Rarity in Ragdolls: It’s Not Just a Marketing Term, Karen

If you’ve spent more than two minutes in any online cat group (especially Reddit), you’ve probably come across the usual hot takes:

“Rarity? Sounds like a gimmick to upcharge!”
“All Ragdolls are rare in some way, so what even is this?”
“This breeder is just making up terms to sound fancy.”

👋 Hi. I’m the breeder they’re subtweeting.

So let’s talk about it: What does “rarity” actually mean when it comes to Ragdoll cats?
Is it marketing? Sure—everything is marketing. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t also real.

Data Over Drama: How We Define Rarity

Rarity Ragdolls didn’t just pull color rankings out of a sequin-covered hat. We spent months (yes, months) collecting and reviewing:

Website content from over 20+ regional breeders across New England, New York, and New Jersey
Hundreds of Facebook posts, photos, and past litter announcements going back three years
Actual available litters, not “future planned dreams” from 2012
Our own firsthand breeding program records (hi, yes, we exist in reality)

From that, we created a data-backed rarity chart for both colors and patterns, categorizing each based on real-world breeder availability.

A Quick Snapshot

We found that:

Seal and Blue (Point, Mitted, Bicolor) = Common. Like, every-other-breeder common. You can trip over a Blue Mitted.
Chocolate, Lilac, Flame, Tortie, Lynx = Found in a few select programs. You’ll wait for the right litter, but they exist.
Mink, Sepia, Solid, Blue-Eyed White, Fawn, Silver, Smoke, Van = Nearly unicorn-tier. If you want one, start building rapport now.

We even cross-referenced our results with what breeders don’t offer, which in many ways is even more telling. (Try asking for a Blue-Eyed White at a traditional-only breeder and enjoy the silence.)

Why Does Rarity Matter?

Because people want options. They want to know what’s out there. They want to plan for future litters, and maybe—just maybe—they want something a little special that isn’t offered by every breeder on Earth.

Does that mean a rare Ragdoll is “better”? Nope. All Ragdolls are wonderful, floppy marshmallow soulmates.
But if someone’s fallen in love with a Lilac Lynx or a perfectly masked Van? They deserve to know that they’re not crazy—it is rare, and no, you won’t find one on Craigslist tomorrow.

💬 So About the Reddit Critics…

Are some breeders throwing around the word “rare” a little too loosely? Maybe.
But here at Rarity Ragdolls, we back it up with actual transparency and receipts. You don’t have to take our word for it—we’ve made our data public. We’re open to correction. We invite discussion.

But yelling “marketing gimmick!” every time a breeder offers something you personally don’t see often? That’s not fact-checking. That’s just being loud.

TL;DR (for the Reddit Skimmers)

Yes, rarity exists.
No, it’s not just a sales term here.
We have data. We checked receipts.
You can love classic Seal Bicolors and recognize that BEWs are ultra rare. It’s not a competition.

At the end of the day, we’re not gatekeeping Ragdolls—we’re celebrating their diversity.
If that makes us rare? We’ll take it.

🖤
— The Rarity Ragdolls Team
(a.k.a. That breeder with the fawn kittens you said weren’t real)

Ragdoll Color & Pattern Rarity Summary

Based on data from 25+ breeders across New England, NY, and NJ
Verified via website content, Facebook posts (3-year scope), and litter history.

Color Rarity Chart

Color	Rarity Tier	Approx. Breeder Frequency	Comments
Seal	Common	90%+	Universally available. Staple of nearly all breeding programs.
Blue	Common	90%+	Present in virtually every cattery; a core traditional color.
Chocolate	Rare	~25%	Requires recessive genes. Select programs intentionally breed it.
Lilac	Elite	~25%	Dilute of chocolate. Found in advanced breeding lines, still uncommon.
Flame (Red)	Rare	~20%	More common in pet-focused programs; less so in show-line breeding.
Cream	Ultra Rare	<10%	Dilute of flame. Confirmed in only a handful of breeders.
Tortie / Torbie	Rare	~30%	Appears primarily in female kittens; limited intentional breeding.
Lynx (Any Color)	Rare	~40%	Found in both traditional and experimental lines; gaining popularity.
Mink	Ultra Rare	<10%	Confirmed in very few programs. Often misunderstood or misrepresented.
Sepia	Ultra Rare	~1–2 breeders regionally	Extremely limited availability. Bred intentionally by only a few.
Solid	Ultra Rare	~1–2 breeders regionally	Rare, especially in the Northeast. Not part of traditional standards.
Fawn	Ultra Rare	1 known breeder	Currently confirmed only at Rarity Ragdolls.
Blue-Eyed White	Ultra Rare	1–2 breeders	Produced intentionally by Rarity Ragdolls; rare and visually striking.
Silver / Smoke	Ultra Rare	1 known breeder	Extremely rare. Confirmed only at Rarity Ragdolls in this region.
Cinnamon	Elite	1 breeder (confirmed)	Genetic rarity. Not present in most programs in the U.S.

Pattern Rarity Chart

Pattern	Rarity Tier	Approx. Breeder Frequency	Comments
Colorpoint	Common	95%+	Found in nearly every litter from most breeders.
Mitted	Common	95%+	One of the most popular pet patterns. Easy to identify and breed.
Bicolor	Common	90%+	Strong presence across all breeder types—pet and show.
Lynx	Rare	~40%	Gaining popularity but still underrepresented.
Tortie / Torbie	Rare	~30%	Gender-linked. Often appears in dilute lines.
Blaze (on nose)	Rare	<10%	Difficult to reproduce consistently. Usually occurs by chance.
Van	Ultra Rare	<5%	Extremely difficult to produce intentionally; nearly unadvertised.
Solid Pattern	Ultra Rare	<5%	Found only in solid and sepia programs. Not recognized in traditional show.
Smoke / Silver	Ultra Rare	1 breeder	Confirmed only in Rarity Ragdolls in regional data.

🧭 Transparency Note:

These rarity levels reflect real-world frequency across active breeders, not theoretical genetics. If you’ve never seen a cinnamon or silver Ragdoll posted by a breeder, that’s not a coincidence. That’s rarity in action.

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