Ragdoll Cats and Kittens - A Photo Gallery and Breed Information

Ragdolls are beautiful cats that make lovely pets. They were given their name because when they are relaxed in a person’s arms many ragdolls become limp and floppy - just like a toy rag doll. Ragdoll cats are gentle, calm and loving pets, generally intelligent, and very social. They get on well with people of all ages and with other pets in the family.

Ragdolls are often described as the most dog-like of cats. They come when called, can be trained to chase and retrieve a ball and will walk on a leash. The ragdolls in my family will even respond to the “sit” command, just like our dogs do! They like to greet their family members when they come home, and, in my experience, they will often greet the family dogs as they pass by. They also enjoy sleeping on top of people, which one of my ragdolls loves to do, and they reportedly follow their owners from room to room, although neither of my two ragdolls does this.

Ragdolls are large cats but have a soft voice. Males may reach as much as twenty to twenty five pounds in weight, while females can reach around fifteen pounds. They grow slowly, and don't reach their full size until they are four years old.

The photos in this hub show my ragdoll cats Nevin and Bennie. They came from the same breeder but from different litters. Nevin is the more laid-back of the two, while Bennie is more active and inquisitive. They are both wonderful pets.

Ragdolls have blue eyes and long, soft hair. Their coats are usually light with darker areas. The darker patches have a variety of colors and patterns, although these don’t develop fully until the cats are two or three years old. The kittens are white, but their colors start to appear at around ten days of age.

Each ragdoll association recognizes a specific number of ragdoll colors and a specific number of patterns. An individual cat’s appearance is classified according to its color and pattern combination. I find the classification system confusing, but luckily when my sister and I chose our kittens we were concerned with the kitten’s character, not its appearance.

Some nontraditional ragdolls are completely or almost completely one color - white or a darker color - instead of having colored patches on a light background, and the kittens of the darker nontraditional varieties may be born with dark hair. The eyes of some of these less common ragdolls are blue green rather than blue. Ragdoll coats have such a wide range of designs that often different cats can appear to belong to different breeds.

Ragdolls are expensive and cost at least a few hundred dollars. Show quality cats or cats intended for breeding may cost more than a thousand dollars. Ragdolls should be bought from a reputable breeder to help ensure that they have their typical pleasant character. If you're interested in getting a cat with a particular coat pattern, a breeder will be helpful because he or she has experience predicting the final appearance of a kitten when it becomes an adult

My family bought ragdoll kittens because we have birds that are usually free-flying, and we wanted to get cats that were known for their calmness and trainability. Later on we couldn’t resist bringing a rescue kitten home too, after much discussion, since this cat (Smudge) has an unknown ancestry. We adopted Smudge because we knew that cats and free-flying birds could live together successfully from our experience with our previous two cats (who were both abandoned by their owners and were rescued as young kittens) and our birds. I wouldn't want to bring a new adult cat into the family, though.

All our present cats and the birds co-exist peacefully, although we still have to make use of a water spray bottle occasionally when a cat is eyeing a bird with too much interest. When we go out, or if we are in an area of the house far away from the birds, we make sure that the birds are shut up in one room for safety.

Ragdolls are fairly easy to care for and usually stay healthy. Like all cats, they should be fed a good quality food and their coats should be brushed regularly to avoid matting. The coat is not as hard to take care of as you might expect for a long-haired cat. Our ragdolls love to be groomed. Their claws should be cut when necessary and their teeth cleaned regularly too. In addition, their litter needs to be cleaned daily. Since they are big cats they need a big litter tray. They need a scratching post as well.

Ragdolls are clever cats and like to play. Toys are good, but they need personal attention as well. My cats' favorite toys are balls. One likes to chase a ball and bring it back to me for me to throw again; they both love to bat the ball around a room with their paws.

Since ragdolls are such friendly and trusting cats they should be kept on a leash and harness when they are outside. Walking on a leash prevents cats from being taken by someone else and from being run over by a car, and also reduces the chance of them being attacked by a wild animal, killing wildlife themselves or eating something poisonous.

Although no one can predict the lifespan of a cat with certainty, a ragdoll that is well cared for, doesn’t develop a serious health problem and is never let out of the house on its own (except in an enclosed area) will probably live for at least fifteen years and may make it into its twenties.

If you can afford the cost, ragdolls are lovely cats to bring into the family. Their affectionate nature and their trainability make them great pets.