About
RagdollsEARLY
BEGINNINGSThe late Ann Baker of Riverside, California
(USA) is the founder of the Ragdoll breed. Ann Baker recounted
the history of the Ragdoll as follows: Ann's neighbour, Mrs
Pennels, owned a white Angora-type female, called Josephine.
Josephine often had kittens, but they were all wild like their
mother.
|
Stand in for Josephine
with the first Ragdoll kittens, Summer 1965,
Left to right : Gueber, Mitts, Tiki and Kyoto |
Josephine was run over by a car and
left lying by the side of the road for a couple of days.
Eventually she was taken to the local university for treatment.
Ann firmly believed that during her time at the university,
Josephine was "genetically manipulated", resulting in future
kittens being loving, relaxed, "floppy" and unable to feel
pain. Today, this belief in Josephine's genetic manipulation
is rejected as a fallacy as the Ragdoll experiences pain in
the same way as any other breed of cat. As far as the
"floppiness" is concerned, kittens and cats from any breed
could present this trait - it is not caused by any genetic
characteristic, but rather by the way in which the kitten
is raised and socialised.
Ann acquired three of Josephine's
half-related kittens from her neighbour Pretty Boy, "a
cat with the appearance of the Sacred Cat of
Burma" (The Birman breed) which Ann later called Daddy Warbucks;
Buckwheat (a black non-pointed female); and Fugianna (a
badly marked Bicolour female). These three cats became the
founding Ragdolls, producing the first Ragdoll kittens.
In the summer of 1965, a litter of four kittens were born
- two pointed and two non-pointed kittens. Ann
ruled the Ragdoll breeding programme with a strict hand,
registering and patenting the name Ragdoll and franchising
out future breeding stock under strict contracts.
Remaining protective over her kittens,
Josephine fought with the family dog. It is alleged that
Mr Baker, who had had enough of Josephine's protectiveness,
had Josephine and her kittens destroyed, thereby ending
the life of the founding queen of the Ragdoll breed.
Ann Baker passed away in 1997.During mid-1997 the first
Ragdolls were imported to South Africa, and in November
1999 the Ragdoll breed achieved full championship status
in the South African show halls. Early 2000
the non-pointed Ragdoll was granted full championship status
in South Africa. Raglin Ragdolls produced the first
Ragdoll to qualify for, and compete in, the
prestigious annual Cat of The Year competition. Read
more about SP PM Raglin's Mille Miglia on the Gallery :
Colourpoint web pages.(Some information and all pictures
above from "The Definitive Guide to Ragdolls" by Lorna Wallace,
Robin Pickering & David Pollard)
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RAGDOLL
TemperamentRagdolls have amiable temperaments.
Although they differ individually, they are gentle and quiet
cats. They enjoy human companionship although
some individuals might enjoy sitting next to you, rather
than in your lap. They also enjoy the company of other
pets, including dogs. Due to Ragdolls being trusting,
they should never ever be allowed to roam the neighbourhood
where they could get into harm's way.Gentle GiantsThe
ideal Ragdoll is a large, imposing, strongly built cat with
an elongated body, moderately long legs and plumed tail
in proportion to the body. They may also have a fat
pad (Greater Omentum) on the lower abdomen.Neutered males
could easily grow into gentle giants weighing more than
10 kg. Spayed females could weigh up to about 7kg.
Ragdolls mature slowly and do not reach maturity until they
are approximately four years old. Point colouring
could take up to three years to develop.PatternsPointed
Ragdolls come in three different patterns:
- Colourpoint Dark mask, ears,
legs & tail; no white whatsoever allowed
- Mitted Dark mask, ears and tail;
white mittens on front feet and white hind legs
- Bicolour Dark ears & tail;
white legs; inverted "V" on the face
Seal
Colourpoint |
Seal
Mitted |
Seal
Bicolour |
ColoursPointed Ragdolls
come in six different colours:
- Seal Points are deep seal brown
- Blue Points are slate blue
- Chocolate Points are milk chocolate
in colour (rare and not available in South Africa)
- Lilac Points are frosty gray
(rare and not available in South Africa)
- Flame - Points are deep orange
flame to deep red
- Cream - Points are buff cream
to apricot in colour
Blue
Colourpoint |
Blue
Lynx Bicolour |
Cream
Colourpoint |
Seal
Tortie
Mitted |
During the last couple of years, the
Red and Lynx patterns were introduced to the breed and accepted
by cat organisations. Non-Pointed RagdollsNon-pointed
Ragdolls come in the Bicolour and Mitted patterns, as well
as the solid (self-coloured) cat. These cats are purebred
and registered Ragdolls, descending from the foundation
cats and have been implemented in some Ragdoll breeding programmes
to indroduce new genes, vitality and size. At present
there are no purebred, registered non-pointed Ragdolls
being bred with in South Africa. The
Ragdoll CoatRagdolls have a soft, medium length,
non-matting coat which sheds just like any other cat
breed. Regular grooming assists in removing loose, dead
hairs and preventing hairballs. Grooming is a wonderful
one-on-one communication and bonding experience for both owner
and pet.Taking Care of your RagdollRagdolls
dont need any special treatment. High-quality premium
foods and healthy treats, fresh water, a secure and loving
home, de-worming and vaccinations are all that are needed
to maintain their health. Ragdolls are intelligent, alert,
easily trained and can be taught to come on command, fetch
and do tricks.A Ragdoll should never
be dangled like a toy ragdoll. Always pick up a kitten
or lift a cat by supporting it with one hand under the armpits
and the other hand under the buttocks. Never
pick up a kitten or cat by the scruff ... only queens
know how to do it without hurting their kittens.
On a Personal Note:
I am often asked exactly what
attracted me to the Ragdoll breed. It is quite easy
... There is nothing extreme about the Ragdoll. The
"overall package" of the Ragdoll is pleasing to the eye.
The ideal Ragdoll should be large, friendly, soft-spoken,
inquisitive yet not adventurous, and always ready to "lend
a helping hand". They will greet visitors, head-butt
for massages, walk around showing off their plumed
tails and flop down at your feet.
At Raglin Ragdolls, our aim is to only breed with lines that produce
kittens with the above personality traits; as well as
only work with healthy lines that produce kittens
with strong immunities and healthy systems.
VERSIONE ITALIANA
English Version
cattery CFA. Inc.
The Cat Fanciers' Association, the world's largest registry
of pedigreed cats
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