A big, gentle cat with blue eyes and a silky coat, happiest taking it easy close to its people.
The Ragdoll comes from California and was bred for its calm, loving nature. It is large, always has blue eyes, and has a dark face, ears, legs and tail. It follows its people from room to room, but rarely demands attention. Its name means rag doll: many Ragdolls relax completely when you pick them up.
Very affectionate: it follows its people from room to room and greets you at the door.
Happy on a lap or right next to you, and prefers low spots to the top of the cupboard.
Enjoys a game, even when grown up, but rarely asks for one.
One of the calmest breeds. It does play, but mostly takes life easy.
A quiet cat with a soft mew. It would rather talk with head rubs and looks.
Learns tricks such as fetching and coming when called, especially with treats and praise.
Usually friendly to visitors and seldom shy. It often walks right up to strangers.
Gentle and patient with children who handle it kindly and do not carry or pull it.
Usually gets on with a friendly dog, if they get to know each other slowly.
Usually gets on well with other cats. It is among the least quarrelsome breeds.
Likes company. It suits people who are at home a lot best.
Lives happily indoors and needs little space. It is too trusting to roam outside freely.
A Ragdoll goes completely limp when you pick it up.
Not really. That is how the breed got its name, but most Ragdolls today are simply relaxed when you hold them.
A Ragdoll does not feel pain.
That is not true, and a dangerous idea. A Ragdoll is quiet and may not cry when it hurts, so watch for small signs.
The Ragdoll is a cross of a Birman, Burmese or Persian.
That was never proven. The first Ragdolls were ordinary longhaired house cats. The dark face and blue eyes come from the same gene as in the Siamese.
The Ragdoll began with Josephine, a white longhaired cat in Riverside, California. Breeder Ann Baker bred on from her kittens and came up with the name Ragdoll. She wanted to control everything, so after a few years other breeders went their own way. Their lines are the base of nearly all Ragdolls today.
Ann Baker in Riverside, California, starts breeding from Josephine, a white longhaired cat.
The first Ragdoll kittens are born.
Baker registers the first four Ragdolls with an American cat association.
Denny and Laura Dayton buy their first breeding pair. Most Ragdolls today go back to their cattery.
Baker sets up her own Ragdoll registry, the IRCA.
Baker registers the name Ragdoll as a trademark. Other breeders break with her and start their own society.
The first four Ragdolls arrive in Britain.
The Ragdoll reaches Germany, and France a year later.
Britain's GCCF gives the Ragdoll preliminary recognition.
The European federation FIFe recognises the breed.
America's CFA starts registering Ragdolls.
CFA gives the Ragdoll championship status.
Large, long and solid, with a silky semi-long coat and always blue eyes. It grows slowly: only at about four years is it fully grown.
Cat registries write colours as an EMS code. The letter is the colour (n black, a blue, d red, f tortie), s means silver or smoke, y golden, and the numbers tell you about white (01–09), shading (11, 12), the tabby pattern (22–25) or colourpoint (33).
Seal point(n 33)
Blue point(a 33)
Seal mitted(n 04)
Blue tabby mitted(a 04 21)
Seal bicolour(n 03)
Blue bicolour(a 03)A Ragdoll always has points and blue eyes. Solid, mink and sepia 'Ragdolls' are sold, but no major registry recognises them. Cinnamon, fawn, smoke and silver are not in the FIFe, CFA or GCCF colour lists, and WCF rules out silver. Van is allowed only in CFA.
Ragdoll kittens are born all white. The dark points appear after a few days and keep getting darker for years.
A Ragdoll is slow to grow up: it can take four years to reach its full size and weight.
Many Ragdolls learn to bring back a toy and come when called. That is why they are also called 'puppy cats'.
The colour code 04 for 'mitted', with white mittens, exists only for the Ragdoll.
In Belgium the Ragdoll was the third most popular pedigree cat in 2024, after the Maine Coon and the British Shorthair.
Usually 10 to 15 years. In British vet records half of all Ragdolls lived to about 13 or older, and one in four reached 16.
The heart muscle thickens, so the heart pumps less well. The Ragdoll has its own inherited form. About 1 in 3 to 4 tested Ragdolls carries one copy of the gene; two copies are much rarer and carry the highest risk.
How it is found: DNA test of the parents and a heart scan by a specialist. Cats with two copies are not used for breeding.
The problem seen most often: about 1 in 11 Ragdolls has it in a year, though less often than ordinary house cats. Sore gums and loose teeth make eating painful.
How it is found: No DNA test. Regular dental checks at the vet and good tooth care.
In a British study Ragdolls got stones in the kidneys or ureters about 3 times as often as ordinary house cats, mostly between 4 and 8 years old. Such a stone can block the flow of urine; then the cat needs a vet quickly.
How it is found: No DNA test. If kidney values in the blood are high, the vet checks for stones.
Ragdolls can have blood type A, B or AB, and AB is more common in this breed. For the cat itself that is harmless. It does matter for breeding and for a blood transfusion.
How it is found: Blood typing of both parents, with a blood test and the DNA tests for AB and B.
Comb it once or twice a week. With its thin undercoat it mats less than many longhairs, but more often than a shorthair.
It does not need much, but a daily play session keeps its muscles strong and its weight right.
A Ragdoll loves food and puts on weight easily. The soft belly is normal, but no reason for extra treats.
A Ragdoll is not hypoallergenic. It sheds too, mostly in spring and autumn.
It trusts everyone and walks right up to strangers. So keep it indoors, in a fenced garden, or let it out under supervision.
Checked on 20 October 2026
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