Should Megailee Ragdolls Add a MINK Ragdoll ?

Megailee Ragdolls has always bred and raised traditional ragdolls. We have blues and seals in every pattern. I strive for healthy happy well socialized kittens.

Recently I have been thinking of adding a mink ragdoll to my small cattery. My reasoning is to cater to those people that want and like the color option. Some breeders and others have strong opinions about this but I think it is mostly due to whom and how they are placed for adoption.







The little boy in the photo is a blue mitted mink ragdoll. Any ragdoll breeder I add would be DNA HCM negative and registered with TICA with a pedigree. I think he is cute.

I believe if you are honest with people and have them understand that the main difference between mink and traditional is the color and color contrast between the points. The eyes are usually aqua (green/blue) vs blue and they are born with color vs white. Fur is not softer and they do not have special powers. Like lynx and the red series they would be a color option for potential ragdoll parents. They currently are not allowed to be shown but all are ragdolls and registered.

What do you think? Should Megailee Ragdolls in NC add a Mink Ragdoll to our breeding program?

How To Select A Ragdoll Cat Breeder - Breeder Perspective - Part 4 of Series

As a breeder I do welcome questions from a potential adopting family. It shows they are interested and want to make sure they are adopting a loving well adjusted kitten or cat. If you are spending money on anything you should do your homework.

Lynn asked a LOT of questions and it seemed like every day there was an email to answer. She requested lots of photos. Sometimes it took me hours to get one good shot as kittens keep moving when young and my camera is not the newest model. There came a time I would actually look forward to logging on and expecting or hoping for her emails. I even considered her a friend and I felt like I knew her other ragdoll Boo. I was concerned that her expectations might be a bit high and therefore she would be disappointed. I mean you really never know what people expect and how a kitten will adjust to a new home, new people, and new resident cat. The best I could do is have him well socialized and care for him here until he leaves to be in his forever home.






One thing to keep in mind that a kitten is a living thing and thus there is no 100% guarantee on anything. Things do happen whether for the good or bad. Parents can be DNA HCM tested and it is possible that there is another gene yet not identified or a mutation can happen. HCM can develop without the gene. Small chance but still possible. Also kidney, cancer, or any other issues can happen even if never exited in the lines before. This can and does happen in humans also. With life there is good and unfortunately some sorrow can exist too. The best we can do is do our research and make the best decision at the time.






I am happy that I get updates from Lynn, Boo, and Bentley. I get the updates from emails and from her own blog. It is great to see him grow up. He is best buddies with his "brother". Hopefully someday he will be best buddies and snuggle up with his human parents. I think he will :) I remember being a little girl and asking my mother "do you love me or daddy better"? My mom replied I love you both but in different ways. That is how I believe Bentley loves Boo and Lynn and family.

How to Select A Ragdoll Cat Breeder - Interview With Lynn - Part 2

1. How many ragdolls do you have? Name/ages/gender

I am happily owned by 2 adorable and spoiled Raggies. Boo will be 4 years old in January 2011; and Bentley ("Squeak") will be one year old in December 2010. Both are boys (neutered of course!); Boo is a seal bicolor, and Bentley is a blue lynx mitted.








2. Where did you find Boo's breeder?

Weeeeeeeeell, merely by chance and happenstance! I live in a small town in PA and became enamored by Ragdolls from something I'd seen on TV. I started researching the breed and from the internet I found a breeder a few hours away.



3. Where you satisfied that you did your homework?

Not now, but at the time, honestly, I just didn't know any better. We had no experience with adopting a purebred animal; all of our many previous pets had been rescues.



The truth is, I didn't recognize a few red flags and ignored some others.



What "red flags"?

Well, for one thing, the breeder was very hard to communicate with. E-mails and phone calls often went unanswered or only half-answered. Once we met her, I saw that the cats were kept in her basement, in various sizes/ types of cages and confinement, far away from the family and all household activities. There were at least 5 litters of kittens of various ages, plus all her breeder cats. She was obviously frazzled and all the cats were skittish. But I barreled on! The fact was, I fell in love with Boo on the spot, put a deposit on him, and brought him home about a week later.



4. What would you do different?

That's a good question. I cant imagine our lives without Boo....so I do not regret our decision to get him. But Boo came to us with a heart murmur, an URI and diarrhea, none of which we knew about until the day we picked him up. Although he got well and soon began to thrive, at that time my vet actually advised me to return him... but of course there way no way I could even consider that.



And although Boo has always been gentle and sweet, it was obvious to us from the beginning that he had not been well socialized and it took a long time for us to fell like he finally "connected with" and trusted us.



TO BE CONTINUED ...........................................

How to Select a Ragdoll Cat Breeder - Interview with Lynn- Part 1

If you are reading this I assume you are in a position to select a ragdoll kitten or any purebred kitten and now need to decide how to pick a breeder. This is a hard decision as there is so much to consider. You are making an investment and want to do your homework. Sometimes the breeder is far away or out-of-state this decision or process of selecting a breeder is more difficult.

With anything in life there is no 100% guarantee but you need to make the best choice with the information that you have at any given time.

When I bought my first puppy many years ago I knew I wanted a buff colored cocker spaniel male. A found a newbie breeder who had just what I wanted and when I wanted. I contacted other breeders but they had a long wait and I didnt want to wait. They were also about $100 -$200 higher in cost. Looking back I actually contacted a BYB without knowing it and ignored "red flags" due to my emotions getting the best of me. I did get AKC papers and met the parents but were they standard and how were they raised?

Long story short- after some high cost medical issues (cherry eye) and multiple ear infections I realized my errors. Once my daughter was born and he nipped at her fingers in the crib I realized he would be better off with a more active household. She also would be better off with all her fingers and toes and I would be less stressed. Expensive lessons that was for sure. I still look at his photos and think "what an adorable little puppy". Sometimes I want another one but I have a few ragdolls and will stick with them for now. They are puppylike and I love them all.

This posting is part of series. I will interview Lynn B. and how she went about her process of selecting her breeders for her Ragdoll kittens.

TO BE CONTINUED.............................................