History of the Ragdoll Cat;
First breed by Mrs Ann Baker in the 1970's, The Ragdoll came to be when a neighboring cat called Josephine, who was allowed to roam and breed at will was hit by a car, after the accident Ann noticed that Josephine, usually an ornery tempered cat, was unusually placid, particually when being handled she became "floppy" in ones arms "Hence the name Ragdoll" When Josephines kittens arrived Ann noticed some of the kittens exhibited the same unusuall floppy trait, they seemed to be very large with vivid blue eyes, These kittens were selected and a very careful breeding program began. Josephine was a white angora type cat, out crosses that were used in the early breeding program where the Birman and the long haired Burmese.
Ragdoll cat Temperament;
Ragdoll cats are a very lovable, large breed of cat. They love to be held and in human company. This makes them an ideal companion cat, they are relaxed and easy going with kids and other house hold pets. Affectionate and playful they are usually found pouncing around under your feet, often reminding one of a puppy at play. They are intelligent and usually very willing to learn, making them easy to train. They have very little preservation instincts, and should for this reason be kept indoors as they will not defend themselves and their beauty attracts catnappers.
Ragdoll cat Appearance;
The ragdoll is well balanced with no extreme features, they do not fully mature untill 3yrs of age with the Males weighing up to 10kg, the female weighs around 6kg. They have a large, long and broad body, Moderatly long legs the hind slightly longer than the front, a large broad head, with an appearance of a flat plane between medium size ears, large blue oval eyes and well developed chin. The coat is semi long and naturally non-matting it flows with the body, and has a silky rabbit fur like feel.
Ragdoll cat Patterns;
At the simplest of levels the Ragdoll comes in 3 different patterns;
Pointed; Points, Ears, mask, feet and tail to be a defined color.
Mitted; Points, legs (except feet), ears, mask and tail to be a defined color. Chin; must be white. Front feet; must have white mittens. Back legs; to be white must extend to the hock no higher than mid-thigh.
Bicolor; Mask; a white inverted V within the outer edge of the eye. Nose Leather; pink. Body; Chin, chest and underside are white. Legs and Feet; all white preferred.
(These patterns also come in Linx, Tortie & Tabby)
Ragdoll cat colors;
Ragdoll kittens are born white they do not obtain their full color untill two years of age, during this time they go through subtle shade changes and darkens with age.
The six point colors are; Seal, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac, Red and Cream.
