Getting to Know Your Ragdoll Cat

If you’re welcoming a Ragdoll cat into your home, you’re in for a wonderful treat. Ragdolls are a breed that is not only beautiful to look at but has a shining personality. Let’s talk about getting to know them – where they came from and what to expect!

The History of the Breed

Despite their noble personalities, robust size, and beautiful features, the Ragdoll breed comes from extraordinarily humble beginnings. Starting in Riverside, California, during the mid-’60s, cat lover Ann Baker set about creating a breed that possessed ideal traits for the perfect at-home companion.

Bred from cats that ranged from her own to those of her friends and neighbors, they were chosen for both their gentle and affectionate demeanors as well as for specific looks – such as the Sacred Cat of Burma and the Angora.

Over the next several years, Ann set about expanding the breeding lines in order to prevent possible inbreeding. Popularity exploded as they became a registered breed, and Ann even filed for copyright privileges and attempted to maintain who could and couldn’t breed these marvelous felines through contracts and franchising. According to those around her, the motivation was primarily financial and the cat-fancier world did not take too kindly these attempts to hold that much control. The breed soon fell out of favor, only to resurface in popularity as people moved on.

Personality

Despite the scandal in the breed’s early years, the Ragdoll cat is remarkably laid back. As eager to be a couch potato as they are to play, they can accommodate all manners of lifestyle. However, they will still require adequate levels of mental and physical stimulation.

Suggested: How to get a cat to gain weight fast

They are also known to be among the most affectionate and cuddly cat breeds – and it stands to be that no one can resist those beautiful eyes when asking for your attention. You’ll find a ragdoll to be a companion who closely enjoys your company and will reward your love and loyalty in kind.

Ways to Bond

When introducing a new companion into your life – of any species – the best way to get to know them is through bonding activities and observations of their regular behavior. Sometimes naughty behaviors can be signs of boredom, frustration, or desperately trying to get you to pay attention to them. Some of these are things like purposefully knocking things down, clawing at furniture, or even urination in unusual places. It is, after all, very difficult for them to express their needs as their language is quite different from our own. Once you build stronger connections with them, their needs will become more intuitive. Napping together is a way cats show trust in each other, and the same applies to how they feel about us. Grooming is another way that cats will show their affection and bond with one another. That means you can turncoat brushing and ear cleaning sessions into a way to connect through gentle motions and mimicking how they behave when doing the same to others.

Activities

Another great way to bond and get to know your ragdoll is through stimulating activities. In fact, it is very important to make sure that any pet receives adequate mental and physical stimulation. After all, could you imagine how bored you’d be if you had no media or entertainment which you could understand? Thankfully, you don’t have to put on any costumed broadway reproductions for your cat – but if you did, the internet hopes you will record it for us to see too. All you need are some toys that resonate with your individual cat’s interest and a little bit of time each day for some shared fun!

Brain teasers – toys the dispense treats if they can figure out the puzzle, or ones that emulate hunting – are a great way to help them find rewarding entertainment. However, as Ragdolls are very much couch-potatoes they are prone to weight gain, so make sure they are low calorie and safe.

Getting to know your cat and understand their unique quirks and interest is a magical time – and can be done at any stage of development, whether you are welcoming a kitten to your home or giving a loving sanctuary to a senior cat. What do you think you will learn about your ragdoll?