Ragdoll is a cat breed that is still quite rare in our country, since it was bred only in the middle of the last century. The trump card of the breeders of these animals is the fact that they somehow managed to achieve extraordinary relaxation of muscle tone, which is completely nonexistent in other breeds. In addition, ragdoll kittens are very soft and complaisant in nature, and adults are completely equanimous.
History of occurrence
The ancestral cat named Josephine is considered to be the ancestor of the ragdoll breed. She lived with her mistress Anne Baker in the 60s of the last century in California. Once the owner of the animal noticed that her pet has interesting features, which include unusual muscle relaxation and a fairly low threshold for pain. These facts prompted Ann to decide on the creation of a new breed.
First of all, she found a couple of Josephine - a beautiful and calm Burma cat. The results exceeded all expectations. According to Anne Baker herself, the first ragdoll kittens were just perfect. In 1965, this breed was officially recognized by the California Cat Lovers Association. Currently, there are American and European branches of ragdolls.
Description
We can’t say that these cats were giants, but still they are larger than most breeds in size. Ragdoll females weigh from 4 to 6, and males weigh up to 9 kg. The shape of the head is wedge-shaped and wide. The eyes are oval, large and have only a blue color of different intensities. The length of the coat is medium or long, very soft and looks like a rabbit fur coat. It does not fit tightly to the body of the animal, so even when walking comes into motion. The longest hair grows on the neck, forming a very beautiful and pronounced collar. On the forelimbs, it is noticeably shorter, but on the hind legs it looks like “panties”.
The ears of medium sized ragdolls are slightly rounded, sometimes with small tassels at the tips. As a rule, they are slightly inclined forward, and their inner side is covered with not very long hair.
The body is quite massive with a wide and well-developed chest. The body is long and muscular. There may be a slightly sagging abdomen. The limbs are strong and muscular. The paws are large, oval in shape, and tufts of wool between the fingers. The front limbs of these cats are slightly shorter than the rear, so the line of the back is noticeably elevated to the croup.
Color
There are three main varieties of this breed. The first of them is color points. This color is very reminiscent of Siamese cats, in which the hair on the body is light and the ears, muzzle, tail and legs are dark. A Burmese cat has a similar look . Ragdoll, whose kittens are born monochromatic, as they grow older, they acquire their true color.
The next variety - the so-called mitted - differs from the previous white hair on its paws, forming a kind of “socks”. And the last color is two-tone. This variety differs from cats with dark paws in that they have a characteristic area with white hair in the shape of an inverted English letter V. As for pigmentation, it starts with cheeks and eyes. Paws in such animals should be only white.
The coat of each ragdoll variety has 4 colors: dark brown (strength), blue, chocolate and lilac. Now only two-color individuals of this breed can take part in exhibitions, the rest are still unrecognized.
Character
Not only ragdoll kittens, but also adult animals are very sociable, obedient and affectionate. Loneliness is quite difficult to tolerate, therefore, as soon as the opportunity arises, they accompany their master everywhere. Ragdolls are often overly gullible. These cats are very smart and easy to train, but sometimes they allow themselves to fly away from the execution of commands.
Many breeders believe that this breed is not suitable for families with small children, as it is known that kids are very fond of not only stroking, but also cudding a cute fluffy animal. Given the lowered pain threshold of these cats, such handling can lead to serious injuries to the animal.
Care
Despite the fact that these animals are calm and quite lazy by nature, not only ragdoll kittens, but also adults sometimes like to frolic, showing at the same time all the agility and speed of movement inherent in other cat breeds. However, they have one significant drawback - they jump poorly. It is because of this feature that experts recommend taking ragdolls very carefully - they should never be pushed or thrown from a height. The fact is that, unlike other cats, they, due to their physical and genetic characteristics, cannot quickly group themselves, so a fall can result in serious injuries for the animal in the form of bruises or fractures. You can feel the extraordinary relaxation of the muscles of the ragdolls simply by taking the cat in your arms - it practically loses its shape, hanging on you like a rag doll.
None of the cat breeds feels more comfortable in a confined space of small-sized apartments, like a ragdoll. Kittens, and even adults, require a lot of attention to themselves during street walks, as their inhibited reaction can lead to injuries and other accidents. In order to avoid undesirable consequences and to protect your pet as much as possible, special leashes are ideal for which randolls get used to very quickly.
The wool of this breed does not have an undercoat, so it never gets stuck in a tangle. Based on this, two combing a week will be enough to remove already dead hairs. Bathing a pet is necessary only as it becomes soiled.
Almost all representatives of this breed are very fond of a good meal, but at the same time they never suffer from obesity. Tip: in order to prevent the appearance of hair lumps in the cat's intestines, contributing to its clogging, it is necessary to add agents that break down the wool from time to time. There is also a special food, which already includes “solvents”.
Disease
Ragdolls are generally distinguished by good health and good endurance, but they have one inbreeding disease - hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, when an animal can suddenly die without any preliminary signs of the disease.
In order to prevent such cases, it is necessary to periodically inspect your pet with a veterinarian with mandatory additional studies, such as a cardiogram, ultrasound, etc. It is worth noting that abroad animals with such a disease are not allowed to breed at all in order to minimize the appearance of kittens with heart pathology.
Caution, fake!
Not only in our country, but also abroad, two breeds are often confused - Burma and Ragdoll. Kittens of the second of them are born exclusively white, and colored patches on the hair appear as the animal grows older. These cats are indeed very similar to the Burmese in many ways, however, given their physiological and genetic characteristics, they can still be distinguished from other breeds.
Such a confusion is often used by scammers, so you need to be very careful about where the ragdoll kittens will be purchased. The nursery that distributes these animals must also be officially registered with the club of fans of this breed. According to existing rules, direct descendants of the cat Josephine must participate in the breeding of ragdolls. In addition, the kennel must receive special permission from his club for crossbreeding, since only he has at his disposal the real pedigree of the ancestor of this breed.
How much are ragdoll kittens
As mentioned above, there are very few such animals in our country. Sometimes under their guise they can sell another cat, passing it off as a real ragdoll. Kittens, the price of which does not exceed 2 thousand rubles, is an outright deceit. The cost of animals of this breed depends on several factors, the main of which are pedigree, age, exterior and health.
In order to clarify how much a ragdoll kitten costs, it is necessary to contact a nursery with a good reputation, which has official registration. Now the prices for such animals are pet class, i.e. the cheapest, ranging from 15 to 40 thousand rubles. Cats of a higher class will cost much more.
Some ragdoll breeders offer to buy animals at lower prices - from 5 thousand rubles, but without documents. At the same time, they assure that their kittens were received from thoroughbred parents. In addition, offers may come from private (unregistered) breeders who sell animals at a price of 2.5 thousand rubles. Before you buy such an inexpensive kitten, you should know that in this case the risk of getting a fake instead of a thoroughbred animal is very high. Therefore, it is better to purchase ragdolls in officially registered nurseries.
Information and documents
All kittens of the Ragdoll breed that are sold in kennels must have a pedigree, a certificate of vaccinations already made and a veterinary passport. It is the responsibility of the breeder to inform the buyer of existing exterior defects, the nature, habits, health status and other features of your future pet.
The seller should also give the most detailed advice on the rules of care, maintenance and feeding of the animal of this breed, as well as, if necessary, on all the features associated with exhibition activities and transportation.