Interview with Lise Cardinal of Rainbow Ragdolls

Floppycats.com had an Interview with Lise Cardinal of Rainbow Ragdolls.

My name is Lise Cardinal, my cattery is Rainbowragdolls (in TICA) and Rainbowdolls (in CFA and ACFA). My cattery is located near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. My website is www.rainbowragdolls.com. I am a member of RFCI (ragdoll fanciers club international), RI (ragdoll international), and RFW (ragdoll fanciers worldwide club). I am a member of and am the current treasurer of the Edmonton Cat Fanciers Club.

How long have you been breeding Ragdolls?
Since 1999

How did you pick Ragdolls to breed?
I was watching a TV show when I was babysitting at 14 years old and was just fascinated with the cat they were featuring. It was the Ragdoll and I knew one day I just had to have one. And once owning them for awhile and talking with other cat breeders about what all was involved I just knew this was something I would love to do. And it was definetely the right choice, I get so much joy in raising the kittens and seeing how happy they make their new owners.

Do you show? Why or why not?
Yes, I definetely show. So far I have only shown TICA as there are no CFA or ACFA shows near me. By going to shows you get to meet other breeders and get the judges feedback on your cat to see if you are breeding to standard.

What congenital defects are in Ragdolls?
HCM

How are you breeding to avoid those defects?
There is a genetic test now available to test for the known form of HCM in Ragdoll cats.

How large is your breeding operation?
At this time I have 2 males and 4 females. I have always planned on staying small in the number of breeding cats I have.

Where do your cats spend most of their time?
I have large rooms for my males, as they can and do spray, and I cannot have them loose with females I don’t want bred. Kittens are born in my bedroom and moved to a kitten room with linoleum when it is litter training time. Once litter trained they are allowed full run of the house. The females are loose in the house and are part of the family.

Do you breed full time? In other words, do you have another job?
I do have a full-time job, luckily I can arrange for time-off when it is time for kittens to be born or if they need to go to the vet for any reason.

What sort of health guarantees do you offer?
I offer a 5-year guarantee against congenital or hereditary defects.

What happens if the kitten gets sick?
It goes to the vet!

Do you have any fun adoption stories to share?
I receive so many stories and pictures from all who buy kittens from me. It would be hard to pick just one. There is the one kitten I sold last year who plays hide and seek with his new Mom. He will hide and softly meow and once she almost finds him he will jump out with his fur all puffed up trying his best to scare her. One of the cutest things I ever heard was when two children came to pick up their kitten (it was their first visit, the Mom had visited alone earlier) and saw all my cats and kittens said to me that I must be the luckiest person on earth.

What makes this kitten or cat “pet quality” or “show quality”?
At this time I am selling pet kittens only. But if I was going to keep one for myself to show the kitten would need to be perfectly marked. If I see a spot or bit of a color anywhere it shouldn’t be it would definetely be sold as a pet. Then I would judge it against the TICA standards.

Do you keep some of your cats for your own?
So far I have not. I get so many people wanting to put a deposit down before the litter is even born I don’t have the heart to tell people that I wish to keep one for myself. It would mean someone else who wants one so badly would be dissapointed. There are several though that have left that I know would have done extremely well at the shows and I wish I had kept them for myself.

How old is your oldest cat?
6 years old.

What is your favorite Ragdoll look?
If you are meaning pattern it is the mitted. It seems to be a hard pattern to get just right. I have been trying to find a mitted girl to add to my cattery and have been looking for many, many years.

Do you raise your cats underfoot?
Yes, definitely. And when my new kittens go to their new homes they adapt very well, because they have had the full run of my house growing up and it isn’t such a big change to them at all.

If you are a Ragdoll breeder and would like to be interviewed, please contact Floppycats.com. Or you can always just answer the 15 questions listed above and e-mail them to Floppycats.com.