Ragdoll

Coat length	Semi-longhair
Weight	Male: Ø 6.5-10 kg Female: Ø 4.5-6.5 kg
Coat colours:	Black series B- Brown series bb, blbl Red series O- Dilution dd Always with the colourpoint factor cs −
Coat patterns:	Characteristic Ragdoll patterns: colourpoint, mitted, bicolour With or without tabby (lynx) markings, visible mainly in the points.
Activity / playfulness
Grooming needs

The Ragdoll is a cat breed developed in the early 1960s.

History

The breed's foundation female was Josephine, an Angora-like outdoor cat belonging to a neighbour of Ann Baker in California. Baker obtained a male kitten from one of Josephine's litters that resembled a Sacred Birman. Using him and other cats whose identities are not fully documented, she established a line-breeding programme and named her new breed Ragdoll.

The name referred to the tendency of her cats to hang loosely when picked up, like a rag doll. This prompted rumours that the breed experienced pain differently, leading some people to test the animals' pain responses. Humane investigations found no altered pain sensitivity.

Baker's strict breeding requirements, protection of the Ragdoll name and licensing fees on cats descended from her lines made breeding the original Baker Ragdolls difficult. Fortunately, the Dayton family, with the Blossom-Time cattery, and the Chambers family, with Ragnarok, had separated from Baker early enough to continue without those licensing arrangements.

These two catteries largely shaped the traditional Ragdoll: cats in seal, blue, chocolate and lilac, with mitted, colourpoint and bicolour patterns.

Build

The FIFe standard describes a large, substantial cat with medium bone structure and a muscular body, giving an overall impression of strength. The medium-sized head is broad and wedge-shaped, with a flat area between the ears. Medium ears have rounded tips and are widely spaced. The neck is short and strong. The legs are medium-length, with the hind legs slightly longer, so the back slopes towards the shoulders. The long tail is well furnished and bushy. The dense, medium-length coat is soft, silky and close to the body.