Breed Standard CFA : Ragdoll..............................Breed Standard WCF : Ragdoll

Breed Profile: Ragdoll

 

Ragdolls are large, laid-back, semi longhaired cats with captivating blue eyes.
The Ragdoll is a pointed breed, which means that the body is lighter in color
than the points (the face, legs, tail and ears). The Ragdoll cat is carefully bred
to produce large affectionate animals in three patterns, two with white (mitted
and bicolor) and one with no white (colorpoint). The ideal Ragdoll is a well
balanced cat, with no extreme features. Altered males will usually top the
scale at 15-20 pounds; females are proportionately smaller and usually weigh
between 10-15 pounds at maturity. Ragdolls are slow-maturing, reaching full
coat color at two years, and full size and weight at four.

Ragdoll cats tend to be more interested in humans than some breeds of cats.
They are known to run to greet you at the door, follow you from room to room,
flop on you, sleep with you, and generally choose to be where you are. Many
Ragdolls have been taught to come when called and play fetch. They are gentle
cats, and usually play without extending their claws. Ragdolls tend to be floor
cats, not jumpers. The Ragdoll’s semi long coat is plush and silky, and requires
minimal grooming to keep it looking its best. They should be combed with a
steel comb on a regular basis to find and remove any loose hair or tangles.

Quality coats consist mainly of long, soft guard hairs. Ragdolls, just like all
breeds of cats, will shed, usually with the change of seasons.The absence of
the thick, dense, insulating undercoats results in reduced shedding and matting.
In all, Ragdolls are well behaved, and easy to care for – perfect for our modern,
busy, lifestyles.

There are four patterns: bi-color, van, mitted and colorpoint. Patterns come in
six colors: seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, and cream. Points may be solid, lynx,
tortie, or torbie (tortie and lynx). If you do the math, you can see that there are
quite a large number of different combinations possible! CFA accepts bi-color
and van patterns for showing in the full array of color combinations; mitteds
and colorpoints are registered and shown in the AOV class (Any Other Variety)
where they are judged and ranked but do not attain titles at this time.
Colorpoint Ragdolls have the classic pointed markings with no white anywhere
in their coat. Mitteds have white feet in the front and white boots that go all the
way up and around the hock in the back, a white chin and belly stripe. Mitted
Ragdolls may have a blaze, star or hourglass shaped atch of white on their
forhead and nose. Bi- colors have more whiteё all four paws, their underbodies,
chest, and an upside-down ‘V’ marking on their faces are white. They may have
a splash or two of white on their backs. Only their tails, ears, and the outer part
of their masks show the darker markings. In the Van pattern, only the top of the
mask, ears, and tail, and perhaps a few spots on the body, show darker markings.

Ragdolls were developed in the 1960’s by Ann Baker; a breeder in Riverside
California.