 Ragdolls,
named for their willingness to go limp in your arms, have an
easygoing, docile temperament that makes them particularly good
with children and other pets (though young children must be
instructed not to take advantage of the Ragdoll's accepting
nature by being too rough). Some breeders claim that they are so
nonaggressive they won't even defend themselves when attacked.
These gentle giants are sociable, playful, soft-voiced, and
affectionate.
Native
Country
United
States
Breed
Description
Head: Medium-sized,
broad, slightly wedge-shaped with rounded contours. Skull is
flat between the ears. Slightly rounded forehead. Well-developed
cheeks. Rounded, moderately long, well-developed muzzle. Nose
with gentle break. Well-developed chin.
Eyes: Large, oval, slightly slanted. As
intense a shade of blue as possible, corresponding to coat
color.
Neck: Short and strong.
Body: Large, long, well-built. Broad,
well-developed chest. Heavy, solid hindquarters. Medium-boned.
Paw: Moderately long, medium-boned. Hind
legs slightly longer than forelegs. Large, round, compact paws
with tufts of hair between the toes.
Tail: Long, proportionate to the body,
fairly thick at the base, tapering slightly to the tip.
Well-furnished and fluffy.
Coat: Semilong, soft, silky hair lying
flat against the body. In motion, the hair separates into tufts.
Very substantial ruff. Four classic colors (seal, blue,
chocolate, lilac). Three patterns for coats with points: -
colorpoint: body lighter in color than extremities (points). -
mitted or gloved: also with Siamese pattern, but with gloves on
the paws. White blaze on the nose. White chin. - bicolor:
colorpoint with white extending over the face in an inverted V;
four white paws. White chest and belly. Coloring is not complete
until the cat is two years old and darkens with age.
History
Around
1960 in Riverside, east of Los Angeles, a white Turkish Angora
type female named Josephine was born in the home of Ms. Pennels.
This cat was crossed with a gloved Birman type tom named Daddy
Warbucks. Their litter sparked the interest of Ann Baker, who
set about intense inbreeding. Thus was created the so-called
Ragdoll breed, named for the way the cats typically relax
completely, with low muscle tone. The Ragdoll was approved in
the United States in 1965. In 1971, Baker founded the
International Ragdoll Cat Association (I.R.C.A.). In 1969, two
Ragdolls from Baker’s cattery were sent to Great Britain. A
British Ragdoll club was founded in 1987. The G.C.C.G.
recognized the breed in 1991, and the F.I.Fe. recognized it in
1992. The Ragdoll arrived in Germany and France in 1985 and
1986, respectively. In 1993, a French breed club was created.
The Ragdoll is quite uncommon outside the United States.
Behavior
Ragdolls adore
their humans. They run to greet you at the door, follow you from
room to room, flop on you, sleep with you, and love you. They
are gentle, carefully avoid scratching people, and are good with
children, the elderly, and dogs. Ragdolls tend to be floor cats,
not jumpers. They feel that humans prefer purrs to yowls, and
keep their voices softly musical.
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