Ragdoll Information

Ragdolls have an interesting history. The breed originated in California in the 1960's. They were first bred by a woman named Anne Baker, who was, from all indications, both an excellent breeder and quite an eccentric. There was a long-haired white cat in her neighborhood named Josephine. Ms. Baker bred Josephine to her cat. The resultant kittens were the beginnings of the breed as we know it today. Ms. Baker came up with various tales to explain the gentle, amiable temperament of her cats and their ability to go limp in your arms like a child's ragdoll toy, hence their name. She hinted at perhaps supernatural powers, or alien involvement, or human DNA added to the breed. We all know that that is nonsense. One myth she perpetrated is that Ragdolls feel no pain. THAT IS PURELY MYTH. They are normal, flesh and blood animals and feel pain just like we do. But, they are so gentle and good natured that they do not react in the extreme, so that is perhaps where that myth started.

The very best part of the breed, in my opinion, is the temperament of these lovely cats. In those that are carefully bred, the Ragdoll temperament is outstanding. They are gentle, loving and tender. They purr at a touch and love to be held and petted. Many are lap cats. They follow their humans around the house. Without being pests, they want to be with you all the time. They all have their own personalities, but in general, they are very much people cats. They want to be with their people all of the time, and will even sleep with you at night. They are friendly, happy, outgoing animals who love dogs, children and other kitties. Their temperament is what makes them such outstanding pets. They are very social animals, and do not always like to be alone. They are very intelligent, and can be taught to walk on a leash and play fetch, and generally interact with you like a puppy. Sometimes you will hear them called 'puppy-cats' for just this reason.

In appearance, Ragdolls are always pointed, blue-eyed cats. That means that they have darker coloring on their points (ears, head, tail, and in one pattern, legs and feet) and lighter coloring on their tummies, chests and backs, similar to a Siamese cat in coloring generally speaking, (but not similar to a Siamese in any other way). They are large, semi-longhaired cats with silky soft fur. They are large-boned, with lovely, sweet faces and long fluffy tails. There are several patterns of Ragdolls that contain white, but one does not. That pattern is known as colorpoint, which is just like it sounds. The darkest colors are on the points, again, the ears, head, tail, legs and feet. The rest of the cat is a lighter shade of that color. The mitted pattern is a colorpoint with a white chin and chest which goes all the way under the cat and includes a white stripe on their tummies, white mittens on their front paws and white boots on their back paws. The bicolor pattern is an inverted white 'V' on their faces, which leaves them a distintive dark mask over their ears and eyes, a dark tail, a saddle on their back which is a lighter shade of their ears and tail, and a completely white chin, chest, tummy, legs and feet. All of the kitties here at BellaLuna are bicolors, as it is my favorite pattern. There is also a van pattern which is not seen quite as often, which is a white kitty on which there is a small area of their head and ears only in a darker shade, their tail a darker shade, and a saddle on their backs which is a lighter shade than their points. Ragdolls come in 6 colors, seal, which is a dark brown, blue, which is a steel grayish/blue shade, chocolate, lilac, red, and cream. Each of these colors may be any of the patterns. In addition, Ragdoll cats may also come with stripes in any of the above patterns and colors, which is known as lynx in the breed, and also tortie, which may be red and seal or blue and cream, and tortie may also have stripes which are then known as torbie. Are you confused yet? Whew!! It is a lot to assimilate, but the main thing to know is that Ragdolls are just beautiful in any color or pattern known to the breed. They must always have blue eyes, the brighter blue the better.

Because Ragdolls are both gentle and loving, and outstandingly beautiful, they must never be let outside. They do not have the hunting instincts or aggressive instincts of other cats, and do not defend themselves when attacked. In addition, they are so beautiful that they would surely be picked up and taken if seen running around loose. They must never be de-clawed, not only because they cannot defend themselves, but because it is a mutilation of their hands which is cruel in the extreme. Our contract specifies that our kittens are never allowed to be outside, nor are they permitted to be de-clawed.

If you have any questions, please e-mail me at lklkolb@verizon.net or call me at 301-432-0632. I love to talk Ragdolls!!