Ragdoll owner's guide

Ragdoll origins

The Ragdoll cat was first recognised as a breed in the United States in 1969, before making its way to the UK in the early 80s. However, it wasn’t officially approved as a breed by the Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) until 1990, making it fairly new in the cat world. Despite its youth, the Ragdoll has become a favourite worldwide.

The name “Ragdoll” comes from the way these cats go all floppy and relaxed when you pick them up – like a ragdoll in your arms.

Ragdolls – temperament

The Ragdoll is known for its gentle and relaxed temperament. They are very social and love to be close to their owners. They are also very patient and are known to be good with children and other pets. Their gentle temperament and social nature often make them a good fit for families.

Ragdolls are loyal and loving companions, both happily giving and receiving love and attention from all their family members.

The Ragdoll is a less active breed of cat, but they still love to play and explore their surroundings.

Training and exercise

Although Ragdolls aren’t the most active cat breed, they do still enjoy to play and explore their surroundings. It can, therefore, be a bit more of a challenge to ensure your Ragdoll gets enough exercise.

Cat behaviourist advisor Anna Jönsson Bergstedt shares her tips training a Ragdoll – and keeping them active:

• Adapt playtime to suit their needs
  It’s good to adapt toys to your cat’s individual preferences, but things that move quickly such as spring flippers tend to be good for engaging cats.
  Give your Ragdoll the opportunity to sneak about and plan a hunt when you play with them. And make sure they also have opportunities to run after and catch their toys as this is an important part of the game.
• Use food to keep them active
  All cats have to eat, regardless of their breed. ‘Scatter feeding’ is a great way to keep them active – you can spread food or treats out around the home, and hide them for the cat to find. You can also use activity bowls or food puzzles. However, you may need to do this in place of a regular food bowl, otherwise your Ragdoll won’t see the need to exert itself.
• Other ways to stimulate your cat
  

  Many cats like to explore and be part of the activities in your home. Encourage them to participate when you’re doing things around the home, and give them outdoor items to play with. For example, you could give your Ragdoll pine cones and blades of grass, or let them explore empty cardboard boxes.
  Give them lookout points so they can keep an eye on their territory, both inside and outside.

Ragdolls – appearance and size

Ragdolls are big, muscular cats with long, bushy tails. They’re known for their “masked” look, with striking blue eyes that give them a friendly, expressive face. Often, their eyes are framed by darker colouring, which adds to their unique charm. They’ve also got large, round paws with little tufts of fur peeking out between their toes.

Ragdolls eyes are often surrounded by a darker colouring. And the Ragdoll’s paws are large and round, with distinct tufts of fur between the toes.

Ragdoll patterns:

The ragdoll is generally white, and has three distinct patterns: colourpoint, bicolour and mitted.

1. Colourpoint. These are ‘masked’ without any white spots. The cat has a darker colour on the ears, paws, legs, tail and face.
2. Mitted. Mitted Ragdolls are similar to Colourpoint, but they also have a white spot on their chin, and white spots on their front paws. They should have white colouring reaching up over the hock on their hind legs, and the white spot from their chin should run through the chest and all the way under the belly. They are called ‘Mitted’ because the white spotting on their front paws looks like little white gloves/mittens. The chin should be white and a white stripe should run from the chin, through the chest and all the way under the belly. A minor white flash may occur.
3. Bicolour. Bicolour Ragdolls are generally whiter, and have an inverted ‘V’ of colour on their face (or mask). Their chest, belly and legs should also be white, and white spots may be seen on their back.

In addition to the above patterns, the Ragdoll can be any of 10 different colours:

• Brown
• Blue
• Chocolate
• Purple
• Red
• Cream
• Brown tortoise
• Blue tortoise
• Chocolate tortoise
• Purple tortoise.

In addition to these colours, Ragdolls can also have tabby patterns.

Ragdoll health

The Ragdoll is generally a healthy breed, but like all other cats, it can still suffer from diseases. The most common diseases in Ragdolls are kidney failure and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a heart disease that can affect their lifespan and quality of life.

Many breeders will actively work to minimise these risks when breeding cats – including dwarfism, which can also affect ragdolls.

Caring for Ragdolls

The ragdoll has long fur that requires regular brushing. As Ragdolls are easy to handle, brushing, claw clipping, bathing and tooth brushing should be easy.

If you're buying a Ragdoll kitten

There are a number of things you should consider before buying a Ragdoll kitten:

• Before you buy the kitten, ask to see the kittens in person. They should be clean, have clear eyes, clean ears and show no signs of diarrhoea.
• Ask to meet the mother, preferably the father as well if possible. This will allow you to see what their temperament is like and what their ancestry is.
• Choose a breeder who is clued up on the Ragdoll breeds’ health and wellbeing – and one who can give you advice and support on how to take care of your Ragdoll.

Considering buying a Ragdoll? See our tips on buying a cat for additional guidance.

Learn more about caring for your Ragdoll kitten, including how to settle them into their new home.

Ragdoll FAQs

Last reviewed by Amanda Andersson in May 2024.