About the Ragdoll Breed

So what is a "Ragdoll" ?  Ragdolls are the laid-back breed of the cat world. Developed in California in the 1960s, they have a tendency to “flop” in your arms when held, leading to their unusual name.   Gentle giants, they grow into large cats, with male weighing up to 12 Kgs and females up to 8 Kgs.  They have a sweet, placid temperament and love to be a part of the household, following as you move from room to room. When you come home from work expect your Ragdoll to be sitting inside the door waiting for you.   They are soft-spoken, with a rumbling purr always ready to greet you, intelligent, playful and loving.  Curiousity is their middle name -  expect your Ragdoll you take a keen interest in what you are doing and 'help' you whenever they can.

 The Ragdoll coat has to be felt to be believed.  It is soft, silky and non-matting.  Ragdolls undergo seasonal shedding as do any other cat breed but - at least in my experience - they shed less than other long-hairs and certainly less than my domestic cats !  A weekly brushing will keep your Ragdoll comfy, and they just love to be brushed.

 There is much myth and legend surrounding the origin of the Ragdoll breed,  much of which is attributable to Ann Baker, the eccentric founder of the breed.  The foundation cat from which the Ragdoll breed developed was a white cat named Josephine. 

 The Definitive Guide To Ragdolls by Lorna Wallace, Robin Pickering and David Pollard, published by Ragdoll World UK, includes the following paragraphs on the first generations of this magical breed :

"At the time Ann had been borrowing one of Josephine's older sons to sire progeny in her Black Persian breeding programme. This son had the appearance of a Black/Brown Persian and she named him Blackie, and it was one of her visits to borrow him that she saw Blackie's brother. He appeared most impressive and in Ann's words had the appearance of a Sacred Cat of Burma, (The Birman Breed).

Having already established the owner's trust, she was also permitted to borrow this cat to mate with her own females. She was most taken with this son of Josephine and named him Raggedy Ann Daddy Warbucks. What Ann clearly states is that Blackie and Daddy Warbucks are both sons of Josephine, but with different sires.

In the IRCA booklet it would appear to indicate that Blackie's father was a black cat from the East, that appeared more Persian than Burmese. During detailed questioning, Ann confirmed that no-one had ever seen the father of Daddy Warbucks, and he was the only kitten in that particular litter of Joesphine's. This being so, makes it difficult to take the origins of the breed further. "

 The real kudos belong to Laura and Denny Dayton, who were instrumental in having the Ragdoll accepted in the mainstream Cat Fancy, and setting the stage for the Ragdolls we have today.