Ragdoll: An Affectionate Cat Breed with Cuteness Overload.

By
Dr. Preethi Sudarshanie Dassanayake (B.V.Sc., M.Sc., MBA)

RAGDOLL CATS
They are docile, friendly, playful,  Origin: Riverside, California, USA in
affectionate, adorable and one of the most 1960.
cute breed of cats, which make the children  Lifespan: 12 to 15 years.
and other members of family happy. Their  Bred by: Ann Baker.
long, silky, fluffy and luxurious hair coat  The Ragdoll (lap cat) is one of the
make them outstanding sweetness among largest and sweetest domesticated cat
other competitive breeds of cats.They are breed.
blessed with remarkably beautiful bright blue  Average weight of adult animal:
eyes. Female: 3.6 to 6.8 kg.
The name Ragdoll is derived from their Male: 5.4 to 9.1 kg.
original breeding stock which displayed a  Length: 17 to 21 inches (not including
tendency to go to limp and relaxed when they tail).
picked up by their owners. They also referred  Growth: A slow growing breed and
as “lap cats”. They are highly recommended growth period extends up to 4 years.
to novel pet owners.  Patterns: Four main patterns.
Bicolor- The prominent color
is white and white color
appears on their paws, chest
and under the belly.
Furthermore, an inverted V
marking on their faces are
white in color. They have
dark markings on outer part
of their masks, tails and ears.

Photo courtesy: Google Image.

Blue bicolor Ragdoll.

Mitted – They have
distinguished “glove” like
white mittens on their front
paws. Similarly, hind legs
with white boots, up to hock.
Furthermore, they have white
on chin, chest and white belly
stripes. Some of them have a
white blaze (white line or
spot) in between the eyes.

Seal Colorpoint.

Van – They have coloring on

their face, ears and tail. The
inverted white V of mask is
higher than bicolor and can
be seen above the corner of
the eye. They are allowed to
have coloring where there is
white. However, strictly no
white coloring, on where
there is dark coloring. Their
foot pads and nose are pink in
color.
Mitted Ragdoll.
Colorpoint – Ragdolls who
are members of this pattern
show a whole pattern of dark
blocks on their extremities.
That is dark blocks on face,
ears, limbs and tails. The
color patterns on the back are
slightly lighter than the color
of extremities. However, this
light color should be Blue-Van Bicolor Ragdoll.
consistent with dark color on
points. Furthermore,  Colors: Six colors.
Ragdolls belong this pattern Red (flame) – they display
shouldn’t have any white fierce orange color in their
markings on their body.
 coats and commonly complemented by lilac or
found as red mitted coat. cream in bicolor Ragdolls.

Red Lynx Point Ragdoll Cat.

Chocolate Ragdoll Cat.

Seal- This color varies
from very dark brown to Blue- This color can be
brown black. described as medium to
light grey or blue-grey.

Seal bicolor Ragdoll

Chocolate – this color

Blue mitted Ragdoll
range from a light brown
to dark chocolate brown.
Lilac- This color is
Most of the time this
somewhat similar to blue.
chocolate color
Furthermore, it is much
 lighter than blue with a  The Ragdoll is a pointed breed. That
pink hue. It can be is the body is lighter in color than the
referred as a very light points (face, legs, tail and ears).
grey. They have less blue  Points can be: Four types.
with more white color. Solid.
Lynx – This lynx Ragdolls
have characteristics tabby
markings. That is they have a
coat featuring distinctive
stripes, dots, lines or swirling
patterns. Similarly, they have
tabby points with unique “M”
shaped pencil lines on their
forehead. Their eyes outlined
with white liner. However,
this tabby stripping
appearance caused by
“agouti” gene.
Lilac Point Ragdoll

Cream- This color is

similar to red. However,
this color is much lighter
than red. It can be
described as somewhere
between a light brown and
red. In other way it can be
described as ivory or pale
sand.

Blue Lynx Point Ragdoll.

Tortie – This is a mix of red

or cream with one of the other
traditional colors. However,
the gene responsible for red is
carried on the female “X”
chromosome. All of them are
females.
Cream point bicolor.
 Affectionate.
Bold.
Loyal.
 Other special advantages associate
with Ragdolls are:
Easy to train and groom.
Friendly towards owners,
strangers and other pets.
Low prey drive.
Blue Tortie Ragdoll. A calm lap cat.
 They prefer to stay on the ground and
Torbie (tortie and lynx) – It is known as floor cats.
the mix of Tortie and Lynx.  Average litter size: 5 kittens.
Most of the time with Tortie  Common health problems:
coloring with Lynx tabby Obesity.
markings. Hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy.
Feline infectious peritonitis.
Bladder stones (Calcium
oxalate).
Feline
mucopolysaccharidosis.

Lilac Torbie Randoll.

 They are born in white color and

show off colors at 8 to 10 weeks.
They develop full color and coat at 3
to 4 years.
 Hair coat: Semi-long and silky hair
with little undercoat.
 Shedding: Low-shedding. However,
seasonal shedding.
 Tail: Bushy tail.
 Temperament:
Sociable.