Ragdoll: Cat Food and a Description of the Breed
The Ragdoll is a longhaired cat from the USA. The breed has been bred since the 1960s. Beside animals like the Savannah cat and the Maine Coon the Ragdoll is one of the biggest domestic cats. Thanks to its friendly nature, the Ragdoll enjoys great popularity worldwide.
History of the Ragdoll
The Ragdoll has its origins in California in the early 1960s. At that time Ann Baker received from her neighbor a young tomcat that resembled a Birman cat. With him she started breeding and soon gave the breed its name after noticing that the cats, when lifted up, simply hung completely limp, just like a doll made of rags.
Ann Baker had the name Ragdoll patented early on and subsequently raised a royalty from other breeders, which made breeding much more difficult. Two other breeders of the first hour, the families Chambers and Dayton, however, had separated from Ann Baker quite fast and could therefore continue their breeding without paying royalties and thus contribute considerably to the development of the breed.
In 1981 the first Ragdolls finally arrived in Germany. The recognition by the FiFé followed in 1991 and since then the popularity of the gentle giants among the cats has been increasing steadily.
Look of the Ragdoll
The Ragdoll has a muscular body with a medium bone structure. With a shoulder height of up to 40 centimetres and a length of up to 120 centimetres it’s a true cat giant.
Females usually reach a weight of 4.5 to 6.5 kilograms, while males easily weigh 10 kilos. Occasionally even animals with a body weight of around 12 kilograms are reported.
The head of the Ragdoll is medium in size and broad. It should be flat between the ears and wedge-shaped. The medium sized ears of the Ragdoll are rounded at the tips and stand wide apart. Their eyes shine in a bright blue.
The coat of the Ragdoll
Besides their size and blue eyes, the coat is without doubt the most characteristic feature of the Ragdoll. The dense coat is semi-long and has only a little undercoat. It has a silky structure and is especially bushy on the tail.
The Ragdoll belongs like the Siamese to the so-called point cats. This means that due to an altered gene its coat only becomes really dark on the cold parts of the body like the ears, the face, the legs and the tail.
The rest of the body of the initially white Ragdoll darkens only slightly and can be found in the colours Blue, Seal, Lilac, Chocolate, Cream and Red. Among the generally accepted coat markings are Colourpoint, Bicolour and Mitted.
Character of the Ragdoll
The Ragdoll is characterized by a calm and friendly character. They are very people-oriented and do not like to be left alone for long periods of time.
The Ragdoll is a very intelligent and talkative cat who enjoys communicating with their owner and with other cats. They are also very attentive and enjoy observing their environment.
They sometimes even follow their owner wherever they go, just like a dog. Since she gets along very well with children as well as with other pets, the Ragdoll is very well suited as a family cat.
Keeping and care of the Ragdoll
The Ragdoll is a frugal house cat. Provided that their human roommates pay enough attention to them, they are happy even without outdoor activities.
Thanks to its high intelligence the Ragdoll can be easily educated, so that a relaxed living together of humans and animals does not stand in the way and the four-legged friend quickly internalizes the rules in his home.
Since the coat of the Ragdoll has only a little undercoat, its care proves to be surprisingly uncomplicated despite the length of the hair. Nevertheless, regular brushing should not be avoided. Daily grooming rituals are very useful, especially when the cat is shedding.
Ragdoll diseases
Like most pedigree cats, the Ragdoll has not been completely spared from hereditary diseases. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is one of the diseases which occur comparatively frequently in the Ragdoll.
The acromelanism, which is also responsible for the coat coloration, can occasionally lead to diseases in the cat's eyes.
The life expectancy of the Ragdoll
A healthy Ragdoll normally reaches an age of 12 to 15 years. Inbreeding and heart diseases like HCM can reduce the life expectancy of a Ragdoll significantly though.
The right food for the Ragdoll
The Ragdolls are quite susceptible to being overweight. For this reason it is very important to make sure the cat’s portion sizes are right.
It’s also important to avoid food containing grains and other inferior ingredients. With cat foods from the I Love My Cat you provide your Ragdoll with all important nutrients.
In addition to high-quality wet and dry food you will also find a range of natural care products and food supplements for cats in our assortment. With these you can support the vitality and the well-being of your four-legged friend in a digestible way.
For the Ragdoll the following products from our assortment may be useful:
- Eye Care Drops are ideal for the gentle cleaning of sensitive cat eyes.
- Shiimun Skin supports the luxuriant coat of your Ragdoll with valuable nutrients.
- Dental Powder helps to remove plaque and tartar without additional time expenditure.
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