About the Ragdoll

The Ragdoll cat has the silkiest rabbit-like fur that requires weekly grooming and has shedding qualities. They have blue eyes and are generally a relaxed happy cat with a laid back attitude. They are known for their exceptionally tolerant dispositions and sweet docile temperaments. They tend to go limp when picked up, hence the name ‘ragdoll’. They make excellent pets in households with children and other pets as well as being the ideal companion for the elderly. They are lap cats who love to be loved. If you want a bed companion then this is the breed for you. Ragdolls follow you around like a small dog and if you have to leave them alone for a few hours they wait patiently for you to return home. However just as humans have individual differences the Ragdoll also have special unique personalities. In my own cattery I have an aloof one, one who demands constant attention, one who knows she is a Princess and wants to be treated accordingly and yet another who you can guarantee is always in trouble.  All of them are distinct personalities, fun to watch, fun to be with.

The show Ragdolls love to be groomed and prepared for the shows and they love getting lots of attention at shows.

Discuss your unique needs with the breeder you choose and talk about your own circumstances that may need consideration. Do you have other animals, children  are you able to keep the Ragdoll safe indoors? These lovely cats are not equipped to survive in the wild and cannot catch food or even defend themselves outside and this must be taken into account if you adopt one (or more). A good breeder will not give you bad advice as their reputation is valuable to them. Breeders love to talk about their babies and I am no exception.

Reputable breeders of this exquisite breed show their cats at cat shows to strive to produce the nearest to perfect Ragdoll they can. 

Ragdolls are a medium length cat. They can grow to be quite large and can range from 15-20 pounds. They only show full colour and size around 3 years of age. Ragdolls live up to 16 years old.

The pointed Ragdolls are born all white and later develop into some of these colours : seal, chocolate, blue, lilac, red, cream and tortie. They have  3 colours patterns .  pointed means colour on the tail, ears, and some type of face mask.

SEAL= whose colour ranges from ivory to pale beige.

BLUE= cold with bluish white to pale grey, no sign of any brown and the paws are dark blue.

CHOCOLATE= with an ivory body warm milk to dark chocolate.

LILAC= magnolia white with pink to lavender paws, dove-grey to warm lavender.

 

Ragdolls also come in solid colour,  mink, sepia, silver and smoke. These lines have always been in the ragdoll since Anne Baker the first breeder of the ragdoll and creator started breeding them in the 1960″s.

 

Lets now talk about HCM which buyers ask about all the time and I am glad they have done their research.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a recognised genetic condition in cats and long term research in Main Coon cats identifies a gene mutation DNA alteration cardiac myosin-binding protein C3 which was strongly associated with HCM.

It is vital that we continue to test for HCM in ragdoll’s to avoid this condition coming back into our ragdolls.

If you require further information of the breed standards for showing then a good resource is The GCCF The governing Council of the  cat Fancy.