Identify what an ethical ragdoll breeder looks like. Strategize with 10 Questions your breeder should be able to answer effortlessly!
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There is no streamlined process or governing authority, so you are probably feeling like you’re on your own. My goal is to help you avoid the pitfalls that you may not even see coming.
Disclaimer: the author is a ragdoll breeder & has a lot of opinions.
The Struggle is Real.
This should have been my title:
“HOW IN THE H*#&! TO FIND A GOOD RAGDOLL BREEDER”
The task is not easy. I’ve been in your shoes often and I feel for you. Personally, I have adopted ragdoll kittens from 13 breeders in 4 different countries and in 8 states. Of the 13, only 3 would get my return business. Why? Because my standards are very high & my commitment to relationships is serious.
There is no streamlined process or governing authority, so you are probably feeling like you’re on your own.
Where do we start?
We google “ragdoll breeder.” Or we hash-tag Instagram accounts to see many a cutie patooty kitten rolling around on her back in our feed. We’re on TikTok, Facebook, Reddit scrounging for an ethical breeder because we do not want to be taken to the bank or duped by a scammer.
We might go straight to the source and check out a registry such as The International Cat Association (TICA) or Cat Fanciers Association (CFA). Alas, that’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Most of what we find on The International Cat Association (TICA) is paid advertising from registered catteries and TICA is not endorsing them.
This kind of search reminds me of rummaging through messy shelves during a pre-internet Black Friday sale. Exhausting and frustrating.
You probably don’t have a strategy. You don’t know exactly what questions to ask and who to ask. You might stumble upon an adorable picture or video of an unclaimed kitten, but like any logical person, you think: why is THAT ONE left? Is there something wrong with him, poor little fella?
And if you do find a ragdoll breeder
you believe is trustworthy…
Girl, I get it.
I commiserate. I have been there more times than I’d like to admit. I have collected sick, temperamental, poor-standard ragdolls from close to a dozen “good breeders” before I felt the assurance of working with an organized person who actually prioritizes health & temperament and knows how to communicate.
What does she look like?
An unfrazzled cat lady – Is that even possible?
It is, dear reader. It is possible to find an ethical, reasonable, organized, dependable custodian of the breed and a server of the people. You can find a ragdoll breeder who demonstrates both integrity and is organized enough to manage all the moving pieces of breeding and adopting out.
Good Ragdoll Breeders DO exist. Don’t be discouraged. I promised you a method for finding a breeder, even if it’s not us.
So let’s figure out what they look like, first.
ethical | compassionate | organized
Ragdoll Breeder Checklist
If you’re confident the breeder checks most of these boxes, then you have found an reputable breeder.
The Ethical Breeder will:
- Prioritize health by working closely with a veterinary hospital.
- Conduct DNA testing for all breeding queens and studs.
- Neuter kittens prior to adoption where possible as is recommended.
- Charge substantial adoption fees to maintain a healthy breeding program (a broke breeder might have flexible ethics)
- Be registered and live/work by a Code of Ethics
- Demonstrate and produce according to the ragdoll breed standard.
The Compassionate Breeder will:
- Have references and/or public reviews attesting to their husbandry & customer care.
- Understand that you have questions & will answer them!
- Consider the kitten’s personality and fitness for adoption above the demands of the adopter.
- Consider each unique applicant’s situation to pair them appropriately.
- Offer a substantial health guarantee
- Stand by their kittens, and stand with their adopters.
The Organized Breeder will:
- Publish or email clearly written goals & expectations.
- Publish test results and pedigrees.
- Require a contract or terms of agreement.
- Has an establish system for you to follow.
- Stay in touch after adoption day.
Ragdoll Cat Breeders are Just Regular People.
Most breeders are small catteries managing a household, and they might have outside employment or other gig work. They may be raising children, so it’s a lot to ask of them to function as professionally as any other “business.” At the same time, if you aren’t feeling valued, it’s possible the kittens are not either. The best breeders set very high standards. They….
- Don’t cut corners.
- Put the welfare of the cats & kittens first.
- Maintain systematic vetting & adoption process.
Suss Out a Ragdoll Breeder
9 Times out of 10, a kitten-seeker will say “I don’t even know how this adoption process works.” They are frustrated at the lack of information and they just want a streamlined process for embarking on this quest.
Again, no single authority or governing body exists for individual catteries. Each independent breeder has developed their ‘best practices’ for both breeding and re-homing their kittens, but because it seems no one has the exact same standards & practices, adopters are tasked with learning each process, tracking kitten availability, and hopefully adopting an available kitten before anyone else does! This is a lot. But you’re not powerless. Keep a notebook & follow these steps – take charge!
Ask Questions.
Don’t be shy or feel silly. The breeder has heard the question before so they’re probably expecting it! But first, check out their website to see if they have an FAQ page or a blog.
Sleuth Around.
Google around about the breeder. Study their reviews & look at their responses to them. Everyone is on the internet these days. Type in breeder’s cattery + “complaints.” See if there’s anything on forums or BBB. Often complaints are the result of miscommunication, but if there are many… use your best judgment.
Follow on Socials.
Their photos of the kittens and cats represent what life is like in their environment. Dirt & grime? Proceed with caution. Are they cranky? Do they display a level of professionalism that you find jives with what you’re expecting?
Study the Pedigrees.
True, you might not know what you’re looking for, but this will help you know how much, if any, inbreeding is happening.
You will also learn which catteries they’re working with to acquire breeding stock allowing you to sleuth around on those, too!
Call the
Breeder’s Vet.
This sounds intrusive, but it is not IF you’re serious about working with them. I suppose if every ragdoll inquiry led to my veterinarian, the office might need to hire another receptionist, but it is a serious step that will lend credibility to all parties involved.
10 Questions Every Ragdoll Cat Breeder Should be Prepared to Answer
Scan a breeder’s website or social media for answers to these important questions to reduce your risk of being duped by an unscrupulous breeder. If you don’t find an answer, reach out directly. Many are willing to chat with you!
- Does the breeder breed to the written standard and can they demonstrate that?
- Is the breeder transparent? Are there any indications of this transparency?
- Does the breeder have a good working relationship with a veterinarian?
- Is the breeder publicly reviewed?
- Does the breeder stand behind her kittens?
- Can the breeder discuss the ragdoll breed standard fluently?
- Does the breeder have a health guarantee for hereditary conditions and illnesses?
- Does the breeder have a breeding philosophy? What is it?
- Does the breeder spay or neuter the kittens before they go home? If not, find out why they don’t. There could be a good reason.
- Does the breeder have a system of “best practices” for getting to know you before you to “add to cart”?
Should I limit my search to ragdoll cat breeders
with championship lines?
This is a controversial topic.
My opinion: All things in moderation.
Don’t underestimate or overestimate the value of championship lines. Cat Exhibition, or “showing” can be a helpful tool for the ragdoll breeder, when done in moderation. It helps breeders learn the standard, to sharpen the eye for what is good for the breed.
However, If the breeder is dragging every cat to every show, the cats will suffer. If the goal is to decorate walls with ribbons, you can be pretty sure the motive for breeding cats is not diversity and health.
Winning is good, but it is not everything.
When winning is the principal objective, the breeding program will suffer.
Dr. Pedersen is a significant voice in feline husbandry and infectious disease veterinarian medicine.
“Cat breeders are often highly competitive…in their quest for winning show cats, caution is often thrown to the wind…too often […] pedigrees are viewed as more important than physical attributes.
The premise is that any relative of a winning cat, no matter how poor a specimen, has the genetic potential to produce an animal with winning characteristics. Marginal or unacceptable cats, if they have good pedigrees, often are kept for this reason.”
Guide Feline Husbandry
Ragdoll Breeder’s Philosophy
Find out what the show breeder values
In a nut-shell, ethical breeders who exhibit should acquire a quality stud, and show him for the purposes of conformation. The primary ragdoll stud needs to conform to the written standard to be as “perfect” as possible since he will sire all the kittens. When combined with lesser perfect queens, he will raise the quality and standard of pet kittens. The result could be a perfect female kitten. She could be retained to mate with an unrelated stud. If she does not measure up, she is then offered to the pet-adopting/buying population.
Should this fail to be the guiding principal, the breeder is prone to produce extreme features and she risks health problems thus lowering the quality of kittens.
It’s a Fine Line
Winning cats attract a lot of attention from enthusiasts. We don’t need a doctorate in economics to know that high demand moves the market in major ways.
Competitive Cat Breeders will eagerly buy up the offspring from winning lines at high prices and produce in excess in order to realize financial reward. The winning show-breeders sell to other breeders in extraordinary volume because breeder stock generates a higher return on investment. Pet Quality vs. Show/Breeder Quality
The trade-off is to this habit is quality. Health, temperament, and type will all suffer. This does not mean that every breeder who shows their cats is an unethical breeder. Conversely, many exhibiters are doing it right! This is actually how I met some excellent breeders (see below).
On the other end of the spectrum is the pet breeder who does not know type at all. They typically breed anything with the right parts.
These ragdoll breeders advertise that they breed for “temperament & health” but omit the “quality.” These breeders do not bother with cat show exhibitions and often lack the eye for type. These are not Preservation Breeders.
A word of caution:
Ragdoll Kitten Breeders Who Claim to “Ship”
The phrase is cringe-worthy.
A website offering shipping a kitten is probably a scam, especially if the kitten is priced under $2,000.
Like other reputable breeders, Masterpiece Ragdolls employs either someone they know personally or an in-house flight nanny – a family member. Sarah, our daughter flies, or we contract directly with USDA Certified & Licensed TN Animal Transport. Jennifer is our only outside transporter because we know her and feel 100% confident that she is a pet’s best friend!
It all comes down to your gut feeling. At the end of your research, do you believe you have a shared vision and similar expectations about the process? If so, you’ve found your breeder. If not, keep on searching. Trust your instincts.
If you are considering Masterpiece Ragdolls, we are happy to review your application.
Ragdoll Kitten Breeders in the U.S.
My Recommendations
| Ragdoll Breeders in California | Ragalicious Ragdolls Rock Creek Ranch Ragdolls |
| Ragdoll Breeders in Texas | Pearl’s Ragdolls |
| Ragdoll Breeders in Idaho | The Ragdoll Company |
| Ragdoll Breeders in New York | Divine Dolls of New York |
| Ragdoll Breeders in Wyoming | Blossom Ragdolls |
| Ragdoll Breeders in Massachusetts | Willowtree Ragdolls |
| Ragdoll Breeders in Georgia | Sweet Peach Ragdolls |
| Ragdoll Breeders in Virgnia | Masterpiece Ragdolls East |
What Makes Me an
Authority on Ragdoll Breeders?
I’ve learned every lesson here in my search for a pet kitten or a breeding kitten. I have enough content to write a book–nay, a library.
A European Breeder Dupe
Importing is always risky. An Brussles-based breeder sold me a breeding cat with false medical documentation. Blood type incompatibility can play a major role in breading so accurate information is important.
We were able to breed him safetly, but had to neuter once he produced a quality stud with A blood type.
Sick, or pre-bred kittens. $4000 loss
Unscrupulous breeder sold me a cat she bred first in order to then collect a stud fee. Another sold me two kittens with a variety of digestive concerns. One arrived under 2 lbs. To this day, the kitten sold to me for breeding is still only 6 lbs.
Single Kidney Queen – $2,100
Apparently ragdolls are subject to this un-testable genetic problem. The selling breeder did not know this and I learned her lesson. No health guarantee applied because it was a buyer-beware transaction.
This issue rarely affects pet buyers, but its not good for breeding queens as the gene is also responsible for abiogenesis of the 2nd uterine horn (felines need both to birth a litter) and the condition may be genetic. The science is inconclusive.
“Exotic Colored Ragdolls” $14,000
A mink, solid, or sepia colored ragdolls are stunning, but they were ragdolls only on paper. They were not eligible for breed conformation. A ragdoll is defined by temperament and eye color (the cs Siamese gene).
The best ragdoll cat breeder will leave you feeling confident.
From Application to Next Steps to Adoption Day, you should feel that the breeder you are working with KNOWS what it’s like to embark on this potentially risky venture. You want to adopt a kitten from a breeder who has not forgotten what it is like to place their trust in another.
In the end, the breeder-adopter relationship is a special one. We may only see one another through a social media lens in the future, but on his birthday, you will hopefully want to share a photo. If something happens and he becomes ill, you will want to reconnect with the breeder to share your experiences so she can offer support, advice, or simply correct her program, if the problem’s origin is the cattery. If he becomes old and ill, you’ll remember your breeder fondly.
How to Find Reputable Ragdoll Breeders
Check out Pearl’s suggestions. She’s got some great tips!
