About Ragdolls

The Ragdoll Breed

Ragdolls are large, loving, laid-back semi-longhairs with beautiful, big blue eyes. The body is light-coloured, with darker Siamese-type points on the face, legs, tail and ears. In some patterns, the points are partly covered with white markings. The recognised colours in the Ragdoll breed are seal, blue, chocolate and lilac and more recently red, cream and tortie along with the tabby were imported into the UK from America. In June 2003 the Red series and Tabby Ragdolls received champion status from the GCCF. The three recognised patterns in the Ragdoll are colour pointed, mitted and Bi-colour and each can be overlaid with any of the above colours. The ideal Ragdoll is well balanced with no extreme features. Nuetered male cats may reach 20 pounds or more with females being smaller. Ragdolls are slow-maturing, reaching full coat colour at around two years and full size and weight at four.

Ragdolls adore their humans and although they do not appear to be very bothered and are laid back they will still run to greet you at the door and follow you from room to room.

They will flop on you sleep with you and love you and are gentle and carefully avoid scratching people which makes them good with children, the elderly, disabled and other animals including rabbits and dogs. The Ragdoll is probably one of the most laid back of all the breeds of pedigree cats. They are relatively undemanding and are very tolerant of most situations which is why they have been chosen as the cats on BBC's Blue Peter. Cookie and Socks have been chosen for their laid back demeanour as they are not easily fazed, something considered important whilst on a tv set They are gentle and relaxed and it is said that they have a lower pain threshold than most but it is a debatable point and certainly not one that should be tested. The ragdoll is a very trusting cat therefore it is highly recommended they are kept as indoor cats as they will not defend themselves against the local moggy bullies if allowed to roam.

Adult Ragdoll cats should be groomed at least twice per week. Ragdoll cats shed considerably less than other large to medium long haired cats but they still shed.

History of the Ragdoll

It began in California in 1963 with Ann Baker, a 'Persian' cat breeder. She had been in the habit of borrowing a male cat called Blackie from a neighbour, Mrs Pennels. Blackie had the look of a Black Persian and was the son of an unregistered female called Josephine who was a White cat of semi-longhaired Angora appearance. Josephine had a rather uncertain temperament and had produced a number of litters very much like herself.

It was about this time that Josephine was hit by a car and lay in the street for a couple of days. Eventually she was taken to the local university School of Veterinary Science where she recovered, having lost an eye. Josephine was returned to Mrs Pennels and continued to have kittens, but their character had changed. Now they were relaxed and seemed impervious to pain. Ann Baker became more interested.

Mrs Pennels had another male son of Josephine, but by a different father tan Blackie's. This male was unusually patterned, looking something like the cat we know as a Birman with white socks on all feet. He also had a little white stripe on his nose and a white chin with the white extending down his belly, and a white tip to his tail. Ann managed to borrow this cat too and called him Raggedy Ann Daddy Warbucks. Ann had also acquired a Black daughter of Blackie and Josephine, Buckwheat and was now given another of Josephine's daughters, this time sired by Daddy Warbucks. This Bicoloured cat was called Raggedy Ann Fugianna. With Daddy Warbucks, Buckwheat and Fugianna, the seeds of a new breed were planted and Ann Baker was about to reap the harvest.

The Myth of the Ragdoll

Why call this interesting cat a 'Ragdoll'? Well, everyone is familiar with the floppy fabric doll with its bland, wide-eyed features and knitting wool plaits. There is not a sharp feature to the doll, it can be tossed aside and seems to bounce; it hangs limply under the arm and fits into the very shape of the body. After her accident Josephine's kittens appeared to do just this.

To begin with, Ann Baker saw this new trait as a kind of 'act of God', a 'phenomenon'; that the trauma of the collision with the cat had altered Josephine's genetic constitution and that this was passed on to her kittens and subsequent generations. However, scientifically this is nonsense.

Latterly, Ann Baker has insisted that Josephine had been the subject of 'gene alteration' when she was being nursed at the University. Although others have been charitable, I would be most suspicious of any claims that this kind of procedure was practiced in the mid 1960's on a stray cat.

In hindsight, it would have been very useful to have assessed Ann Baker's claims by the simple process of a full clinical examination of Josephine herself. Sadly, this was not to be. Mr Pennels, annoyed that Josephine had attacked his dog one day, while protecting her litter, had Josephine and her kittens destroyed.

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