Ragdoll

They love to be held and cuddled like a baby and absolutely love chin and tummy rubs. So affectionate and loving is this breed you can tell they really do cherish time spent with their owner. Ragdolls just love to show affection.

Strictly an indoor cat, Ragdolls absolutely thrive on human companionship and will devote themselves entirely to their owner. They can often be found waiting by doors for their owner to arrive home and will nearly always be in the same room, if not on their owners lap or right by their feet. They are quite inquisitive and mischievous although still very gentle, placid and docile. Due to their very gentle nature they really depend on their owner to offer security and protection. Rarely will a Ragdoll use their claws - it is simply not in their nature to be aggressive.

Completely happy and content in the presence of their owner, a Ragdoll will go out of their way to be next to you, roll playfully onto your feet and always prefer to be cuddled up on your lap purring loudly ! Generally they just love to be with you and will most certainly charm their way into your heart.

Quite often they are referred to as rather "dog like" probably because they do like to always be that one step behind or in front of you and because they seem to always have this incessant need to make you happy or to please you. Completely trainable, they love to fetch balls and carry things about the house in their mouths. They will learn to come to you when called and they are completely entertaining, will find amusement in the simplest of household objects and will bring so much happiness and joy to your home.

Generally, Ragdolls are very quietly spoken with very soft voices but are extremely loud purrers. Regarded as quite a big boned heavy set cat they can weigh 12-20 pounds and absolutely love their food. Females generally weigh less than males but both have the stunning blue eyes, luxurious coat and the generous size that the breed is renowned for. They are exceptionally pretty and are deemed to be a semi longhaired cat although their coat is rather low maintenance due to the factor that it is rather rabbit like and non-matting. Regular brushing once a week is recommended and your Ragdoll will enjoy the attention and time with you immensely.

Health wise, they are a very hardy breed and rarely require medical attention. However, the breed is a rather new breed and as they do not have an extremely large or diverse gene pool, good breeding practices whereby the cats are not bred from too closely related genetic lines are absolutely crucial.

Ragdolls adore their humans. They run to greet you at the door, follow you from room to room, flop on you, sleep with you, and love you. They are gentle, carefully avoid scratching people, and are good with children, the elderly, and dogs. Ragdolls tend to be floor cats, not jumpers. They feel that humans prefer purrs to yowls, and keep their voices softly musical.

Ragdolls are considerate of humans' busy schedules, so they bathe and groom their moderately long, silky coats themselves. They should be groomed with a steel comb as a part of cuddling ("one hand stroke, one comb stroke; one hand stroke, one comb stroke..."), but most never need it. They shed very little, rarely have hairballs, are well behaved, and eager to please.

Surrounded by myth and mystery, the ragdoll is a large, laid-back, loving cat with a long, beautiful coat, lovely pointed pattern and big brilliant blue eyes. A hybrid breed, the ragdoll was developed by years of selective breeding, but exactly which cats were used in its creation remains uncertain. While controversy kept the breed from achieving quick acceptance in cat associations, the breed is popular with cat lovers for his beauty and trusting, playful personality.

The Ragdoll is a breed whose origins are surrounded by controversy and tall tales. According to various stories, the foundation cat, Josephine, produced unremarkable kittens until she was struck by a car in the early 1960s. After her recovery, all of her subsequent litters produced kittens that displayed Ragdoll characteristics: large size, non-matting fur, the tendency to relax in a person's arms like a child's rag doll (hence the name), and serene dispositions. Also rumored was the kittens' insensitivity to pain (which, according to breeders, is not true). Another story holds that Josephine was taken to a laboratory after her car accident, where she was genetically altered as part of a secret government experiment, resulting in genetic changes. While these are amusing stories, no scientific evidence exists to support any of these claims, and, in fact, geneticists say that this type of genetic alteration did not exist in the 1960s.

Other breeders claim that Josephine was bred to a seal Birman male who in turn was bred to a sable Burmese female. There doesn't seem to be any evidence of this, either. The Ragdoll's white spotting gene is definitely not the same as in the Birman breed, according to TICA's genetics committee chairperson, Dr. Solveig Pflueger, M.D., Ph.D.

The Ragdolls of America Group (a group formed to gain acceptance for the Ragdoll in the Cat Fanciers' Association) says that Josephine was a feral white Turkish Angora-type cat that resided on the property of a Mrs. Pennels in Riverside, California. After her car accident, Josephine mated with a feral black and white mitted longhaired tom and produced a solid black male kitten named Daddy Warbucks and a seal pointed bicolor female named Fugianna. Another litter followed, sired by a solid brown longhaired tom. This tryst produced a seal point female named Tiki and a black- and white-mitted male named Buckwheat. The breed's founder, the late Ann Baker, came into possession of these cats, and all subsequent generations can be traced back to them. After years of selective breeding, the Ragdoll developed into the breed we know today. This seems to be the most credible story for the breed's creation; however, this lineage cannot be confirmed with certainty, since the trysts between these feral cats were not documented.

Ann Baker created her own registry for Ragdolls in 1971 called the International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA). She also franchised and trademarked the Ragdoll name. Although all contemporary Ragdolls are descendants from Baker's original stock, several factions of breeders exist and not all are members of IRCA. The breeders who wanted to gain recognition for the Ragdoll with the traditional registries split from Baker's group and formed the Ragdoll Fanciers' Club. These breeders, among others, advanced non-IRCA Ragdolls to Championship status with every association except the CFA, who belatedly accepted the Ragdoll for registration in February, 1993. The CFA currently accepts the Ragdoll in the Miscellaneous class. This means the cats can be registered and exhibited but cannot compete for Championship.

The RagaMuffin is the newest development on the Ragdoll scene. The RagaMuffin is similar, but not identical, in conformation and temperament to the Ragdoll. While the Ragdoll is accepted in only four colors and three patterns, the RagaMuffin also comes in red point, lynx point, and tortie point, as well as the spectrum of Persian colors and patterns, plus mitted and mitted with blaze. Breeders say that the RagaMuffin is not a new breed. Although all Ragdolls are descendants from the original Ragdoll lines that Ann Baker developed, RagaMuffin breeders split from IRCA much more recently than the RFC breeders, in 1993, in fact. To avoid breaking their contracts with Baker and violating Baker's trademark on the Ragdoll name, they renamed their breed the RagaMuffin. Currently, the RagaMuffin is only accepted for Championship in the recently formed UFO, although they are accepted for registration in ACFA.

The breed was probably created by crosses between unpedigreed longhaired cats that possessed the recessive gene for the pointed pattern, although some believe that the breed was created by crossbreeding Persians, Birmans, and Burmese cats with random-bred domestics. The foundation cat from which the breed originated, Josephine, was a semi-feral longhaired white female cat of unknown parentage.

The colorful stories and rumors that surround the breed's creation lend an air of mystery. As the story goes, Josephine produced unremarkable kittens until she was struck by a car in the early 1960s. Allegedly, after the accident Josephine was taken to a facility where she was genetically altered in an experiment conducted by the government. This genetic alteration caused Josephine to produce kittens with the traits for which the ragdoll is so famous - non-aggressive temperament, beautiful color pointed coat and the tendency to go limp like a rag doll when held.

No evidence exists to support this, however, and it's highly doubtful that any kind of genetic alteration that occurred in the 1960s would have produced such results. Other rumors claim ragdolls are insensitive to pain, have an unusual passivity that prevents them from fighting back and grow to weigh 30 pounds or more. According to most breeders, none of these tales is true.

Although all of today's genuine ragdolls are descendants from Baker's original stock, several factions of fanciers exist. Ann Baker created her own registry for ragdolls in 1971 called the International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA). She also franchised and trademarked the ragdoll name, requiring breeders to pay a royalty fee for every kitten sold and to follow a strict breeding program that Baker controlled. Too, IRCA breeders were not allowed to register or show IRCA ragdolls in any other cat association.

Some breeders became unhappy with this arrangement and in 1975 they split from IRCA, taking their cats with them. They formed the Ragdoll Fanciers' Club, a group dedicated to achieve recognition for the ragdoll with the national cat associations. Later, the club's name was changed to the Ragdoll Fanciers' Club International (RFCI). Today, every North American cat association accepts non-IRCA ragdolls for championship. Both groups still exist, but with Ann Baker's death in 1997, IRCA has dwindled to a small number of breeders.

Ragdoll	Current	Large, well-built cat with broad, modified wedge head, wide set ears and very thick, silky, non-matting coat and ruff. The Original (IRCA) Ragdoll and Genuine (TICA, GCCF etc) Ragdoll occur in pointed (Siamese-type colourpoints), bicolour (colourpoints + additional white markings) or mitted (colourpoints + white mitts/boottees) patterns. Three further patterns are not recognized by most societies: High Mitted (longer mitts), High White (bicolour with white predominating = Van pattern) and Mid High White (visually similar to Bicolour, some have more white). Van pattern is recognised in CFA. Though Mid-High whites are visually similar to standard bicolours, they are genetically different. Variant pointed Ragdolls with white toes/mitted Ragdolls with black toes sometimes occur. Ragdolls were once claimed to have reduced response to pain, but this is a fallacy.
Ragdoll (IRCA [International Ragdoll Cat Association])	Current	Description as for Ragdoll, though it may be larger and is claimed to be insensitive to pain (not borne out in practice). IRCA claim that the breed came about when a white female cat was involved in a car accident and her subsequent litters were all placid and pain-proof. The umbrella term for IRCA varieties is Cherubim Cat (see notes under Cherubim). The rapid mutation of the IRCA Ragdoll into the Honeybear, Miracle Ragdoll ("a highly upgraded Ragdoll") and Catenoid suggests genetic instability or new gene interactions coming to light. Following the original breakaway from IRCA and legal wrangling, non-IRCA Ragdolls are termed Genuine Ragdoll and recognized (simply as Ragdoll) by registries while the Original Ragdoll, Honeybear, and Miracle Ragdoll are recognized only by IRCA. Some breeders have redesignated their IRCA Ragdolls in the extended color range as Ragamuffins and seek wider acceptance for the breed. Catenoids were an ongoing program until Ann Baker's death (see Catenoid).
Ragdoll-Persian Crosses	Crossbreeds	Several Ragdoll-Persian crosses have been bred: Rag-a-Pers, Hima-Dolly (Himalayan/Ragdoll) and Ragalayan (Ragdoll/Himalayan). The aim is a Persian or Himalayan (doll-faced, not ultra-type) with a non-matting coat.

Appearance

The ragdoll is a large, powerful cat. The body is long, broad and solid with heavy boning, the head large and broad, and the eyes large and vivid blue. Wide set, moderately flared ears with rounded tips decorate the head. Slow to develop, ragdolls attain their full size and weight at around three years of age. Males generally weigh 15 to 20 pounds. Females are smaller but are still hefty at 10 to 15 pounds.

This breed has medium-long, silky fur that is naturally non-matting. A ruff decorates the chest and a magnificent plume adorns the tail. The ragdoll comes in the four traditional pointed colors: seal, chocolate, blue and lilac, although the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) accepts the additional colors of red and cream. Three patterns are accepted: colorpoint (also called the pointed or Siamese pattern), mitted (pointed pattern except for four white feet), and bicolor (pointed pattern with areas of white including a white inverted "V" on the face).

Personality

Docile, mild-mannered, and congenial, Rag-dolls make ideal indoor companions. One of the nicest features of these cats is their laid-back, sweet personality. They are playful but are not overactive. Known to adapt easily to their environment, Ragdolls get along well with children and adults, as well as cats and dogs. They are easily trained to stay off the counter and are affectionate without being overly demanding. They have soft, polite voices, even at dinnertime, even though they are renowned for their enthusiasm for food.

Regardless of where they came from, growing numbers of cat fanciers are discovering that ragdolls make wonderful companions. Mild-mannered and congenial, ragdolls are known for their exceptionally tolerant dispositions and sweet, docile temperaments. They tend to go limp when picked up like a child's rag doll, the trait that earned the breed its name. This trait can be attributed to their gentle, trusting natures rather than any mysterious reason.

Ragdolls make ideal indoor companions. They are playful but are not overactive and enjoy just spending quiet time with their human friends. Affectionate without being overly demanding, ragdolls love nothing more than to be cuddled and pampered. Some enjoy lap-sitting, while others would prefer to sit quietly beside you. They are intelligent and accommodating, and are easily trained to stay away from forbidden areas. Their voices are usually soft and mild, even at dinnertime, and they rarely speak unless spoken to. Known to adapt easily to new environments, ragdolls get along well with children and adults, as well as cats, dogs, and other animals.

---

There are four patterns: bi-color, van, mitted and pointed. Patterns come in six colors: seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, and cream. Points may be solid, lynx, or tortie. CFA accepts bi-colors and vans for showing; mitteds and pointeds are registered.

Pointed Ragdolls have the classic, Siamese-type markings. Mitteds look like they went wading in whipped cream and sneaked a sip: their chins are soft, fluffy white, and so are their mittens and boots. Bi- colors look like they went swimming in whipped cream and dunked their faces in for a deep drink. All four legs, their underbodies, chest, and an upside-down "V" marking on their faces are white, and they may have a splash or two of white on their backs. Only their tails, ears, and the outer part of their masks show the darker markings. Vans look like they nearly drowned in whipped cream. Only the top of the mask, ears, and tail, and perhaps a few spots on the body, show darker markings.

Ragdolls were developed in the 1960's by Ann Baker; a breeder in California. She bred Josephine, a loving, gentle, longhaired white female carrying Siamese markings, to other longhaired cats carrying Siamese markings. Her original stock consisted of sturdy, free-roaming cats. By selecting individuals with the look she wanted for her breeding program, she created the type standard for the Ragdoll.

Conformation

The Ragdoll comes in the four traditional pointed colors: seal, chocolate, blue and lilac; and three divisions: solid or colorpoint, particolor mitted, and particolor bicolor. Solid division Ragdolls have darker, well-defined points. Body color is a shade lighter than point color, and soft shadings of color are allowed on the body. No white patches are allowed. Mitted Ragdolls possess well-defined points, except on the feet where they have a matched set of white mittens. Hind legs are entirely white, but the white extends no higher than mid-thigh. A white blaze can decorate the nose. Bicolors boast a white mask like an inverted "V," plus white on all four legs, feet, stomach, chest, and ruff. Other white patches and markings can appear, except on the points, which are darker and well-defined.