Cherubim — questions to ask before paying a deposit
A responsible breeder will have these readily available. Deflection is a red flag.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
A missense mutation in MYBPC3 (R820W) causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This is the same mutation and test used for Ragdoll, reflecting Ragamuffin's shared ancestry and body/head type with that breed.
Ask to see: MYBPC3 R820W DNA test, UC Davis VGL, explicitly validated for Ragamuffin (as well as Ragdoll).
HCM (MYBPC3 R820W) DNA test -- breed list includes Ragamuffin, UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/species/cat)
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD1)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
Ragamuffin is named on VGL's PKD1 breed list. An autosomal dominant mutation causes fluid-filled kidney cysts that enlarge over time and can progress to kidney failure.
Ask to see: PKD1 DNA test, UC Davis VGL, explicitly validated for Ragamuffin.
PKD1 DNA test -- breed list includes Ragamuffin, UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/pkd1-cat)