Ragdoll A Cat with A Beautiful Mind
Katerina Anyfandi
If you are looking for a cat breed who will wait for you patiently and be happy when you get back home, then what you need is a Ragdoll in your life! Ragdoll is famous for two things—one, she has amazing appearance, magnetic and capturing blue eyes. Two, the strong bond she develops with her pet parent.
As a pet parent who shared life with dogs and has been breeding Ragdolls for almost 12 years I can tell that the strongest, deepest and more affectionate relationship I have ever developed in life is with Ragdoll cats.
Always together
Ragdoll will pick one member of your family as her pack leader, to follow and love her everywhere. She waits patiently for her pet parent to come home. She loves to slumber with her pet parent. She rests on the belly of her pet parent to watch TV together. She will follow her pet parent to all places in the house, even to bathroom. She watches her pet parent even while grooming herself. They wash dishes together, do laundry together, write book together—it means Ragdoll likes to join her pet parent in doing everything together.
Angelic meow
Ragdoll is not so vocal breed. But when she decides to get a deeper connection with you, she will give you the most angelic and gentle meow you’ve ever heard from a cat. She is very patience breed and sometimes that leads her to live a miserable life because her pet parent wouldn’t aware whether she is comfortable or not.
Beautiful mind
Ragdoll is playful. Lack of toys makes her easily boring! She loves to have some access to fresh air, sun, and garden. So, a ‘catio’ or a garden enclosure for her will be something that will make your Ragdoll truly happy. But safety is very important for her while she enjoys outdoor activity because this cat breed is not as witty as others. She doesn’t have fear for danger in her beautiful mind. She is more like a small kid, so quiet and innocent. If you live in an apartment, a big cat scratch/cat tree higher than 1.6 m will make your Ragdoll really happy. It will be her gym, living room, bed and personal apartment.
Her origin
It is amazing how Ragdoll breed came into our realm. It is like this cat breed jumped from another frequency. Unlike other breeds who are related to monasteries, ancient gods, monks and myths in their origins, Ragdoll just popped out accidentally by a roaming cat named Josephine. The only strong trait Josephine had was her exceptional character that passed on to her kittens. Anne Baker in the US in the late 1960s started with Josephine in an experimental breeding programme that led to the birth of Ragdoll we know today.
Significant features
Ragdolls can be found in three basic patterns—bi-colour, mitted and colourpoint. Their colour variations include seal, blue and some dilutions like chocolate and lilac. You can also find red series Ragdolls in red and cream colour and lynx factor (tabby or not tabby) as well. Ragdoll of any colour should have blue eyes, which is one of their strong traits.
Endless affection
There are a lot of sayings about Ragdoll. Some say that whenever you decide to adopt a Ragdoll in your life, be gentle and affectionate to her, then see the magic and miracles happen. It’s also said that Ragdoll in her calmness relaxes like a doll in your hands. But the true magic begins when your Ragdoll trusts you, then you will realise that everything you heard about this breed was just a drop in the ocean.
(Katerina Anyfandi is president of Association Felina Greece, Heraklion, Crete, Greece. She is also the judge of WCF (World Cat Federation) in semi long-hair category)