It is a breed created in the 1960s by Ann Baker, a breeder in California, USA, using kittens of a long-haired cat named Josephine. Baker bred some of Josephine’s kittens, who were very docile, with cats that looked like Birmans or Burmese. Ragdoll, a breed created in this way, means “stuffed toy,” and it was named because when you pick up a ragdoll, it relaxes and stretches out and entrusts itself to a person. Baker later registered the breed name ‘Ragdoll’ as her trademark, restricting any use of this designation to registration only with the organization she created, the International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA). Afterwards, some breeders who opposed these restrictions broke away from the International Ragdoll Cat Association and created a breed called ‘Ragamuffin’, which improved Ragdoll. The name “ragdoll” became available to breeders not registered with the International Ragdoll Cat Association only after Baker did not renew the license to use the name in 2005.
It is a medium to large sized species with a long, sturdy body and short, strong legs. Overall, it has a roundish wide wedge-shaped head, and the forehead is flat. The tip of the blue eyes droops. The nose and upper lip draw a straight line. The length of the tail is equal to the length of the body, and the tail is raised over the back when walking. The outer and undercoat are slightly longer than medium in length and are soft and dense. In general, the ground color is light, close to white or cream, and the ears, nose, tail, and feet are somewhat darker, such as light brown, chocolate, red, pinkish gray, and light blue. Sometimes the feet and belly are white, the legs and belly are white, and there are also cases where the face has an inverted ‘V’ pattern.
It has a very laid-back personality and usually moves with a very slow gait. They are social and people-loving, and enjoy playing with toys and children. It has very low aggression and is suitable as a domestic cat. It is easy to handle and gentle.