Ragdoll Cat Forums

Hi Guys,
Well after talking to a few of you I thought, in all good intentions, maybe it would be a good idea to start a thread where we could all post breeders who we would recommend. If you could post any answers to these questions regarding the breeder you're recommending that would be great too.

Do you trust the breeder 100%?
Do they test for pkd, hcm, mpsm etc. and are all cats health problem free?
Do they early desex and no declawing?
Do they only breed their girls once a year?
How many years have they been breeding for?
Would you trust them with choosing you a show or breeding kitten?
Does the breeder only have a small number of cats or is s/he a large breeder?
Are the kittens raised outside in a cattery or indoors in a home situation?
What vaccinations are given to the kitten prior to going to its new home?
What is the socialization process?
Is FIP including in the health guarantee?
How long does the health guarantee last for?
Do they have a breeders contract? What is in it?
Are they willing to take back a kitten if things don't work out?
Have any of the kittens in the litter been sick? If so, what were the signs, the diagnosis and treatment?
And what should one do if a kitten in the litter (or the kitten one wants) had soft stool or a weepy eye?

If you think of anything else helpful, please do add that too. This is only to recommend registered breeders as I dont support BYB and I am sure most of you don't either. Please also state their location and prefix. This is mostly aimed at pet and pet/show owners but breeders feel free to recommend too

While I don't have anything to add to this thread as my breeder no long breeds, I think what you have started is a great list of questions that those who are anticipating purchasing a ragdoll should be prepared with to ask breeders. Another one to ask is "what vaccinations are given prior to the kitten going home?"

I would also ask about the socialization process and whether FIP is included in the health guarantee. Responsiveness to emails is always a good criteria as well.

Not sure about the questions. We do not test for PKD or MPSM. Some very good breeders have shorter breeding cycles than a full year; in fact, I am not sure that Dr. Susan, who is an expert in feline reproduction, would highly recommend that cycle. Some larger breeders are better than some smaller breeders - much better. Some very fine breeders - often very experienced breeders - do not early speuter.

Gail and Jan (and any other breeders reading this)-- are PKD and MPSM common in ragdolls? I have always assumed that the reason why they're not tested for is that they're not common in the breed. Is that understanding correct?

PKD is rare. I know of no diagnosed cases of MPSM, even though it has been discussed for a long time. A research expert on MPSM has offered to review any suspected case of it in Ragdolls - and there have been none coming forward.

Those reasons - and our long term knowledge of our lines and that the DNA tests have not been confirmed for Ragdolls - are the reasons we do not test for these conditions. I am all in favor of those who do decide to test for them, however.

I have heard of MPSM positives and carriers and I'm not even a breeder. From what I have heard it is more common in the choc and lilac lines then the 100% blue/seals.

HCM is getting to be a big problem from what I have heard with results coming back as carriers from breeders with some of the best lines in the world. Lines that would be absolutely criminal to desex, lines from Patriarca , Doromas , Rosauris and Dreamcats.

I don't know much about these health problems but from the little that I do know is that they need to be bred out of the Ragdolls. I think that now days, I wouldn't buy from a breeder without dna testing ruling out the possibility of these health problems. I just wouldn't want to risk it...

Haylee (SempreRagdolls) has made a website about MPSM and HCM, hopefully she will post it for you if you would like to see it as Im not sure of the URL.

I have also added your questions to the original post

Question
The health issues,,, Hcm, MPSM,, are they seeing more problems in one part of the world then the other.

HCM is an issue in cats. For Ragdolls, there is a DNA test that allows us to breed it out of the breed - and avoid any cat that has an HCM mutation. So far, although other HCM mutations are in cats and CAN be present in Ragdolls, after looking for many months now, no cases have been found in Ragdolls that are capable of study by Dr. Meurs, who has made the two HCM mutation discoveries. So, one can pretty well protect oneself from HCM in Ragdolls by making sure the parents have been DNA tested for both mutations and are clear.

Some Ragdolls are reported to have tested positive for the more benign MPSM mutation in cats. These conditions are RECESSIVE and one can avoid the condition by not breeding a positive cat to a positive. However, despite the mutation being identified in a few cats, there have been no reported cases of the DISEASE in Ragdolls. A DNA mutation test may not "work" in some breeds and one does not know if this is the case with MPSM or not. In any event, if cases of the DISEASE are discovered, then it will be easy to breed to avoid it - just do not breed a positive cat to a positive cat. Since the breed is in the process of reducing the breed gene pool to breed out HCM which is dominant, deadly and for which we have a proven DNA test for our breed, it is irresponsible to reject breeding cats and further constrict the breed gene pool for a less serious disease, which is recessive and for which there is no DNA test proven for our breed. I have read from a few breeders who are very agitated about MPSM DNA test results in cats of other breeders. It has been a topic of discussion among breeders knowledgeable about genetic conditions in the breed. An expert on the class of diseases stands ready to study any discovered case in Ragdolls. One needs to find actual cases in the breed to be studied. That is the next and necessary step - and hopefully the lack of any cases in Ragdolls will continue.

blueragdoll Wrote:HCM is getting to be a big problem from what I have heard with results coming back as carriers from breeders with some of the best lines in the world. Lines that would be absolutely criminal to desex, lines from Patriarca , Doromas , Rosauris and Dreamcats.

One does not desex lines. One desex's individual cats. The Ragdoll and Maine Coon HCM mutations are DOMINANT. They are not carried. Not all cats who have a mutation will develop HCM, but this is not because it is recessive. Cats with one copy of the mutation can and do get HCM at young ages and die at young ages. The development and progression of HCM in cats with the mutation is extremely variable - and there are older cats with one copy of the mutation who have not developed HCM and may never develop HCM. This does not change the fact that many pos/hets DO develop HCM and die from it.

HCM positive breeding cats for whom there are many relatives being bred, do not need to be bred to obtain a negative kitten for future breeding. The loss of such cats means their genetics are still well represented in the gene pool in their close relatives already being bred. It is the HCM cats of superior quality for whom there are not close relatives that are negative and still breeding who may need to produce kittens for breeding with the risk of also creating kittens with the mutation. Those breedings should have been done by now and there will be very few cases now and in the future where DNA positive cats should be bred at all - regardless of the "lines."