Ragdoll Cats

The origin of the Ragdoll cat is not difficult to establish; this cat’s origin is surrounded by myth and controversy. The Ragdoll cat breed was created by a breeder in California named Ann Baker. The first Ragdoll cat was bred in the 1960s and was a white female name Josephine. The first Ragdoll was Persian and Berman cross.

The Ragdoll cat was promoted diligently by Ann Baker; she went so far as to trademark the term “Ragdoll” so anyone breeding the cat would have to pay her royalties. As the breed grew in popularity so did the wild claims Ann Baker was making about the cats. These claims included the strange, the supernatural and outright silly. Ann Baker claimed her cats had human genes, they never feel pain, and were created by aliens from another planet. Because of Ann Baker’s wild claims she began losing credibility with Ragdoll breeders and many disassociated themselves with her. It was these breeders that had the breed legitimized and recognized by major cat registries. If not for the efforts of breeders such as Denny Dayton, founder of one Ragdoll Association, this breed may have never been taken seriously.

A Ragdoll is a pointed cat. “Pointed” means they have coloration on their face, legs, ears, and tails. Ragdoll cats have light body colors in contrast to their points. There are four colors: Blue, Lilac, Seal, and Chocolate. Body colors are typically cream to ivory, or in some cases bluish grey. Points come in three colors. These colors are bicolor, colorpoint, and mitted. The mitted variety is like colorpoints with white socks and boots. They also have white coloring on their chin and chest area.

Ragdoll cats are affectionate, loyal companions. Ragdoll cats are often compared to canines when it comes to personality. These cats love to interact with humans and have friendly and warm personalities. Because of their docile nature Ragdoll cats should be left indoors exclusively. Most Ragdoll cats will not defend themselves when confronted by another animal.