Ragdoll History

One of the things that mostly fascinated us when we first learned about this breed was it's mysterious beginning.

We are in the 60's at Riverside, California where a somehow excentric persian breeder woman by the name of Ann Baker has a brilliant intuition by seeing the potential in her neighbor's cat, Josephine.

Josephine's story made history... It's told that this white long haired cat experiences a transformation as a result of a car accident that puts her in coma. After coming out of coma she is to become a very docile and floppy when handled, leaving her wild disposition behind. From that day on this new sweet disposition is passed on to her offspring too.

As far as I'm concerned there is little to be gained by finding a scientific explanation of the episode. The most beautiful and inspiring things in life come without a logical readymade reasoning. This way, each and every one of us can adventure into the pursuit of his own "truth "or his own magical relevance.

What we know for sure is that Baker asks her neigbor, Mrs. Pennels to borrow Josephine as well as 2 of her sons (by 2 different unknown sires): Daddy Warbucks (a seal mitted male) and Buckwheat( solid black/brown female).

By matting Josephine to Daddy Warbucks she produces Fugianna (a seal bicolor / high white female).

This 3 cats (Daddy Warbucks, Fugianna & Buckwheat), all Josephine's sons, are the foundational stock in the Ragdoll breeding.

It is at this point that Ann Baker decides to split her breeding program in 2: the light side (represented by Fugianna) and the dark side (represented by Buckwheat).

We must wait until 1965 to "witness" the birth of the first litter that sees Buckwheat as Dam and Daddy Warbucks as Sire. The 2 pointed cats, Raggedy Ann Kyoto (seal mitted male) and Raggedy Ann Tiky (chocolate colorpoint female) are the only ones out of this litter to be registered by Baker as Ragdolls!

In 1969 a couple comes into the scene: Denny and Laura Dayton. They buy from Ann the very first breeding pair of Ragdolls she ever sold: Raggedy Ann Buddy and Raggedy Ann Rosie ... and soon start their Blossom Time cattery.

Through the years the relationship between Ann Baker and the Daytons becomes more and more tense due to different visions on how to promote this new breed and Baker, afraid of loosing control, ends up by making absurd affirmations regarding Ragdolls.

The Dayton's play an essential role in Ragdoll history as they are good record keepers and start a genetic chart data base so helpful for the new coming generation of breeders.

We have on one side Ann's brilliant intuition and on the other the Dayton's good sense... We owe both sides for giving us the Ragdoll!


Colors and Patterns

Basically there are 3 patterns in the Ragdoll breed: colorpoint, mitted and bicolor... and 4 colours: seal, blue, chocolate and lilac. Recently 2 more colors have been added: red and cream.

Ragdolls are pointed cats... this kind of colour distribution is given by the so called himalayan gene. Color is submitted to temperature varaitions: low temperature area cats have darker coats than cats who live in warm climate areas.

That's also how we explain the fact that kittens are born all white and gradually gain color... the transition from their mom's warm belly to the environment’s colder temperature turns on the coloration process. Points color first as they are colder than body temperature.

Genetic is very important for breeders.

Genes work in pairs and can be either dominant or recessive.

Colors are determined by the interaction of 2 genes: one gene determines color, the other determines color's dilution and it's intensity.

Actually we have the seal and the chocolate color... blue and lilac are their dilutions as cream is the dilution of red.

As follows, the genetic codes for each color:

Seal:
     BBDD - seal (pure)
     BBDd - seal + dilution
     BbDD - seal + chocolate
     BbDd - seal + chocolate + dilution

Blue:
     BBdd - blue (pure)
     Bbdd - blue + chocolate

Chocolate:
     bbDD - chocolate (pure)
     BbDd - chocolate + dilution

Lilac:
     bbdd- lilac (pure)

.....and for each pattern:
Colourpoint: ss
Mitted: sms
Bicolore: Ss
High Mitted: smsm
Mid High White: Ssm
High White: SS