The Ragdoll is a large, blue-eyed, pointed breed with a silky semi-long coat, created in California in the 1960s. It comes in colourpoint, mitted and bicolour patterns.
Calm and trusting, it is the second most registered pedigree cat in Britain; breeders test for inherited heart disease.
The Ragdoll is a large, blue-eyed cat with a silky semi-long coat and pointed colouring, bred for a gentle, relaxed temperament. It is the second most popular pedigree cat in Britain.
The breed was created in the 1960s in Riverside, California, by a breeder who selected kittens from a white long-haired cat named Josephine for their size, looks and placid nature. She named them for their tendency to go limp when picked up, promoted some extravagant theories about them, and franchised the breed under her own registry. Other breeders developed it independently and brought it into the mainstream registries. The first Ragdolls arrived in Britain in 1981.
Adult males commonly weigh 6 to 9 kg, females rather less, and the cats take three to four years to mature. The body is long and broad with heavy bone. The coat is soft and silky with little undercoat, longer around the neck and on the tail. All Ragdolls have blue eyes and darker points, in seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red or cream, with or without tabby or tortoiseshell markings. There are three patterns:
Kittens are born white and colour develops over the first weeks.
Ragdolls are calm, affectionate and quiet-voiced. They follow people from room to room, tolerate handling well and get on with children and dogs. Not every Ragdoll goes limp in the arms. Because they are trusting and slow to defend themselves, most breeders recommend keeping them indoors or in an enclosed garden.
The coat does not mat as readily as a Persian's and needs combing two or three times a week. The main inherited concern is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; a DNA test detects the mutation known in the breed, and responsible breeders test. Kidney disease, bladder stones and obesity are also seen.
The Ragdoll is recognised by all the major registries. The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy registered 3,556 kittens in 2023, second only to the British Shorthair.