother, father and the rest of the litter?

Seeing the kitten with its parents and siblings can give you a great degree of confidence that the breeder looks after their cats. Bear in mind it might not be possible to meet the father the breeder doesn’t own it.

What information does the breeder have about the father?

If you can’t see the father, find out all the information you can about him.

Can the breeder tell you about the breed line?

Such information might help you know how long cats in the breed line have lived and what they died from. You can learn the symptoms of these conditions, and monitor for them as time passes.

Have the kittens been socialised ?

Up to the age of 16 weeks, kittens need to be properly socialised with other kittens / cats / people to ensure they have a good temperament and that they aren’t timid or aggressive.

Has the breeder dewormed the kittens?

At birth, all kittens have worms so they need deworming. A responsible breeder should have run a course of deworming.

Has there been any sickness in the litter?

Has your kitten or any of its siblings been unwell at any point? If so, what was the illness and how was it treated?

Can the Ragdoll breeder tell you about veterinarian visits?

Has a veterinarian seen the kitten? Were any problems found? Was the kitten declared healthy? What medications (if any) have been administered?

Has the kitten been vaccinated?

Have any vaccinations been administered? Does the kitten require further vaccinations? If so, when are they required?

What has the Ragdoll breeder been feeding the kitten?

You should provide the same food to a Ragdoll kitten for several days when you take them home and Sean them on to new food gradually. This reduces the likelihood of stomach upsets.

Has the breeder litter trained the kitten?

Considerate Ragdoll breeders will have litter trained their litters so you don’t have to.

General Advice For Interacting With Ragdoll Cat Breeders

As I’ve referenced, your questions won’t irritate genuinely responsible Ragdoll breeders. Most will likely expect it and they’ll be happy to be completely transparent.

Indeed most will want to know that prospective owners care about the wellbeing of any kitten they’re considering.

A breeder that doesn’t welcome questions may not be as reliable as you’d like.

Never purchase any cat from Ragdoll breeders who only sell online and who won’t let you see their kittens at their home. Seeing the home of the breeder as well as the kitten and its parents can show you how much care and respect they’ve been given.

Never buy a Ragdoll from anyone who does not treat their cats with respect.

Summary – Questions for Ragdoll Cat Breeders

Of course it would be wonderful to be able to trust all breeders who claim they are responsible Ragdoll cat breeders… but that’s not the world we live in sadly.

It really pays to make the effort to understand precisely how responsible a breeder really is… and we can do this by:

Seeing the Ragdoll kittens with our own eyes
Checking out their living conditions
Getting a feel for the breeder
and asking a whole bunch of questions

Reputable Ragdoll breeders should be more than happy to answer all of your questions as they have nothing to hide.

Indeed they might well like to know that they’re parting with their precious kittens for someone who is going to take good care of them.

Furthermore, reputable Ragdoll breeders may well ask you questions to make certain you’d be a good cat owner.

Let’s be honest, cat breeders shouldn’t just let anyone have their cats without checking them out too, should they?

Can you add other questions for Ragdoll cat breeders to help guide others? Please leave your comments or question in the section at the bottom of this page.