Ragdoll

The Ragdoll is a large, sturdy breed of cat with blue eyes and a semi-longhaired coat.  Ragdoll cats are bred to have one of three coat patterns – mitted or bi-color (both with white), and colorpoint (no white).  The coats of pointed Ragdolls feature one color darkening in the extremities, as seen in Siamese cats.  Mitted Ragdolls are similar to pointed, except the paws, abdomen and chin are white.  A bicolor Ragdoll has white legs, a white abdomen, and a white V on the face.

Mitted Ragdolls and Birmans are very similar in appearance.  The easiest way to tell a Ragdoll from a Birman is by looking at the chin.  Mitted Ragdolls have white chins – Birmans do not.  Ragdoll cats are also much larger.

Ragdoll cats are big, affectionate, docile creatures that tend to go limp when picked up.  One of the largest breeds, male Ragdolls generally weight between 15 and 20lbs.  They are slow growers, not reaching their full adult size until 4 years of age.  The Ragdoll cat’s coat is long and silky, but not particularly dense, so it requires very little brushing.  Generally, Ragdolls are a sweet, easy going, well behaved and low maintenance cat – making them a wonderful choice for a pet.

The Ragdoll breed was developed in the 1960s in California by Ann Baker and her cat Josephine.  She found Josephine (a longhaired, Angora/Persian type cat) in her neighborhood, and began breeding her with various other cats (particularly Birmans), then breeding their offspring.  Her aim was a certain temperment and personality.  All Ragdolls today are descended from Ann Baker’s cats.