Ragdoll

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In my volunteer job as a cat socializer at a private shelter near my home, I met a lot of cats. But the one that stood out the most for me in the two years I spent petting kitties was a special guy named Blue.

I first saw Blue on a day when I walked into the cat condo “neighborhood” of the shelter. Several cats were loose in the room, playing with toys and scratching on cat furniture. But Blue was more interested in me. He rubbed up against my leg with his fluffy white coat, his pretty blue points giving away the reason for his name. When I picked him up, he gazed at me with his stunning blue eyes and melted in my arms. I cradled him like a baby — it was hard to put him down. Two weeks later when I came back to the shelter, Blue was gone. I wasn’t surprised that he had found a home.

Blue was a Ragdoll — a very special breed of cat that is not only beautiful to look at but amazing to hold. He’d found his way to the shelter because his owner had passed away. The beauty, charm and warmth that I had seen in Blue meant he wouldn’t go long without a home.

ragdoll
Photo: cynoclub | Getty Images

Rags to riches

Unlike some cat breeds that have been around for hundreds of years, the Ragdoll is a relatively new addition to the feline world.

Developed in the 1960s by breeder Ann Baker in Riverside, California, the Ragdoll has humble origins. Baker adopted a long-haired, white stray cat she named Josephine and bred her to another stray she adopted from the neighborhood. The resulting kittens had very lovable personalities. Baker decided to create a new breed and selectively bred cats for a certain look and temperament.

Today, the Ragdoll is a popular breed with a luxurious appearance and a grand reputation as a show cat. But even more importantly, Ragdolls are known for being great companions.

“My favorite thing about the Ragdoll is that they are ideally suited to city living and people in need of emotional support animals,” says Nancy Hamilton, a Ragdoll breeder in Burke, Virginia. “I discovered the Ragdoll when I was trying to find a pet for my autistic child. I wanted an indoor, affectionate pet that would help draw my daughter out of her shell. It would need to put up with inappropriate play at times, be hypoallergenic and enjoy snuggling with her but also be low-maintenance. It wouldn’t require grooming or daily walks during the workday. I found all that and more in the Ragdoll.”

Ragdoll
Photo: cynoclub | Getty Image

The outer beauty of the Ragdoll

Lovability is only one of the Ragdoll’s amazing characteristics. A semi-long, plush and silky coat is a requirement of all Ragdolls, along with vivid blue eyes. Ragdoll coats come in four patterns: bi-color, van, mitted and colorpoint. Those patterns are seen in six different colors: seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red and cream. The points of a Ragdoll, which are located on the face, legs and tail, may be solid, lynx, tortie or torbia (a cross between the lynx and the tortie).

Ragdolls are solid cats with a medium to large build, heavy bone and long, rectangular bodies. Their legs are moderately long, and so are their tails.

But while the Ragdoll is beautiful to behold, the breed’s personality is his most treasured trait.

“There is no other breed of cat that is as friendly as the Ragdoll,” Nancy says. “The breed has a personality more akin to the domesticated dog. Ragdolls are extremely happy to see people and are outgoing, friendly and loyal. They are ideal pets because they’ll greet their owners at the door and will sit with their humans on the couch or on their laps. They want to please and spend time with their humans, much more like a type of dog than a breed of cat.”

Top photography by princigalli | Getty Images.

7 thoughts on “Ragdoll”

  1. I have 2 Ragdolls Riley and R-Lee. One is a Seal point that weighs 10 pounds the other is a Blue Mitted that weighs 14 pounds.. They are incredible amazing sweethearts that cuddle me at night. My husband died nearly 4 years ago and they were a wonderful replacement because they don’t snore. You can’t go wrong

  2. I’ve had my ragdoll Gypsy for 15 years now. She’s very lovable and loyal but only to me! She’s always disliked all other people and pets ????

  3. I have a question about a ragdoll cat I don’t know if mine is one but she is black and white Hereford starting to turn white except around the legs and her tail can a ragdoll also be black?

  4. Hi there I have 2 purebred ragdolls 1 is a blue and other is a seal. Blue is very friendly to me the seal point is rather moody. They both do not like to be pick up Ragdolls are not Allergenic like they say their fur is everywhere they need to be brushed everyday. I love my cats, but all cats are different I would never buy again. These cats are very smart and they love to play fetch

  5. My rag doll Chloe is 2 years old and keeps clawing the corners of my furniture. What can I do to stop this? She has plenty of scratching posts

    1. Make sure the scratching posts are next to your furniture or at least near. You may also give treats when your cat uses the scratching posts.

    2. Hi Paula
      I have three wonderful ragdolls that love to scratch things. They love their scratch posts so when they decided to scratch the sofa I put small scratch posts at the back of each corner . At the front I put two sided tape on the corners. They didn’t like the tape so they stayed away and eventually I was able to take the tape off. I did the same at the bottom of my basement stairs where one of them decided it was a good place to scratch. I find they scratch more when their nails are long so I try to keep them trimmed. I hope some of this is helpful.

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