Ragdoll kittens: description of the breed, character traits and reviews

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

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 main trump card of the breeders of these animals is the fact that they somehow managed to achieve an extraordinary relaxation of muscle tone, completely uncharacteristic of other breeds. In addition, ragdoll kittens have a very soft and accommodating character, and adults are completely equanimous.

History of occurrence

The angora cat named Josephine is considered the ancestor of the Ragdoll breed. She lived with her mistress Ann Baker in the 60s of the last century in California. One day, the owner of the animal noticed that her pet had interesting features, consisting in unusual muscle relaxation and a fairly low pain threshold. These facts prompted Ann to decide to create a new breed.

First of all, she found Josephine a couple - beautiful and calmthe nature of the Burmese cat. The results of the work exceeded all expectations. According to Ann Baker herself, the first ragdoll kittens turned out to be just perfect. In 1965, this breed was officially recognized by the California Cat Fanciers Association. Currently, there is an American and a European branch of ragdolls.

Description

This is not to say that these cats were giants, but they are still larger than most breeds. Female ragdolls weigh from 4 to 6, and males - up to 9 kg. The head is wedge-shaped and broad. The eyes are oval, large and have only a blue color of varying intensity. The length of the coat is medium or long, very soft and similar to a rabbit coat. It does not fit tightly to the body of the animal, so even when walking it 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 limbs it looks like “pants”.

The ears of ragdolls are medium in size, 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 also be a slightly sagging abdomen. The limbs are strong and muscular. The paws are large, oval in shape, and between the fingers there are tufts of wool. The front limbs of these cats are slightly shorter than the hind limbs, so the back line is noticeably raised towards the croup.

Color

There are three main varieties of this breed. The first of these 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 paws are dark. The Burmese cat has a similar appearance. Ragdolls, whose kittens are born solid, acquire their true colors as they mature.

The next variety - the so-called mitted - differs from the previous one in 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 form of an inverted English letter V on their muzzle. As for pigmentation, it begins with the cheeks and eyes. The paws of such animals should only be white.

The coat of each variety of ragdolls has 4 colors: dark brown (seal), blue, chocolate and lilac. Now only two-color individuals of this breed can take part in exhibitions, while the rest are still unrecognized.

Character

Not only ragdoll kittens, but already adult animals are very sociable, obedient and affectionate. Quite hard to endure loneliness, therefore, as soon as such an opportunity arises, they accompany their master everywhere. Ragdolls are often overly trusting. These cats are very smart and easy to train, but sometimes they allow themselves to shirk orders.

Many breeders believe that this breed is not suitable for families with smallchildren, as it is known that kids are very fond of not only stroking, but also cuddling a cute fluffy animal. Given the low pain threshold of these cats, such treatment can lead to serious injury to the animal.

Care

Despite the fact that these animals are calm and rather lazy by nature, not only ragdoll kittens, but also adults sometimes like to frolic, showing all the dexterity and speed of movement inherent in other breeds of cats. However, they have one significant drawback - they do not jump well. It is because of this feature that experts recommend taking care of ragdolls very carefully - in no case should they 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, 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 ragdoll muscles just by taking the cat in your arms - it practically loses its shape, hanging on you like a rag doll.

No cat breed is as comfortable in the confined space of small apartments as the Ragdoll. Kittens, and even adults, require a lot of attention during outdoor walks, as their inhibited reaction can lead to injuries and other accidents. In order to avoid undesirable consequences and protect your pet as much as possible, special leashes are perfect, to which randolls are veryget used quickly.

The coat of this breed has no undercoat, so it never gets tangled. Based on this, two combing per week will be enough to remove already dead hairs. Bathe your pet only when it gets dirty.

Almost all representatives of this breed are very fond of eating well, but they are never obese. Tip: In order to prevent the appearance of hairballs in the cat's intestines, which contribute to its clogging, it is necessary to add hair-breaking agents to the feed from time to time. There is also a special food that already contains "solvents".

Diseases

In general, Ragdolls are distinguished by good he alth and good stamina, but they have one intrabreed disease - hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, when the animal can die suddenly without any preliminary signs of the disease.

In order to prevent such cases, it is necessary to periodically examine your pet at the veterinarian with mandatory additional studies, such as a cardiogram, ultrasound, etc. It is worth noting that abroad, animals with such a disease are generally not allowed for breeding in order to minimize the birth of kittens with heart pathology.

Beware of fake

Not only in our country, but also abroad, two breeds are often confused - Burma and Ragdoll. Kittens the second oneare born exclusively white, and colored areas on the coat appear as the animal grows older. These cats are indeed similar to the Burmese in many ways, however, given their physiological and genetic characteristics, they can still be distinguished from representatives of other breeds.

Scammers often use this confusion, so you need to be very careful about where ragdoll kittens will be purchased. A nursery engaged in the distribution of these animals must also be officially registered in the club of lovers of this breed. According to existing rules, direct descendants of Josephine's cat must be involved in breeding ragdolls. In addition, the cattery must obtain special permission from its club to cross, as only it has at its disposal the real pedigree of the progenitor of this breed.

How much do ragdoll kittens cost

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 deception. The cost of animals of this breed depends on several factors, the main ones being pedigree, age, exterior and he alth.

In order to find out how much a ragdoll kitten costs, you need to contact a reputable cattery that has official registration. Now the prices for such pet-class animals, i.e. the cheapest, range from 15 to 40 thousand rubles. Cats same classhigher 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 are obtained from thoroughbred parents. In addition, offers can also 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 purebred animal is very high. Therefore, it is better to buy ragdolls in officially registered nurseries.

Information and documents

All ragdoll kittens sold in catteries 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 about the existing defects in the exterior, about the character, habits, he alth status and other features of your future pet.

The seller must also provide the most detailed advice on the rules for the care, maintenance and feeding of an animal of this breed, as well as, if necessary, on all the features associated with exhibition activities and transportation.