The
Ragdoll is a large, floppy, people loving, blue eyed and pointed
cat, with a pleasant domestic head type with wide spaced ears and
non extreme semi wedge shaped muzzle.
A fascinating cat, the Ragdoll from California enjoys great success
and has a large following of breeders and owners. It is not the only
cat breed to emigrate from California, but it is probably the best
known and its unusual breed name causes interest wherever it is
seen. In fact, the name Ragdoll was given by the original breeder
Ann Baker in the 1960's and was so named for its captivating
tendency to go limp like a child's toy when held in human arms.
The ancestors of today's
Ragdoll breed are a bit of a mystery. It is believed they descended from
a combination of three feral cats: a white semi- longhaired cat named
Josephine; a seal point male with white feet called Daddy Warbucks and a
black male called Blackie.
There has been much myth surrounding the origin of the breed. Every
Ragdoll ancestry must be traceable back to Josephine.
Ragdolls are extremely huggable. Estimates of adult Ragdoll size range
between 8 to 12 pounds (4-5kg)for females and 12 to 16 pounds (5-8kg)
for males. Ragdolls are a large cat that reaches full maturity between
the ages of three to four years.
Unfortunately
myths still persist in some circles and cat owners have been mislead
into believing that Ragdolls do not feel pain, do not cause allergies to
those allergic to cats, cannot defend themselves and do not possess
normal cat instincts such as hunting. All of the above are untrue.
Ragdolls should be treated with the same care and respect bestowed upon
all other breeds.
When all the fallacies are stripped away, the facts remain. The Ragdoll
is a gentle, good natured and loving cat that possesses a unique and
quiet charm which can quickly convert the most dedicated ailurophobe
into a Ragdoll fan.
Patterns and Colors
The Ragdoll has a soft semi-long coat which does not require as regular
a grooming as many other long-haired breeds. Ragdolls are born white and
the color comes in slowly....although you can tell seal and blue
anywhere from a few days to a week...you can't determine chocolate and
lilac for 3-4 weeks. They have very good color by 8-12 weeks but they
don't get their full color for about 2 years.
Ragdolls
are available in the following colors: seal point, blue point, chocolate
point, lilac point, red point, cream point, tortie point.
The coat patterns of the Ragdolls are: colorpoint, mitted, bicolor &
lynx (tabby markings in one of the three previous patterns). The varying
patterns may be bred in the above colors.
Source: http://www.ragdollinternational.org/