Due to some unforunate circumstances my breeder now only has 3 kittens for her spring litter. (Olivia, her seal bi-color I believe absorbed her kittens and did not have a litter and Suga only had three kittens herself)
That being said, there was three kittens, a flame boy, a seal lynx mitted boy, and a seal mitted girl. I want a boy kitten and the flame is already spoken for, so I want to the Seal Lynx Mitted Boy. Diane (My breeder) feels horrible she doesn't have a huge selection and told me she could refer me to another breeder friend of hers if I don't like the Seal Lynx Boy. But in order to get on the other breeders list for her current kittens Diane wants me to come see the Seal Lynx Boy at 6 weeks so I don't lose out on getting a spring kitten. She said personality is hard to tell at a young age and that it can change dramtically from now until I bring him home and even a couple weeks after he is home. I am perfectly okay with his pattern, so I definitely want him, but if I can't tell personaility really, I'm nervous to take him. Originally she wanted me to come at 9 weeks to pick my kitten out so I would be able to see the personality more.
What are your thoughts? Is it safe to assume that he will carry the ragdoll disposition if both his parents do and just stay with him and Diane and not go to the referral breeder? She says that since she only has three kittens that she has been handling them a lot and that they are and should be well socialized because of this.
I just really want at least 75% of the ragdoll disposition. I understand they all have their own personalities and will behave different. But I want a little snuggle buddy first and foremost. How should I approach this situation?
First of all, I would ask myself if the breeder is a reputable breeder... If yes, then I would not be worried that the ragdoll kittens do not have the so-called "ragdoll disposition"... Reputable breeders always emphasize alot on maintaining the correct temperament and personality of the breed in their breeding programs... I believe the breeder should be able to tell some basic personality of the kitten before he goes home with you... For all my 4 ragdolls that I got from Margaret, she did tell me briefly what are their temperaments like, and when they came home to me, it was exactly what she described them to be...
So, if your most impt criteria is "snuggly buddy", then you should inform your breeder, coz only she will know... Good luck!
Thanks Wilson! She is definitely a reputable breeder. I love her and her past kitten owners have nothing but AMAZING things to say about their kittens - so you're totally right there. She is definitely all about upholding the breed standard for looks and personality and when I visited in September all of her adult cats were extremely loving and friendly and the mother of my kitten (suga) was so sweet and adorable. She also had kittens when I visited and they were all sociable and playful except 1, who seemed to be a little skittish. She mentioned that particular kitten was snuggly when it was just her but gets nervous around strangers. It was my boyfriend and myself and the breeder so she might have been over-whelmed.
Yeah, they are four weeks right now so she is saying that they are just starting to really move around a lot so she isn't 100% sure how she would describe their personalities --- I'm guessing by week 6 there will be more to tell. She just gets worried about "making promises" because she truly feels that their personalities change so much with in the first months of their lives. I guess my concern is more saying that I want him at 6 weeks and then realizing at 12 that he isn't the personality I wanted and then losing out on her breeder-friends kittens. And ultimately I've waited this long for a reason -- to get one of her kittens! Ugh, what a dilemma!
She does have a litter coming in August and I could just wait for that if my Seal Lynx Boy turns out to be not what I wanted and I know Diane would not be upset with me at all if I change my mind, she already feels bad enough that she has such a small choice for me...
This is more like a rant or a journal entry where I am having a conversation with myself. Haha.
Sorry guys! I'll definitely take whatever advice you're willing to give!
Dun worry too much! I am sure there will be great advice coming from other members soon... I am sure at the end of the day, you will definitely get a super snuggly teddy bear ragdoll!
I know how you are feeling right now... Did you know that I changed my mind at least 3 to 4 times before finally confirmed with Margaret to get Twinkle and Star? LOL... I felt sooo bad, but she didn't mind at all... So, I believe your breeder will be the same too..
Families select our kittens at about 7 weeks. I have not noticed any radical changes in them thereafter. The bigger issue is how much they are like themselves during the visit and whether that is because of the potential in the relationship with the person or other things, like sleepiness, inattentiveness, wanting to play, etc. I believe it is most often the latter and the worst visits can turn into the best relationships - we had one kitten hiss at her potential and ultimate new family - a unique event. They came back for another kitten the next year because she was so wonderful with them, even though they always had been and asserted frequently that they were a one cat family. It turned out they both wanted to hold her at the same time, etc. and one Ragdoll was not enough.
Thanks Jan and Wilson!
I think from what you have both said that I am going to have faith in my little Lynx Boy and if he is alarmingly shy or the breeder mentions she feels at 6 weeks she notices that his personality is not the snuggly/daring type as well, then I will take her referral. If she thinks he is snuggly, regardless of how he is when I visit -- I'll take her word for it!
Thanks for the advice, I feel better and less crazy.
I hadn't even met my Dexter before I picked him up. I just went on what the breeder said. Everything worked out very well with him, (I got lucky I think!) but the next time I buy a ragdoll I will definitely meet the kittens before choosing. With Dexter though, he was already spoken for by a breeder and all his siblings were spoken for too. I had been emailing back and forth with his breeder, talking about future litters and she found out it had "fallen through" with the breeder and Dex was available if I wanted him. I had been in love with him from seeing his pictures and she told me he was "pick of the litter." He was everything I expected when I went there. She had warned me that he was very rambunctious and he definitely was! He was a very playful boy and cuddled and purred the whole way home. I have to say that his personality has changed a lot in the last few months though. He is becoming more independent and doesn't want to cuddle as much. He just wants to play alllll the time. I think he's just going through his rebellious teenage years
I love him regardless and wouldn't change anything about him! If I need cuddles I just go to Leo, who would cuddle all day if we let him
I met all 3 of my ragdolls at the time I picked them up, & have not been disappointed! I do have faith that reputable breeders breed for the best of the breed characteristics, with temperament being very important. My one boy is a little more shy & prefers to approach me rather than having me grab him, but he is sweet, & I just wait for his cue. Best of luck on choosing your kitten - I bet that once you see him, it will be a done deal!
We met Gussie for the first time at 10 weeks and I liked that she looked me right in the eye and wasn't afraid of me, but I still did not know anything about ragdolls and their personalities so we were flying blind. She terrific. We got Blue from another breeder last minute rather than waiting because someone backed out on him and wanted another kitten. He was not interested in us at all, hated to be held and really did not socialize with the other kittens. I was leery, but we still brought him home that day. He socializes with the others, but doesn't care to be held. He's better than he was, and continues to get better. And I'm glad he is ours, although he would not have been my first choice. When we went to pick up Linus, there were many kittens cavorting, and interacting with us and with each other. Linus's personality was very distinct even then, but I couldn't have told you what the others were going to be like. We hoped for the best, and again, we couldn't ask for a better cat.
All this writing and what I wanted to say is you know your breeder and she knows what you are looking for. When you meet this kitten you will intuitively know if this is the guy for you. Trust your gut. Play with him until he tuckers out , then see if he cuddles with you. Then you know. I'm curious as to who the other breeder is. If you find out, will you let me know Karissa?
(03-29-2010 09:49 AM)karissa Wrote: [ -> ]Due to some unforunate circumstances my breeder now only has 3 kittens for her spring litter. (Olivia, her seal bi-color I believe absorbed her kittens and did not have a litter and Suga only had three kittens herself)
That being said, there was three kittens, a flame boy, a seal lynx mitted boy, and a seal mitted girl. I want a boy kitten and the flame is already spoken for, so I want to the Seal Lynx Mitted Boy. Diane (My breeder) feels horrible she doesn't have a huge selection and told me she could refer me to another breeder friend of hers if I don't like the Seal Lynx Boy. But in order to get on the other breeders list for her current kittens Diane wants me to come see the Seal Lynx Boy at 6 weeks so I don't lose out on getting a spring kitten. She said personality is hard to tell at a young age and that it can change dramtically from now until I bring him home and even a couple weeks after he is home. I am perfectly okay with his pattern, so I definitely want him, but if I can't tell personaility really, I'm nervous to take him. Originally she wanted me to come at 9 weeks to pick my kitten out so I would be able to see the personality more.
What are your thoughts? Is it safe to assume that he will carry the ragdoll disposition if both his parents do and just stay with him and Diane and not go to the referral breeder? She says that since she only has three kittens that she has been handling them a lot and that they are and should be well socialized because of this.
I just really want at least 75% of the ragdoll disposition. I understand they all have their own personalities and will behave different. But I want a little snuggle buddy first and foremost. How should I approach this situation?
I actually went to visit the litter of kittens available to me twice. At that time to me, they all seemed the same and I had to trust in what the breeder told me. The female was the leader and most independent, this one was more aloof and came for attention on his terms, and my little one was the most consistent cuddler
Which is the one I chose.
The one thing about having an ultra cuddly kitten was that he came home and was really devastated about leaving his litter mates. He was my meowing and complaining shadow for a long time, until he realized he could relax with just me and my BF as his new family. If we had gone with the more independent kitten, I am sure the adjustment would not have been as hard.
So my advice, if you go for the ultra snuggly and dependent personality, be prepared to dote on your baby 24/7 because he will not leave you alone hehe.
Now my kitten, Solo, is almost 1 year old and he is perfect now. He is learning to be more independent and still loves to be held, and pet, and snuggle (but he won't stay on your lap).
Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to share my experience with you!