When you think of a cat with fluffy fur and a fluffy tail…
That’s right! It’s a ragdoll!
The cat has a soft-looking body and beautiful blue eyes that are very cute.
How about exploring some surprising history and secrets of the name of such a ragdoll?

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～ Basic information. ～

Country of origin　America.

Length 50cm.　

Weight male : 4-7kg　female : 4-6kg.

It is said that the ragdoll was created by a Persian cat breeder who lived in California, USA in the 1960s. Specifically, she crossed a Persian with a Birman or a Burmese and produced a beautiful long-haired cat with seal points.

Although she created a new cat, she wanted to register the ragdoll as a breed and sell it as a breeding business.

She did not register the ragdoll with the existing cat pedigree registration organizations, but instead set up her own new organization, the “IRCA”, where she registered the breed and managed the individuals as part of her business.

IRCA seems to have transferred cats to those who wanted to breed ragdolls on the condition that they sign a franchise agreement. However, things changed rapidly when some people who questioned this breeding system received cats without signing a franchise agreement.

The people who started breeding cats in places unrelated to IRCA applied for official registration of the ragdoll breed with organizations such as “GCCF” and “FIFe” from 1970 onwards. And in 2000, the ragdoll was officially registered by the “CFA”, which is also a major pedigree management organization.

By the way, it is said that the IRCA, which was established by the original breeder, split up in the second half of the 20th century.

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Ragdoll’s Q&A.

Where does the name Ragdoll come from?

Rag means rag cloth, and doll means doll. The name “ragdoll” came from the fact that they become limp like a stuffed toy when you hug them.

What are the color variations of ragdolls?

■Type of body color.

There are blue, black, cream, white, chocolate, red, cinnamon, lilac, and fawn.

■Types of patterns and color schemes.

・Pointed.
Some parts of the body such as the head, ears, legs, and tail have color.

・Pointed & White.
Some parts of the body have color and white is mixed in.

・Mitted.
The feet, chin, and chest are white, but there are patterns around the belly.

■Types of eye color.

Only blue is available.

■Hairy species.

Ragdoll is only a long-haired breed.

What does a ragdoll look like?

The head is medium-sized and wide, and the body type is called long & substantial. The large and round eyes are also called egg-shaped and are slightly slanted. The ears are medium-sized with a wide base and slightly tilted forward.

The legs are medium-length with strong bones and sturdy, and the hind legs are slightly longer than the front legs. The large and muscular body is also a characteristic feature, but the fluffy and long tail is also a charm point of the ragdoll.

Why are Ragdolls only long-haired breeds?

As mentioned in the basic information, the ragdoll is a cat that was born by crossing a Persian with a Birman or a Burmese.

The Burmese is a short-haired breed, but the Persian and the Birman are long-haired breeds, so it is probably because they inherited their hair quality strongly.

How long does it take to buy a ragdoll?

When keeping animals, you may need to follow the laws set by the country. This time, I will talk about keeping a ragdoll at home in Japan.

If you buy from a breeder or a cattery, it will cost about 150,000 to 250,000 yen. The advantage is that you can check the environment they grew up in and what kind of cats their parents are.

Also, the trustworthiness depends on the personality of the breeder, so it is desirable to visit them after making a reservation.

Ragdoll is a popular cat in Japan, but you rarely see it in pet shops. It is common to buy from a breeder or a cattery.

Also, because there are few breeders in Japan, ragdolls are basically expensive, and there are some conditions that make the price vary.

・Being a kitten.
・Having excellent pedigree.
・Having rare colors or patterns.

There are other conditions, but it seems that the price tends to be high if they meet the above conditions. Especially for rare-colored ragdolls, there was a case where they were priced at 700,000 yen.

I want to know more about the personality and characteristics of ragdolls!

①Calm and plush cat!

The ragdoll is a friendly and gentle cat. It loves to be cuddled and is also called “the stuffed toy cat with blue eyes” or “the teddy bear of cats”.

②You can live with your children and other animals.

It is obedient to its owner and learns the training well. It has a generous and patient side, so it often gets along well even if it is chased by small children or lives with other animals.

③Love to play! Multi-headed keeping is also OK.

It can also live with other cats. It doesn’t make much noise, so it prefers to play with toys while having physical contact with its owner rather than playing alone vigorously like hunting or climbing trees.

The ragdoll is basically a gentle cat and can be said to be a suitable breed for beginners who keep cats for the first time.

Relatively, males tend to be more active and friendly. On the contrary, females seem to have a moody and sweet face and cool face both side. Of course, there may be cases where they are the opposite depending on the individual. Therefore, it is better to remember the personality differences between males and females as a reference.

※When keeping animals, you may need to follow the laws set by the country.

What are the diseases that Ragdolls are susceptible to?

The diseases that ragdolls are prone to are “hairball syndrome”, “hypertrophic cardiomyopathy”, “lower urinary tract disease”, and “chronic kidney disease”.

①Folliculosis.

It is a disease that causes symptoms such as vomiting when the hair swallowed during grooming accumulates in the digestive organs such as the stomach and intestines. Normally, the swallowed hair is excreted with the feces if it is a small amount, but it becomes difficult to excrete if the amount of hair increases.

As a result, the hairballs that cannot be excreted can only be expelled by vomiting. Cats originally vomit hairballs once a month or every few months. This is a phenomenon seen in healthy cats, so there is no need to worry excessively, but if you observe that “the number of times you vomit hairballs has increased. Or the behavior of trying to vomit has increased.” In such cases, there is a possibility that you have hairball syndrome, so you should see a doctor.

Especially for long-haired cats like ragdolls, you need to be careful because they swallow a lot of hair.

Also, it is said that hairball syndrome can be prevented by brushing by the owner. It also leads to important physical contact, so please try to brush regularly. However, some cats may dislike brushing, so in that case, it is better to do it little by little while watching the situation.

②Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

It is a disease that causes the heart muscle to thicken and prevents the heart from contracting properly. It often develops due to genetics, so no specific prevention methods have been found yet.

After the onset, there may be no noticeable symptoms, and sometimes it may be complicated by thrombosis when noticed, and in the worst case it may lead to death.

So, what can you do to detect the disease early? The conclusion is that it is important to have regular health checkups. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is difficult to cure because there is no groundbreaking treatment yet, but the earlier it is, the more possible it is to delay the progression of the disease by symptomatic treatment.

③Lower urinary tract disease.

This is a general term for diseases that all cats are prone to, not just ragdolls. Specific diseases include “urinary stones” and “cystitis”.

Cats originally do not have the habit of drinking a lot of water because of their ancient remnants. Therefore, they tend to put a strain on their kidneys and often develop urinary tract diseases.

④Chronic kidney disease.

The fact that the kidneys are prone to strain means that there is also a possibility of developing “chronic kidney disease”. It is a disease that causes inflammation in the kidneys due to aging or some other cause, and eventually they stop functioning.

To prevent this disease, it is desirable to have regular health checkups, as with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Chronic kidney disease is also difficult to cure because there is no groundbreaking treatment, but if you find it early, you can delay the progression by symptomatic treatment as much as possible.

Also, as a daily measure that you can do from everyday, you can use a circulating type of water dispenser, give wet type food that contains a lot of water, and do not give too much snacks. In some cases, you can prevent it by these daily habits. Please try to keep them in mind.

What is the lifespan of a ragdoll?

The lifespan of a ragdoll is said to be 14 to 16 years. The average lifespan of a cat is 12 to 16 years, so there is not much difference compared to the average.

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Bibliography.

まるごとわかる猫種大図鑑　監修：CFA公認審査員　早田由貴子

世界中で愛される美しすぎる猫図鑑　監修　今泉忠明

The Cat Fancier’s Association, Inc.
https://cfa.org/ragdoll/

猫との暮らし大百科
https://www.anicom-sompo.co.jp/nekonoshiori/

みんなの猫図鑑
https://www.min-nekozukan.com/

Pet Smile news forネコちゃん
http://psnews.jp/cat/

子猫のへや
https://www.konekono-heya.com/sitemap.html

ねこちゃんホンポ
https://nekochan.jp/

いぬと暮らす、ねこと暮らす。アクサダイレクト
https://www.axa-direct.co.jp/pet/pet-ms/detail/5924/

公益社団法人　埼玉県獣医師会
https://www.saitama-vma.org/topics/猫の遺伝性疾患について/

アイキャッチ画像
https://pixabay.com/images/id-2126692/