Information

Breed Introduction

The Ragdoll is a large cat breed with semi-long silky hair and bright blue eyes. 

The Ragdoll breed is a slow maturing breed reaching full size at 4 years and full coat color at 2 years. Full grown altered male Ragdolls usually weigh 15-20 pounds; full grown altered female Ragdolls usually weigh 10-15 pounds. 

The Ragdoll cat breed gets its name from the breed’s relaxed temperament, but still have a playful personality when they are young. When Ragdolls play, they tend to be more gentle than other cat breeds by not extending their claws. 

A Ragdoll’s calm nature makes them great pets for families with children or other pets. Ragdolls tend to be a more social breed by following their owners from room to room. Since Ragdolls crave social interaction, it is suggested to have another cat for your Ragdoll to interact with if you plan to be gone the majority of the day.

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History

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The Ragdoll breed was first established in the 1960s by Ann Baker, a breeder living in Riverside, California. 

To develop the Ragdoll breed, Ann first bred a white longhaired female domestic cat, Josephine, to a seal mitted male, Daddy Warbucks, and a solid black male, Blackie. The kittens from Josephine’s litters had the same loving and relaxed personality that today’s Ragdolls are known for. 

Ann Baker continued to develop her Ragdoll breeding program by selecting cats that had the same look and temperament she wanted for the program. Her program continued to grow when other breeders contracted as franchises under her.

In 1971, Ann Baker started her own registry for Ragdolls, the International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA). Under this association, Ragdolls were not allowed to be registered in other registries. Eventually, some breeders broke off from the IRCA hoping to help the Ragdoll breed gain more recognition. Among these breeders included the husband and wife team, Denny and Laura Dayton, who helped with getting the Ragdoll breed recognized by major cat registries. 

Since the Ragdoll breed joined major registries such as the Cat Fancier’s Association and the International Cat Association, the breed has continued to gain popularity worldwide.

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Breed Traits

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A Ragdoll falls into one of four categories based on their coat type: traditional, mink, sepia, or solid. 

According to the Ragdoll breed standard, a Ragdoll is a pointed cat with blue eyes. Traditional Ragdolls are born in a variety of different standard colors.  However, I hope to be able to produce Ragdolls of each of the standard colors in the future.

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TRADITIONAL STANDARD COLORS ACCEPTED BY TICA:

Seal  ♥  Blue  ♥  Chocolate  ♥  Lilac  ♥  Red  ♥  Cream ♥  Cinnamon  ♥  Fawn

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Ragdolls come in three different patterns with three possible overlays. Listed below are the different Ragdoll patterns and overlays.

PATTERNS:

Colorpoint  ♥  Bicolor  ♥  Mitted

OVERLAYS:

Lynx  ♥  Tortie  ♥  Torbie (combination of Tortie and Lynx)

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Some Ragdolls may have a unique white marking on their nose called a blaze. 

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Kitten Care

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The best way to acclimate a new Ragdoll kitten to your home is to choose a bathroom or a small area where there is no where for the kitten to hide. Put food, water, and litter in the room for when the kitten arrives. Leave the kitten in this small area for at least a few hours. Take the kitten out as often as you want, but keep them on your lap while petting them to make them feel safe.

Once you are sure your kitten is eating, drinking, and using the litter box correctly, then you can slowly allow them to explore the rest of the house. You should repeatably take the kitten back to the area with its litter box to make sure it knows its location. 

Be patient with your new kitten. It can take a few days for kittens to settle in and feel safe in their new home.

Introduce other pets in the household gradually. Ragdolls typically are fearless and love everyone, so it shouldn’t take long for them to become accustomed to interacting with other pets. However, remember every cat is different. Some may take longer than others.

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Kitten Essentials

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All my kittens are currently being fed Nutro Ultra Kitten dry food. If you wish to use a different type of cat food, you should gradually transition to a new brand by mixing in a small amount of new food on day one, increasing the amount of new food over 7 days time until transition is complete. Failure to provide the food your kitten is accustomed to during the first several days in its new home can result in upset stomach, diarrhea, weight loss and/or constipation, which can lead to other, more serious health issues. 

Another important note is Ragdolls tend to have a more sensitive stomach than other cat breeds. I suggest not feeding them too many treats or human food. Otherwise, it will cause them to have diarrhea.

Your kitten has been litter-box-trained using Fresh Step Clumping Litter. Please purchase at least one bag of this or similar litter to use on top of other type of litter you want to change to. 

The litter box should be shown to the kitten several times until you’re sure they know where it is. New kittens are often very excited about exploring their new home and may forget the location of the box if not taken to it multiple times. As the kitten gains access to the whole house and becomes familiar with the layout, the box can be moved from the small area you placed the kitten in to a more discreet, permanent location.

My adult cats use the Litter Robot – an automatic, self-cleaning litter box. The most frightening for a kitten is the flap style litter box, so I do not recommend this type until the kitten is older. Otherwise, the kitten may be too scared to go through the flap and start using the floor for a litter box or some other obscure location, like your bed.

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Grooming

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Please DO NOT declaw your kitten. 

I suggest trimming your kitten’s nails regularly. It keeps your kitten from getting their nails caught in fabric which can be painful to the kitten. When the kitten is quiet, gently massage her feet to get her use to being handled. Then, gently push the claw forward and use cat nail trimmers or ordinary nail clippers to nip off the end. Be extra careful not to get too close to the quick. I also suggest bathing, blow drying, and brushing your kitten regularly. If you are planning to show your cat, it is important to get them used to being washed and blow dried. You will want them to look their best when it comes time to show them.

Kittens should also have their teeth regularly cleaned to prevent dental issues in the future. Start by using your finger with cat toothpaste to clean your kitten’s teeth. Once your cat gets used to your finger, you can try using the small toothbrush included with the toothpaste.

To clean your cat’s ears and eyes, use a cotton ball with warm water to gently remove wax and eye discharge.

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