morganebony_ wrote:Sorry for double post, but one more thing I wanted to add on the ragdoll kitten front.
I’m not entirely sure if this is true for every kind of cat (purebred or “standard” cats) but I know it’s particularly true for rag doll cats. They aren’t supposed to leave the mother before 12 weeks of age. I know most cats tend to be 8 weeks, but in my research of ragdolls, it’s standard for 12 weeks and no sooner. I didn’t want to question the legitimacy of her breeder, but to get a kitten at 5 1/2 weeks suggests they don’t care about their animals at all so likely haven’t been screened for any health problems. I hope this kitty turns out ok, the odds are stacked agasint it at this point :/
As a proud owner of a Cornish Rex and a Turkish Angora you are right. 8 weeks is for dogs, people do it with cats but it really isn't reccomended, 10 weeks is the standard for anything that isn't a breeder cat. Unless it is an orphaned kitten anything under 10 weeks isn't a good idea. Anything under 8 weeks is just inhumane.
With both of my kittens 16 weeks was actually the standard. This is typically done by breeders because there is tons still to learn from their mothers but also because high end breeders will not give up an unaltered cat. I've had cats in the past that were sent home younger and they were great cats, but the extra weeks are helpful.
Also, I don't think it's a lilac point. I think he is a blue point, it's hard to tell since you're looking at a young kitten but in the most recent pictures the blue is really starting to show. You can also see that his leathers are much more grey than pinkish. I also doubt that a breeder that sells kittens at 5 weeks knows enough to even breed a lilac point.
The lilac trait is a combination of two genes the first is for colour and the second is for dilution. The dilution is a common enough recessive trait. If you have a grey cat, there it is. It turns black to grey or in pointed cats seal to blue. What's less common is chocolate (which dilutes to lilac), this colour isn't really seen outside of breeder cats. The trait is recessive to the black trait and therefore you need to breed two cats that carry chocolate genes in order to get it. Chocolates/Lilacs are much more pinkish on the leathers (the paws and nose).
Lol, sorry for the cat genetics ramble. I'm sure if it was a lilac point Taylor would brag about it too.
Here's a comparison between her cat and a lilac point (remember that points darken as they age too and you've probably not seen the early stages of a point because you're not an idiot that takes a 5 week old kitten home).
https://imgur.com/a/pNZPN[/offtopic]
Taylor replies saying that they are "such a perfect pair" and that she "couldn't have asked for a better soulmate."
