ragdoll

hi I am looking for a ragdoll cat I want to get a female (not for breeding) but as a companion. I have longed for a ragdoll for so long I can pay for one but I cant pay anything that isnt reasonable.My hubby also wants one and let me tell you about him this is our second marriage my first marriage was abusive and i had alot of walls he had to knock down. He did it and he loves me unconditionally he works 12 hours a day and never takes vacation I am home I only work very part time so I would have alot of time to devote to a ragdoll does anyone know where I could find one reasonable? thanks star This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

This is a rescue group. I think most people here would tell you to go to an animal shelter and select a beautiful, loving cat to be your companion. Take a look at Petfinder.org for ragdoll mixes and look alikes available at shelters nationwide. I would never reccomend buying a cat from a breeder.

wow thats interesting! why wouldnt you adopt from a breeder??? I am not saying this to be smug i am interested in knowing why you wouldnt adopt from a breeder? I thought that was the best way to go knowing they would have a gaurantee of health and stuff like that am I wrong??? I am very interested in learning more....thanks Star

Hi Star,

Personally, I have a couple of reasons why 'I' wouldn't buy from a breeder. The first one is just that I really have feelings about the cat overpopulation problem and I don't like to encourage people to produce more cats, especially just for companionship purposes, when there's so many great cats who can't find a home. Secondly, spending as much time volunteering at a shelter as I do (a no-kill), I know that there are lots of cats who carry a chunk of genetic material from the breeds and while they don't have papers, they can and do have the look and temperament of any breed you can imagine.

You mentioned health, so I do want to add that it isn't necessarily so that purebreds are guaranteed healthy. There are many problems that can come with inbreeding small groups of cats (and ragdolls are a fairly new breed so there aren't that many with papers and they're closely related) and while people will say they can guarantee health and temperament, there really are no guarantees.

If your heart is really set on a ragdoll cat, I'd encourage you to contact Ragdoll Rescue of America http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/OR104.html and look at opening your home to a cat that has lost their home. Check it out! They look to have some pretty beautiful cats up for adoption to me :>

Thank you to all of you for your input It has opened my eyes! I had no idea and yes I know that there are millions of pets that need rescued we rescued 3 dogs that all lived to be 17 and I have a cat that is a rescue who is 4 and a calico and my little queen of the castle! shes my baby thanks again for all your input I think I may stick to rescues they need homes desperatly thanks for opening my eyes....Star

Not just shelters either. I have three cats that are sorta like ragdolls - two are culls from barn/farm cat populations and the other was a stray that tried to take up at a friend's home.

Random bred cats not only can look like standard breeds, but also like breeds and colors that ought to exist but don't (or are very rare), some of them very pretty. One of the ragdoll-like culls (apricot color) has a gorgeous red tabby colorpoint brother.

I might also say that of the four I mentioned, all are excellent pets, and three are also good mousers. I doubt I could have bought such versatile cats.

T.E.D. ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it - e-mail must contain 'T.E.D.' or my .sig in the body)

I just had to reply with my story. I have wanted a rag doll for a very long time. I have a cat that is very much like a ragdoll (maybe part) but he is aging so I wanted my next companion to be great like he is. I do not like 'pure breed' anything not to mention paying for a paper to get a pet. I gave up the idea and just decided to visit our shelter. Low and behold there were a ragdoll mix litter they just received (not even processed yet)! Talk about timing! The mother was there also and was listed as a ragdoll by owner (beautiful torte point with pretty blue eyes). The 'sire' was unknown. I took home one blue point and one almost entirely white cream point, two blue eyed little cuties bouncing with hybrid vigor. You never know what you may find at your shelter.

I got a very clear minds eye picture of your new cats. You write very well. And if I'm right, they are adorable.