Katlinels Montana Storm - & - Katlinels Toronto

RAGDOLLS

You are running a Java-Challenged Browser

What is a Ragdoll?

Ragdolls are the worlds largest domestic cat. They are very relaxed and placid with a gentle temperament. They are muscular and physically well balanced. They have semi-long hair which doesn't matt like that of a Persian, and has a soft rabbit like texture. All three patterns are based around the basic Himalayan markings similar to that of a Siamese.

Where do they come from?

The birthplace of the Ragdoll was California in the 1960s, mainly due to the efforts of one woman. However, thankfully other breeders recognised the unique beauty of these cats and began breeding programmes of their own which meant that the Ragdoll became far more accessible, and was able to spread throughout the States. The breed is still fairly unknown outside of the US, but is rapidly become a popular breed in Europe, where it recently achieved recognition for showing with the Cat Association of Britain. The Bi-colour Ragdoll is the only pattern so far which can compete for International titles through FIFe (the Federation International Feline), to which the Cat Assocition is a member, though the Colourpoint and Mitted patterns can gain nationally recognised titles through C.A. The Ragdolls were created by the crossing of a female Persian with a male Birman, a female Burmese was also introduced into the breeding programme.

Controversy and Myth

The Ragdoll has attracted a lot of media attention over the years mainly due to the myths that have been started about it. The main myth is that the breed was formed from a litter of kittens born to a cat that had recently been involved in a car accident. The myth stated that the kittens grew up into extremely floppy and placid cats (hence the name) who had a high tolerance for pain. This is untrue. A car accident could not be responsible for altering the genetic make-up of the kittens. It is more likely that this was a clever marketing ploy to attract attention to the breed. Unfortunately it also attracted a lot of controversy from people worried about the health and welfare of the cats. Ragdolls are very placid cats, and will relax and go floppy when held, but only if they feel comfortable and relaxed with the person holding them. The rumour that they have a high tolerance to pain is totally false. Anyone who owns a Ragdoll and has accidentally stepped on their tail will agree that the Ragdoll feels pain just like any other cat. Responsible Ragdoll breeders will rely upon the beauty and friendly nature of these cats to attract buyers, and wouldn't consider selling a kitten to anybody without first telling them the truth about the breed. Unfortunately, many of the breed books available today still quote the inaccurate rumours about the breed, and this still attracts people who are more interested in a 'novelty toy' cat, rather than a beautiful and affectionate pet. Don't believe everything you read in books, find a reputable breeder and go and see their cats. Try to spend as much time with them as you can so that you can find out what they are really like before you committ yourself to buying a kitten. Good breeders will allow you to handle their adult cats, and provided you wash your hands, should allow you to play with the kittens so that you can find out how a particular kitten reacts to you. If you are not allowed to touch the cats or kittens, then I would suggest that you find another breeder who is more accomodating. The Ragdoll is an ideal cat for families, as they adapt very well to children and other pets, they are also ideal for people who live in apartments without access to the outdoors. My own Ragdolls live quite happily indoors and only go outside if I take them for a walk on a lead. The Ragdoll cat is slow to mature, and can take upto three years to develop the full coat colour and markings. However they do grow quickly, females generally weigh between 12-15lbs and males 15-20lbs.

Characteristics

Head

Skull medium to large size, flat plane between the ears, cheeks well developed, tapering to a rounded well developed muzzle and firm chin with a level bite. The nose should have a gentle break and be of medium length.

Ears

Medium in size. Broad at the base with a slight tilt forward. Medium furnishings (tufts) in the ears. the ear should be rounded at the tip. Set wide on the skull.

Eyes

Large, oval, set with a slight slant. Outer edge of the eye aperture to be level with the base of the ear. Blue in colour, the deeper blue the better.

Body

The body is long and muscular. The neck should be short, strong and heavy set. Chest should be broad and well expanded. Full maturity is achieved between three and four years of age.

Legs and Paws

Legs must be medium in length and of medium heavy bone. Hind legs to be slighty higher than the front. The paws should be large, round, firm and tufted.

Tail

The tail should be long, bushy, slightly tapered towards the tip and in proportion to the body.

Coat

Silky texture, dense, medium length, lying with the body and parting as the cat moves. Short on the face. Longer around neck framing the the face. Short over the shoulders. Medium length on the back, sides, abdomen and hindquarters. Short to medium length on the front legs. (Seasonal variations in the coat shall be recognised.)

Colours

Seal

The back of the Seal Ragdoll should be of an even beige, lightening gradually to a cream colour on the belly and chest. Points should be a dense, deep, seal brown, and all of the same shade.

Chocolate

The body colour of the Chocolate Ragdoll should be ivory. The points should be a milk chocolate colour and all of the same shade.

Blue

The back of the Blue Ragdoll should be a bluish white in colour, shading into a lighter colour on the belly and chest. Points should be a greyish-blue and all of the same shade.

Lilac (or Frost)

The body colour of the Lilac Ragdoll should be a magnolia white. The points should be a pinkish-grey tone and all of the same shade.

WARNING: Some cats which are registered as Chocolate or Lilac may need to be re-registered at a later date, as when the cat matures the coat colour may turn out to be Seal or Blue. A good pointer for colour identification is to check the edges of the ears as the colour appears to be more defined in this area.

Patterns

Colourpoint

The colour of the points (mask, ears, feet and tail) to be well defined. The mask covers the cheeks, whisker pads, nose, eyes and chin. Nose leather and paw pads should be the same colour as the points. White anywhere is considered a fault.

Mitted

The colour of the points (mask, ears, legs and tail) to be well defined. A narrow white blaze on the nose is permitted. The chest, chin and bib are white as is the underbody from chest to tail. The two front paws will have white mittens that are evenly matched and not extending beyond the angle formed by the paw and the leg. The back legs will have white boots to the hock. Nose leather should be the same colour as the points, and the paw pads should be pink.

Bi-colour

The mask should have an inverted 'V' of white starting on the forehead, extending downwards covering the nose, whisker pads and chin. The bib, chest and entire underbody to the base of the tail should be white. The front legs should be all white. The back legs should be white to the level of the hock. The 'V' should be balanced and not extend beyond the outer aperture of the eye. A limited amount of white is permitted on the body, but not on the points. The colour of the points (remainder of the mask) ears and tail) should be clearly defined. All nose leather and paw pads should be pink.

Ragamour Meridoc (Havoc), is a Seal Mitted Ragdoll, The white blaze on his face is too large to qualify him for showing, but all other markings and his general body shape and size are perfect for breeding. Havoc has sired several litters of excellent kittens, non of whom have inherited the white blaze.

LINKS

Ragamour Cattery	Julia's Dreamdolls
RagtymDolls	Stellahart
Can't Wait Cat Co.	Mewsicats
Kentucky Ragdolls	Wheatcrest Ragdolls
C.P.Ragdolls	Kaufman Ragdolls
HiBorne Ragdolls	Cat Fanciers Web Site
Ragdoll FAQs	Ragamuffins

Katlinel Home Page	Singapura Cats
Feline Behavior Help	Feline Advisory Bureau
Durham, North Carolina My Adopted Home.	Real Estate in North Carolina
Find out who I am!	My Resume
See Our Awards	Internet Clubs
Watch this space - new pages coming soon!!!
Search The Web Sounds Pictures Sites by Subject Top 5% Sites for:

---

The RagRing

This RagRing site is owned by Katlinel Cats [Previous| Skip| Random| Next 5| Join]

Next

---

Email Me

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page