Ragdoll Cats for Sale: Key Guide to Choosing and Buying Your Perfect Ragdoll

Originally published September 6, 2016 – updated as often as I receive information about pricing

Buying a Ragdoll Cat

Are you worried about how to find the perfect Ragdoll Cat for you? Where to start looking? What questions to ask? How Much Do Ragdoll Cats Cost?

If you’re in the process of buying a Ragdoll cat, you’ll definitely want to know the whos, whats, wheres, whens and whys of buying a ragdoll cat.

This article will provide you with the information you need to know before you approach a rescue group or a Ragdoll cat breeder about your future housemate!

Scams: What to beware of before buying a Ragdoll or unregistered Ragdoll kittens for sale.
Ragdoll Breeders Website Scam
Breeders Scam
Craigslist Scam

Ragdoll Cats for Adoption: Rescue Ragdolls

We have a page entirely dedicated to helping you find and adopt a Rescue Ragdoll, please visit our Ragdoll Rescue page here.

From there, you can start to email or phone the appropriate rescue group expressing your interest in buying a Ragdoll cat (make sure to write down the cat’s name or ID number before contacting the rescue and reference that name or ID number when you call or email them).

When they reply, they will most likely ask you to fill out a questionnaire about yourself, your financial situation (pets cost money and rescues want to make sure you have enough to cover your own costs plus the costs of the new addition to your family), your free time to spend with your cat and so on and so forth.

Find a Ragdoll Kitten through Ragdoll Cat Breeders

Purebred ragdolls for sale:

Perhaps you’re interested in buying a Purebred Ragdoll kitten from a Ragdoll Breeder. It’s essential you know what to look for, what questions to ask and more.

The first step is understanding breeder terminology when it comes to Ragdoll cats for sale. There are four different categories of Ragdoll Kittens to choose from:

• Pet Alter Quality – mismarked, not 100% up to the standard on type but will have the temperament of a show cat, has been neutered or spayed. Some breeders choose not to spay or neuter and will leave that to the owner to do later on.
• Show Alter Quality – Perfect markings, perfect type, but has been neutered or spayed.
• Breeder Quality – Breeder good type and temperament but mismarked for show.
• Show/Breeder Quality – show breeder Perfect markings perfect type every thing you want in a show cat. Ragdoll pedigree certificate included.

All pure ragdoll cat for sale, no matter which category they fit into, should have a good temperament and deep blue eyes.

Ragdoll Cats Price: Why Price Can Vary

When considering buying a Ragdoll cat, prices for these categories of Ragdoll kittens can vary considerably. There are many reasons for this:

• Breeders in some states are required to get the appropriate vaccinations for their kittens before they sell them.
• Some kittens come altered, so some breeders have to pay for the spay or neuter.
• Many breeders prefer to have at least 2 vet checks before the kittens are sold.
• Some Ragdoll breeders have their Breeder Quality or Show/Breeder Quality kittens DNA tested and most of my breeding cats are shown and titled to make sure that they are meeting the standard for the Ragdoll.
• Actual Cost of caring for a kitten (like food, litter, etc.)

Responsible breeders do not adopt their kittens until they are at least 12-14 weeks old and, sometimes, older.

In fact, it is very hard to compare prices because expenses vary in different locations, that’s why knowing the price of buying a Ragdoll cat can be difficult without just inquiring with each specific breeder.

The cost of cat food, vet bills for vaccinations, and spay and neuter have a wide spread of costs so, what may be high in some areas actually will barely cover the expense of the kitten itself in others.

Most cat breeders will offer some sort of a discount if you are willing to buy two of their kittens at the same time.

All breeders will require a deposit on a kitten, sometimes even before they are born. The reason breeders do this is so that your kitten is reserved.

In other words, a breeder cannot be guaranteed that you are for sure going to buy a kitten, therefore they ask for an “escrow”, if you will, to confirm you are serious about your adoption and purchase.

Ragdoll Cats Price: What’s The Breakdown

Here are some Ragdoll cat prices that one may expect to pay:

Quality:	Approximate Cost:	Notes:
Pet (Alter) Quality	USD$1200-USD $2800+	(some breeders charge more for females due to the fact that spaying costs more than neutering, also some breeders will charge more for rare or non-traditional color patterns, like Torties , Creams, Lilacs and Flames)
Show (Alter) Quality	USD$1500- USD $4000+	This is a Ragdoll cat that is perfectly marked to be shown at cat shows, but is spayed or neutered.
Breeder Quality	USD$1800- USD $3000+	This is a Ragdoll cat that is fit for breeding and should also have been tested to be free of genetic diseases.
Show/Breeder Quality	USD$2300- USD $5000+	This is a Ragdoll cat that is perfectly marked to be shown at cat shows, and is also fit for breeding.

Since this is such a popular topic, I went ahead and asked our Facebook community – How much did you pay for your Ragdoll kitten/cat?  What year was it?  Are you a breeder – do these prices pretty much match your ranges?

These pages on our site might be helpful for you as well:

• Ragdoll Cat Cost – How Much Does a Ragdoll Cat Cost to Keep?
• Ragdoll Cat Price – Readers share their experiences

Below are examples of these different qualities, so you can get an idea of how these categories are determined. Thank you, Nene’s Ragdolls for supplying these photos!

Pet (Alter) Quality

Certainly, there isn’t a way to show that the cat has been altered in these photos (well, there is for the male, but not worth the point here).

Mordekai is a pet quality Ragdoll. He is a flame lynx mitted. While he does have nice deep eye color and good body type, he is mismarked.

His blaze is too wide and his hock should be white but he has a spot of red on it. You’ll want to determine the importance of a Ragdoll’s physical appearance before buying a Ragdoll cat.

Show/Breeder Quality

NenesRags Misbehavn of AllDolledUp is a seal tortie point. She has good type, nice tortie markings, deep blue eye color, large size, soft coat and excellent temperment. She is a show breeder but could also be a show alter. She is 4.5 Months old in this photo.

 

The Importance of Getting to Know the Breeders

As suggested by many people in our Floppycats Facebook community (see the post above), it is extremely important to get to know the breeder you are getting your Ragdoll cat from.

There are a lot of key details you can notice when you meet a breeder face to face, as well as tell-tale signs that can make or break your collaboration. Here are some of them:

Do the breeders show their cats in contests and shows?

If the breeders are active in competitions and cat shows, that means that they have a clear interest in the purity of the breed, which also attests that their kittens will develop into purebred Ragdolls.

If that is an important factor to you, then definitely go with breeders who are participating in competitions. This way, you have a better chance of getting the offspring of a champion or a Ragdoll with exceptional traits.

Did the breeders talk to you about your home and life?

This is not about making friends, but rather about taking an interest in where the kitten is going to live and who is going to take care of it. Don’t be surprised if you do get a lot of questions because some cat breeders want to be extremely thorough to find the best possible pet parents for their kittens.

In fact, a good breeder will do a full profile on you and will also talk to you about cat care, veterinarians, nutrition, and all the important aspects of caring for a cat.

Do the breeders appear to have a good relationship with the cats?

For some cat breeders, it’s all about love, while for others, it’s all about the money. You can easily spot these ones out because they will likely not have a genuine relationship with their cats.

Ask to see the cat parents and try to observe how they interact with the breeder. Is the cat comfortable? Is it affectionate? What about the breeder? Is he or she holding the cat enough? Does he or she look happy about being in contact with the cat?

Did you get to meet the cat parents?

This is an extremely important part of the process. If the breeder refuses to show you the cat parents, then you should probably keep looking because there is a high chance that he or she has something to hide.

On the other hand, a good breeder will offer this from the very beginning. It is perfectly legitimate for you to see the parents of your kitten.

Did the breeder show you official information?

A well-reputed breeder will show you the official documents of the cat parents, along with their pedigrees.

Aside from this, it is very important that you get to see their medical documents. You should look for vaccination status, as well as vaccination history. If the breeder hasn’t done regular vaccinations, you should ask why.

You should also analyze the medical history of the cat parents. Talk to the breeder about genetically transmissible diseases, infectious diseases, or any other major health issues that they may have had. This could prove useful for taking care of your kitten in the long run.

Aside from the official documents of the parents, the breeder should also show you the kitten’s documents. Pay special attention to the vaccination schedule.

Most breeders do the entire vaccination process before giving out the kittens to their new owners. However, this is not something you should take their word on.

You should see proof of each of the vaccinations they have received in their documents.

Find the vet who will care for your kitten and talk to him or her about the vaccination schedule to make sure that it is complete and that you don’t have to go in with the kitten for the final rounds of vaccination.

Are the breeders willing to put you in contact with the veterinarian who cares for the kittens?

If the breeder refused to give you the contacts of the veterinarian caring for the Ragdoll cat parents and the kittens, then you should ask them why.

You will most likely go to a different vet, but there may be instances when your current vet will have to talk to the breeder’s vet. Keep in mind that having a line of contact is very important.

Did they rush you to make a choice?

Getting a cat is a big responsibility and it has to feel right. It has to be the right cat for you and that is not something that can be rushed. If the breeder does try to speed up the process and pressures you into making a decision about the kitten, then it’s probably a good idea to keep looking because that type of behavior is unethical.

Overall, you need to have a good connection with the breeder. They need to be trustworthy and they should be people who give you a positive feeling. After all, they will be caring for your kitten for the first part of its life, right?

The good news is that there are such breeders out there, who genuinely do care about their cats and who put in the effort to offer them proper medical care. Those are the breeders you want to work with.

Choose people whom you will not have a problem contacting in the future for Ragdoll care questions, medical questions, or, who knows, about a second Raggie to take home.

Is there something on this page that Floppycats.com didn’t answer for you? Please contact Floppycats.com with information you have about buying a Ragdoll cat, if that’s the case.  Or simply leave a question or inquiry in the comment section below.

What experiences can you share about buying your Ragdoll cat? Please comment below.

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