Ragdoll Beginnings... Ragdoll Myths... Ragdoll Description..
THE RAGDOLL IS A HYBRID BREED .. The Ragdoll Cat did not occur spontaneously in Nature. The earliest breedings took place among mostly feral cats of unknown ancestry. It developed through human intervention, the results of years of selectively breeding certain types of cats to achieve a desired outcome. The Ragdoll cat of today can be traced to the original bloodlines where Ann Baker of Riverside California started it all in the early 1960's
RAGDOLL BEGINNINGS .. In the early '60s a woman in Riverside, California, by the name of Ann Baker created the RAGDOLL breed.....She was a breeder of Persian cats, mostly blacks, before she started working on Ragdolls. Josephine, the cat that started it all, was a white, long-haired cat who belonged to Baker’s neighbour Mrs. Pennels. Like many cats in the area, Josephine was half feral and she often produced kittens. The following is taken from the book The Definitive Guide To Ragdolls by Lorna Wallace, Robin Pickering and David Pollard, published by Ragdoll World UK.
...At the time Ann had been borrowing one of Josephine's older sons to sire progeny in her Black Persian breeding program. This son had the appearance of a Black/Brown Persian and she named him Blackie, and it was one of her visits to borrow him that she saw Blackie's brother. He appeared most impressive and in Ann's words had the appearance of a “Sacred Cat of Burma”. Having already established the owner's trust, she was also permitted to borrow this cat to mate with her own females. She was most taken with this son of Josephine and named him Raggedy Ann Daddy Warbucks. What Ann clearly states is that Blackie and Daddy Warbucks are both sons of Josephine, but with different sires who were unknown and undocumented. In the IRCA booklet it would appear to indicate that Blackie's father was a black cat from the East, that appeared more Persian than Burmese. During detailed questioning, Ann confirmed that no-one had ever seen the father of Daddy Warbucks, and he was the only kitten in that particular litter of Josephine’s. This being so, makes it difficult to take the origins of the breed further.
...Ann Baker's breeding program consisted of a handful of Ragdoll breeders contracted under her. She was paid a royalty fee for every kitten sold. In 1966 Ann Baker registered Daddy Warbucks, Fugianna, Kyoto, and Tike as Ragdolls in the National Cat Fanciers Association. Tiki and Kyoto were registered with Ann Baker being the Owner and Breeder. Daddy Warbucks and Fugianna were registered to Ann's neighbor's the Pennels as Owner but Ann as the Breeder. By 1969 there were only 65 Ragdolls registered with NFCA and Ann was the only Ragdoll breeder.Today the Ragdoll is still a relatively new and unknown breed, but the number of Ragdolls and Breeders is growing very rapidly and are becoming very much in demand.
RAGDOLL MYTHS ..
RAGDOLL DESCRIPTION .. The RAGDOLL's disposition and personality are what makes them a truly unique cats. They are large, quiet, playful, placid, relaxed, very loving and respond well to children and other pets. Ragdolls and dogs do especially well together if the dog is well mannered. Children should be watched around a Ragdoll kitten, but most Ragdolls raised with children will tolerate being “lugged” around the house and be happy to be played with.
RAGDOLLS are slow to mature physically obtaining full maturity between 3 and 4 years of age. Altered adult males may reach 12 to 20 pounds; females will weigh about 5 pounds less.
The Ragdolls fur is rabbit-like, medium long with LITTLE shedding. Remember, all animals, including humans do shed their fur, so expect some shedding in the spring and fall. The RAGDOLL requires little or no routine grooming. During shedding season, be sure to watch for some tangles under the armpits in some Ragdolls. All pointed RAGDOLLS have beautiful blue eyes.
At this time, the only Ragdolls that are accepted for Championship in the show halls, are blue-eyed pointed Ragdolls. The solid color Ragdolls is considered experimental. The solid color Ragdolls can be registered, but have not been accepted as to the “Standard”, by the majority of the breeders. Therefore, the solid Ragdolls cannot be shown towards any titles.
Visit me at http://www.ragabye.com/
THE RAGDOLL IS A HYBRID BREED .. The Ragdoll Cat did not occur spontaneously in Nature. The earliest breedings took place among mostly feral cats of unknown ancestry. It developed through human intervention, the results of years of selectively breeding certain types of cats to achieve a desired outcome. The Ragdoll cat of today can be traced to the original bloodlines where Ann Baker of Riverside California started it all in the early 1960's
RAGDOLL BEGINNINGS .. In the early '60s a woman in Riverside, California, by the name of Ann Baker created the RAGDOLL breed.....She was a breeder of Persian cats, mostly blacks, before she started working on Ragdolls. Josephine, the cat that started it all, was a white, long-haired cat who belonged to Baker’s neighbour Mrs. Pennels. Like many cats in the area, Josephine was half feral and she often produced kittens. The following is taken from the book The Definitive Guide To Ragdolls by Lorna Wallace, Robin Pickering and David Pollard, published by Ragdoll World UK.
...At the time Ann had been borrowing one of Josephine's older sons to sire progeny in her Black Persian breeding program. This son had the appearance of a Black/Brown Persian and she named him Blackie, and it was one of her visits to borrow him that she saw Blackie's brother. He appeared most impressive and in Ann's words had the appearance of a “Sacred Cat of Burma”. Having already established the owner's trust, she was also permitted to borrow this cat to mate with her own females. She was most taken with this son of Josephine and named him Raggedy Ann Daddy Warbucks. What Ann clearly states is that Blackie and Daddy Warbucks are both sons of Josephine, but with different sires who were unknown and undocumented. In the IRCA booklet it would appear to indicate that Blackie's father was a black cat from the East, that appeared more Persian than Burmese. During detailed questioning, Ann confirmed that no-one had ever seen the father of Daddy Warbucks, and he was the only kitten in that particular litter of Josephine’s. This being so, makes it difficult to take the origins of the breed further.
...Ann Baker's breeding program consisted of a handful of Ragdoll breeders contracted under her. She was paid a royalty fee for every kitten sold. In 1966 Ann Baker registered Daddy Warbucks, Fugianna, Kyoto, and Tike as Ragdolls in the National Cat Fanciers Association. Tiki and Kyoto were registered with Ann Baker being the Owner and Breeder. Daddy Warbucks and Fugianna were registered to Ann's neighbor's the Pennels as Owner but Ann as the Breeder. By 1969 there were only 65 Ragdolls registered with NFCA and Ann was the only Ragdoll breeder.Today the Ragdoll is still a relatively new and unknown breed, but the number of Ragdolls and Breeders is growing very rapidly and are becoming very much in demand.
RAGDOLL MYTHS ..
- Ragdoll name comes from its tendency to go limp when held, likened to picking up a soft bundle of rags or to holding a child's ragdoll toy. Actually, this tendency to go limp in your arms may be attributed to their docile, gentle and trusting nature, rather than any physical or genetic factor.
- Ragdolls DO feel pain. It is a myth that the Ragdoll cat is insensitive to pain. If you accidentally step on a Ragdoll kitten or cats tail, it will cry as loudly as any other cat.
- Ragdoll Cats DO shed. All cats shed but the Ragdoll is considered a low shed. In the Spring and Fall you can expect a little more shedding as they adjust their coats to the season.
- Ragdoll are NOT hypo-allergenic. It depends on type of allergy the person has. Dander and protein shed in the saliva is the major cause of allergies. Some can tolerate a Ragdoll, others cannot. Be sure to visit a cattery and if you are ok there after a visit of about an hour you will have a good chance of being ok with one. You may have to vacuum more often and bath the cat monthly.
RAGDOLL DESCRIPTION .. The RAGDOLL's disposition and personality are what makes them a truly unique cats. They are large, quiet, playful, placid, relaxed, very loving and respond well to children and other pets. Ragdolls and dogs do especially well together if the dog is well mannered. Children should be watched around a Ragdoll kitten, but most Ragdolls raised with children will tolerate being “lugged” around the house and be happy to be played with.
RAGDOLLS are slow to mature physically obtaining full maturity between 3 and 4 years of age. Altered adult males may reach 12 to 20 pounds; females will weigh about 5 pounds less.
The Ragdolls fur is rabbit-like, medium long with LITTLE shedding. Remember, all animals, including humans do shed their fur, so expect some shedding in the spring and fall. The RAGDOLL requires little or no routine grooming. During shedding season, be sure to watch for some tangles under the armpits in some Ragdolls. All pointed RAGDOLLS have beautiful blue eyes.
At this time, the only Ragdolls that are accepted for Championship in the show halls, are blue-eyed pointed Ragdolls. The solid color Ragdolls is considered experimental. The solid color Ragdolls can be registered, but have not been accepted as to the “Standard”, by the majority of the breeders. Therefore, the solid Ragdolls cannot be shown towards any titles.
Visit me at http://www.ragabye.com/
