Ragdoll cat: Nutrition, character, training and much more about the Ragdoll cat

By Roswitha Berger

This pedigree cat with expressive blue eyes and unusual coat pattern is as affectionate as a dog. She loves people more than anything and even willingly walks with you on a leash. She follows humans wherever they go and is also known as a dog-cat.

The striking silky coat has almost no undercoat, so Ragdolls require little grooming. In terms of their activity, however, the cats are very demanding. The book gives you important tips on keeping Ragdolls and answers important questions:

Why should Ragdolls be kept as indoor cats?
What should be considered with vaccinations?
What food does the cat need?
What preventive care is important for the health of the Ragdoll?
Why is training important?

The book gives you a deep insight into the character of cats and gives valuable tips on training and dressage. Learn why some Ragdoll cats train the owner or the owner and not the other way around.

Contents:
- History of the breed and hereditary diseases
- Breed characteristics
- Requirements of the breed
- Outdoor or indoor cat?
- Healthcare
- Selection of the animal
- Preparation for moving in
- Education and training
- Sudden behavior problems

The book is interesting for all readers who want to get a Ragdoll as well as for people who are interested in this cat breed.

Enjoy the years with your Ragdoll and learn more about this cat breed!

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: Apr 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9783986469320

Book preview

HISTORY OF THE RACE

The origin of the breed is at the beginning for a reason, because it is crucial for the advantages of these wonderful pedigree cats, but also shows the disadvantages.

The original mother of the breed is a white, Angora-like cat named Josephine, which Ann Baker bred to a Burmese male cat in about 1963. The goal was not to breed a particularly robust and healthy cat breed, but to use a special genetic defect of Burmese cats to obtain exceptionally beautiful cats with the Point trait. Already in 1965 she registered the first Ragdoll. She even received a patent on the cat breed. Only because two families were already breeding Ragdolls before the patent was granted, the breed could develop independently of Baker's rigid specifications.

There is much to suggest that Baker primarily wanted to make money with a new breed. So she gave the cat breed the name Ragdoll (rag doll), because the animals like to be taken in the arm and often let themselves hang limp like a rag doll. It was rumored at times that the animals could not find painemp . Baker advertised the breed as if they were stuffed animals and not living creatures.

PROBLEMS WITH HEREDITARY DISEASES

The thin genetic material and the fact that a recessive hereditary trait is decisive in Ragdolls means an increased risk of hereditary diseases.

Decisive for the typical coloration is a gene defect, which causes a partial albinism. The melamine, which is responsible for the coloration, can only form in cooler body regions. For this reason all Point cats are white at birth, because it is too warm in the mother's belly. Later, cooler body regions such as nose, ears, paws and tail turn dark.

Responsible breeders not only pay attention to the colors and markings of the animals when mating, but also follow the guidelines of the Ragdoll Working Community (R.A.G.). They exclude from breeding all cats that have already had offspring with deformities and anomalies of bone structure, as well as cats with PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease), HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy), photophobia (light inver träg lich tity), dentition defects (overbite, underbite, crooked dentition), rolled eyelid (entropion), clinical HD (hip dysplasia) and deafness.

A Ragdoll from good breeding is healthy and has a life expectancy like any normal house cat. You can expect to have a lovable housemate for more than 15 years.

RACE CHARACTERISTICS

EXCURSION ON FUR DRAWINGS AND HEREDITABILITY

Since Ragdolls are bred for appearance, we would like to inform you about colors and typical coat markings.

The colors Seal (dark fawn/black), Chocolate (chocolate brown) and Red (warm orange) are widely used. Of these, there is also a so-called dilution. The reason for this is that the pigment grains in the hair and skin clump together and therefore distribute themselves unevenly. Thus Seal becomes Blue (blue-grey), Chocolate becomes Lilac (light grey) and Red dilutes to Cream (apricot). The coat of cats with diluted color is softer and more delicate.

The typical coat markings are Point, Mitted (Point) and Bicolor.

Point Ragdolls have predominantly very light fur. Only on the legs, the ears, the tail and around the mouth and nose (the mask) dark fur shows. The chest is usually shaded lighter than the rest of the body. In the Point pattern, no light coat may show in the dark area.

Image 1: Left Point, Right Bicolor

Mitted Point Ragdolls have a light body and also darker markings (mask, legs, ears, tail). However, they must have a white patch on the chin. On the front paws, uniform white gloves are mandatory. On the hind legs, the white must not be present higher than mid-thigh, but it must extend to the hock. Furthermore, a white belly stripe should pass from the neck between the front legs to below the base of the tail.

In the Bicolor pattern, a wedge-shaped symmetrical white stripe must run between the eyes to the chest. The white must not extend beyond the outer corners of the eyes on either side, the nose must be pink. Chest, belly and all four legs as well as ruff must be white. On the front legs it should reach to just below the elbows and on the hind legs to the hock.

The pattern develops gradually only in the first weeks of life. The inheritance of colors and markings is never completely certain. Even if a breeder mates two Ragdolls that have nearly identical markings, the result is uncertain. A breeder who loves his cats will still raise offspring that do not meet expectations and are often not considered to be purebred. Of course, he cannot