Portraits of Popular Breeds at Home and Abroad: Ragdoll

The breed of Ragdoll was developed in 1960s in the USA, particularly in California, by combining a female Persian cat with a male Birman cat and their offsprings. The Ragdoll cat started appearing in Europe only in the beginning of 1980s. And we could have meet it for the first time in the Czech Republic more than twenty years ago. Its typical colours are black and brown, chocolate, blue or the so-called lilac. The Ragdoll is one of the biggest cats in the world. Male cats can weigh up to 10 kilograms.

If you are thinking about getting this cat, it is useful to know that they can’t handle loneliness very well. On the contrary, it loves company, it is playful and very communicative. It requires a great deal of attention from its owners. That’s why it is important to remember that it’s good to get this little furry friend a companion if you know it will often stay at home alone. 

The advantage of this cat is that it is playful, sociable, patient and extraordinarily cuddly. It definitely doesn’t belong to wild breeds. If it feels danger, it will rather run away than take its claws out. Therefore, it is very suitable for example for living with small children. They can play with it in a park and let it fetch as it enjoys it very much. Moreover, they are exceptionally tolerant to other animals so you don’t have to worry about how it will react to your other pet. Keepers’ experience speaks of them as very empathetic cats that sympathize with their owners. That’s why this four-legged furry companion’s mood reflects its owner’s mood.

With regard to care, these cats are very undemanding. Their fur almost never gets tangled; therefore, it is enough to comb it once a week. Thanks to this, you’ll get rid of their dead hair and avoid situations in which something dangerous might get into its digestive tract.

Only a few people might know that Ragdoll cats are often used for the so-called felinotherapy, i.e. therapy with a cat. It’s mainly because of their easy-going and friendly nature. Moreover, they easily make contacts with new people. Felinotherapy is a method in which an interaction between a person and a cat is used. It’s been proven that an animal induces positive emotions in a person which might help in further procedure in treatments.

What experience do you have with the Ragdoll cats? Do they really know how to fetch? And are they really so calm?