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Ragdoll is currently one of the most
popular cat breeds in Sweden– and all over the world- I’ m not particularly surprised by this. It’s very easy to take these cats to
your heart!
It’s a very devoted, social and laidback cat- and sometimes somewhat
lazy! A perfect indoor cat that easily adapt to the family members.
Every one of them may not be lap cats but they will often be lying close
to the master/ mistress, at their feet or on the armrest of the chair.
Ragdoll- cats are often very curious and like to be where things happens.
Many people believe this cat to have a personality like a dog in loyalty. Sometimes this cat like carrying things in its mouth. They can
be taught to catch toys and to fetch, just like dogs.
They often will come and greet visitors at the door, and follow them
to the door when it’s time for the guests to leave.
Like all other animals, Ragdoll cats feel good by getting attention and
love, without being demanding.
They are not so inclined to climb up high, but will often be found lying
at the floor. But of course, they also can be found lying on
a scratch tree indoors.
The walk is a bit special. Since the hind legs are set wide apart,
Ragdoll-cats waddle. Ragdoll-cats are a bit clumsy compared to many
other cat- breeds.
Ragdoll- cats often sleeps on their back with the front and hind legs
apart, this is not the most natural sleeping position for cats.
Most Ragdoll- cats are very easy to handle when it comes to the grooming,
bathing, trimming nails and at veterinarian visits.
Even if you give a cat breed some special attributes and characteristics,
of course, every cat has a personality of its own and they are
individuals - just like us humans! |
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Mrs. Ann Baker and
Fugianna |
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The history of
Ragdolls
The American cat breed ragdoll is a hybrid, partially because it hasn’t
occurred spontaneously in the nature, but is a breed which is the result
of many years of selective breeding by crossbreeding Persian, Birman,
and Burmese. A breeding program by crossbreeding with Balinese has also
occurred.
There are some different versions told about the origin and development of this
breed, though there is a certain story that is known
to be more correct.
The history of the ragdolls begins in the
early 60’s in Riverside, California at Mrs. Ann Bakers’ home.
Her neighbour Mrs. Pennel owned Josephine, a long haired white cat of
“Angora” (long-haired cat) type. Ann Baker asked Mrs. Pennel if she
could mate Josephine
with a Birman male and to keep any possible kittens. |
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Josephine |
In the litter were two males, Daddy
Warbucks and Geuber. Both males had the typical Birman look and they
were what we today refer to as “mitted”.
Mrs Baker decided to mate Daddy Warbucks and Josephine and the result
was Fugianna, a seal bicolor female. The “light side” descends from her. |
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Daddy
Warbucks |
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To prevent more inbreeding, Mrs. Baker
decided to crossbreed a Burmese that was mated with Daddy Warbucks. They
got a seal colorpoint female, Buckwheat, which was later mated with her
father.
They got Kyoto, a seal mitted male, and Tiki, a chocolate colorpoint
female. The “dark side” descends from her.
These cats were registered in
Ann Bakers’ cattery named “Raggedy Ann”.
Ann Baker started to sell her cats that
she called Ragdolls, this name reflected the tendency many of the
ragdoll- cats have to get totally relaxed when you hold them, they got
just as loose-limbed as ragdolls.
This loose– limbed trait was told to be the effect of a traffic accident
which occurred the mother Josephine when she had been hit by a car. After
that accident she was supposed to have passed over this behaviour to her
kittens, which is genetically impossible. It was also stated that they
couldn’t feel any pain, neither this was true. If
ragdoll-cats have the abilities like higher tolerance against pain and a
milder temperament, it’s more likely to be a result by selectively
breeding and environment factors.
Ann Baker wanted to keep full control of the breeding through some
certain rules and directions that had to be followed and she procured
license for those buyers that wanted to breed the cats. Some of the
other breeders didn’t share Mrs. Baker’s opinion of how the breeding was
supposed to be carried out. Shortly they broke out and started to breed
the cats in a way that you casually do with other cat-breeds.
One of them was Denny Dayton, “Blossom Time cattery”, who later founded
Ragdoll Fanciers Club International (RCFI). One of many goals was
to get the breed recognized by different cat unions. In 1969 NFA
recognized the breed Ragdoll,
as the very first union.
Denny Dayton began to write on the pedigree book were all the “real”
ragdolls can be traced back to.
You can check out the ragdoll data base
you will find at www.pawpeds.com and look at the ragdolls pedigrees.
The breed came to England 1981, to Germany 1985; then the breed
was spread all over Europe.
The first ragdoll-cats came to Sweden at the beginning of 1991, but not
until the year after, 1992, the FIFe recognized Ragdoll as a pure breed.
It was the bicolor variant that was first to get the Championship-status
January the 1, 1997, the colorpoint variant had their
Championship-status and January the 1, 1999, the mitted was also
recognized.
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Description and standard of the
Ragdoll-cat
Ragdoll is a pointed cat because of the Himalayan gene which also is
called the Siamese gene.
This gene is linked with the gene that gives blue eyes, which can be
seen in other pointed cat-breeds like the Birman, Siamese and the
Balinese.
The pointed gene is temperature sensitive
– the colder it is, the more darkens the colour of the points.
Ragdoll- kittens are born looking nearly white and their points
gradually darkens with age. Only after a few days, the colour
pigmentation of the ears, nose and pads can be seen.
After another few days, the points colour is spread in the face, legs
and the on the tail, with the exception of the white whereas of bicolour
and mitted.
The cat isn’t fully pointed until 2-3 years of age, but the intensity on
the pigmentation can still vary. Partly due to temperature differences,
but also due to on shed seasons, pregnancy, litter birth, illness
medication etc.
Ragdoll is a breed developing spasmodically and relatively slow. Not
until 3-4 years of age the Ragdoll cat can be considered to be full
grown. The greatest development occurs during the first two years, in
the end the cat becomes coarser and broadens it's head, especially the
male.
Some cats develop slowly, others faster.
Ragdoll females are usually noticeable smaller than the male cats.
A full grown male can weigh between 6-9 kg , a full-grown female between
3- 5 kg.
The Ragdoll is a large and firm cat that should be solid in the overall
appearance.
The long body should be as wide at the shoulders as it is at the hind
quarters and give a rectangular impression with a medium to strong bone
structure.
Full grown cats should be slightly heavier in the back. The chest should
be broad and well developed.
The neck should be short and robust.
The legs are of medium in length, robust and muscular. The hind legs are
to be slightly higher than the front legs which give the line of the
back an appearance of tilting forward.
The large round paws, should be tufted between the toes.
The tail should be long and proportionate to the body, preferably reach
the shoulder when bended forwards. Medium broad at the bas, slightly
tapered towards the tip.
It should be bushy and well-furnished.
The coat is medium long, dense, soft and silky texture, lying with the
body and breaking as the cat moves. It’s often longer at the sides,
belly, hindquarters and around the neck and head, giving the appearance
of a bib.
The head should have a broad, modified wedge with a flat plane between
the ears. The nose should show a slight curve in the upper third, The
cheeks should be well developed, tapering to a rounded well-developed
medium long muzzle and a well-developed chin.
The ears should be of medium size, broad at the base with rounded tips.
They should be set wide on the skull with a slight tilt forward.
The blue eyes should be large and oval and the outer edge of the eye
aperture to be level with the base of the ears. The eye colour should be
as intensive blue as possible, in relation to the body colour. |
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Mitted, bicolor and colorpoint Ragdolls from "old times" |
Recognized colour and pattern
varieties
The Ragdoll is approved in many different colours and is divided into
three basic patterns:
colorpoint , mitted (04) and bicolor (03). These can also occur with tabby patterns,
also called the lynx pattern (21).
Colours:
seal (n), blue (a), chocolate (b), lilac (c), red (d), cream (e), seal tortie (f ), blue tortie (g), chocolate tortie (h), lilac tortie (j), together with tabby patterns
(21).
Colorpoint:
The colour of points – ears, mask, legs and tail- is to be well defined
and in harmony with the body colour
Colorpoint is not allowed to have any white spots.
Mitted:
Points (except paws and chin) and body colour as in the colorpoint.
Well defined and in harmony with the body colour. White chin. with or
without a white stripe on the bridge of the nose. White mittens on the
front legs, the hind legs should be completely white at minimum up to
the heel and at maximum to the middle of the tigh. White stripe extends
from the bib and runs down the underside between the front legs to the
base of the tail.
Mitted is not allowed to have any dark spots on the belly or lack the
white stripe. The chin must be white.
Bicolor:
The points is to be well defined. The mask is to have an inverted white
”V”.
The body colour is to be a shade lighter than the points, white spots
are allowed on the back. Belly should be white and without spots.
Preference is given to white legs. The nose leather and paw pads is to
be pink.
Bicolour is not allowed to have white spots on the ears or tail, neither
any pigmentation inside the white inverted “V |