Ragdoll Cat Breed

The ultimate gentle giant among cats, the Ragdoll is the world's largest domestic cat and a relatively new breed. It originated in the 1960s in California, but the very first steps toward creating it were somewhat confused. A mitted Seal Point Birman male mated with a longhaired white female—possibly a Persian, but not a pedigree cat—who, in due course, produced a litter of oversized, pointed kittens with semilong hair. Cross-breeding the first two generations of these kittens produced the first pedigree Ragdolls. The name was coined by the first breeder because of the tendency of these cats to go limp in people's arms.

A Ragdoll is a big teddy bear of a cat with silky fur and striking good looks. In appearance the Ragdoll at first glance resembles a Birman. It is a longhaired, pointed cat that may have white mittens. However, it is a bulkier cat than a Birman, and the coat is more properly described as semilonghair, being shorter around the head and longer toward the tail. The soft, silky texture makes it less prone to matting than the fur of many longhairs, and only moderate grooming is required.

Ragdolls are large cats and take 3 years or so to reach full adult size and coloration. Like Siamese, Ragdoll kittens are born white and begin to develop their characteristic points at about 1 week of age.

Fur Colors and Patterns

Unlike other pointed breeds, pedigree Ragdolls have comparatively dark coats. The coat patterns recognized for showing include pointed, mitted and bicolor, but other colors are now being developed. Seal and Blue Point Ragdolls are the most common.

Despite their size Ragdolls are very quiet and are ideal for apartment living. However, they like company, so if you spend a lot of time away from home, it would be advisable to consider having two ragdolls. The Ragdoll's placid temperament makes it an ideal companion for a dog, provided it is brought up with one. Your dog may bother your new kitten for a few weeks or two, but with vigilance and good handling they should soon learn to live together. They do not require much exercise and appear uninterested in hunting. Their low level of physical activity would suggest to many that Ragdolls are somewhat sluggish. In fact, Ragdolls are alert and intelligent and respond well to training, such as learning to use a scratching post. They love family life and get along well with children. They have very soft voices.

Because they are not very active, they have a tendency to be overweight.

Ragdoll Breeders Plush Palace (USA) www.plushpalacecats.com Royal Ragsters (USA) royalragsters.net Elegant Ragdolls (USA) www.elegantrags.com Enchantacats (USA) www.enchantacats.com Bridalveil Ragdolls (USA) www.bridalveilragdolls.com Tatiana's ragdolls (Spain) www.tatjanarags.com Elevage du Bois du Lune (Switzerland) www.deco-pub.ch/chat-ragdoll

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