Ragdoll

The Ragdoll breed was developed in the 1960s by a breeder called Ann Baker in Riverside, California. The foundation cats were all bred from a white domestic longhair female called Josephine, who was considered to have unique temperament traits. Ann Baker acquired a Seal Mitted male with a white blaze called Daddy Warbucks – a son of Josephine by an unknown sire, plus two of Josephine’s daughters, Buckwheat who was black from a different unknown sire, and Fugianna, a seal bi-colour sired by Daddy Warbucks. Buckwheat was also mated to Daddy Warbucks, and in 1965 the offspring of this mating were the first registered Ragdolls; they were Raggedy Ann Kyoto and Raggedy Ann Tiki. Ann Baker then developed a breeding programme using the offspring of these two cats. She trademarked the name Ragdoll, and rather than register with an established registry, set up her own – the International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA). Anyone wishing to breed Ragdoll cats had to adhere to Ann Baker’s strict standards and was not allowed to register with anyone other than IRCA. By the mid 1970s other breeders wanted to gain wider recognition for Ragdolls, and a break-away group led by Denny & Laura Dayton developed the current Ragdoll standard accepted by major cat registries. Ragdolls were imported to the UK by Pat Brownsell (Patriarca prefix) and Lulu Rowley (Petit-Lu prefix) in 1981, and the breed was recognised by the GCCF nine years later.

The Ragdoll is a large, semi-longhaired cat that reaches full maturity at around 4 years of age. They should be well balanced with no extreme features. Temperament is an important aspect for this lovely breed and they should be relaxed, gentle and easy to handle. The Ragdoll’s broad head has a flat plane between medium sized ears that have inner furnishings, rounded tips and a slight forward tilt. The cheeks should be well developed and the nose medium in length with a gentle dip when viewed in profile and is slightly retroussé at the tip. The eyes are large and set slightly obliquely and should be deep blue in tone. The body of a Ragdoll is long and muscular, the neck short and thick with a broad chest. The legs are medium length and strong with substantial bone and the paws large and round. A long, bushy tail that tapers slightly towards the tip finishes the picture. The coat has a lovely feel, it is silky and dense to the touch and medium in length. A mature cat will usually sport a ruff around the neck and knickerbockers to the hind legs.

The Ragdoll is a pointed cat, and comes in three different patterns:

Colourpointed – where the deepest colour is restricted to the mask, ears, legs, paws and tail. They come in solid colours – seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red and cream. Tortie points – seal tortie, blue tortie, chocolate tortie and lilac tortie. Tabby pointed in the same colours as the solid points and tortie tabby pointed in the same colours as the tortie pointed.
Mitted – The colour of the points in the Mitted Ragdoll are the same as in the Colourpointed variety, but there can be a narrow white blaze on the nose, and the chin, bib, chest and underbody from chest to tail is white. The front paws should have evenly matched white mittens, and the back legs should be white.
Bi-Colour – In this pattern group the mask should have an inverted ‘V’ of white starting on the forehead, covering the nose, whisker pads and chin. The bib, chest and underbody should be white, as should the front legs. The back legs should also be white to the level of the underbody.

Ragdoll kittens are all born white, and the points colour starts to develop a few days after birth. As the Ragdoll kitten grows its colour will continue to develop and, as an adult, may darken over time.

The one major characteristic identified by Ann Baker as setting the Ragdoll apart from any other breed was its astonishingly equable character and gentility.  You can dismiss the floppiness which gave them their name as pure hype, and the assertion that they have a low pain threshold is positively dangerous. Clinical tests have proved absolutely conclusively that the Ragdoll is no different in its physical responses and attributes to any other breed of cat. What is certain, however, is that the way any kitten of any breed is reared contributes enormously to the socialisation of that kitten. Its human family is every bit as important as the mother cat in this respect. Frequent loving handling encourages trust; playing games with the kitten encourages him to regard you as something much more than the provider of food and litter trays. Gentility, playfulness, an almost canine fidelity and a sort of absentminded sense of humour are some of the fascinating traits of this sweet-natured feline. They also happen to be alarmingly beautiful. (extract from an article by the late Alan Edwards, former president of The British Ragdoll Cat Club and international judge).

Famous Ragdoll owners include Sylvester Stallone and Taylor Swift, as well as the late Freddie Mercury.

The Ragdoll is one of the largest of the cat breeds and takes up to four years to reach full maturity. Fully developed males often tip the scales at upwards of 6kg, with the proportionately smaller females weighing between 4kg and 6kg. These gentle cats have long, substantial bodies with sturdy boning to match. Their coats do require regular weekly maintenance and they do moult so extra grooming during these periods is essential. A Ragdoll’s coat will mat if left unattended. Exercise through play is also essential to keep them fit and healthy.

If you are considering adding a Ragdoll to your family, please ensure you do your homework thoroughly before purchasing! Ragdolls can carry a gene that leads to a form of heart disease called HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) that can lead to heart failure at an early age. In 2007 a DNA test became available to breeders to identify the one known defective gene that can cause HCM in the Ragdoll. Under the GCCF Registration Policy for Ragdolls, all Ragdoll cats registered active for breeding from 24th February 2016 MUST be tested for the one known Ragdoll HCM gene. Discuss this with your Vet and the breeder of your new kitten so that you understand the implications, and ask to be given copies of the parents test results along with their other kitten paperwork. Neutered male Ragdoll cats weigh between 12 and 20 pounds, with females around 8 – 15 pounds. Their life expectancy is around 15 years. ;

A sub blood group B3 has been recognised, therefore mating cats to a compatible blood group is strongly recommended.

There is additional information HERE