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About the Ragdoll Cat
Breed
Temperament. Each
Ragdoll cat has its own personality, but the characteristic temperament typical to
the breed is a sweet-natured, friendly
companion who actively seeks your love and attention, enjoys
being in your lap and underfoot, and adapts easily to environments
that other cats can have problems with, such as the
travel and other stresses required for cat shows, or children
and other pets in the home. Their personalities
are indeed more typical of a dog than a cat! Ragdoll
owners report these gentle giants waiting at the door when
they arrive home, lying limp in their arms for a good bonding
moment of belly scratching, cuddling up for a nap next to
the family dog, and unlike many cat breeds, being very happy
to be your baby. These very intelligent kittens are not given
to rough play and will often learn to fetch with only a minimum
of encouragement. As adults, they are less active, placid
cats whose tiny voices may be heard only occasionally when
they need reassurance. They are ideal as both show cats and
pets.
Appearance. The Ragdoll is a large,
muscular cat with blue eyes; a
sweet, open expression; and semi-long, non-matting, almost
rabbit-like soft fur that requires
only occasional brushing and does not
shed excessively. They mature slowly, taking about
4 years to reach full size. Males generally weigh 15-20 pounds;
females are generally 10-15. I've had significantly larger
Ragdolls than the above averages—this is, after all, America's
largest cat breed.
Colors and Patterns.
Ragdolls are pointed cats like
Siamese cats or Birmans, and are available in standard
colorpoint and mitted patterns
as well as the rarer bicolor. They are born white and develop
their full colors by about 2 years of age. Standard colors are seal (dark brownish-black) and blue
(gray). Rarer colors are chocolate (dilute seal), lilac (dilute
blue), flame (red), cream (dilute red), tortie (multicolor,
females only as it's a sex-linked gene), and lynx (visible
striping in points). Rarer colors and patterns are generally
more expensive.
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Colorpoint Ragdolls have
darker points (faces, ears, paws, tail) with a lighter
body color. The tortie is not a standard color but
is used in breeding programs to produce the less common
colors, such as flamepoints. Points as well as body
color may be darker and more vibrant, or softer and
more dilute. |
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Mitted Ragdolls are colorpoints
that also have white "mittens", "boots", chin and
ruff (longer fur about the neck and chest), and a
white underbelly. They may have blazes on their noses,
and their paw pads are pink. This standard pattern
may occur with any color. |
Seal Mitted
STANDARD |
Blue Mitted
STANDARD |
Flame Mitted |
Tortie Mitted |
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Bicolor Ragdolls have an
inverted white "V" on a darker facial mask and a white
body with a colored saddle on their backs. White areas
vary in amount and placement. The nose and paw pads
are pink. This is a rarer pattern and thus more expensive.
Below are mother and son. |
Lilac Bicolor |
Chocolate Bicolor
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Breed Concerns. Because of their
placid nature, Ragdolls must be kept indoors and protected
from other animals and people that may take advantage of their
trust. The same instinct that makes the Ragdoll so attached
to its human companions makes it vulnerable to more aggressive
animals. There are no special medical concerns associated
with the breed, but you should ask your breeder about their
particular line's health history. Expect 15-20 years of Ragdoll
companionship!
History of Breed. The Ragdoll
breed has an interesting history clouded with misinformation.
The line was founded in the 1960s by Ann Baker, a colorful
woman regarded by some as given to exaggeration. The original
"Ragdoll" was bred from a white female Persian and male Birman.
Ann also subsequently introduced a Burmese into the line.
 Ann Baker founded IRCA (International
Ragdoll Cat Association) in the early 1970s to promote the
breed. The Ragdoll breed was developed under Ann's supervision
and was standardized by subsequent breeders. It is now accepted
by most cat registries, though IRCA itself oddly enough did
not gain such acceptance, reputedly due to Ann Baker's more
fanciful notions about the breed. Ragdoll breeders have expended
considerable effort to debunk these myths, including that
Ragdolls had raccoon genes (they don't), don't feel pain (they
do), and can't protect themselves (they are not aggressive
but not stupid either!). One somewhat mythical characteristic
tends to be true of the breed, however: Ragdolls
are known to go limp in their owners' arms, like a ragdoll. Hence, the name.
In
spite of early misinformation spread about the breed, the
line is now standardized, being bred only Ragdoll to Ragdoll,
and enjoying a significant increase in popularity due largely
to its unique personality.
Watch this video about Ragdoll cats to
see them in action and learn more!
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