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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

My potential rescue Ragdoll might be a mummy from a breeder now....

43 replies

MagratsHair · 11/10/2014 19:41

...the Ragdoll shelter has been silent since my last chase a week ago & I don't want to harass them if they are busy.

So I'm visiting a breeder tomorrow to view 2 ex breeding Ragdoll girls, they are 5 years & a beautiful seal point. They have had their kittens & are now being rehomed.

As I know bugger all about cat breeding are there any questions I should be asking that I wouldn't ask of a shelter?

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 11/10/2014 20:03

Do you have any feeling for how the girls have been kept? Eg some pedigree breeders keep their queens very much separated from normal family life and they're not therefore as socialized as they might be - so it could require a lot of patience on your part to take one on.

(I take it you're only intending to consider one of them and not both?)

The breeder has already had them spayed has she?

Original poster
MagratsHair · 11/10/2014 20:20

Thanks cozie Smile

I'd just have the one. I did ask the breeder if they would transition well into pet cats and she said yes but I'll ask again tomorrow. They have already been spayed and are a beautiful seal point colour!

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 12/10/2014 00:51

We had an ex breeder, she was no trouble. Total lap cat though & zero interest in going outside.

wantacatplease · 12/10/2014 10:00

Do Breeders usually have you pay to adopt a retired queen? I'm just curious as I was contacted by a Persian breeder to ask if I would be interested in a retired queen but I hesitated for fear she would charge £200 to let me adopt her. I'd rather pay a rescue shelter's fees iykwim.

cozietoesie · 12/10/2014 11:05

I suppose whether (and if so how much) would depend on the breeder but I imagine that most would charge you something.

Original poster
MagratsHair · 12/10/2014 13:42

THE CAT IS GORGEOUS & we have put down a deposit on her :)

wanta the breeder is charging us £100, the breed specific rescue wanted £125 for one of their so the breeder was cheaper.

We are getting her on Wednesday, so excited & she was a beautiful friendly girl!

OP posts:
wantacatplease · 12/10/2014 13:49

Ah, I see, that seems quite reasonable.

wantacatplease · 12/10/2014 13:49

We will need photos! Smile

cozietoesie · 12/10/2014 14:00

I'm pleased for you Magrats. Hope that that camera is charging?

Smile
Original poster
MagratsHair · 12/10/2014 14:16

You will get fed up of my photos I warn you..... :) :)

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 12/10/2014 18:53

We won't. Nothing a photo of a cute cat.

Original poster
MagratsHair · 12/10/2014 19:02

Fluffy famous last words :) :)

I'm sorting out the insurance & its asking for the cat's dob, the breeder has said she is 5 years but I don't know the month or the day. Is it important & will it invalidate the insurance if I claim with the wrong day/month, would anyone even know?

The cat is called Millie - DS1 wants to call her Jewel, Amber, Winter or Artemis. I like Willow or Flora. DS2 who is 5, wants Chicken or Banana Grin Grin

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 12/10/2014 19:35

Maybe just drop the breeder an email or quick phone call explaining that you need the DOB for the insurance - she should have it reasonably quickly to hand if the cat was only recently breeding.

Chicken or Banana??? Grin

cozietoesie · 14/10/2014 08:34

All ready for tomorrow? Smile

(Please tell me you didn't settle on Banana?)

Fuzzymum1 · 14/10/2014 09:53

Awwwww, My friend has a couple of ragdolls, they are gorgeous.

I like the name Banana - my then six year old wanted to call his guinea pig "currys no worries" He ended up being called Fang!

JuniperTisane · 14/10/2014 09:58

I call my cat Chicken! (He looks like a roosting hen when he sits legs all tucked up under him and fur fluffed out).

Original poster
MagratsHair · 14/10/2014 10:07

Ha the cat naming has been a bit of a saga. We have chosen one of DS1's names which is Cinammon & then DS2 was put out that we didn't choose one of his names. So I said we would add a middle name & that would be one of his choices. So after going through another load:

DS1 - held out for Radogast the Brown as he's reading The Hobbit at the moment.

DS2 - Pinkie, Elsa, White & Milk Chocolate Brownie, Terracotta, & Sven

DS2 then came out with Sunlight, so I lunged for it & grabbed it with both hands & proclaimed it the best middle name ever. So the cat is Cinnamon Sunlight, which is odd but it also has a poetry to it :) :) :)

I've emailed the breeder to ask for the dob

I have cat bowls, grooming brush/comb, the dry food the breeder uses, an igloo bed & a litter scoop already here. There's a cat tree on its way from Amazon. I have litter, wet food & toys coming tomorrow. I have a hooded litter tray & toys coming today. I'll do insurance as soon as I know the dob .

The breeder is coming tomorrow so I don't have to worry about a cat carrier until next week when I'll take her to the vets for a check over :) She's coming at 12 so it will give her a couple of quiet hours with just me until I get the boys at 3:30.

& I have my camera ready squuueeeeeeee!!

OP posts:
Original poster
MagratsHair · 14/10/2014 10:08

I'm loving the names! Grin

OP posts:
JuniperTisane · 14/10/2014 11:19

Cinnamon Sunlight is great! I can really see that on a baby-naming thread in a years time.

cozietoesie · 14/10/2014 11:47

I do hope he doesn't go outside, Juniper. I wouldn't fancy going outside and calling 'Chicken' of an evening - you might end up with half the cats in the neighbourhood in your garden! Grin

VenusRising · 14/10/2014 12:01

Sorry, am I missing something- doesn't she have a name already- Millie?!!!

.....not that cats really answer to their names, anyhow Grin

Xqueens can be susceptible to breast cancer, and gynae problems, so do keep an eye out for that. How many litters has she had? If she's 5 now I would hope a maximum of 4. What is the reason for her retiring? Is there a problem? Did the breeder say?

It's easy to run in and buy a cat, but a few questions could make a difference in her health, if she had a problem, then you could watch out for it, and insure against it.

Pictures please!

JuniperTisane · 14/10/2014 12:30

Grin Its not his actual name! He gets called a few nicknames - Chicken, Patty (paws), Fatterus, Lion (on here), Dingbat (he's dim). Very occasionally his real name.

He answers to all of them.

Original poster
MagratsHair · 14/10/2014 12:36

She does Venus but we have a human cousin called Millie & without warning DS2 asked the breeder if we could change her name & she said yes in front of them :)

Healthwise she's been DNA tested normal to HCM & PKD which the breed can suffer from, its heavily inbred as there were so few foundation cats. I didn't ask about litters tbh, once the shelter had confirmed she was a reputable breeder I didn't think to ask. The breeder also raises show cats, & Cinnamon wasn't a show cat, there was no reason why she shouldn't be but the breeder tries to not have more than a specific number of show cats. She did say the number but I can't remember how many. 6 maybe. It also occurred to me that the breeder wouldn't breed from a cat that wasn't excellent in temperament as its not good business having kittens returned. The other cats were kept outside the house in spotless pens & are brought into the house when pregnant & after the kittens are born. There is a website where people who have bought kittens can let her know how they are getting on & its really good feedback from all of them on there, the website is for her business not just for the kittens/cats that have moved on. We met Cinnamon in her house & the cat is friendly, affectionate & once she had got over her initial wariness she was rolling on her back for us to stroke her tummy so she seems to be typical of the breed.

The breeder was retiring 3 queens at once so its possible she doesn't breed from a cat after they are 5, but again I didn't ask. I assumed if there was a problem then Cinnamon would have been the only cat available.

Thanks for your questions, they are useful as I didn't realise re the cancer & gynae issues. I'm insuring her with Petplan with the Classic cover on the higher tier & I'll book her in with the vets next week or the week after.

And yes to photos, she is the most beautiful girl....

OP posts:
Original poster
MagratsHair · 15/10/2014 10:04

OK one last question before she is here :)

I talked to the breeder yesterday about her vaccs & she is up to date as they were done earlier this month & she was seen by the vet at this time as well.

So do I need to take her to my vet as well? Part of me think I do need to ensure she is healthy & the breeder isn't trying to pull a fast one? But then I'm handing the money over today so would it actually make a difference? the breeder has been confirmed as good by the rescue shelter who know her & she has always been honest about Cinnamon when I've asked questions & her cats are all healthy & glossy.

I need some advice re worming & fleaing, I've not had a cat before so not sure what to do & was going to ask the vet, but now if she doesn't need to go.....

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 15/10/2014 11:24

I always make it a practice to introduce a new cat to my vet as soon as I can - and preferably not in an emergency situation. (Different vets are different people as well and it's not impossible that a new one might pick up something that a previous vet or owner didn't.) So - I think I would take her down. It's not a disrespect to the previous vet or owner but just that she's hopefully going to have a long relationshup with the new practice so it might be better having her seen and getting all the registration practicalities sorted out when you're not under any pressure. If the vet has seen her recently, it would also mean that they can prescribe worming/flea meds etc that might need a vet issue.

Has she been microchipped? (I forget whether you've mentioned it.)

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