Temperament

Ragdolls (as their name implies) are extremely 'laid-back' docile, non-aggressive cats. They tend to relax when held. They are said to possess a non-fighting instinct, which means that if attacked, they do not defend themselves. They are very 'people' oriented and love to be around others, which often finds them greeting guests and/or following their owners around in a fashion similar to a puppy. They are often quite an attraction in a show ring because of their docile dispositions and acceptance of the judge placing them on their backs, holding them like a baby, etc.

In general, Ragdolls are not extremely vocal, but they do voice their opinions concerning certain things (such as at mealtime!). Ragdolls are generally placid cats, but they do love to play with all types of toys and like to be involved in whatever 'action' is going on.

Because Ragdolls lack the instinct to defend themselves when attacked, they must be kept as indoor pets only. However, they can be easily leash trained so that they can go for walks with you outside.

Build

Body: Medium to large sized cat, muscular and heavy; legs also muscular and medium in length; paws large, compact and round, with toe tufts; tail long, slightly tapering, furnished bushy.
Head: Equilateral triangle, formed by the strong, rounded muzzle, elongating to well developed cheeks. Top of head between the ears is distinctly flat. Curved profile, slightly retroussee nose; strong chin.
Ears: Medium in size, broad at base, with slightly rounded tip; set wide apart with a slight tilt forward.
Eyes: Large, open ovals; wide set and moderately slanted; eye colour vivid blue, the deeper the better.
Coat: Semi-long, soft, silky texture with minimal undercoat; longest hair around the neck. Breeches are desired.
Faults: Profile with stop, Roman nose and dense undercoat letting the coat stand off from the body, are severe faults.

Care and Training

Ragdolls are intelligent and like to please their owners. Training Ragdolls is much more successful when done with rewards. For example, they can be trained easily to use a scratching post instead of your furniture by lavishing attention on them whenever they use the post. As with most cats, however, Ragdolls can be their 'own boss' if they so choose!

They do not shed excessively, and need little care to keep their coats in good condition. Their soft, rabbit-like fur does not tend to mat. The fur does require occasional combing or brushing, and the longer fur around the hindquarters should be combed regularly. In general, Ragdolls do not mind being groomed and, in fact, often enjoy the grooming sessions.

Colours and patterns

Patterns
Colorpoint - has dark points (ears, tail, face, and feet) with a body of a lighter shade. The nose leather and pawpads match the point color. Colorpoints do not have white markings (although the pale body color may appear white on some cats).

Mitted - has dark points and lighter body like a colorpoint, but also has white 'mitts' on the front paws, white 'boots' on the back legs and feet, a white chin, a white strip on the stomach, and a white ruff.

Bi-color - has the dark points (ears and tail), but the mask is interrupted by an inverted 'V' running between the eyes and expanding into the muzzle. The body color forms a 'saddle' on the cat's back and the remainder of the cat is white. Bi-colors have pink nose leather and paw pads.

Colours
Any point colour is accepted in WCF:

• seal
• blue
• chocolate
• lilac
• red
• creme
• lynx
• tortie
• torbie

History of the Ragdoll Cat

The beginning of the Ragdoll breed is just as controversial and shrouded in myths as the breed itself. The recorded history is somewhat confusing and full of contradictions, some parts of it even proven to be impossible. There are some elements that we know for certain, though; the Ragdoll was founded in Riverside, California in the 60's by a woman named Ann Baker, and the foundation cat of the breed was an ordinary non-pedigree cat called Josephine.
Ann Baker was a breeder of Persian cats, mostly blacks, before she started working on Ragdolls. Josephine was a white, long-haired cat who belonged to Baker´s neighbor Mrs. Pennels. Like many cats in the area, Josephine was half feral and she often produced kittens. At one time Josephine was hit by a car and Ann Baker´s neighbors, who worked at the local university, rescued her and she was
Josephine´s previous kittens had been half wild like Josephine herself, but after the road accident they were quite the opposite. They were very relaxed and social, in fact Mrs. Pennels regarded them as a real nuisance! It is not quite clear what exactly was so different in those kittens and how they came to be that way. In any case, Ann saw something so special about the kittens that she eventually decided to use them for creating a new breed.
The first Josephine´s kitten Ann acquired was Buckwheat, a black female that looked somewhat like a Burmese. Ann was later given another daughter of Josephine, a bicolor she called Raggedy Ann Fugianna. The father of Fugianna was mitted Daddy Warbucks, a son of Josephine´s, owned by Mrs. Pennels. All these cats were Josephine´s offspring, but they probably all had different sires. Ann was very impressed by the looks of Daddy Warbucks, who had the appearance of a Birman with a nose blaze and a white tip on the tail. It was this cat that Ann called the 'father of the true Ragdoll look', and she borrowed him often for her Ragdoll breeding program. These three cats are the foundation stock of Ragdolls, for Ann never had a chance to get any more Josephine´s kittens. When Josephine had her next litter, the owner´s husband had Josephine and her kittens destroyed.
Ann promoted the breed with ads and fliers and soon Ragdolls started to have the attention of the media. When the breeding program was well established, Ann Baker did something unheard-of in the world of cat fancy; she trademarked the Ragdoll name, and other Ragdoll breeders had to make a contract and pay royalty fees for every kitten they sold. Ann also started a registery called the International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA).Ann had very strict breeding policies, which other breeders had to follow in order to get the kittens registered as "real" Ragdolls. Finally a group of breeders got tired of the arrangement and decided to split from IRCA and start to work on getting Ragdolls accepted by the major cat fancy associations. The most instrumental figures on this were Laura and Danny Deyton, who luckily had obtained their Ragdolls before Ann´s breeding policies were implemented, and were technically free to follow their own breeding program.
The Ragdoll Society, which was later changed to the Ragdoll Fancier´s Club and then to the present Ragdoll Fanciers´ Club International (RFCI), was established in 1971 to promote the breed in the biggest cat associations so that Ragdolls could be shown more widely. In 1967 Ragdolls were first recognized in the USA and in 1981 Ragdolls were first exported to overseas. Due to its curious name and the strange myths associated with them, Ragdolls were often represented in the mainstream media and more and more people got interested in the breed.
Today the Ragdoll is still a relatively rare breed, but the number of Ragdolls and breeders is growing very rapidly. Ann Baker died in 1997, feeling bitter and betrayed for the rest of her life. The Ragdoll trademark and IRCA remained active after her death, and there are still both IRCA and non-IRCA Ragdolls on the market. IRCA is still not associated with any of the major cat associations, and because the IRCA breeders are not allowed to register in any other associations, the number of breeders is very small and continues to drop. RFCI is also still functional. Right now Ragdolls are accepted by most cat associations and some breeders are working on to introduce new colors and patterns to the breed. And with the increasing interest in the breed, the future of the Ragdoll cat looks bright indeed!