what does adopting a kitten come with?
Kittens are able to go home at 12 weeks - 14 weeks old.
Your kitten will come with the following:
- TICA Registration Papers
- Written Contract of Sale
- 2 vet visits, with standard vaccinations at each visit and wellness checks including FIV/FeLV testing to show they are healthy and virus free!
- A loving, floppy, well socialized personality :)
- 2 Year Genetic Health Guarantee - Parents confirmed Negative N/N for HCM and PKD and over 50 other known genetic illnesses
- 5 Year Non-Genetic Health Guarentee - Meaning unpredictable / non-genetic / non-transmissible illnesses - like cancer or FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) are covered. We are one of the only catteries who offer this coverage, because I strongly believe it is the right thing to do in these very rare cases. Your kitten is guaranteed healthy, or we will be there for you in the 1% chance of an illness no one could have screened for or prevented.
- Will be dewormed on standard schedule, free of internal/external parasites
- Spay / Neuter already completed and healed (a $200 - 300 (male) - $400 - 600 (female) value)
- And a 'kitten care package' full of supplies; information for you; food to start with; and goodies for helping your little one settle into their new home with you.
We make sure kittens are bathed and have that sweet new baby smell when they go home to you. ♡
how do deposits and meeting kittens happen?
You can join our waitlist for free by filling out our adoption application.
The waitlist gets priority updates on litters and first choice of kittens.
No one is ahead of anyone else on the waitlist, it just helps us identify who is genuinely interested in a kitten.
The waitlist will get weekly emails once kittens are born with plenty of updates and pictures to help families get to know the kittens as they develop their personalities and colors!
SECURITY DEPOSITS AND VISITING:
* We no longer have a reservation list due to high demand and not being able to promise "first pick" to everyone.
I am happy to video chat or talk on the phone to help families make their decision! I really do not encourage 'blind picks', I know the kittens best and try to help match your personality and life style to the right kitten.
- Kittens will be available to reserve once evaluated, typically around 8 weeks old - once we can tell their gender, color, and base personality. Kittens will be able to go home 4 weeks later, at 12 weeks (or older).
- The waitlist will be updated first once kittens are evaluated and available for adoption allowing for first choices before kittens are listed publicly.
- Kittens will clearly show on the website whether they are Under Evaluation, Available for Adoption, or Reserved. Please fill out our adoption form or email me if you are interested in a particular kitten!
- Kittens are reserved with a 500 security deposit along with going over and signing the adoption contract (this can be done digitally or in person) - this is a commitment to your kitten and is non-refundable as covered in the contract. Deposits can be made through Paypal or in cash during the meeting.
- If making a cash deposit I will only 'hold' a kitten for up to 3 days to allow for scheduling a meeting time.
- Most catteries do not allow visitors - please understand these cats are raised in our home and by giving out our address to people, we are putting ourselves at risk, so we no longer allow for people to visit our home. I understand this is a special time for the families adopting from us, and I am alright with scheduling one meet up before go-home day so you can meet your kitten in person, but this meet up would be at either our veterinarian's office or in the parking lot of our local police station (which is actually in a very cute area near our local farmer's market!)
*** We do not allow browsing visitors for the safety and health of our cats and kittens. ***
*** We do not allow browsing visitors for the safety and health of our cats and kittens. ***
I take great pride in our home and cattery and I understand there are too many scams out there - I am more than happy to schedule a time to talk either on the phone or with a video call at any point - whether or not a deposit has been made. The technology for video chatting has gotten very easy to use if you've never done it before - there are multiple free options available I'd be happy to help you set up if needed.
LOCATION / PICKING UP YOUR KITTEN / SHIPPING
We are located in Lansing, Michigan - We schedule meet-ups to pick up your kitten either at our local police station, local public park, or veterinarian's office. I am so sorry, but we do not allow visitors to our home.
If flying in from out of state, you can fly with kittens in-cabin on certain airlines - we will meet at the Lansing Airport or within a 20 minute drive of our location for free - schedule allowing.
Payments?
We accept Paypal, Venmo, or Cash payments.
Payments arranged through Paypal are extremely secure and is the only platform to provide protection for both of us with our transaction, and we will both receive email confirmations of payment and receipts. If using Paypal, you agree to include their service fees as part of your payment. It is 3.8 % .
Your kitten must be paid in full before they can go home with you.
* Cash payments and deposits are also fine to be arranged for in person pickup.
*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 as the breeder initiate.
How does Kitten Pricing work?
Kitten pricing is currently 2,500 - 3,000 USD
- This is for a pet kitten with TICA registration, our health guarantee, and all standard vet care, vaccinations, and de-worming up to 12 weeks old.
* Individual price per kitten may vary due to the show or pet quality of the kitten, and their rarity of color.
* We do not typically allow breeding rights / unfixed kittens to leave our home.
We do offer a 500 dollar discount off the total if you purchase 2 kittens at the same time.
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Please keep in mind that rising vet care costs are the biggest strain on ethical catteries that fully vet, vaccinate, and spay/neuter their kittens as we do. I barely break even in this hobby because of the proper vet care and nutrition that we provide. This is my passion and hobby, not my full time job. I am fully employed in a corporate career that fully supports me and the cats, and I think that is the way it should be. I do not have enough kittens born per year to 'make a living' off of them, and that is how it is for most of my friends who I also consider ethical preservation / hobby breeders. We do this for the love of our cats, it's an incredibly demanding, incredibly expensive, incredibly rewarding hobby; and by no means a 'job'.
Breeding Ragdolls is an expensive hobby; just to start it costs around $5,000 to $10,000 for one registered, show quality Ragdoll with breeding rights.
Health testing for each parent cat against genetic disorders costs around 150 USD per cat - plus vet visits, vaccinations, supplies, and enclosures - and these costs are required for every litter of kittens that are born as well as the adults. It adds up into thousands of dollars of care for every litter born.
If you're paying for a cheaper, unregistered kitten, that is a 'backyard breeder' or scam artist who cuts corners to save on costs.
These "cheap" breeders do not spend the necessary money to take care of their cats and kittens properly. There is no way they are taking their kittens to multiple vet visits for wellness checks, vaccinations, deworming... and then selling them for 700 dollars.
Unregistered kittens are not purebred and are not Ragdolls - how is it even possible to say they are purebred if there is no proof of pedigree? You could have gone to shelter and rescued an unpapered kitten at that point for much less and with much less risk.
Bad breeders often 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 who don't look or act like the breed is supposed to.
This is how the breed came to have issues with HCM and dwarfism/early death - which we have taken every measure to guard against by working only with clean, health tested bloodlines!
Talk with any cattery that shows their cats, imports/exports cats internationally where perfect health is required, and is on good standing with their other local catteries -
These catteries that take care of their cats and kittens correctly start their kitten prices at or above $2,000.
This is 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 with registration numbers, and pedigree papers necessary to prove that their kitten fees are being used correctly.
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.
The adoption fees are to maintain the quality of care these cats deserve and to help raise the next generation of the breed. ♡