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 hat is
a "Mink" Ragdoll kitten? And why is it so rare!
The Oxford Dictionary of Current English
defines "rare" as being:
seldom found or occurring, uncommon, unusual
 Well
that certainly seems to describe
the mink Ragdoll, as we are the
first in Canada to add them to our breeding program and there
are only a handful of breeders worldwide who still choose to
breed them. Mink is not the only rare Ragdoll, so are the
solids
and the flames...the most common Ragdoll kittens available today
are the seal and blue pointed variety with the blue eyes.
The Oxford Dictionary also defines "popular" as the
following:
liked or admired by many people; of or for the general
public
![mink kittens born with color [blue & seal minks]](images/ragdoll002.jpg) The mink Ragdoll would also seem to fit
the definition above to a
"t"...when we first brought home our
Minki (a
mink seal mitted
Ragdoll with a blaze) several friends, breeders and our vet commented on what
a lovely deep rich and striking color he had, along with all
the rest of the Ragdoll qualities including extreme
friendliness, purring, and floppiness. Since his announcement on
this website, we have received several comments from the public
also admiring his looks from the pictures and
video clips.
One last reminder, in a litter born to a mink Ragdoll,
there are both mink and non-mink (in other words traditional pointed
variety) Ragdoll kittens. So for any litter of minks, only approximately 50% may be
Mink Ragdoll
kittens.
| Below is a sampling from several searches. |
Mink
Breeders |
Solid
Breeders |
Total
# of Breeders |
|
Cats in Canada |
1 |
0 |
28 |
|
Cattery Search (ON, Can) |
1 |
2 |
17 |
|
Cattery Search (CA, US) |
1 |
1 |
24 |
|
FBRL (all of Canada) |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
RFW
(world members) |
1 |
1 |
35 |
|
(statistics as of January 7th, 2008)
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So are the minks RARE and POPULAR you be the judge!
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They
are called "Mink" because their fur is still smoother than that of the
pointed Ragdoll, which is hardly possible, but they truly feel like a
ladies mink.
Mink
Ragdoll babies are born with color (yes color, not white). The point
color of the mink is much stronger and darker. They also have a
gorgeous "aqua" eye color. A combination of blue and green, like
those pictures of the Caribbean Sea.
 ink is
NOT a new breed of Ragdoll, not even a new pattern,
but rather it is a line which can be traced back to the very first
Ragdolls by Ann Baker and other IRCA breeders.
Most mainstream
breeders today choose to solely continue with the pointed colors.
Only a handful of us are still devoted to these old lines and breed
with Minks and Solids. Our mink Ragdoll stud can be seen on the "Kings"
page, along with his certified pedigree from TICA.
| * Now, I must add a very recent note to this; one such IRCA Ragdoll
breeder, named Curt Gehm (then of NY Dolls cattery & now of Liebling
cattery) has decided to become the voice of the new Ragamuffin breed
group in TICA. This is of importance because our mink cat has ancestry
that runs through his cats...and he has decided that his cats are no
longer IRCA Ragdolls but instead are now TICA registered Ragamuffins. This will
most likely mean that our Certified Pedigree once showing an all Ragdoll
ancestry will most likely show the very same cats as now being
registered Ragamuffins (in the near future, an "outcross"). However, our Minki is still a Stud Book
Tradition (SBT registered Ragdoll) within TICA and so are all of his
offspring. The mink ragdoll IS here to stay !! |
RaggleRock
decided to breed the Minks (in 2004) because we too felt that we wanted to
preserve these beautiful old bloodlines and provide our new owners
with an additional choice of color which we fell in love with.
Everything else about the Mink Ragdoll is the same as the pointed
variety. They are docile, relaxed, have a loving character, fond of
children and pets, very playful and love their humans! (see
our frequently asked questions)
Due to the
rarity and popularity of the mink colored Ragdolls,
they are also more expensive.
Please enjoy some photos of our very own mink ragdoll kittens in all
three patterns and various colors.
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