Frequently Asked Questions

Kittens are able to go home at 12 weeks - 14 weeks old. 

Your kitten will come with, or have had, the following: 

• TICA and/or CFA Registration Papers (All of our kittens are papered purebred Ragdolls, registerable with either The International Cat Association, or the Cat Fanciers Association (or both!)
• Lifetime Breeder Support - I am always here for our kittens and our adopting families for the life of our Ragdolls no matter what the needs or questions may be - I encourage staying connected and am here to help. 
• Contract of Sale - establishing clear agreements between breeder and adopter with protection for all involved. 
• 2 veterinarian exams (between 6 and 12 weeks old), with veterinarian administered FVRCP vaccinations during each exam and wellness checks by our veterinarian. 
• Guaranteed free of FIV and FeLV
• Dewormed on regular schedule with multiple anti-parasitic medications for broad coverage. 
• A sweet, well socialized, Ragdolly personality (with acceptance for settling baby into a new home, silly kitten antics, and a growing personality~) ♡
• 5 Year Genetic Health Guarantee - Parents genetically tested Negative (N/N) for Ragdoll-HCM and PKD and over 40+ other genetic issues. We are one of the only catteries who offer this long-term coverage (most only offer 1 or 2 years), because I strongly believe it is the right thing to do. Living creatures can be unpredictable, but we do everything possible to ensure the best genetics and chances for a long, healthy life. We guarantee your kitten's health well into adulthood, or we will be there for you in the 1% chance of an issue no one could have screened for or prevented. 
• 30 day, completely free insurance coverage through Trupanion, so any accidents or emergencies that could possibly happen are covered (kittens, like toddlers, can fall, break bones, eat things you'd never expect, etc). 
• Spay / Neuter completed by our private veterinarian (not a high-volume spay/neuter clinic). We take care of the cost, surgery risk, and recovery period, so you can relax and enjoy bonding with your baby knowing they are all set. 'Early' spaying and neutering has been shown to be the safest option for cats in life-long studies and is advocated for by all veterinarian associations, and all cat registries! Kittens recover faster, take less time during surgery, leading to shorter anesthesia times decreasing risk of complications, less tissue to extract leading to a much safer surgical process and a minimized risk of internal bleeding, and have lifelong benefits like minimized cancer risks, and removes any risk of future behavioral problems caused by excess hormones. 
• And our Mittenstar Kittens come with a 'kitten care package' full of supplies; information for you; food to start with; and toys, treats, and goodies for helping little one settle into their new home with you. 

* This list does not hold cash value. 

We make sure kittens are clean, healthy, and have that sweet new baby smell when they go home to you. ♡

Kitten Information & Phone/Video Calls: 

We do not allow visitors to our home for the safety and health of our cats and kittens - this is normal for most in-home catteries.

However, I take great pride in our home and cattery and I understand there are too many scams out there - so I am more than happy to schedule a time to talk with you either on the phone or with a video call!

The technology for video chatting has become very easy to use on any smartphone or tablet if you've never done it before. There are multiple free options available I'd be happy to help you set up if needed!

I always have tons of additional pics and videos that never make it to social media that I can send you of each kitten, and I am happy to video chat or talk on the phone to help you get to know me, the kittens, and answer any questions you have. 

I can share additional pictures and videos before adoption applications are open if you are interested in a particular kitten and would like more info, or if you are wanting to see the differences between the kittens before applying. 

Just reach out to request them using our contact form! ♡

Security Deposits: 

To reserve an available kitten, we require a $500 deposit which goes towards the total adoption cost. 

* The deposit is a commitment to your kitten and is non-refundable. 

Security deposits may be paid digitally using PayPal or Venmo, or by using cash or check within 3 days of the reservation agreement to allow time to schedule for meeting. If not paid, the reservation is not final and the kitten will be made available to the next applicant.

* We do not have a reservation list or take reservation deposits ahead of time. 

Kittens (listed below) will clearly reflect if they are under observation, available, or reserved. I announce via social media and our email contact list when kittens are going to be made available to apply for. 

Kittens are made available to adopt once they are old enough to have been properly evaluated for personality, color, and health. 

When kittens are available to be adopted, there will be a clear Adoption Application listed AT THE TOP of this page. 

Please see our ADOPTION PROCESS page for more details. 

We are located in a rural township just outside of East Lansing, Michigan - about 20 minutes from Michigan State University. 

If you look up the Meridian Township Farmers' Market, this is very near to where we normally meet people for kitten pickups and is a good reference if you are wanting to get an idea of driving times.  

For the physical and biological safety of our family, home, and cattery we do not allow visitors or give out our home address. 

This is normal for most catteries in the US. 

We typically schedule kitten pick-ups at our local police station, which has video monitored 'safe exchange' spaces for us to meet at. 

* We can coordinate to meet at another video-monitored safe exchange location if requested. There is a network of them nationally we can reference if requested. 

We may charge a delivery fee depending on how far we will have to drive to meet. 

For out of state adopters:

We will meet at the Lansing Airport for free if you fly in - or if you drive in and don't want to come to our normal meet location by the Meridian Farmers' Market, we can look at other safe-exchange locations closer to a highway or the MI boarder for a delivery fee. 

It's common to fly with cats when showing them and is easy enough to take one or two kittens in a carry on. We can help you coordinate flying in and out with your kitten yourself if you'd prefer that to driving. It is something you'd need to line up and book yourself, but we have experience in it and can help walk you through the process. 

Most airlines allow kittens to be checked in as a carry on in an appropriate sized carrier for a small fee, 

You will want to call the airline you fly with to make sure of their policies. 

This is something you'd have to line up yourself, but I could recommend the supplies you would need and safe hotels near our Lansing or Detroit Airports for you to stay at (depending on flights and timing, sometimes flights don't line up to fly in and out same day) if you want to do things this way. 

We do not ship kittens in cargo or work with flight nannies for pet kitten adoptions, we live too far from our international airport in Detroit to be able to do this reliably. 

Kittens are priced between 2,500 - 3,500 dollars.   

* Individual price varies due to the 'true to breed' qualities of each kitten, and their rarity of color.  

* The price listed for each kitten is the total including MI sales tax for full transparency. There is no 'cash discount' as we do not cut corners. 

Your kitten will come with their TICA and/or CFA purebred registration, our health guarantee, veterinary wellness exams, veterinarian administered age-appropriate vaccinations, spay or neuter, and de-worming. 

* All kittens are fixed before leaving us. We never sell intact kittens or breeding rights to the general public. Catteries who practice early spay and neutering, have vet records showing proof of ESN of their prior litters, and who are registered with both CFA and TICA are welcome to ask about potential breed quality kittens. 

We do offer a 250 dollar discount off the total if you purchase 2 kittens at the same time and/or for any returning adopters who want another kitten later on. 

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These prices are standard for catteries like ours that provide the correct standard of veterinarian care for their kittens, show their cats, import/export cats internationally where perfect health is required, and are on good standing with their other local catteries. 

Please keep in mind that rising veterinarian costs and feeding a high-quality diet are the biggest strain on ethical catteries. 

--- If you're paying for a 'cheaper' kitten, you are supporting a scam artist who cuts corners to save on costs. ---

There is no way they are spending the money necessary to take care of their kittens and then selling them for such low prices. Going to the veterinarian for wellness checks and paying for vaccinations and regular deworming alone costs thousands of dollars for ethical breeders. 

This isn't even including the costs spent on genetic testing all parent cats, feeding a high-quality diet, providing enclosures, toys, enrichment, climbing trees, enough litter to be cleaned daily, and so much more that goes in to keeping so many cats and kittens in a healthy way. 

These "discount" back yard breeders are not taking proper care of their cats and kittens when you stop and think about what they're doing vs what they are charging.   

Also consider, unregistered kittens are not purebred and are not Ragdolls - how is it even possible to say they are when there is no proof of pedigree? 

You could have gone to a shelter and rescued an unpapered, Siamese colored kitten at that point for much less and with much less risk.

And, bad breeders will inbreed to get 'free' cats they can use (this is a sad and horribly common practice, be very wary of anyone if they claim they don't have / won't provide papers - it is often due to inbreeding!) and you end up with cats are unhealthy, and who don't look or act like the breed is supposed to. 

This is also how the breed came to have issues with HCM and dwarfism & early death - which we have taken every measure to guard against here by working only with registration verified, health tested bloodlines. 

These are just some of the reasons why it is so important to invest in an ethically bred kitten with a quality breeder who takes proper care of their cats and kittens! 

Quality breeders are able to provide the vet records, genetic tests, and pedigree papers necessary to prove that their kitten fees are being used correctly towards the proper care of their animals.

At Mittenstar I do not do this for any sort of profit - I do this purely out of love for the breed. I will most likely never break even on the amount of money I've put into these cats - it took me years to save up my nest egg to invest into them. 

And so, the adoption fees for these kittens are to maintain the quality of care they deserve - and to help preserve & raise the next generation of this wonderful breed.  ♡

We accept Cash or Check *only* for the adoption fee. 

Your kitten must be paid in full before they can go home with you. 

Security deposits to reserve a kitten may be paid digitally using PayPal or Venmo. 

Deposits may be paid using cash or check if delivered within 72 hours of the contract being signed, otherwise the kitten will be made available to the next applicant. 

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We take cash or check only for the final payment due to issues with the online payment fees now being set by online vendors.  

Online platforms (like Paypal, Venmo, etc) all have fees around 3 - 4% of the total payment (which doesn't seem like much till you do the math on it), on top of sales tax, so we have moved back to taking cash or check payments for the final balance. 

There is no 'cash discount' - our current prices are set so we don't have to adjust for inflation or fees. 

Check payments must be clear 14 days / 2 weeks before kitten pick-up. 

If paying in cash, it is fine to pay the day of pickup. 

You are welcome to pay ahead, or to break up the total into multiple payment installments, as long as the kitten is paid for prior to being taken home. 

* We reserve the right to cancel the sale of a kitten at any time at our discretion, for any reason. Refunds will be given only in the event of a cancelation that we initiate.