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What to ask before you pay a deposit
Reading all 7 catteries in this list back to back makes it obvious which questions actually separate them, and which sound important but do not.
Registration tells you less than it seems
Every cattery in this list states TICA registration, and one adds CFA. That is worth having: it means the cat's pedigree is recorded and its parentage is traceable. But because all of them have it, it cannot be the thing you choose on. Registration records ancestry. It does not inspect a home, verify a health test, or say anything about how the cats live.
HCM is the test that matters most for this breed
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a heart muscle disease with a known genetic risk in Ragdolls, which is why careful catteries DNA test breeding cats before pairing them. In this list, two catteries name the specific tests and the laboratory. One states HCM, PKD1 and FIV or FeLV testing through UC Davis and Wisdom Panel. Another states HCM DNA testing through UC Davis.
There is a distinction inside those claims worth understanding.Negative by parentage means the kitten itself was not tested; its status is inferred from parents who were. That is a normal and reasonable practice, and it is not the same as testing the kitten. Ask which one you are being told.
The question that gets the most useful answer
Instead of "are your cats health tested", ask: which tests, on which cats, at which lab, and can I see the results? A cattery that tests will answer all four without hesitation and often volunteer the paperwork. The specificity is what makes the question hard to answer vaguely.
Where the cats live
Three catteries in this list state plainly that cats are never caged and are raised in the family home around children and dogs. The rest say nothing either way. For a breed selected over decades for tolerance of handling, early socialisation in a busy household is not a soft detail; it is much of what you are paying for. If it is not stated, ask to see where the kittens are raised, in person or on a video call.
Cattery or broker
A cattery breeds its own cats and can tell you about the mother, usually at length. A broker or reseller moves kittens bred elsewhere and tends to have polished photography and vague answers about parentage. The tell is simple: ask about the queen. Ask her name, her age, how many litters she has had, and whether you can meet her. Someone who bred the kitten answers easily. Someone who bought it to resell does not.
A related tell is location. One entry in this list markets to Raleigh while stating no North Carolina address, delivering instead by flight nanny into RDU. That is a legitimate way to sell a kitten, but it removes your ability to see the cattery, so it raises the value of every other question here.
What we cannot tell you
This site records what catteries publish. It does not inspect them. We have not met these cats, visited these homes, or interviewed buyers, and a well-written website is not evidence of a well-run cattery. Treat this list as a way to arrive at a phone call already knowing what to ask, on 2026-07-27 information, and not as a substitute for making the call.
See all 7 catteries or check what they cost.