Bargin Kittens- Please read before you buy

I have just visited the website of Dorclise Ragdolls in Scotland, having met this very experienced breeder, Jayne at a breeders seminar last weekend. I felt I had to share something I saw on her superb website with you; as I whole heartedly agree with it's message. Earlier this year one of my kittens went to a lovely family who had been caught by one of unregistered breeders having had to have they beloved kitten put down at 18 months old was heart breaking, not to say costly after numerous expensive trips to the vets! Please be assured that that all my cats and kittens are well loved and healthy . My kittens are available to loving indoor pet homes only.All our kittens are born and raised indoors as part of our family, therefore, we like all new owners to visit us, before choosing a kitten; that way the right kitten gets the right home. We do not home on a first come first served basis. We want our kittens to have forever homes, meeting and selecting the best family for our kittens ensures this.

Bargain Ragdolls!!

Have you ever seen an advert in a paper or website saying "Ragdolls - adorable kittens 9 weeks old, great temperament, available now, only £250 - £300. Sounds great doesn't it?? Haven't you ever wondered what the difference is between those kittens and the ones from reputable, registered, breeders that may cost a couple of hundreds pound more??

First of all these kittens are almost certainly not registered with the GCCF, ACFA or TICA, therefore you will have no more than the seller's word that these kittens are full pedigree Ragdolls, and will carry the fabulous Ragdoll traits. A story you may often here is, "The breeder I bought the kittens parents from didn't give me the registration papers. The parents aren't registered so I'm unable to register the kittens, BUT they are REAL RAGDOLLS"!

So why is this??? In the worst case, the owner has simply found two domestic cats that have a look of a Ragdoll and has bred them. Then you are paying £250 for a kitten with no Ragdoll blood in them whatsoever!!
The most common reason is that the person selling the kittens bought two pet quality ragdolls and bred them. These cats were sold as pets. They may not have had the correct markings, size, conformation or indeed temperament, necessary to become breeding cats. That is the reason why they were sold as pets in the first place. Those cats would almost certainly have been sold with a spay/neuter contract. The buyer signed that contract, promising to have the kittens neutered. They have lied to the breeder they purchased them from, and are now breeding themselves and cashing in on people like you. Do you want to buy a kitten from someone like that?

Think to yourself......why would anyone who has paid the high price for breeding quality ragdolls (often £700 - £900 per cat) not insist on having the registration papers?? The cat associations can be contacted to intervene and ensure the breeders supply any promised registration paperwork for a Ragdoll that has been sold. So why wouldn't this person contact them and ask for the assistance in obtaining the registration papers? Because they know they did not buy breeding quality Ragdolls, and they have violated the orignal contract given by the breeder by not having them spayed/neutered. If you ask them for your kitten's pedigree, they will suddenly develop amnesia and claim to have forgotten the names of the cats in the pedigree, just in case you contact the orignal breeder.

So should this matter to you?? OF COURSE!!! Back Yard Breeders do not have the best interest of their own cats/kittens in mind, much less the interest of the Ragdoll breed as a whole. They often breed their female every time she comes on heat, never allowing her body to recover from the last litter before she becomes pregnant again. The poor cats are often ill, kept in unsanitary conditions, do not receive regular veterinary care (that would cost them money, not make them money)

Young kittens aged 9- 10 weeks are cute, but are definately not ready to leave their mum. Most Ragdoll kittens are only just weaned at 8 weeks; they haven't had chance to master use of the litter tray and use a scraching post. Some will be sick and won't have seen a vet. This means you could end up spending a considerable amount of your own money and time nursing your kitten back to health.

So why do the Back Yard Breeders let them go at this stage?? Simple MONEY!!! Kittens consume a lot of time, energy and food. You will not get any insurance from the breeder, if the kitten becomes ill you will have to pay the bills. Even if the kitten doesn't become ill, kittens from Back Yard Breeders usually haven't received thier vaccinations which will cost you two trips to the vet at approx £40 per visit. So your £250 - £300 kitten really isn't a bargain after all. You will have very quickly spent the money you would of paid for a full pedigree, registered, well-socialised, vaccinated, already spayed/neutered kitten from a reputable breeder.

If you decide to get a Ragdoll, ensure that you purchase a Full Pedigree Ragdoll from a reputable, registered breeder and not a Back Yard Breeder. Yes it will cost you a few hundred pounds extra in the first instance, but believe me it is money well spent!!!

TODAY ! I have meet a couple who recently had brought a unregistered kitten cheaply (there words not mine!) at £250 from one such breeder thay took it home at 7/8 weeks!!! I didn't like to point out that this wasn't a bargin. They have to got to pay out for injections at least £50 plus food, worming and flea treatments for 7 weeks, any vet bills that might arise because they have been taken away from their mother so soon and on top of that they have got a kitten who they can't guarentee it's parentage so it might not even be a full ragdoll!!!