I have to disagree with this post. It is entirely misleading and based on biased opinions and speculation. As a popular Ragdoll blogger, I urge you to do more research and write about the topic of minks from a neutral perspective so as to not mislead the public.
“While most breeders use traditional Ragdoll cats, there are a few others who breed using Minks. This is one of the reasons why Mink Ragdolls are so rare.”
Mink Ragdolls are “rare” because most Ragdoll breeders are working with official Ragdoll breed standards. These standards are put together by a panel through hardwork, planning, cooperating efforts with other Ragdoll enthusiasts, and collectively becomes the ‘definition’ of the cat breed. Breeders thereafter should strive to breed to standard and not stray from the definition of that particular cat breed just because they want to produce some “rare colors” based on consumer demand. The integrity of breeding should not be based on consumer demand, it’s foundation is built on furthering the goals of maintaining and improving the breed.
“Among the very first Ragdoll cats ever, from Ann Baker’s cattery, Raggedy Ann, there were cats like Josephine, which was a solid white Ragdoll, and Buckwheat, which was a black Burmese-type cat, both holding official pedigrees.”
The Ragdolls are a man-made created breed. Ann Baker bred a bunch of stray cats together in order to create the Ragdoll breed. That should not be confused with her goals. The goal was not to keep the look / lines of the stray cats. The goal was to selectively breed the best temperaments, isolate the color / pattern genomes, and develop and improve the Ragdoll breed.
“Mink Ragdolls are a superior bloodline of Ragdoll cat, but what do they actually look like? What makes them superior, anyway? They got their name because the fur of this type of Ragdoll cat is much smoother than that of a traditional Ragdoll cat.”
Mink Ragdolls are NOT a superior bloodline, and this is entirely misleading if it is stated as a fact. But if this is your opinion, it should be clear to your viewers that it’s your opinion, and not a commonly shared fact. If they were a superior bloodline, why are they not written into the registry standards? Why has TICA and CFA refused to write “mink” into the Ragdoll breed standards they published? TICA allows them to be registered. But of course, all you need is one parent to be a Ragdoll to register a kitten under the breed “Ragdoll.” CFA does not recognize them at all, they are not permitted to be registered or shown in CFA.
“Another notable difference is the eye color. While traditional Ragdoll cats have bright blue eyes, Mink Ragdolls have mesmerizing aqua eyes, which are a combination of blue and green coloring. Their eyes are the color of oceans.”
Ragdolls are a blue eyed pointed breed, plain and simple. This is what they are known for, and this is one of the traits they they should be bred for.
“To sum up the differences between Mink Ragdolls and traditional Ragdolls, it should be pointed out that Minks are a superior bloodline and that they are rare.”
I disagree with both for the reasons stated above. I also think you should research and look into what a traditional Ragdoll is. A traditional Ragdoll is not a “non-mink” Ragdoll. A traditional Ragdoll is one that has absolutely no outcrosses, with its ancestors traceable to the foundation cats. Non-traditional Ragdolls include the accepted outcrosses: lynx, tortie, torbie, reds, creams, etc. Mink Ragdolls are it’s own category. They do not have superior bloodlines and they are only rare in the essence of breeders breeding to standard properly. Everything we as humans do, we do to learn from and improve upon. We don’t get stuck at the inception and refuse to improve.
“[Minks are rare.] Only some breeders get to use cats from this bloodline in their catteries.”
On the contrary. Superior Ragdoll bloodlines from reputable breeders breeding to standard are rare, and only some breeders get to use cats from THOSE bloodlines in their catteries. Mink breeders have a notable reputation of selling breeding rights to any person who is willing to pay top dollar for them.
“[Mink ragdolls are more expensive] than traditional Ragdoll cats because they come from a superior bloodline of the breed.”
I disagree. Mink Ragdolls are expensive because they are bred based on consumer demand. Because the majority of other breeders refuse to work with mink lines because it does not conform to standard, this provides an opportunity for Mink breeders to re-define themselves as “rare breeders breeding rare bloodlines” which is largely misleading.
“This bloodline goes down to the very first Ragdoll cats ever bred by Ann Baker, which puts them in an entirely different league.”
And it was never a part of Ann Baker’s goals. Her goals was to create a blue-eyed pointed breed. The “Ragdoll” name is attributed and connected to her name. If someone wanted to preserve this other variation, they should’ve created their own breed for those mink cats, not piggy-backed on the reputation of the Ragdoll breed. As you said “an entirely different league,” so they should’ve created their own breed.
“Are Mink Ragdolls recognized as Ragdoll cats? Yes they are.”
I disagree with how this worded. They are NOT recognized as Ragdoll cats universally. In between the two largest cat registries in the U.S., they are only recognized for registration in TICA. It should be further clarified that they are NOT eligible for competitions in shows as your blog says, they are only eligible for competitions in shows as an EXPERIMENTAL breed.
I’ve been a long-time supporter of your blog and social media. But after this, I’m very disappointed in how misleading, uninformed, and biased this blog post is. Do you even have a Mink Ragdoll to be biasly promoting them now??
