Cat of the Month - February, 2011

Origins of the Breed
The Ragdoll breed originates from the early 1960's, when a woman came across a female cat that had been injured by a car, looked somewhat like a Persian or an Angora, and had the strange quality of going completely limp whenever she was picked up. This led the woman, Ann Baker, to believe that the cat had been subjected to genetic alteration experiments and was therefore impervious to pain. Once the cat recovered enough to have kittens, they also had this habit of becoming limp. These kittens were the offspring that resulted from a male Birman and the "genetically altered" Persian/Angora look-alike, and they also had the colored point markings like Siamese cats.

Top Secret Government Experiments?
Ann Baker took the unusual route of starting her own cattery and officially registering the breed Ragdoll, once the first kittens became adults and had kittens of their own. Baker named the registry the International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA). Over the years this breed has become quite popular and is second only to the Maine Coon Cat and the Persian as favorite long haired cats. IRCA has always been haunted by hints of scientic controversy becaus of Baker's theories of genetic alteration, even though most folks scoff and point out that such experiments would not have even been possible in the early 1960's. Baker's answer to that was that the government had, of course, buried the evidence, so she had no way of proving it. She also claimed that the Ragdoll had been crossed with a skunk to get the full and fluffy tail that the cat sports, and furthermore, there is evidence of alien abduction and extraterrestrial interference with the animal.

Ragdoll Colors
At any rate, the Ragdoll is a very docile pet. Not all of them have the quality of going limp when they are picked up, but as a breed they are very easy-going and gentle. They aren't at all good at defending themselves, so they make ideal indoor pets. The Ragdoll comes in six variations of color; seal , chocolate, flame, blue, lilac, and cream. They tend to be mostly white, with the kittens being born completely white and showing colors at the age of eight - ten weeks. There are three patterns of the colored markings: Pointed - one color darkening the nose, ears, paws, and tail; Mitted - similar to the Pointed, but with white paws and a belly stripe of white running down from the chin to the genitals, a white chin, and may/may not have a "blaze" or spot of white on the face; and Bicolored - white legs, an inverted 'V" of white on the face, a white abdomen, and sometimes white patches on the back. Excessive amounts of white are called the "Van" pattern, although this does not occur as frequently as the other patterns do. Among the colored patterns there can be variations, such as tortoise or calico.

Ragdoll Size and Personality
The Ragdoll is a big cat: females are eight to ten pounds, while males are twelve to twenty pounds. Although they have long fur, it doesn't tend to mat, tangle, or shed excessively, making them easier to take care of than some other long haired cats. They have great big blue eyes, even as adults, and have very sweet expressions. They also tend to be very loyal to their owners and the rest of the family, and like to follow their people around whenever they can. They also like to lay down and flop at their owner's feet, a characteristic which has given them the nickname "puppycats." They are good with children, since they have such docile natures and don't scratch, although very young children should be supervised when they are around the cat since a Ragdoll will instinctively lash out if it is provoked or hurt.

Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragdoll_cat
www.ofcats.com/2008/06/ragdoll.html
www.iams.com/cat-breeds/ragdoll_cats.aspx