The history is interesting thanks to Ann Baker’s bahavior. The appearance and character of the Ragdoll cat is perhaps one of the best known, in part, because of the breed’s descriptive name.
The first thing to note is that this cat is pointed (darker extremities – colorpoint coat) with blue eyes. As for the Siamese, Ragdoll cats are born white and the dark extremities develop due to heat differences throughout the body. The fur is rabbit like, it is said, meaning soft and silky. The body medium to large2 and muscular. The body is long and the boning heavy.
Photo of Bicolor Ragdoll: copyright Helmi Flick
One of the four different patterns has no white interfering with the points (see Ophelia above). The other three patterns are (a) mitted, the same as the Snowshoe and Birman. In the mitted pattern there is a limited amount of white fur on the feet and the face, (b) bicolor, an example of a classic bicolor is the Japanese Bobtail, in which there is whiter and the white is also on the body and (c) van, see Turkish Van.
These latter three patterns have varying degrees of white spotting on the fur. The whitest fur is found on the bicolor, the least on the mitted. See the genetics section for a brief discussion the action of the genes causing these patterns. The fur is semi-long.
The van and bicolor can compete for prizes in CFA shows while the other two patterns can show but not compete for titles.
This breed is large (males 15-20 lbs, perhaps up to 25lbs). They are very similar in size to the Maine Coon for example, which is considered one of the largest domestic cats.
There are six point colors:
- Seal (see an example below) – this is the most common colour for Ragdolls7.
- Blue
- Chocolate
- Lilac (the kittens below)
- Red
- Cream
11th Jan 2011 Update: I have added a page on the Ragdoll Breed Standard with a large Helmi photo (marked up).
In 2016, a cat adopted us. He was a stray, but we soon learned he was domesticated and fixed. My daughter believes he is a ragdoll. He fits the characteristics: size, demeanor, eye color etc. Can you view the pics and tell me what you think. I have other pictures of him.
Hi Dale. Thanks for commenting. It seems the years with the breeder may have affected her character. She is definitely anxious as you say. Chronically anxious it seems. I guess you have checked her out for cystitis. A long shot. Anxiety can cause cystitis and cystitis causes inappropriate elimination.
I presume she is spayed by the way. If not please spay her.
Sometimes a cycle can be set up. A cat pees on the carpet. The owner becomes annoyed. The cat becomes anxious. The cat pees some more on the carpet through anxiety and so on. That cycle needs to be broken. Is he litter trained? Crazy question perhaps but worth asking.
Are you around the home a lot or not much? If you are away a lot that may cause anxiety and her reclusive nature. It can also lead to cystitis as mentioned. Personally I don’t like the idea of drugs because it just treats the symptoms. If you have totally covered all the possible causes then drugs might be the answer but they must be a last resort.
What does your vet say? I’d try and interact more with her. Play with her. Be around her more etc.. If you don’t have the time for this it would be a shame because I think it may be the cure but it will a slow process I feel. Although I may be incorrect about the cause.
I presume she is a full-time indoor cat. If not and she goes outside sometimes there may be a cat outside who terrorises her. Sometimes indoor cats can be upset by the presence of cats outside who they can see through the window. That is a long shot to but may be worth checking out. I am speculating because I don’t know the full facts.
There is one last possibility: rehoming with a retired person who has time. But this may seem crazy to you and I’d understand if it is. Good luck.
Hello, I picked up my Rockstar from a breeder here in Vancouver Canada. She is a retired breeder who apparently never gave her owner kittens. I’ve had her for a year now(she is 4). She has issues with peeing everywhere. Bathtub, bed, my rug, and most recently my couch. I have been using Feliway but it only seems to work for a while. She spends most of her time alone in the basement. I got a kitten this past summer. They seem to get along. When I pick her up to pet her she has a look of “why are you touching me”. Will she ever warm up to me or is she destined to be anxious forever. I’m tempted to try drugs to keep her happy.
Thanks Art. Nice to hear from a visitor who has some personal experiences of the very popular Ragdoll or RagaMuffin (a very similar cat).