Ragdolls are very sociable cats. They are loving and enjoy peoples company. If you are wondering if a Ragdoll cat is the cat for you, just ask yourself:

Do I like company when I am asleep at night?
Do I like a cat that plonks itself on my newspaper when I am trying to read?
Do I like my cat to wait outside the bathroom door for me?

Am I happy to have a cat that is indoors all of the time?

Do I like a lap warmer when I am watching tv?

If you have answered "yes" to these questions, then this is definately the breed for you.

Ragdolls can be very cheeky. A couple of ours are known for pinching our socks and even our knickers. Ragdolls are a great cat to have for children as they will very rarely scratch, even if the children are a bit rough with them.

Ragdolls come in three different colour patterns. These are:

Colourpoint - a creamy coloured body with a darker colour on their points (ears, nose, feet and tail). No white anywhere on body.

Bi colour - these have an inverted 'V' on their face. The area above the 'V' is a dark colour, while underneath is white. Their tail is also dark and they may have slight shading on their back. All of their underbody and legs are white.

Mitted - mitted Ragdolls are very similar to colourpoints. The only differences are that they have white mittens on their feet and their chin is white. The mittens on their back legs usually go up further than the front legs.

All Ragdolls have beautiful blue eyes. The main colours of Ragdolls are blue, seal, chocolate, lilac, red and cream. They also come in tortoiseshell and tabby (lynx) patterns.

Ragdolls are very slow maturing cats. The kittens are born all white and their colour starts to appear at 7-10 days. It takes Ragdolls around 4-5 years to fully mature to their adult size.

Ragdolls are indoor cats that should only be let outside under supervision.

History

Ragdoll cats have a very unusual history. Ann Baker (founder of the ragdoll cat) was a breeder of Persians who lived in Southern California. In the early 1960's a neighbour of Ann Baker's, Mrs Pennels, owned a cat called "Blackie" who was apparently a cat of Persian type. Baker occasionally used this cat to mate with her black Persians, Blackie's mother was also owned by the Pennels. Her name was Josephine and she was a blue eyed white cat which showed Angora type.

In about 1963, Josephine was in a car accident. According to Ann Baker, Josephine was taken to the University to be treated. It is not known why she was not taken to a veterinary surgeon, however she recovered and went back home to the Pennels and continued to have more litters.

Ann Baker noticed that the kittens born after Josephine's accident were different from the others. They had very unusual characteristics, they were very friendly, had an amazing tolerance to pain and they also had coats that were matt-free. They also were very floppy when they were picked up, just like a "Ragdoll" which is where the name came from.

Baker believed the accident affected the genetic constitution of Josephine, which affected the characteristics of her kittens. Baker also believed that they were worthy of being carefully bred to produce a beautiful and docile breed which they are today.