Ann Baker
The origin of the Ragdoll is a fascinating story, beginning with the efforts of Ann Baker in California in the 1960s. She originally bred Persians and Balinese, but after a series of unexpected events, she began developing what is now known as the Ragdoll. The story of Josephine, the white Angora cat who survived a traffic accident, is crucial in the development of the breed. After the accident, her kittens became mysteriously different: social, calm and with an unusual coat texture. These unexpected traits fascinated Ann, and she decided to create a new breed that incorporated these characteristics.
Ann Baker believed there might even be extraordinary influences at play, such as alien intervention, which gave her a rather eccentric reputation. Nevertheless, she continued her breeding program in earnest. With the help of her neighbors, the Pennels, and cats such as Josephine,
Daddy Warbucks, Fugianna and Buckwheat, she laid the foundation for the Ragdoll, but were not then Ragdolls. Although it is often said that the Ragdoll originated from breeds such as the Persian, the Siamese and the Sacred Birman, DNA research later showed that the Ragdoll is genetically closer to the American Curl and the common house cat.
The name “Ragdoll” came about because Ann noticed that the cats, like rag dolls, became completely limp when picked up. This distinctive feature gave the breed its name. Ann named her cattery after the popular rag dolls “Raggedy Ann” and “Raggedy Andy,” which matched her own name and the cats’ distinctive trait.
The first official registration of the Ragdoll breed occurred in 1966, when Daddy Warbucks, Fugianna, Tiki and Kyoto were recognized by the National Cat Fanciers Association (NCFA). Although Ann Baker did not sell any Ragdolls between 1964 and 1969, she continued to work on the breed during that time and ensured that the desirable traits became further entrenched in the Ragdoll. When she first sold breeding stock in 1969, Denny and Laura Dayton came to the forefront. These breeders played a crucial role in further spreading and recognizing the Ragdoll as an official cat breed.
The first breeders
The Daytons were among the first breeders of Ragdolls, and their involvement began in 1969, when they purchased their first breeding pair from Ann Baker, the founder of the breed. Although Denny was not initially a true cat lover, that soon changed after he and Laura first saw the Ragdoll. The cats’ charm and temperament immediately made them enthusiastic about the breed. Their cattery Blossom Time was born.
The Daytons saw that, partly because of Ann Baker’s claims about the breed (such as that Ragdolls would feel no pain and would hang completely limp in their owner’s arms), there was a growing demand for the breed. However, they could not meet the huge demand for Ragdolls, and this was a sign of the breed’s growing popularity. Denny and Laura were not only breeders, but also pioneers in promoting the breed. By participating in cat shows, they gave the public a chance to see and experience the Ragdoll in real life.
An important moment for the Daytons was their effort to promote the recognition of the Ragdoll as an official breed. At first, the Ragdoll had not yet been recognized by cat associations, but thanks to their hard work and that of other early breeders, the breed was gaining prominence. Denny Dayton was also the first to put the Ragdoll on the genetic map, laying the foundation for future breeding programs.
Blanche Herman
Blanche Herman became interested in the Ragdoll in 1972 and quickly became instrumental in the early development of the breed. In 1973 she purchased her first breeding pair from Ann Baker, her cattery Ragtime was born.
Thanks to her efforts, Ragdolls were eventually recognized by the ACA, ACFA, and TICA, which was a huge step forward for the breed. Many of today’s Ragdolls can trace their lineage back to cats from Blanche Herman’s Ragtime cattery, showing how influential her work was.
Only mitted?
Ann Baker had a strong vision for the Ragdoll from the beginning, seeing especially the mitted Ragdoll as the standard of the breed. She believed that the other patterns, such as bicolor and color point, would disappear after seven generations, so she focused exclusively on breeding the mitted. Her standard for the Ragdoll reflected this, which became problematic when it was found that the other patterns did not disappear, but instead persisted due to genetic variety.
At this time, the names for these patterns were not yet formally used. Ann simply called them “blacklegged” for the colorpoint and “whitelegged” for the bicolor. As the differences became clearer and the demand for formal recognition of the other patterns increased, the names mitted, bicolor, and colorpoint were introduced as official terms.
The founding of the “Ragdoll Society
In 1975, the Ragdoll Society was formed, the first club dedicated entirely to the recognition and promotion of the Ragdoll. The main goal was to get the three patterns (mitted, bicolor, and colorpoint) recognized in all cat societies. In addition to promoting the genetics and marketing of the Ragdoll, the Ragdoll Society was engaged in publishing information for owners, including a magazine. An important step was writing new breed standards for the bicolor and colorpoint varieties.
Recognition in the largest American society
The 1980s were crucial for the recognition of the Ragdoll in the largest cat association in the U.S., the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA). Initially, the CFA was reluctant to recognize the Ragdoll, which hampered the efforts of Denny Dayton and other breeders.
It became necessary for as many Ragdoll breeders as possible to join the CFA to garner sufficient support. Only in the 1990s, did the Ragdoll manage to gain full recognition within the CFA, in the colors seal, blue, chocolate, and lilac, and in the patterns mitted, bicolor, and color point.
The Ragdoll in Europa
In the 1980s, Pat Brownsell and Lulu Rowley were the pioneers who brought this new breed of cat to England. After much effort, they managed to contact American breeders, such as the Daytons, who provided them with valuable information and some of the first Ragdoll kittens. Blossom-Time Lad and Blossom-Time Lass were the very first Ragdolls to set foot in Europe, although they first had to spend six months in quarantine.
A special moment occurred during the quarantine period: Lass gave birth to three kittens on the same night as the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, inspiring Rowley to organize a big party to celebrate the birth of the first Ragdoll kittens born in Europe. This event even got the attention of the BBC, further increasing the popularity of the Ragdoll in England.
The Ragdoll in de FIFe
The breed also quickly became popular in the Netherlands. In 1990 the first Ragdolls appeared at shows, and in 1991 the Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) recognized the bicolor varieties in traditional colors Seal, Blue, Chocolate and Lilac. Recognition of the colorpoint Ragdoll followed in 1997. Only in 1999 was the mitted Ragdoll recognized. In 2005, more colors were recognized, such as red, cream, tortie and tabby.
Jaren ervaring met fokken
Leden
Jaren actief
Landen vertegenwoordigd
De Belgian Ragdoll Club een warme community vol kennis, activiteiten en ondersteuning voor jou en je Ragdoll.