Linn and Robert came into my life at the beginning of 2010.  I had been looking to adopt a cat when my aunt from Australia recommended the Ragdoll breed, for their amiable nature.  My mom, in the UK, started researching the breeders in South Africa and came across Linn and Robert.   

She phoned Linn one morning to enquire about their family of Ragdolls and the two of them got talking and talking.  Linn had a dear little kitten, Chups, who had had a very difficult start to life.  He had digestive problems and was half the size of his sister, Lolli.  I then spoke to Linn and could immediately relate to her and her special needs kitten.  She talked to me at great lengths about adopting such a kitten and the responsibilities that go with it.   

Linn and Robert dedicate themselves to the well being of their cats and Linn is adamant that the right home is found for each of the kittens.  On my first visit to meet Chups, Robert and Linn and thereafter, I was always warmly welcomed into their home, which is a lovely, caring environment for the cats.  We weren’t sure that Chups was going to make it but Linn was very honest with me about his condition, kept me informed about his progress and allowed regular visits.  With each visit Chups’s health improved but he remained a scrawny little fellow and so timid.  As he was so small, if he was bullied by the other kittens he would just let out a yelp until grandma Linn came running.   

Although this special boy had so many offers of homes, Linn knew what would be best for him both physically and emotionally and that he would flourish in a home without other pets.  I was the lucky one who got to adopt him and by that stage I had fallen in love with him and knew that the whole coincidence was meant to be.   

Linn was very professional when it came time for me to take Chups home.  She ensured that his vaccinations were up to date, that he was neutered and he had been checked by the vet and was healthy enough to come home.  The paperwork was also meticulously organised.    

It has been two months of absolute delight since I brought Chups home and he has grown from strength to strength.  He is the dearest little fellow with such an endearing personality.  He loves being “an only child” and is growing into a beautiful, strong, intelligent, adventurous boy, who is considered another member of the family.  It is thanks to the dedication and love from Linn and Robert who gave him such a wonderful start in life.  His looks and loveable character melt the hearts of anyone who visits.  

So to Linn and Robert my very grateful thanks for your generosity and kindness in allowing me to be part of your extended family by adopting Chups.  

Debbie J. & Family, Jhb (2010)

Cats are addictive – one inevitably leads to another. I have owned cats all my life, varying in number from two to five at any given time. The last generation began to die off in 2008, having reached the ages of 16, 17 and 19.  We had gradually begun to replace them with a beautiful Chinchilla Persian named Emma and in early 2009, a calico kitten from the SPCA, Miranda. But I felt there was space in my heart for another cat.

I had always been interested in the Ragdoll breed and had vaguely thought this was a cat I would love to have. A colleague at work has two Ragdolls from Linn and often sent me photos and told me how special they are.

On Christmas Eve 2009, my daughter-in-law Suzanne, announced to me that she and my son Jonathan had made a decision – this year they were going to acquire a cat and it must be a Ragdoll. So I began my enquiry by accessing the kitten owner questionnaire on Linn’s website. As an experienced cat owner, I was slightly mortified by some of the questions – ‘where will your cat sleep’ – on the bed obviously! But when I thought about it, what came through was that this was a breeder who really cared that her kitties were going to a good home and that the new owner will be a responsible, caring person. Anyway, I completed the form and had the wit to mention my Ragdoll owning colleague, Sharon. Within the hour, Linn came back to me and we had a long chat. Apparently, mine was one of the few reasonable enquiries she had had over the Christmas period – most were on the lines of ‘I need a last minute present for my wife/girlfriend – can I have one of your kittens, please’ which Linn refuses on the spot. Excitingly, a litter of kittens had actually been born on Christmas Day, probably about the moment Suzanne and I were discussing getting a Ragdoll kitten, Bailey was going into labour with our babies. This had a ‘meant to be’ feel about it.

I was invited to meet Linn and Robert to see the kittens the following Saturday and went to her home in Irene with Jonathan and Suzanne. What a paradise for a cat lover! – the entire house over-run with gorgeous cats and kittens and the tiny babies of the 25 December litter nestling with their mother in Linn’s study. To establish my cat-loving credentials, I brought along my Christmas present from Suzanne, a scrap-book dedicated to the previous generations of the Featherston cats. But at the end of the visit I still wasn’t sure if I had been approved as a kitten owner by Linn.

A few days later, she sent me an email asking me if I was still interested – to my joy, I found I had been approved as an owner some time ago, it seems my colleague Sharon’s approval was the determining factor!  Then the next issue – to get Suzanne approved. She and Jonathan live in a tiny flat and Linn insisted on them having their landlord’s written permission to have a kitten.  It took some time to get this over the holiday period, but finally Suzanne completed her application and I emailed it to Linn. I spent a morning in total suspense unable to focus on my work until Linn emailed us both to tell us she would be delighted to accept Suzanne as a Kitten Owner.

Then began the Saturday visits to see the kittens. We saw how they developed from their start in Linn’s study at the foot of her computer, to the kitten room and finally to having the run of the house. I had never done anything like this before – several of my previous cats had been surprises present to me from my husband after committing some marital misdemeanor in the knowledge that the surest way to get back into my good graces was to present me with a kitten. Deciding on which kitten we wanted from the litter was the hardest decision for us, they were all so gorgeous. Linn made recommendations but respected our final decisions.

Waiting for Delivery Date (I informed my boss I would need at least a week’s ‘maternity leave’) was hard, but Linn kept us up to date with the kitten’s progress and sent us some amazing photographs. She is an extremely talented professional photographer, and most of my Monday mornings at work was brightened by the various images she sent us of the kittens – the kittens in Valentine baskets, in pretty pastel baskets, on little garden seats, in hammocks down by the sea and even wearing little cowboy hats in the desert!

As we got closer and closer to Delivery Date we got more and more excited. Linn was full of helpful advice on how to help my kitten adapt and correctly assessed the personalities of the other two cats – that he would soon start being friends with Miranda, my one year old cat we got from the SPCA a year ago who Linn thought was ‘bored’ and needed a companion. This is exactly what has happened.

Finally the big day arrived and Suzanne and I trekked off to Irene one Friday afternoon. The traffic was horrible and it took us nearly one and a half hours to get there from Benoni - we were beside ourselves with excitement and frustration at the delays. Linn was waiting for us and we sat in her kitchen chatting until it was time to fetch our babies.

I was struck by two things. In the first place, although over the weeks I hoped Linn had come to trust Suzanne and I and accept we would give the kittens all the TLC they needed, a part of her really didn’t want to let the kittens go. I think she gets so attached to them over the period from birth till they are adopted, it is extremely hard for her to part with them.

The second thing was how well Linn does the hand-over. We both received a bag with lots of toys, most of them made by Linn and Robert. Then lots of free food and vouchers in pretty gift packs so we really didn’t have to buy much food for the kittens in the first few weeks or so.

The two kittens, renamed by us Prospero (mine) and Merlin (Suzanne’s) have settled in extremely well. Linn had recommended Merlin for Suzanne – he seemed the shyest of the litter when we visited and she thought he would do best in a household without other cats and single-minded attention from a childless couple. She was quite right – he has completely lost his early shyness and is the light of their lives at the moment. Prospero has coped very well with the two older cats – he became big friends with Miranda in his first week and they play together constantly. Emma is just beginning to accept him, but it was a given that she would be resentful and unhappy – she has been the spoilt favourite for so long!

I have owned other pedigree cats but I have never previously encountered a breeder with such exacting standards. I once bought a pedigree Persian from a breeder in Bryanston and had the kitten develop snuffles in the first weekend – she nearly died. We only managed to save her after much expense and heartache and the snuffles came back to plague her terribly towards the end of her long life – she made 17 years! The breeder just washed her hands of any responsibility. If you buy a kitten from Linn, you have a guarantee this will not happen. Her kittens are not delivered to you until they have had both their vaccinations and have been sterilised.

Even worse, I understand the SACC is getting more and more complaints about unregistered breeders and ‘kitten brokers’ who advertise kittens for popular breeds on the Internet. These unscrupulous people are only in it for the money.  The cats are kept for breeding in terrible conditions, which the prospective owner is prevented from seeing, the kittens are sold without any vaccinations and often die within a couple of weeks, causing untold heartache as well as the financial loss.  By contrast, Linn’s cats live in the household and the new kittens sleep on her bed until they are ready to go to their new homes. All new and prospective kitten owners can visit to see for themselves the conditions the cats are kept in.

Linn is completely dedicated to producing healthy, beautiful and well socialized Ragdoll kittens. And I don’t think it’s easy, in fact it’s a real sacrifice. The cats and kittens all live in the house so Linn and Robert have to accept that Saturdays are given over to a stream of prospective kitten owners all wanting to view their babies. Also, with all the cats and kittens they can never take a break. The mother of the last litter of kittens managed to produce eight – they had to be hand-reared and I can only imagine how much hard work this must have involved. I am so thankful to them both for their perseverance and dedication to producing our babies, the finest specimens of that glorious breed of cat, the Ragdoll!

Helen F., Jhb (2010)

     
I have adopted my second kitten from Linn and would just like to report on this wonderful adorable little lad called AL!  Sean and I are both smitten!

Linn, once again, you have been so wonderful throughout my second adoption process – your professionalism and your personal attention to your “adoptive parents” is truly wonderful.  You ensured that all of AL’s special moments were shared with us by sending us the most beautiful pictures via email, which I treasure.  Thank you for sharing all the funny moments and thank you for finding his name!  He truly is an AL when we look at his gorgeous little face, we see an AL.

I always feel a bit anxious about introducing a new baby to my other cats, however, this introduction went off very smoothly!  AL just strolled down the passage from the separate bedroom we were keeping him in and made himself at home.  There were a few hisses and then it was over.  It goes to show that from kittenhood, he has been very well socialized and loved! Within an hour, he knew his way around the whole house and had made friends with all of my other cats!  It really was amazing to see.  He is such a gentle, confident, healthy and happy little boy and is now best friends with his Ragdoll brother Buzz.   They have become inseparable. Buzz took one look at AL and knew he was family!  It is so wonderful to see the love between them.  

 am now the proud mum of two breathtakingly beautiful Ragdolls, which get along so well with my other cats.  Once again, thank you for bringing both of these boys into our lives.  Sean and I are madly in love with them!  They bring us endless joy; I could go on and on. 

The Ragdoll breed is wonderful.  They are both so exquisite!  Buzz and AL are such chatterboxes – they are both very vocal which is so endearing to me.  They both sleep on their backs with all four paws in the air, which is apparently a Ragdoll trait and is so adorable!

I would highly recommend you to anybody wanting to adopt one of your adorable kittens.  You are truly passionate about what you do and this shows in your kittens.  Each kitten is so precious to you and it amazes me how well you know each little personality. 

I am so happy to have found you on the Internet.   Thank you so much for keeping in touch and wanting to know how my “babies” are doing.  I feel honoured to be one of your kitten “mommas”. 

May you and Robert be blessed abundantly for the wonderful work you do for this beautiful breed of cat! 

Carol J., CT (2010)

 

    
    
Valentino and Louie-Louie, the two Ragdoll kittens we got from Linn, look great and have wonderful characters too. 

They arrived here in Franschhoek via plane, well fed, all vaccinations already administered, neutered and in perfect health.  Accompanying them were their toys and enough food to last about a week.   My vet also confirmed that “The Boys” were in perfect health 

Linn is the most considerate and best breeder I know.  We also have five Maine Coons, which we imported from a German breeder, and I have visited several breeders in Europe.  Linn’s standards are the best that I know and I can heartily recommend her.  

I would like to thank you Linn, for doing such a great job as a breeder! You really know how to look after cats in the perfect way. It would be heaven if all breeders were like you.  

Bea L., Franschhoek Manor Guesthouse (2010)

 

    
    
    
I have been looking at Linn’s website for a number of years but had an elderly Siamese and I didn’t want to disrupt her geriatric years.  My Angel passed away the beginning of 2009 and I sat and contemplated contacting Linn for about five months. 

My decision, after looking at the Ragdoll breeder options in South Africa was that I wanted a Ragdoll from Raglin (Linn and only Linn) or I would rather go without.  So imagine my panic when I had to fill out the questionnaire!  Linn called soon after we completed it and put me completely at ease and cemented my decision that a Raglin Ragdoll was the only Ragdoll for me. 

Never could I have imagined just how wonderful Linn and Robert would be and how very right I was in them being the perfect cat breeders!  Not a week went by where I didn’t hear from Linn – she pampered to my obsession and guided me every step of the way!  No question went unanswered or was made to feel unimportant.  When I say Linn and Robert went above and beyond, I couldn’t emphasize it enough.  We were made to feel like part of their family!

We started our weekly visits when Jude and Penny were a few days old and never missed a weekend!  Often there was a photo shoot which we could help with which was such an incredible experience!  Each and every one of Linn’s kittens is treated like royalty.  As Linn says she is their “Grandma”.

During our weekly visits to see our babies, we acquired Luche who is a retired Raglin stud.  We took Luche home with us and he fitted right in!  Within a week he was king!  The most adorable, loving cat I could have ever wished for!  I grew concerned that my kittens would have a lot to live up to with Luche in our home as well.  We now have Penny and Jude at home and WOW! what absolutely adorable cats!  Due to Linn’s socialization of her kittens, they settled in, in no time at all and Luche has decided he is mother and father to them.  They all lie on the bed waiting for their group hugs from their people!  My babies are all I could have hoped for and hundred times more!  They are Raglin bred which makes all the difference in the kind of cats they are!

I feel Linn is one of the most genuine, caring women I have had the pleasure of meeting and she has become one of my closest friends.  I feel so lucky to have started this path looking for a Ragdoll and ended it with a “few” Ragdolls and friends for life.

 To Linn, Robert and dear Pam who is another kitten owner who we shared this journey with us - we will never have the words to express what a wonderful five months we have had with all of you and this is only the beginning!  What wonderful friends you have all become.  This whole experience would have been less if any one of you had not been there with us, every step of the way.  Meeting you all has enriched our lives in so many ways.

Val R & Family, Jhb. (2010)

    
    
My Ragdoll adventure started quite some time ago. Thinking back I can’t really recall WHY I was researching cat breeds when I knew I was still a long way from being in a position to have my own cat. I was still staying at home, and had always been in a 'doggy' run household. In fact I was never all that into cats until I met my boyfriend's cat, a mixed breed named Gizmo. My Gizmo! We got along like best friends and I was super impressed because she never really liked anyone but me. She was my cat love (R.I.P Gizmo)

So! I was randomly searching breeds one day when I came across the RAGDOLL. I loved the description of their characters, the dog like, following you around, best friend kind of companion. I had my Gizmo connection and was hooked. I looked up breeders and came across very few that were local. Without much thought I emailed Linn with the dreaded bland words 'How much do you charge for a kitten and do you have lilac kittens?'  (or something along those lines) comes to mind. I THEN started reading though her site and realized what a terrible TERRIBLE mistake I had made! (If you are reading this reference before emailing Linn, then well done. haha) I realized this was no mere kitten producer; Linn was the bee’s knees of breeders and her kittens were an honor to own. I very quickly re-emailed her. I think my opening words were 'I would not be surprised if my original email went straight into the trash!’ That was a long time ago now. I was a real pain for a long long time constantly emailing with the dumbest of questions and never having been around cats, there were plenty of them! Linn was always very helpful, and no question was too stupid (despite how annoying I was being).

When I started looking for a place of my own, my imaginary cats were always first on my agenda, so it took a while to find a pet friendly location. I eventually did come right and the BIG DAY was looming ... time to send in my Questionnaire! I held my breath and hit 'send'. Within the hour I had a reply. My heart stopped. 'She wants me to come meet her and her hubby!'. I recall jumping around the office for the rest of the day.

The nights leading up to my 'interview' I was re-reading my cat books. Don’t think I even put in that much effort for my real exams in the past.

On meeting Linn and Robert, I was immediately put at ease. So welcoming, so homely, so down to earth.  At the end of the afternoon (after being asked for about the 6th time 'don't you think it's about time you went home?') Linn told me she would accept me as a future owner of one of her kittens. I was SO happy, but! She in fact meant, for one of her CURRENT kittens! I was in complete shock. I never imagined that right then and there I would be expecting a baba of my own!

The rest we can say is history. 14 weeks of visiting, photo shoots and wonderful times with my new friends: Linn, Robert, Val and Grant and the Currie's cats. Thank you Linn and Robert for my TWO amazing babas.  And a big thank you Val and Grant! You two made this experience even more wonderful than I could have imagined and I am so happy we could all share in this adventure together.

Well it is getting late now, I have a Wookiee pouncing my office chair and a GIR looking up at me chirping, with big Goo Goo Doll eyes. Soon it will be bed time and they will be sitting on my head and eating any hint of exposed flesh trying to keep me awake as long as possible. What a dream come true. Truly a dream come true. 

Pam duR., Jhb (2010)