I’m sure most people will be surprised at the things people find hot topics in the world of Ragdoll kittens. I have been a veterinarian and a Ragdoll breeder for over 30 years so while I am hopeless with technology, I can explain a lot about purebred kittens and I can do so using verifiable data and a dose of common sense.
1. Mink vs. Cherubim Kittens
The Mink kitten is a variety of Ragdoll with more plush fur and more color in their coat. In all other ways they are the same as a traditional pointed Ragdoll. They have been in the Ragdoll lines since the beginning but some breeders started fighting and the usual online slandering and said they weren’t really Ragdolls.
Last year TICA stepped in and made the mink Ragdolls their own breed called the Cherubim Ragdoll. Many, many kudos to TICA for stopping the silliness and a win for common sense.
Read More: Cherubim Cat – TICA – The International Cat Association
2. What Age Should a Kitten Go Home?
My kittens go home when they are weaned and potty trained which is about 9 weeks. This is the age when most puppies and kittens go home and the age most veterinarians recommend them to go home for optimum socialization.
Below is a peer reviewed article from a team of animal behavior veterinarians for you to read that goes into more detail. The Ragdoll cat breed is fairly healthy but with some of the more fragile breeds (like the Sphynx), any kittens that are a little bit special, or if you have a house with a toddler who may squish the kitten accidently maybe wait till 12 weeks.
So with a little added common sense – they do best if they are in your home during as much of their early socialization period as possible.
Read More: Best Age to Send Home Kittens
3. Elective Surgical Altering – Castration, Ovariohysterectomy, Declawing
When I first became a vet, almost every indoor cat was neutered and front declawed when they were young. Please keep in mind that was when we got news from a reporter in a newspaper instead of tiktok. Since then there’s been a couple noteworthy studies by veterinarians which show things like early neutering may cause cancer and declawing may cause arthritis. See below for links to these studies.
What to do? We are a family of vegetarians that take spiders outside – we certainly don’t want to hurt any animals!
Again back to common sense, when cats aren’t fixed they will urinate all over your house and cause a serious public health hazard. It’s a normal sexual behavior in cats so the hormones really need to be removed despite the small risk.
The scratching is also a normal behavior in cats but removing the claws may cause arthritis when they are old. See below for a document explaining why cats scratch from a veterinary behaviorist. Hopefully if you know why then you can redirect the behavior. I will also be happy to show you how to clip your kittens nails.
Ultimately, it is your decision what elective procedures to have done on your pet and I will be happy to educate you. What I will not ever do is judge you for making the best decision for your family.
Learn more:
AVMA – Literature Review on the Welfare Implications of Declawing of Domestic Cats