Minuet — questions to ask before paying a deposit
A responsible breeder will have these readily available. Deflection is a red flag.
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD1) — inherited via the Persian sidecan shorten life or cause chronic pain
The Minuet is a deliberate Munchkin x Persian-group cross, and TICA's own breed page states plainly that, given the breed's 'heavy Persian background,' a Minuet's parents should be certified clear of PKD. Affected cats develop kidney cysts that enlarge with age and can lead to renal failure.
Ask to see: UC Davis VGL PKD1 DNA test on both parents — TICA names this clearance certificate explicitly for this breed.
TICA — Minuet breed page (https://tica.org/breed/minuet/) · UC Davis VGL — Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD1) (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/pkd1-cat)
Progressive retinal atrophy, Persian-derived type (PRA-pd)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
A recessive mutation causing retinal thinning and progressive blindness, with photoreceptor loss starting around 5 weeks of age. UC Davis names Napoleon (the Minuet's former name, still used in its catalogue) explicitly among the breeds this test applies to.
Ask to see: UC Davis VGL PRA-pd DNA test on both parents.
UC Davis VGL — Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA-pd) (Persian) (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/pra-pd)
Chondrodysplasia (short legs) — inherited via the Munchkin side
The short-legged 'Standard' Minuet carries the same dominant Munchkin leg-shortening gene, with the same lethal-when-homozygous inheritance; the long-legged 'Nonstandard'/'Talls' Minuet does not have short legs but can still carry and pass on the gene. The welfare question this raises (see the Munchkin entry in this dataset) applies equally here.
Ask to see: No DNA test exists for this gene. Leg length is visually obvious; ask whether the cat is Standard (short-legged) or Nonstandard/Talls, and, for Standards, ask about the breeding cat's joint health.
TICA — Minuet breed page (https://tica.org/breed/minuet/)
Mild brachycephalic conformation — tear overflow and narrowed nostrils
The Minuet's round 'baby-doll' face is deliberately kept less extreme than a modern show Persian's, but TICA's own buyer advice tells prospective owners to check that a kitten's parents do not have teary eyes or excessively narrowed nasal passages — the same tear-duct and airway issues brachycephalic Persians face, at a lower level.
Ask to see: No DNA test. Ask to see the parents in person or on video, and ask directly about tear staining and breathing sounds.
TICA — Minuet breed page (https://tica.org/breed/minuet/)