RAGALUVIN RAGDOLLS

Genetically, the breed began when Ann Baker, a breeder of persians began selecting kittens out of Josephine, a white, non-pedigree, longhair cat who ran free in her neighbourhood of Riverside, California. These Kittens, were by a number of non-pedigree sires.Mostly unknown, but some of Bermese and Birman Type.

 Josephine (pictured above)  was mated to two of her sons, Daddy War Bucks. (pictured above). Among the offspring of these matings were two females one was Buckwheat.(pictured above).  All Subsequent Ragdolls are descended from these two males and two females. Ann Baker Began registering Ragdolls in 1963 and started selling them by the end of the decade.

In  1971 she founded her own registry, the International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA). She also trademarked Cherubim Cats a Rubric, that included the radgoll, which entitled her to demand royalties from other breeders for using it, and looked into setting up other breeders as franchisees in a nationwide business.

Breeders who were chafing under Ann Baker's restrictive regime started another association, Ragdolls Fanciers Club International (RFCI). Chief among them were Denny and Laura Dayton. By 1975 the breeders had split into two camps. Those who wanted major registry recognition were members of RFCI and those happy with Ann's way of doing things were members of IRCA. Over the years the numbers in IRCA camp dwindled.

This Popular breed sits in the top ten cats on both sides of the Atlantic. 

Ann Baker Made five claims for the Ragdoll apart from the many surrounding its origins. These were that they are relatively large, have almost magically non-matting fur, lack the skills and instincts for self preservation, go limp when you hold them, and are less sensitive to pain than other cats.   So which of these hold any truth! They are large, imposing cats, but not outrageously so. Their fur lacks a dense undercoat and is certainly less prone to matting than the coat of a persian, but this should not be taken to mean the Ragdoll is a Semi Longhair that will look great with no grooming.

As for character traits, it seems that one care accident wasn't really enough to undo the basic common sense of the free-ranging Josephine. While Breeders, stipulate that all cats should be kept indoors. Ragdolls are really no more vulnerable than any other breed.(Ann Baker claims that after Josephine was involved in a car accident she began producing kittens that were placid, passive and had an unusually high pain threshold and flopped like a ragdoll when picked up which inspired the name as we know it today).  They do tend to relax when picked up- at least by those they trust- to a greater degree than other breeds, sprawling with the abondon of those in deep sleep when they are fully awake. The most irresponsible claim, that they do not feel pain like other cats, is utterly false and one can only hope the few were traumatized by foolish owners testing this.

Solid Ragdolls have been around since the beginning of the Ragdoll breed. As a matter of fact, one of Josephine's daughters (Buckwheat) first litters produced 4 Ragdoll kittens. These kittens were a solid black kitten named Gueber (m), a solid black and white mitted named Mitts (m), a chocolate color point (traditional Ragdoll kitten) named Tiki (f) and a seal point mitted (another traditional kitten) named Kyoto (m). Born in the summer of 1965.

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