# Choosing a Cat Breeder



## Ania's Mommy

Let me start by saying that the idea of a purebred cat is completely foreign to me. I didn't even know there were separate breeds until I saw the show "Cats 101" on Animal Planet. I mean, I knew there were Siamese cats, but I thought they were the only real "breed". Of course, if I'd ever spent the time to think logically about it, I would have had a big "duh" moment.

So, I have a friend who wants to get her first purebred cat. A Ragdoll, to be exact. And she figured I might be able to give her some pointers on picking a good breeder. 

I know the basics of finding a good dog breeder (the basics, mind you. I still wouldn't feel comfortable going it alone at this point). But relating it to cats is posing a problem.

So here are my questions:

Do they do health testing on cats? And if so, what kinds? A Ragdoll is an abnormally large cat who enjoys lots of jumping. So I'd imagine that good hips are important.

Aside from confirmation, are there any other ways for cat breeders to "prove" their animals? Are there competitive mouse chasing trials (I say this mostly in jest, but I really do want to know if something like that exists)?

Are there any red flags to look for when choosing a breeder?

How many litters/year would be ideal from the breeder?

Are there important things to look for with a cat breeder that you wouldn't need to look for with a dog breeder? I don't want to miss anything...

Any input you guys can provide will be so helpful. I don't want to have to join a cat forum. :tongue:


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## whiteleo

Richelle,

Ask on our raw feeding co-op..we have cat people there who may know someone local who has ragdolls


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## Ania's Mommy

Can I do that? I thought Debbie liked to keep the traffic down to a minimum. Especially since it's not even co-op related.


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## whiteleo

Send Debbie a email and ask her to send it to the appropriate person or she might post it to the list if she doesn't know..Then she'll ask them to contact you "off list"

Debbie's really nice....


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## DaneMama

My only input is that of all purebred cats....most of them have serious health problems. Purebred cats tend to be WAY more inbred than dogs even. I've only seen a handful of them to be older, compared to your domestic cats. 

Tell her to be prepared to lose a purebred cat earlier to health problems than she would a mixed breed domestic (on average of course).


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## monkeys23

Health testing for the breed, small number of cats, encourage buyer to visit their home and see their cat set-up, keep cats as part of the family, socialize kittens extensively, spay/neuter kittens before they leave, require the kitten to be indoor only, require that buyer never declaw the kitten, knowledge of cat nutrition (high quality grain free canned or raw would be a clincher for me honestly), show their cats and are heavily involved with their chosen breed, specializae in only one breed... yeah I think that about covers it.

I really want a Maine **** someday. Probably far, far, far in the future. Either that or adopt a gnarly old tabby tomcat, lol.
This breeder is my top pick and I think a good example for what are good things to look for: Maine **** Cat N Kittens of Cascade Mountain Main ***** Cattery - Vancouver, Washington

Mutt cats aren't always healthy. I've seen many awful things show up in our barn cat population over the years and there are always new toms around contributing to population diversity... We have one female right now who has some neurological issues (or it could be a congenital bone deformity I guess) that causes her to have a permanent head tilt.

I think the biggest key to cat health and longevity is biologically appropriate diet, keeping them safe indoors, and minimal to no vaccinations (again keeping them safe indoors from disease...). Cats have a really high rate of vaccine site related sarcomas that are very aggressive cancers.

My older bro and his wife adopted two kittens when they first got married. They turned 13 last year I think... maybe it was 12. Anyway, Lestat got very sick suddenly and through ultrasound they basically diagnosed a big cancerous growth that was bad enough not to operate on. The diagnosis was very vague. I have a hunch was directly related to both of them being on SD Hill's CD prescription food and being obligate carnivores on a dry food inappropriate diet. It was fast and traumatic. Even their other cat, his sister, is still all screwed up by the loss.

I dunno, if its a very reputable breeder I don't see a problem with getting a purebred cat.


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## Caty M

Some breeds can be healthy.. I always thought Siamese were quite long lived, I had one as a kid that died at 21 or 22.. 

Though.. I'll be honest. I don't agree with getting a pedigree cat. Cats don't vary nearly like dogs do in size etc.. and energy level is generally an individual thing, not a breed thing, though the big ones are usually more easy going (ragdolls, maine *****, persians). There are more cats put down than dogs yearly.. you can find one of any age, energy level, friendliness etc at any shelter.


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## Ania's Mommy

DaneMama said:


> My only input is that of all purebred cats....most of them have serious health problems. Purebred cats tend to be WAY more inbred than dogs even. I've only seen a handful of them to be older, compared to your domestic cats.
> 
> Tell her to be prepared to lose a purebred cat earlier to health problems than she would a mixed breed domestic (on average of course).


I've mentioned that to her as a possibility. I honestly wasn't sure if purebred cats, in general, were more or less healthy than mixes. 



monkeys23 said:


> Health testing for the breed, small number of cats, encourage buyer to visit their home and see their cat set-up, keep cats as part of the family, socialize kittens extensively, spay/neuter kittens before they leave, require the kitten to be indoor only, require that buyer never declaw the kitten, knowledge of cat nutrition (high quality grain free canned or raw would be a clincher for me honestly), show their cats and are heavily involved with their chosen breed, specializae in only one breed... yeah I think that about covers it.
> ....
> ....
> 
> I dunno, if its a very reputable breeder I don't see a problem with getting a purebred cat.


Thank you! I appreciate your input! Do you know any specifics on health testing? Like, what do they test, how do they do it, and when?



Caty M said:


> Some breeds can be healthy.. I always thought Siamese were quite long lived, I had one as a kid that died at 21 or 22..
> 
> Though.. I'll be honest. I don't agree with getting a pedigree cat. Cats don't vary nearly like dogs do in size etc.. and energy level is generally an individual thing, not a breed thing, though the big ones are usually more easy going (ragdolls, maine *****, persians). There are more cats put down than dogs yearly.. you can find one of any age, energy level, friendliness etc at any shelter.


I totally agree with you on pedigree cats. Totally. But she's pretty set on it, so I'd at least like to steer her in the right direction. I did tell her to see if there is a breed specific rescue for Ragdolls. I'm just not sure if breed specific cat rescues are at all common.


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## AveryandAudrey

DaneMama said:


> My only input is that of all purebred cats....most of them have serious health problems. Purebred cats tend to be WAY more inbred than dogs even. I've only seen a handful of them to be older, compared to your domestic cats.
> 
> Tell her to be prepared to lose a purebred cat earlier to health problems than she would a mixed breed domestic (on average of course).


That is Sad but true.

She'll first need to research exactly what the healthy look of the breed of cat will be. Then she can view the mother/father and see if they fit that. They should be tested for feline lukemia, feline aids (its not called feline aids but its basically that)

Cats are able to breed twice a year but that often is not recommended as it is a strain on their bodies. And Rag dolls are beautiful. I want a sphynx!


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## DaneMama

I remember at my previous job a client got a "purebred" ragdoll kitten. I asked if they got their kitten from the shelter (like 99% of people do) and she looked at me with this really odd look on her face and said something like "UGH NO! _He's_ a purebred ragdoll kitten!" I honestly couldn't tell the difference between that kitten and any other flame point, long haired domesticated cat rescued from the pound. 

If I got a purebred cat it would be a Maine **** or a Savanna Cat....but I don't have $10-15K laying around for one of those! 

Kittens Available : Bengal Cats for Sale : Exotic Cat Breeders : Savannah Cat Breed

Is there something specific she is looking for in a purebred cat that she doesn't think she will find in a mixed breed? 



monkeys23 said:


> We have one female right now who has some neurological issues (or it could be a congenital bone deformity I guess) that causes her to have a permanent head tilt.


We see a lot of barn cats at my work. Head tilts are usually due to ear mite infestation for prolonged periods of time. Or that they have fallen from a high perching spot. 



> I think the biggest key to cat health and longevity is biologically appropriate diet, keeping them safe indoors, and minimal to no vaccinations (again keeping them safe indoors from disease...). Cats have a really high rate of vaccine site related sarcomas that are very aggressive cancers.


This is exactly right.


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## Caty M

Yeah.. dry food for cats (especially crap stuff) I would say is far more damaging for cats than for dogs. It's ESSENTIAL for cats to have moisture in their diet. I wish my boys would be less picky- they are kibble junkies (adopted at an older age). At least I got them off the Meow Mix!


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## MollyWoppy

Is it possible to get titers done on cats nowadays? 
I've been told that the 3 year rabies injection is worse for causing sarcoma's than the yearly one, but I'm now thinking maybe I should get a titer done instead.


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## Caty M

As far as I know, the three year shot is identical to the one year shot, just labelled differently.


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## MollyWoppy

I've just made an appointment at my vets for Mol's yearly check up and Windy for a heartworm test. The vet tech said that the 3 year cat rabies vaccine has an adjuvant which what they think is what is causing the sarcoma's. The yearly one does not use an adjuvant, which is why they use it. 
She also said they do titers, but its very expensive and they don't normally do them because it's law for cats and dogs to be given rabies shots.
Boy, you really have to do your homework, I just presumed a 3 year vaccine had to be better than one given once a year, but it proves how careful you have to be.


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## ciaBrysh

I have nothing useful to say here other than I find it amazing that there are cat breeders anywhere lol. I can understand the idea of wanting an animal purebred, but I guess after my whole life of having cats coming off the streets (literally) the whole concept it pretty interesting!


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## kady05

We have two purebred Ragdolls in my family, one is mine, the other is my mom's. Got them from a great breeder in NC.

All of my breeders cats are HCM DNA negative (you can read about it here: PawPeds), and I would definitely recommend finding a breeder that tested for this, as it can be common in Ragdolls. She also does show her cats (yes, there are cat shows LOL), and they are titled in that.

Honestly though, I wasn't as picky with my cats breeder as I would be with a dog breeder. I just wanted some health testing, healthy parents & lines, and no over breeding, which is what I found. Both of ours are pet quality as well, were neutered before we brought them home, and came with a 2yr. health guarantee. I got a kitten from this same breeder before Brody, who I ended up having to put down when he was 6 months old  It was awful.. necropsy showed that he had some kind of extremely rare auto-immune disease. My breeder was awesome throughout the entire process, and covered all medical expenses AND flew to Colorado to get Brody for me (from her partner) once I was ready for another kitten, all free of charge. 

This is my boy, Brody..










And my mom's, Ozzy..










The only health issues they've had are one UTI each, which is pretty common in male cats regardless of breed. After being around these guys for 4yrs. now, I will always have a Ragdoll. They are awesome cats, with a very different personality (when bred well, of course) than your typical cat. They don't have a mean bone in their body (which is why breeders make you sign contracts that state you will NEVER let them outside, they'd never defend themselves), and are just so sweet.


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## DaneMama

The rabies shots we use (at all three hospitals I've been at in fact) use the same rabies vaccine for 1 and 3 year vaccines. They're no different. The only difference is how many rabies shots the cat/dog has had in the past. If an animal has had at least one, their next one will be a 3 year shot, as well as each one after that. 

I would ask to physically see the different vials before believing what that bet tech said (I'm not saying she was lying).


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## RachelsaurusRexU

Is she hellbent on getting the cat through a breeder? Shelters end up with purebred cats all the time and there are cat breed specific rescues! We currently have two Siamese and see a lot of them at my shelter. A couple years ago we ended up with an entire family, including four gorgeous kittens and their young parents, after the "breeder" lost her home. I recently adopted a senior Ragdoll when his owners were evicted. We see tons of Persian and Himalayan cats, and even Bengals. I've seen British Shorthairs and Scottish Folds in rescue as well. My boss fostered two Sphynx a few months ago and we even had a Cornish Rex here once.


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## MollyWoppy

DaneMama said:


> The rabies shots we use (at all three hospitals I've been at in fact) use the same rabies vaccine for 1 and 3 year vaccines. They're no different. The only difference is how many rabies shots the cat/dog has had in the past. If an animal has had at least one, their next one will be a 3 year shot, as well as each one after that.
> 
> I would ask to physically see the different vials before believing what that bet tech said (I'm not saying she was lying).



Oh $hit! And, I believed her! But, I believe in you a hell of a lot more.


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## luvMyBRT

This is me:










LOL. I have a lot to learn.


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## Caty M

My Old Kitty whom I adopted has a ragdoll personality. He even drools when you hold him and pet him for a long time. He likes to be held like a baby and I've never seen him bring his claws out, even when Tess harrasses him (we're working on it!!)


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## RachelsaurusRexU

Caty M said:


> My Old Kitty whom I adopted has a ragdoll personality. He even drools when you hold him and pet him for a long time. He likes to be held like a baby and I've never seen him bring his claws out, even when Tess harrasses him (we're working on it!!)


This is how my Ragdoll is. He's the most tolerant cat in the world. He doesn't even mind me holding him like a baby to brush his belly.


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## monkeys23

DaneMama said:


> We see a lot of barn cats at my work. Head tilts are usually due to ear mite infestation for prolonged periods of time. Or that they have fallen from a high perching spot.


It could be either one of those. Its not like they given them any sort of preventative care. Same cat nearly died from upper respritory infection last summer, luckily my stepdad cared enough to give her a few shots of antibiotic. It just disgusts me, but thats another story.

My cat knows how lucky she is. Once she got healthy she went back into kittenhood and has been just a goofball sweetheart ever since.

My grade school friend growing up... her family always had this huge mass of semi-feral cats at their house. They had several incidences of oh geeze I can't remember the actual name, but its where there's basically a hole in the back and the spine is exposed or there is like a pocket that will get infected? It was so gross, but they were born with it. I saw I don't know how many cat births there... more than I ever wanted to see thats for sure!



Ania's Mommy said:


> Thank you! I appreciate your input! Do you know any specifics on health testing? Like, what do they test, how do they do it, and when?
> 
> I totally agree with you on pedigree cats. Totally. But she's pretty set on it, so I'd at least like to steer her in the right direction. I did tell her to see if there is a breed specific rescue for Ragdolls. I'm just not sure if breed specific cat rescues are at all common.


I am pretty sure the time frame is kinda like that in dogs for joints, cardiac, and eyes. I know they should test for feline leukemia every year and there is a cat specific genetic disease that you want the parents to be free of, but maybe that is just maine *****.

I like the idea of a rescue purebred cat!




Caty M said:


> Yeah.. dry food for cats (especially crap stuff) I would say is far more damaging for cats than for dogs. It's ESSENTIAL for cats to have moisture in their diet. I wish my boys would be less picky- they are kibble junkies (adopted at an older age). At least I got them off the Meow Mix!


I hear ya! Missy won't eat anything but kibble, it bugs me to no end! At least she's picky and refuses everything but what she does best on, which is wellness Core.



MollyWoppy said:


> Is it possible to get titers done on cats nowadays?
> I've been told that the 3 year rabies injection is worse for causing sarcoma's than the yearly one, but I'm now thinking maybe I should get a titer done instead.


They can titer cats! The reason the 1 year is better is not the year length, its the type of vaccine. This site has great info: Vaccines for Cats: We Need to Stop Overvaccinating by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM :: Vaccines are very important but do carry risks


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## rannmiller

I found this website with questions for ragdoll breeders Questions for Cat Breeders

Ragdolls aren't super huge cats, I don't know a ton about them but they are some of the sweetest cats ever so it's a good idea to find a breeder who socializes her kittens very well to keep them that way. Also, of course, finding one who doesn't breed too many too often and has a good screening process for potential homes.

Found this on that site too. Pretty great site actually! http://blog.floppycats.com/blog/ragdoll-rehoming


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## Ania's Mommy

That Q&A website is awesome! Thanks Rachel!


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## shellbell

Caty M said:


> As far as I know, the three year shot is identical to the one year shot, just labelled differently.


fyi, the holistic vet I recently started seeing informed me that studies have been done showing that the three year rabies shot is actually good for five years (just not legally). I don't have any links to studies or anything, I am taking her word for it for the time being. But might be something to look into if concerned.


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## Caty M

Likely the rabies shot lasts for life.. if I ever got vax for the dogs (I likely won't unless I ever have to travel, I live in one of the few areas with no rabies shot laws) I would never do more than one parvo/distemper shot at 16 weeks and a rabies shot at one year.

Even without the laws, rabies is EXTREMELY rare up here. Probably different in a lot of the rural US.


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