CFA BREED PROFILE
RAGDOLL
Ragdolls are large, loving,laid-back longhairs with beautiful, big blue eyes. The body is light-colored, with darker siamese type points on the face, legs, tail and ears. In most patterns, the points are partly covered with white markings. The ideal ragdoll is a well balanced cat, with no extreme features. Altered males may reach 20 lbs. or more; females are proportionately smaller. Ragdolls are slow-maturing, reaching full coat color at 2 years, and full size and weight at 4 years.
Ragdolls adore their humans. They run to greet you at the door, follow you from room to room, flop on you, sleep with you and love you. They are gentle, carefully avoid scratching people and are good with children, the elderly and dogs. Ragdolls tend to be floor cats, not jumpers. They feel that people prefer purrs to yowls, and keep their voices sofly musical.
Ragdolls are considerate of human's busy schedule, so they bathe and groom moderately long silky coats themselves. They should be groomed with a steel combas part of cuddly ("one hand stroke, one comb stroke; one hand stroke, one comb stroke....") but most never need it. They shed very little, rarely have hairballs, are well-behaved and eager to please.
There are four patterns: bi-color, van, mitted and pointed. Patterns come in eight colors: seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, cream, fawn and cinnamon. Points may be solid, lynx or tortie. CFA accepts bi-colors and vans for showing; mitted and pointed are registered.
Pointed Ragdolls have the classic, siamese-type markings. Mitteds look like they went wading in whipped cream and sneaked a sip: their chins are soft, fluffy white and so are their mittens and boots. Bi-colors look like they went swimming in whipped cream and dunked their faces in for a deep drink. All four legs, their underbodies, chest and upside-down "V" marking on their faces are white and they may have a splash or two of white on their backs. Only their tails, ears and the outer part of their mass show the darker markings. Vans look like they nearly drowned in whipped cream. Only the top of them 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 California. She bred Josephine, a loving, gentle, long-haired white female carrying siamese markings, to other long-haired cats carrying siamese markings. Her original stock consisted of thirty free-roaming cats. By selecting individuals with the look she wanted for her breeding program, she created the type standard for the Ragdoll.
Pricing on Ragdolls usually depends on type, applicable markings and bloodlines. Usually breeders make available kittens between 12 and 16 weeks of age. After 12 weeks, kittens have had their basic innoculations and developed the physical and social stability need for a new environment, showing or being transported by air. Keeping such a rare treasure indoors, neutering or spaying and providing acceptable surfaces (e.g. scratching post) for the natural behavior of scratching (CFA disapproves of declawing or tendonectomy surgery) are essential elements for maintaining a healthy, long and joyful life.
There are CFA clubs devoted to the promotion, protection and preservation of the Ragdoll breed. For more information, plerase send inquiries to CFA, P.O. Box 1005, Manasquan, New Jersey 08736-0805.
NYFD CATTERY HOMEPAGE
