THE PRICE OF A KITTEN DEPENDS ON THE BLOOD LINE AND IT’S CLASSIFICATION

4 CLASSIFICATIONS OF KITTENS:

 

PET:

PET RAGDOLL, sold to private individuals

  • Not suitable for shows, must be neutered.
  • Healthy no physical defects, the markings may be perfect or with slight imperfections eg. White marks on the tail, white marks on the ears in the bicolour and absence of white chin in the mitted.
  • Excellent character, perfectly socialised.

 

TOP PET / SHOW NEUTER:

Sold to private individuals

  • Very good type of cat often with good markings, Marking or other characteristics does not necessarily have to be perfect, but kitten must be in excellent Type (like cat for breeding), then it is called Top cat,
  • Healthy, no defects physically. Its high quality (more than Pet) corresponds often to ‘show standards’ (defined by the International Feline Federation as : as close as possible to the ideal of the breed, considering that ideal doesn’t actually exist)
  • Excellent character, perfectly socialised.

BREEDING CAT:

Sold to other breeders who keep cats at home and not caged.

  • Healthy, no physical defects, the markings are ideal or with tiny imperfections which do not disqualify cats from shows, eg. Dark marks on white paws.
  • Excellent type of cat, able to pass on all its characteristics to its kittens.
  • Excellent character, perfectly socialised.

 

SHOW/BREEDING CAT:

Suitable to Show. Sold to breeders  who keep cats at home and not caged.

  • Healthy, beautiful cat with perfect markings the cat corresponds to the highest demands of the breed standard.
  • Can pass on excellent characteristics to its kittens.
  • Excellent character, perfectly socialised.

READ : CONDITIONS OF SALE.

PRICES

 

In order to book a kitten a deposit is necessary. If a deposit has not been paid within three days of a verbal agreement then the booking is considered void. If for any reason I am not able to supply the kitten the deposit will be refunded, it will not be refunded however if the buyer changes their mind.

In the case of a kitten being sent abroad the full payment must arrive 12 days before the delivery.

The cost of kittens varies according to their quality (classification) respecting the prices indicated by the Italian Ragdoll Association and the Ragdoll Cat Club Italy.

Prices are however decided on an individual basis for each kitten.

The average price for a kitten is:

  • PET CAT/TOP LEVEL PET CAT-TOP PET/SHOW NEUTER 1100-1500 euros
  • The price for a CAT FOR BREEDING (SHOW/BREEDER, BREEDER) BY PROFESSIONALS is obviously higher.

*  The restrictions which apply to pet kittens are subject to variations. The price for male and female is the same.

THE PRICE INCLUDES :

  • FIFE pedigree recognised on the World, if required it can be registered in all the world organisations recognised by FIFE: WCF, TICA, CFA, …
  • Health documentation
  • Microchip
  • Two vaccinations (herpesvirus, calcivirus, panleucopenia)
  • Internal and external worming – Nemex, Stronghold, Milbemax, Panacur
  • minimum 5 visits to the vet
  • Sales contract
  • Medical certificate of good health
  • One year guarantee for genetic cardiac disease
  • Copy of parents genetic test result : HCM, PKD, MPS, PRA
  • Copy of parents test result: FIV, FeLV
  • Starter kit: the kittens usual food and toys.

For kittens which go abroad should be added to the price for:

  • Passport
  • Anti-rabies vaccination
  • In some cases, International Health Certificate for export (depending on the country imported)
  • confirmation by the veterinarian in section X of passport on good health and suitability to travel to the destination
  • trip with the cat to the airport of departure
  • keep the cat longer time in my breeding than usual, the next deworming, sterilization

It is said that a neutered male is sweeter than the neutered female which appears to be more independent. Observing my various Ragdolls that there is no apparent difference in character between male and female once neutered. Both have the typical Ragdoll character and are sweet, trusting, clingy and madly in love with their human parents.

The difference can be seen sometime in physical features.

  • A male kitten can be more ‘impressive’. The adult male often is larger than the female.
  • The female is more elegant in her movements.

WARNING : females of the some blood lines (for example the Nordic ones) can be larger and heavier that males from other blood lines.

Where does the price of a kitten come from ?

I have heard from breeder friends that potential Ragdoll kitten buyers ask questions like ‘why are kittens so expensive?’

I understand that people who know nothing about animal breeding have no idea that their beloved kitten will cost the breeder at least 450€ (and that is if everything has gone smoothly with the pregnancy, birth and weaning, otherwise costs can be much higher).

Once you have decided on a pure bred kitten make sure you get hold of one in the correct way because the kitten will live with you for years and is not something that can be discarded when you become tired of it.

It is common to see advertisements of fake breeders (people who privately and illegally produce kittens) and describe them as ‘pure bred kittens without a pedigree’.

Kittens can only be considered ‘pure bred’ if they have a genuine pedigree.

Each kitten has the right to a pedigree if both parents are registered as breeding animals (BREEDER OR SHOW/BREEDER) and they come from a cattery which is legally registered with the recognised associations and strictly observes the ethical codes and is subject to checks on the part of the associations.

A cat without a pedigree cannot be considered to belong to a specific breed and has no commercial value. It can come from cross breeding and is used to generate profit. Therefore this type of cat is ‘breed type’ and not ‘a pure bred kitten’.

You should know that the cost of a pedigree for a breeder in minimal.

Do not believe those who tell you that a pedigree costs 200€ this is false and is done to dissuade buyers from requesting one, as the animal is not pure bred. A pedigree has a minimal cost of about 30€, this can be checked on any feline association websites www.anfitalia.it.

Remember to always ask for the pedigree, it is your right and the guarantee for a kitten which you are buying.

 

If you decide to share your life with a Ragdoll, then the heartfelt advice is :

GET A REAL RAGDOLL.

It can happen that private buyers who buy two animals ‘PETS’ from a breeder promise to have them neutered by a certain date but then change their mind. They decide to improvise as breeders knowing nothing about the subject, without any controls, no ethical code of conduct, no knowledge of genetics, of the family history of the cats and without knowing if the kittens from this mating will have genetic or hereditary defects. The kittens may not correspond to the physical standards and character which distinguishes the Ragdoll from other breeds of cat. This is without mentioning the different tests (obligatory for serious breeders) scans, screening, etc. Which will not be carried out. These are all savings on costs. In this way the seller takes no responsibility in following the kitten and advising the buyer. In the case of problems the buyer has no rights and cannot turn to the associations for help. Therefore the buyer is alone with vet bills to pay or with an apparently healthy cat which is not a perfect Ragdoll, or else a good looking cat with apparent good health but with the character of a Siberian or Norwegian cat.

It is important to know that:

A SUSPICIOUSLY LOW PRICE FOR A RAGDOLL KITTEN BOUGHT FROM A FAKE BREEDER OR BOUGHT IN HASTE IS HARDLY EVER A GOOD BUY.

 

Even when a registered breeder offers a kitten at a very low price it can mean that savings have been made somewhere, except in vary exceptional cases.

 

The person who is looking to purchase a kitten often does not realise the importance of the expenses which regard the background of the kitten. To breed a high quality kitten, which as an adult will correspond perfectly both physically and psychologically to the breed standard, with an excellent level of health requires a certain investment.

In order to deliver healthy, beautiful, sweet, high quality kittens :

  • I carefully select the mating pairs in terms of genetics and blood line. It is not enough simply to have two Ragdolls and to breed from them, it is vital to choose a partner which has a few precious characteristics which are not present in the other animal in order to obtain kittens which are always better, or at worst the same as their parents. This means ‘selective mating’ and to select the best I even go abroad to find the best possible mate for my females.
  • I dedicate daily a lot of time to my animals so that they maintain their physical and psychological health. My job as a financial agent which I do from home allows me to live continually in close contact with my Ragdolls, giving them all the love and attention possible.
  • My Ragdolls undergo all the obligatory genetic and viral test recommended, and also other tests which are not required in Italy but which I have decided to do voluntarily in order to ensure that my kittens are born ‘the picture of health’. I never make savings where the health of my Ragdolls is concerned. It’s better to do one test more rather than one less. The tests are carried out in Italy, the USA, Australia and Poland.
  • Prior to mating the animals undergo screening, worming, vaccinations and the FELV, FIV tests.
  • I occasionally attend international cat shows (these are expensive especially abroad with travelling costs, hotel and enrolment fees and food) in order to confirm that my breeding program and selection of Ragdolls corresponds to the ‘breed standards’ recommended by FIFE of which I am a member.
  • I am a fully paid-up member of associations both in Italy and Poland and I have signed up to a rigorous ethical code of conduct in breeding to protect the health of the breeding cats and their kittens. The prefix to ‘Italiadolls’ of my cattery is Polish with the base in Italy and I have chosen to abide by all the rules of the associations and clubs in both countries.
  • To have the best possible animals which are healthy and strong I feed them high quality food, specifically designed for different stages of growth, kittens, pregnant females and feeding mothers and also if necessary high quality powdered milk etc. Growing kittens need a lot of protein from good quality meat and supplements and if they are healthy should do nothing other than eat and play.
  • To cut down on my expensive I could let kittens go at 12 weeks after two lots of vaccinations and worming. Instead I prefer to let them go at 14-15 weeks (16 weeks abroad) which I believe is the right age when the kitten has reached a level of well being and will be less stressed by moving to a new family without any effects on its health (stress always causes a lowering of its immune system).

HEALTHY CAT = HAPPY CAT = HAPPY OWNER

  • Obviously some other expenses are also necessary for accessories which need to be changed periodically : scratch pole, nursery, medicine, bedding, toys, toiletries etc.
  • The extra costs can add up to as much as 800 to 1000 €.
  • If you want a Ragdoll with certified provenance then the documents are costly : registration of birth, registration of the kitten in the genealogical book etc. You should however be aware that the cost of the pedigree represents only a minor expense for the breeder.
  • I always sign a sales contract with obligations for both parties. If these obligations are not fulfilled on my part then the buyer is able to avail themselves of their rights with the associations that I belong to.
  • I provide post sales assistance to the buyer with advice on care and feeding of the cat throughout its life. When I sell a kitten I remain interested in its well being although obviously I cannot substitute the vet.
  • I only sell my kittens to real animal lovers.