Character
The Ragdoll is calm, gentle and has a docile temperament. He is a cat who likes to talk to you in a soft voice. Because of his calm temperament he gets along well with other cats, other animals, adults, children and does not mind living in an apartment. A Ragdoll is usually easy to grasp and lies relaxed in your arms. He trusts people and dogs but he sees no danger. NEVER leave him alone outside because the risk is that they are easily stolen or that a confrontation with a dog or traffic becomes fatal. If you want to let your Ragdoll outside, teach him to walk on a harness, offer him cat safe fenced garden or a cat run. A balcony of an apartment can be made Ragdoll-safe. The Ragdoll is not really seen as a cat that always sits on your lap, but there are plenty of Ragdolls that would like to do so. But most of the time you will find the Ragdoll behind you on the back of the couch or lying against you, on top of the keyboard of your computer, on the chair next to you, in a decorative basket on the table, at your feet of your bed. The Ragdoll is an intelligent cat that can learn all kinds of tricks. The Ragdoll loves playing all his life. He is a very curious cat and often comes to see what you are doing. Then he lies where he can observe you. In short, where you are, there you will find your Ragdoll.
Appearance
The Ragdoll is large, has a long body and is solidly built. He has a broad muscular chest that is just as wide as his muscular hindquarters. His bones are medium strong. The head is medium in size and is wedge-shaped. The skull is flat between the ears. The forehead has a slight curve. The nose has a slight change in direction at 2/3 of its length without a stop. The Ragdoll has large oval eyes that are slightly slanted. The bluer the better but in harmony with the colour of the coat. The ears are medium in size and wide at the base, and have rounded tips. They are tilted slightly forward. Seen from the side, the outer corner of the ear and the outer corner of the eye are aligned. The fur is soft, cool and feels like silk. The fur is the longest in the neck and on the shoulders. It lies flat against the body and moves with the movements with the cat. When they move, the fur “breaks”. On the back, the hair is the shortest and gets longer on the flanks. The hairs on the hind legs are long. In the winter, Ragdolls develop a full collar. The fur is usually easy to maintain and a weekly comb is often sufficient. The legs of the hindquarters are higher than the front legs. As a result, they appear to be higher at the back. They have large round feet with long tufts of hair between the toes and the paw peds. The tail is long and reaches the shoulders. They have a feather tail with a lot of hair. Ragdolls are slow growers and usually only grow out and coloured around the age of 3 to 4 years. The adult cats usually weigh between 4 and 9 kg. Because Ragdolls are Siamese Point cats, they are all born white. The colour develops after a few days. Gradually one finds out the colour and the pattern. So they only fully reveal their secrets after a few weeks …