Mink, Sepia, and Solid Color Ragdoll Cats have caused much controversy in the Ragdoll breeding community over the past few years.
While some breeders have embraced these exotic variants, others chose only to work with the standard, traditional Ragdoll types of Bicolor, Colorpoint and Mitted.
Mink, Sepia, and Solid Color Ragdolls are not a new breed or color. They are in fact, a bloodline that can be traced back to the first Ragdoll cats bred by Ann Baker. The original cats that the Ragdoll breed developed from were Josephine, a pure white domestic cat, and Buckwheat, a black Burmese-type cat, both solid in color.
What does a Mink Ragdoll Cat look like?
The term ‘Mink’ is not a reference to the color of the Ragdoll; instead, it refers to its coat which is much smoother than the fur of a traditional Ragdoll Cat. The feel of the fur can be compared to that of a mink fur stole, hence the name.
Mink Ragdoll Cats still offer the same color palette of traditional Ragdoll Cats – Seal, Blue, Lilac, Chocolate and Flame – but the coloring is much darker and richer. Minks also present in the standard patterns of Bicolor, Colorpoint and Mitted with Lynx and Tortie variants.
Image Credit: that_ragdoll_athena Instagram
What is the difference between a Mink and Sepia Ragdoll Cat?
A Sepia Ragdoll Cat is similar to the Mink but its color is double the darkness than that of the Mink Ragdoll. This darkness is because the Sepia Ragdoll carries a double Mink gene. A Sepia Ragdoll’s coat may also be plusher than that of the Mink Ragdoll. Another difference is the eye color. Where as the Mink Ragdoll has Aqua colored eyes, the Sepia Ragdoll’s eyes can be green, blue, Aqua or gold.
Sepia Ragdoll Cat
Image Credit: Toffee.the.ragdoll Instagram
Are Mink, Sepia and Solid Ragdoll Cats born White?
Traditional Ragdoll kittens are born entirely white with their color developing over the first few weeks of their life. Mink, Sepia and Solid Color Ragdoll Cats are all born with their color and pattern visible.
Another significant difference between the traditional Ragdoll and that of the Mink, Sepia and Solid Color variants is the deepening of its coat’s colour as it matures. A traditional Ragdoll’s coat color will change in color and deepen until it reaches maturity at around 3-4 years. The Mink and Sepia Ragdoll’s coat will deepen slightly as it matures but not as dramatically as the Traditional Ragdoll. A Solid Color Ragdoll Cat’s coat will remain the same color as the day it was born.
Image Credit: purrliscious_lilac_ragdolls Instagram
Do Mink, Sepia and Solid Color Ragdoll Cats all have Blue Eyes?
In short, no they don’t. Their eye color is as follows;
- Mink – Aqua, with the color ranging from blue-green to green-blue.
- Sepia – green, blue, Aqua or gold.
- Solid Color – green, blue, Aqua, gold, yellow and even two different eye colors.
The variant in eye color adds to the controversy surrounding the acceptance of these breed variants as purebred Ragdolls as the breed standards set out by The International Cat Association (TICA), states that any eye color other than blue is not permitted. You can view the breed standard document here.
Difference between the eye color of a traditional and mink Ragdoll Cat.
Image Credit: purrliscious_lilac_ragdolls Instagram
Why the controversy around Mink, Sepia, and Solid Color Ragdoll Cats?
Search for Mink, Sepia and Solid color Ragdolls online and you’ll come across several websites proclaiming that these Ragdoll types are bred from a superior bloodline of the breed which can be traced back to the original Ragdoll Cats, used by Ann Baker to create the traditional form of Ragdoll that we know and love. Traditional Ragdoll Cat breeders argue that when Ann Baker developed the breed back in the 1960s, she rejected the Mink and solid color kittens in favor of the pointed types that have become the Ragdoll Breed Standard.
Image Credit: timo_the_ragdoll Instagram
Are Mink, Sepia, and Solid Color Ragdolls rare?
Mink, Sepia and Solid are much harder to come across than the Traditional Ragdoll types. Firstly, this is because many breeders do not include them in their breeding programs, preferring to work with the traditional types only. Secondly, a Mink Ragdoll kitten is harder to produce. Only 50% of a litter can be Mink. A Ragdoll Breeder specializing in Mink, Sepia and Solid color Ragdoll Kittens will generally charge more for this type than the Traditional Ragdoll kitten, claiming that their rarity makes them much more valuable.
Image Credit: minkragdoll instagram
Do Mink, Sepia, and Solid Color Ragdolls have the same temperament as a Traditional Ragdoll Cat?
Yes! They still have the loveable calm temperament and the famous flop that traditional Ragdoll Cats are known and loved for.
Are Mink, Sepia, and Solid Color Ragdolls regconized as purebred Ragdoll Cats?
Over recent years Mink, Sepia, and Solid Color Ragdoll Cats have been accepted as purebred Ragdolls by some cat associations but not others. The International Cat Association (TICA) will issue official papers to a Mink Ragdoll Cat stating that it is purebred, without any clauses or distinctions.
However, if we refer to the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) Breed Standard Guidelines for the Ragdoll Cat, they do not include Mink, Sepia, or Solid Colors as breed standard.
The Ragdoll Fanciers Club International (RFCI) states on their website regarding Mink, Sepia and Solid Color Ragdoll Cats; “It is important to note that these experimental (variant) Ragdolls have not been accepted by any major association (and should be registered as non-standard), nor do they comply with the current written Breed Standard that describes the Ragdoll as a blue-eyed, pointed Breed. You will see advertisements as them being “rare”. The reason they are rare is because they are not accepted in the written Ragdoll breed standard and so the majority of breeders will not have them in their breeding programs”.
Lilac Mink Ragdoll
Image Credit: purrliscious_lilac_ragdolls Instagram