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Q. When did you fi rst fall in love with this breed?
A. I have always been an avid animal lover. As
a very young child, I would rescue kittens that
had been dumped or any animal in distress,
even the lost chicken running down the street.
As an adult, I was watching one of my favourite
television program in the ‘90s called Burke’s
Backyard. They featured the Ragdoll and from
that day, I always wished for one of these special
cats. Then one Mother’s Day, my husband
surprised me with Tia, a seal point Ragdoll.
When I began breeding the Ragdoll 15 years
ago, people were not really familiar with them. I
always described them as a lovely family feline and
people who were not fond of cats soon fell in love
with them, too. This began my passion as a Ragdoll
breeder. Now, I focus on the health of the breed
and sharing with others the joys of the Ragdoll.
Q. Describe the Ragdoll’s personality.
A. The Ragdoll can be described as a gentle,
easy-going and interactive cat. Some have
described them as dog-like as they follow
family members around, even to the toilet.
They’ve even been known to join you in the
shower! They are quite trainable and can be
taught to fetch, come when called and some
enjoy being on a harness and leash for a walk.
They enjoy company and because they are
non-aggressive and quite trusting, they can
easily be introduced to other pets such as
dogs, parrots, rabbits etc. I believe they have
become popular with today’s busy families as
they possess the independence of a feline but
are still interactive and dog-like.
Q. As with all breeds, there can be some
health issues. What should potential
buyers look out for?
A. The Ragdoll is a generally healthy feline but,
like any breed, it has had some health issues in
the past. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM),
a heart disease, and polycystic kidney disease
(PKD) are both hereditary disorders. Fortunately,
DNA tests that were developed for HCM in 2007
and for PKD in 2004 can detect if a parent is
carrying the gene mutation, even though it can
be quite an expense for the breeder to DNA test
their breeding adult Ragdolls.
Breeding with the knowledge of negative
parents is ethical and, due to the dedication of
passionate breeders, to date here in Australia
and around the world, there has been a big
improvement with these genetic disorders
and we recommend purchasing your kitten
from an ethical and dedicated breeder who
DNA tests their breeding adults. If you have
parents that are negative for HCM and PKD,
your kitten will also be negative.
For more information, visit raveraragdolls.com
M t some of
our favourite
pet br ders
Ravera
Ragdoll
s
We spoke to Vera from
Ravera Ragdolls to fi
nd out
why she thinks Ragdolls
make the perfect pet.
Breeder
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