Cats

Ragdolls are a very popular breed of cat that have a very specific look, they have gorgeous blue eyes and a distinct coat that is pale with some dark sections which tend to be around their face, eyes, tail and feet, their coat tends to be thick and they are a semi-long haired cat.

Ragdolls were first breed by a cat breeder called Ann Baker, during the 60s a cat names Josephine was injured in a car accident and taken into a vets, where Baker was working, she believed that the cat had been part of lab experiments as the cat get docile and extremely relaxed when handled. She believed that the cat had become unable to feel pain; the cat went on to have a litter, which Ann brought off the owner. She then selectively bred a number of litters over a number of years to create the Ragdoll breed; they had the characteristics of being gentle, large and of course going docile and limp when picked up.

Ann went on to buy the Ragdoll trademark and set up the International Ragdoll Cat Association and she enforced rules to stop anyone else breeding cats under the same name or having Ragdolls registered under any other breed groups. However this fell apart when in 1975 a group broke out of the IRCA wanting to get Ragdolls recognised on a mainstream basis, which they were successful in with the breed getting accepted by a number of cat registers.

A second group parted with the IRCA in 1994 and made their own group under the name Ragamuffin, as Ann still had the rights to Ragdoll up until 2005.

Ragdolls are noticeable due to a number of their traits and characteristics that make them stand out against other breeds of cats. They are one of the largest breeds of cats with long legs and a muscular body frame. They also have striking blue eyes and en extremely plush thick and soft coat that can vary in colours from; white, flame, chocolate and cream. They can also have a pattern to their fur which are known as; pointed, this is when one colour is darker around their eyes, tail, paws and nose, Bicolour, is when the coat is made up of heavy white patches on their legs, chest, back and a white inverted V on their face. The final pattern is under mitted, which is the same as pointed but instead of having dark patches they are white.

All Ragdoll kittens are white to start with and colour during their first 10 weeks. Female Ragdolls tend to be lighter than male Ragdolls with them weighing between 8 to 15 lbs and males weighing between 12 to 20 lbs.

Ragdolls are known of course for their docile nature, which some believe makes them unable to feel pain. They are also very intelligent, gentle and loving cats and are probably one of the easiest cat breeds to have as a pet.

Ragdolls are popular among well known figures such as Paris Hilton, Dannii Minogue, The Osbournes and the Blue Peter team who have a resident Ragdoll named Socks.