Ragdoll 101
The international Cat Association (TICA) has a standard that says what characteristics make a cat a ragdoll, as well as the Cats Fancier Association (CFA). The person responsible for creating the breed Anne Baker had a standard and a definition as to what made a cat a ragdoll, as well as other associations such as Loving Cats World Wide (LCWW). The many Facebook groups and websites are filled with some conflicting information about what a ragdoll is. The truth is the standard varies slightly depending on who you ask. If the cat has been registered in one of the associations there is a strong chance it's lineage is of ragdoll decent. Without proper paper work it's difficult to claim it's truly a ragdoll. Commonly I hear "A ragdoll always has blue eyes and will go limp when you pick them up". This is just one example of a ragdoll however there are other types. Not all ragdolls go limp like a rag. In this area of our website we would like to give you an idea of the different types of ragdolls and how it all become so confusing.
History of the Ragdoll
This is Anne Baker, she's responsible for starting the Ragdoll breed back in the 60's. Anne was a very eccentric women who ran a cattery and in a nut shell bred a fluffy white cat and a Burmese cat and magically got ragdolls. The origin story is this; there was an outdoor cat named Josephine, which was a white Persian Angora type or for a better visual - a fluffy white cat. the fluffy white cat was a rather skittish cat and was always having babies who were also skittish like her. Josephine more than likely hooked up with a Burmese or Birman sire and somewhere in the mix one had the Siamese point coloration. In some letters Ann wrote it's said that Ann used the neighbors cat who resembled a sacred cat of Burma to sire Josephine but no one really knows for sure. Josephine was hit by a car sadly and was required to stay indoors and when this happened the litters she produced were very docile, friendly and no longer skittish. From those litters Anne plucked out the foundation cats for the Ragdoll Breed.
She did a little inline breeding with the group and eventually registered her first two Ragdolls which were named Daddy Warbucks and Fugianna. Daddy Warbucks was a male kitten from Josephine that skittish fluffy white cat and Fugianna was a female kitten from Daddy Warbucks and Josephine.
And thats the origins in a nutshell. Ann had a system she used to limit the inbreeding and increase her breeding stock. She grew her cattery "raggedy ann Cattery" in to an actual registered business and franchised out Ragdolls to other catteries with strict rules. She was even granted a patent in 1975 for the term "ragdoll"
 |  |
|---|---|
 |
Types of
Ragdolls
Ragdolls can be split into two categories. Traditional and minks. Traditional Ragdolls are your floppy blue eyed cats that are accepted in cat shows. The other Ragdolls are referred to as Mink Ragdolls or Cherubim's. Minks and Cherubim's are just as much ragdolls as traditional ragdolls and can be traced back to the Ann Bakers original cats. They are all the same and stem from the same place with just some different physical features. Minks and Cherubim's have much more lush and darker coats. They also typically have aqua colored eyes. When Traditional Ragdoll kittens are born they are solid white and develop their color over time while minks or Cherubim's are born with color. Traditional or minks can be mitted or non mitted. Confused yet? Here are some pictures of common types of ragdolls.
Traditional Blue Point
Mitted Chocolate Mink with
a blaze
Traditional Seal Point
Solid Blue Mitted Mink
Mink Blue Bicolor
Traditional Seal Bicolor
This is our boy Valerian - He's traditional and this is an example of a traditional ragdoll being born white and developing color over time.
1 day old vs 4 months old
Mink Ragdolls are Purebred Ragdolls
In the cat associations the standard set for Ragdolls never included Mink or Sepia. They were registered in the registry but they were never shown in the ring to gain notoriety and win awards. Only the traditional Ragdolls where shown in the cat show rings. Mink ragdolls are not a particular pattern but a specific blood line/genes. Burmese cats were bred to create Ragdoll cats. The Mink bloodline presented a combination of genes, the Mink gene which is a combination of the pointed gene and the Burmese gene – cbcs. Recently one of the better cat associations Loving Cats World Wide (LCWW) has recognized Mink Ragdolls and allows them to be shown and earn titles. They are referred to as Cherubim's and have a set standard. Regardless of what people say Mink Ragdolls are a bloodline that can easily be traced back to Ann Baker original line up. While a lot of breeders choose to only work with traditional we have fallen in love with the mink ragdolls. They have such rich lush coats and stunning aqua colored eyes. They are more challenging to breed because if the Mother and Father are both mink only 50% of the litter will be mink making them more rare.
What's a Sepia Ragdoll?
Sepia ragdolls have a mellow and laid-back personality, which is typical of the Ragdoll breed. They are known for their affectionate nature and enjoy spending time with their owners, often following them around the house and seeking attention. Their fur is soft and plush, making them the perfect cuddle buddy for anyone who loves a furry friend to snuggle up with. A sepia ragdoll is a ragdoll that inherits a recessive Burmese gene from each parent. So you would need to have each parent carry the recessive gene - So two minks ragdolls will usually produce %50 mink offspring, 25% traditional offspring and 25% sepia offspring. They are not very common because only %25 of the litter is Sepia. Sepia Ragdolls have been around since ragdolls have been around.
This is an great example of a litter from two mink parents - they had four kittens and 2 turned out mink, 1 traditional and 1 sepia. Can you tell which one the Sepia is?
Genetics
Were going to try and explain Ragdoll genetics in the most simplest way to help you understand what makes up a Ragdoll Cat. Ragdolls have a number of dominant (Strong traits) and recessive (weak traits that don't show up most times or are not as noticeable) genes which make up the ragdoll. All of these genes are predictable and can be controlled through a smart breeding program. ragdolls have 19 chromosomes which hold the genes that determine eye shape, size, color, length of hair and every other trait you may want or see in these cats. Through breeding over many generations mutations have come up and then breeders selectively breed for these traits.
These are some basic definitions to know that will help you better understand the terms and meanings when discussing the ragdolls genetics.
Under Construction.