Josephine, the mother of all Ragdolls!

The Mysterious Ragdoll-- In the 40 or so years that have gone by, the breed history has managed to become intertwined with a series of myths and half-truths. For example it was said that the extraordinary calm nature of this breed is the result of a car accident endured by the foundation cat, Josephine, and that Josephine's injury, a broken pelvis, had somehow caused a change that caused all Ragdolls to be especially docile. This explanation is obviously not scientifically feasible. The more likely explanation is that the relaxed breeds, Persians and Birmans, used in the breeding program, created the Ragdoll's personality. Today the Ragdoll is still a relatively rare breed, but the number of Ragdoll cats and breeders is growing very rapidly. Right now Ragdolls are accepted by most cat associations and some breeders are working on introducing new colors and patterns to the breed. And with the increasing interest in the breed, the future of the Ragdoll cat looks bright indeed!

In 1971, Baker created her own cat registry & association known as IRCA (International Ragdoll Cat Association).  Ann Baker has since passed away. She will be remembered for her persistent battle to promote the breed - although many of the methods she used in doing so remain questionable. But Baker's most remarkable achievement was giving us the Ragdoll breed. There is no debate about that anywhere! Today there are over 500 breeders worldwide and the Ragdoll breed stands on solid ground, despite its controversial early years and development.

Ragdoll Personality --The Ragdoll Cat is a  large, charming, docile  and beautiful cat.   The Ragdoll Cat  is  a beautiful companion suitable for a loving family seeking a cat that will be devoted to them.   These gorgeous cats are very in tune to their family, following them from room to room, even greeting them them at the door!  These cats love to be with you, to flop on you, sleep with you, and just adore you!  They are known as a cat that acts like a dog.  The Ragdoll is a pointed breed, meaning the extremities are a darker shade than the body, with lovely blue eyes.  It is a playful cat, with a gentle nature and is noted for its tendency to go limp when picked up.  Having a soft, silky, semi-long coat, the Ragdoll Cat requires a minimum of grooming. The coat feels soft and luxurious as  rabbit fur.  The Ragdoll Cat is a fairly large cat, not attaining full size until two or three years of age.  Adult males range from 15 to 20 pounds with females maturing about 5 pounds less.  

Ragdolls are gentle cats, very loving with adults, children, other cats and dogs.  They are careful to try and not scratch their humans, too.  They tend to be more mellow than other cats, not as interested in climbing and jumping as other cat breeds.  They are a quiet cat,  purring in a soft quiet voice, instead of yowling like some breeds.

Due to the sweet friendly nature of these delightful cats, they are definitely an indoor cat, and should never be allowed outdoors without supervision. 

Ragdoll Characteristics and Description--

• Ragdoll Kittens are born white with color and patterns coming in around 10 days old
• Ragdoll cats reach their full color and size between 2-3 years.
• Males weigh between 15-20 lbs
• Females weigh between 12-15 pounds
• Ragdolls have gorgeous blue eyes
• Ragdoll fur is medium to long in length, less shedding, and non matting, with a rabbit like feel. A very minimal grooming breed
• Ragdolls are an inside cat.  Due to their docile, mellow dispositions, they could attract danger from other mean spirited animals
• Ragdolls are named for the way the flop like a Ragdoll when held.  They are extremely affectionate and adore their humans!
• Ragdolls are very affectionate and love to be held, even follow their humans around the house like a little puppy.
• Ragdolls are an intelligent, alert breed, with no known genetic issues to speak of.

Colors:  The basic colors of the Ragdoll are blue, seal, lilac, chocolate, flame, cream, and sometimes tortie.  (We will be adding pictures of each color combo soon!)

• Blue--Body color is ivory or bluish white with slate blue to silver gray points, with dark blue gray nose and  pads
• Seal--Seal brown points with  cream to fawn body color.  Nose and pads are dark brown
• Lilac--Lilac or pinkish taupe points with a milky white body color.  Nose leather is a lilac hue  and pink/coral  pads
• Chocolate--Chocolate points with ivory or cream body color.  Nose leather is a burnt rose, and pads are salmon pink
• Tortie--A multi-colored cat in colors of seal or blue.  Seal Torties have patterns of seal and orange patches on a seal body.  A Blue Tortie has shades of  peach and gray on an ivory body.
• Flame--Flame color points with a white to copper colored body.
• Cream--Cream to light peach points with white to ivory bodies.

To make things even more complicated, these colors are also found in different patterns!  Here are some examples below:

Seal Color Point - Lilac Bi-color - Mitted Color Point - Tortie            

Mitted Chocolate Color Point - Blue Lynx Color Point

Patterns:  The three basic patterns that make up the Ragdoll breed are; Bi-color, mitted and colorpoints.  A fourth pattern called lynx does not affect the color or basic pattern, but adds stripes to the face legs tail and a contrasting white inside the ears.  (We will be adding pictures of each pattern soon)

• Bi-color--Points on the face and tail with a white inverted "V" from the muzzle up into the darker mask of the face.  They have white on their legs, feet, ruff and belly.  Bi-color's have pink noses and paw pads.
• Mitted--Points on the face, ears, legs and tail, with a white chin and white mittens on their front feet and white boots on their hind legs
• Color-point--Darker colors on the ears, face, legs, feet and tail.  The body is lighter than that of the points.

    Bi-color                     Color Point Mitted         Cream Lynx           

Care of your Ragdoll--  Ragdolls coats are quite easy to groom, as they don't usually mat.  Their coat is medium to long, and is soft, silky, and dense--feeling like rabbits fur. Ragdolls will groom their coat themselves.  They need a brushing occasionally by their owners.  We recommend weekly brushing and combing, as part of their snuggling time--most Ragdolls love having this done.   Start young, so your kitten will come to expect this as part of their bonding time with their new human.  They will learn to accept this and not fight it if you start young. 

Occasionally, you may need to bathe your Ragdoll, but be sure to clip your cat's nails prior to the bath!  You don't want to get scratched by a scaredy cat!    Be sure to use only products approved for kittens, as some products are only save for adult cats.

Also, to keep your Ragdoll from scratching your furniture, we recommend nail trimming as part of  your cat's regular grooming.  Ragdolls shed very little, and rarely have hairballs.

Nail Trimming--All Original Ragdoll kittens are taught that nail trimming is part of their grooming routine.  We recommend to all of our new families to continue with the trimming routine when they bring them home.   We also have found the larger posts and Kitty Condos with sisal on them are perfect for scratching.  The post needs to be long enough for a full grown cat to be able to stretch out completely.  The kittens love to sleep as high as possible, and we often find our cats at the top of their condos.  The different levels will also provide an appropriate place to climb, scratch and play.  Investing in a good quality scratching post or Condo will save your furniture and become your Ragdoll's home sweet home. 

We don't recommend de-clawing your Ragdoll, but teaching him to scratch on their posts.  Our little kittens are taught to use scratching posts from an early age.  NOTE: If  you are planning to show your Ragdoll in any cat shows, your cat cannot be de-clawed. 

Feeding your Ragdoll--We are advocates of a holistic diet, from Life's Abundance. This food is available on-line listed on the links to the left.  We switched to this food and have seen huge changes in our dogs and Ragdolls health.  This is the best food on the market, and we encourage everyone to feed their kitten and adult Ragdoll this food.  We also offer a 2-yr. guarantee to anyone purchasing a kitten from us and continues feeding this food.  It is a great food, and excellent for all stages of life. 

Original Ragdolls is a registered cattery with TICA and Ragdoll International!

 

 

 

Original Ragdolls