Ragdoll

Origins:These cats originated in the United States, in California in the 1960's. It took quite a while for them to take a hold as a popular cat in the UK and not all varieties are accepted by the Cat Fanciers accociation for showing.They first appeared in the Uk in 1981. Two Norfolk ladies, Pat Brownsell and Lulu Rowley imported from Calafornia. Lulu's two cats Lad and Lass were Sealpointed and seal Mitted varieties and Lass had given birth to kittens before she was out of Quarentine! This was just the start Lulu and Pat decided to broaden the base of the Ragdoll variety in the Uk and the rest is history.

Appearence:Ragdolls are quite large cats. The male cat on average being between 7-10kgs on average.They are in fact the largest domestic cat variety but at the same time take 3-4 years to reach full maturity. They are heavy-boned muscular cats with a very soft medium-long hair. The tail is long and bushy. All Ragdolls are "pointed" cats. This means that their faces, ears, legs and tails are darker than the body. The standard colours are Seal Chocolate, Blue and Lilac and the accepted patterns are Colour-point, Mitted and Bi-colour.

Personality: Well, its probably the personality that seperates the Ragdoll from most other pedigree cats. They are re-knowned for being laid back, relaxed, and cuddley to handle - to the point where they will just flop contentedly in your arms. However even the British Ragdoll Club accepts a great deal of this is myth that has grown up around the cat. As genuinely laid-back as they are there is nothing to suggest that they are anymore likely to flop like a Ragdoll in your arms anymore than any other cat. They are a relatively undemanding cat, gentle and tolerant of most situations. they also have been said to have almost a "canine quality" in that they want to be with their owners and may follow you from room to room instead of being aloof like a traditional cat.

Well I never!:There are a lot of myths around the Ragdoll.Some owners will say thier cat does flop in their arms in an extra-ordinary way.So there maybe something to be said for this. Another mythis the first ancestor of the Ragdoll was a Persian queen who mismated and, after suffering a broken pelvis in a car accident gave birth to a litter of kittens who "flopped when handled. This would be genetically impossible as the result of a car accident cannot change genetic make-up.Even though their fur is medium length it is easy to deal with as it is non-matting.

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