Ragdolls are a large, semi-longhaired, pointed cat with captivating blue eyes.  As pointed cats (darker color on their faces, ears, legs and tail) they come in a variety of colors and 3 patterns.  One pattern, the colorpoint, has no white.  The mitted pattern has white on the chin, front paws, back legs and a white belly stripe down the abdomen.  The pointed and white (also known as the bicolor pattern) has much more white, as all four legs are white as well as the underbody and chest.  The bicolor also has an inverted “V” on the face.  The Ragdoll coat is medium longhair with no undercoat which results in less shedding and matting.  Their coats tend to be plush, silky and very soft.  Ragdolls come in seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red and cream.  They also come in a lynx (tabby) color pattern and a tortoiseshell pattern in all of these colors.

Ragdolls are mellow, people friendly and make affectionate companions.  Ragdolls were developed in the 1960’s by Ann Baker, a breeder in California.  The original cats were bred from free roaming cats and other purebred cats she owned.  The first being a long haired white cat domestic cat named Josephine.  The kittens Josephine produced had very nice personalities with unique, laid back temperaments and were large in size.  By working with these offspring, the Ragdoll breed was born.  Today’s Ragdoll males are large cats often weighing 15-20 pounds.  They are well balanced, heavy boned and give the air of subdued power.  Females are proportionately smaller usually weigh in at 10-15 pounds.  Kittens are born all white and develop color in the days and weeks after their birth.  Ragdolls are slow maturing and reach their full size and weight after 4 years of age.  They continue to develop coat color for up to 2 years.

Ragdolls are one of the most popular cat breeds due to their friendly nature.  It is not unusual for them to greet you at the door, follow you from room to room or even play fetch.  Ragdolls are strictly indoor cats and do well with early spay/neuter techniques.  They are quick to learn to use scratching posts and rarely extend their claws during playtime.  They do well with children and adapt to other pets in the home.