About Ragdolls

Ragdolls were developed in the 1960’s by Ann Baker, a Persian breeder in California, some of whose original stock consisted of sturdy, free-roaming cats. It is thought she created the foundations of the Ragdoll breed by selecting kittens out of Josephine, a semi-feral longhaired white female Persian/Angora type, sired by several unknown male Birman-like or Burmese-like cats, one with Siamese markings. Out of those early litters came Blackie, an all black Burmese-like male and Daddy Warbucks, a Birman-like pointed male. Daddy Warbucks sired the founding bicolor female Fugianna, and Blackie sired Buckwheat, a dark brown/black Burmese-like female. Both Fugianna and Buckwheat were daughters of Josephine. All Ragdoll cats are descended from Josephine through matings of Daddy Warbucks to Fugianna and Buckwheat.

By selecting individuals with the look and temperament she wanted for her breeding program, Anne Baker created the standard Ragdoll type. Denny and Laura Dayton are credited with bringing the Ragdoll breed to worldwide recognition by various cat registration organizations. What is known is that this breed was selectively bred over many years for desirable traits, such as large size, gentle demeanor, and a tendency to go limp when picked up.

Characteristics

The Ragdoll is a large, semi-longhaired cat, exhibiting the pointed pattern in three varieties: colorpoint, bicolor, and mitted. Coat colors can be seal, blue, chocolate, and lilac point colors, either with or without markings on the face and feet. In some associations, they are also available in non traditional colors, such as cream, red (flame), tortie, torbie and lynx point as well as the experimental solids and minks. Their semi-long rabbit-like coats need minimal care and do not usually become matted with regular combing.

Ragdolls typically take up to 4 years to fully mature physically. An adult male can weigh between 12 and 20 lb (5.4 - 9.0 kg), while the females can weigh between 10 and 15 lb (4.5 - 6.8 kg).

Ragdoll Colors

Seal Point: The Ragdoll body color should be ranging from ivory to pale fawn beige, shading gradually into a lighter color on the belly and chest. The points will range from a warm seal brown to a deep brownish black. The paw pads and nose leather to be a seal brown to brownish black, with rosy undertones allowed.

Blue Point: The Ragdoll body should be a bluish white to platinum gray, cold in tone, free of any tinge of brown, shading gradually to lighter color on the belly and chest. The points will be blue- gray to deep slate. The paw pads and nose leather dark blue. They may have rosy undertones.

Chocolate Point: The Ragdoll body should be ivory, shading gradually to lighter color on the belly and chest. The points ranging from warm milk chocolate to bittersweet chocolate, all with rose colored undertones. The paw pads should be a brownish salmon pink and nose leather a rose brown.

Lilac Point: The Ragdoll body will be magnolia white. Points a pale dove gray with pinkish tones to a warmer deep lavender, the dilute pigment permitting the flesh tones to show through. Paw pads and nose leather lavender pink.

Flame Point (also called red): The Ragdoll body should be a warm, even, creamy white. The points will be a deep orange "hot" red. The paw pads and nose leather to be pink.

Cream Point: The Ragdoll body should be creamy white. The points ranging from pale sand to deep cream. The overall impression is dull, cool buff beige. The paw pads and nose leather pink.

Patterns:

Color Point: The points, ears, mask, feet and tail are to be dark with the color well defined. The body should have definite contrast between it and points. Soft shadings of color are allowed on the body, as the cat gets older. Nose leather is the color of the points.

Mitted: The points are to be dark and contrasting to the body, with matching white mitts on the front feet, and white going up the back legs at least to the hock. The chin must be white, and there should be a white belly stripe from the chin down the bib, and running to the base of the tail. This pattern may have a single white blaze between the eyes or a broken blaze between the eyes and on the nose. Blaze may not extend into the nose leather. Nose leather is the color of the points.

Bi-Color: The Ears, mask and tail to be well- Defined in the darker color. The mask is to have an inverted "V" which should be as symmetrical as possible and should not extend beyond the outer edge of the eye on either side. The nose leather must be pink.
The chest, stomach, all four legs, feet and ruff are to be white. The white should reach above the elbow on the front legs, and above the hock on the rear legs.
The back may have shading in a lighter shade of the point color, with various markings of white and color patches.

Lynx Point: Overlays any one of the above patterns. The Lynx pattern shows as tabby markings on the face in what appears to be the letter "W".

Tortie Point: Overlays any of the above patters, Tortie points, color-wise, will generally have red or cream mixed with one of the other colors.

There are many more colors and variations, but these are only to name a few.