Ragdoll

Ragdoll History

• Credit Ann Baker, a Persian cat breeder from Riverside, California for developing the Ragdoll in the 1960s. She bred a stray, domestic longhaired white cat named Josephine with male cats she owned. The kittens displayed sweet temperaments, pleasing looks and non-matting coats.
• Baker purposely selected cats with the look and temperament she wanted for her breeding program to create the Ragdoll standard now accepted today.
• Identified as one of the fastest-growing breeds in The International Cat Association - second only to the Bengal.
• After many years, this breed was finally recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association in 1993 in the miscellaneous class.
• Today, Ragdolls have earned championship status in all associations except CFA. In CFA, the bi-colors may be shown in the miscellaneous class. The color point and mitted patterns can be registered, but not shown.

Ragdoll Behavior Concerns

• Possess a relaxed, gentle temperament.
• Ragdolls tend to behave politely around children and seniors.
• Fits in nicely in multi-pet households that even include dogs.
• They prefer hanging out on the floor and low-lying spots in the house to being perched on high shelves or tops of refrigerators.
• Male Ragdolls can tip the scale up to 20 pounds, but they are anything but feline bullies.
• Fascinated by water and have been known to leap into full bathtubs or sit on the edge of the tub while their people bathe.
• Referred to as "puppy cats" because of their tendency to happily shadow their favorite people from room to room and maintain playfulness well into adulthood.
• Prone to be overly trusting, so it is important to keep them indoors or supervised when outdoors for their own safety. They possess a non-fighting instinct.
• Capable of easily mastering obedience commands and tricks.

Look of Ragdolls

• Ragdolls sport light-colored coats with Siamese-like points. The coats are medium to long and feel like rabbit fur.
• This breed's big body is muscular and well boned. A fatty pad under the abdomen is common in Ragdolls.
• Its wedge-shaped head feature wide-set ears, a well-defined chin and big, oval-shaped blue eyes.
• All Ragdoll kittens are born white with colors slowly appearing as they age.
• This breed takes up to four years to fully mature.

Grooming Ragdoll Cats

• Its satin-soft coat sheds minimally and does not mat.
• Comb coat weekly to remove loose hairs.

Suggested Nutritional Needs for Ragdoll

• Prone to obesity because they are not active cats.

Fun Facts of Ragdolls

• This breed's Ragdoll name came about from the popular misconception that these cats go completely limp and relax when picked up.
• Female Ragdolls are often nicknamed "Daughters of Josephine."
• The Algonquin Hotel in New York City has kept a cat as its lobby mascot since the 1930s. The current one is a Ragdoll named Matilda.

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