The Ragdoll Personality
Gentle, affectionate, docile. Every breed description says it and it is true. It is also not the whole picture, and the rest is what decides whether a Ragdoll is the right cat for your house.
This is what living with them is actually like, from the cats asleep on the sofa behind us as we write it.
The flop
The thing the breed is named for is real. Pick up a Ragdoll and it goes limp: legs dangling, head lolling, like a child asleep in the car. Not every Ragdoll and not every time, but most of them most of the time, and it is why they get carried about by children who would be scratched by any other cat. Our queen flops the moment her feet leave the ground. She is here.
The following
Ragdolls follow people. Not underfoot like a dog. A few meters behind, room to room, and then they lie down somewhere they can see you. Go to the bathroom and a Ragdoll comes too and sits on the edge of the bath. Work at a desk and a Ragdoll is on the desk. They want to be where you are and they will wait outside a closed door for as long as it takes.
The quiet
A small, soft voice, used rarely. A chirp when you come home, a trill when they want something, almost never the yowl of a Siamese. If you want a cat that talks to you all day, this is not the breed.
Children, dogs and visitors
Ragdolls are patient with children to a degree other cats are not. They tolerate being dressed, carried, put in prams and read to. That patience should not be tested. A child who hurts a Ragdoll will be walked away from, not scratched, which is a reason to teach the child, not to relax. With dogs, a Ragdoll settles well if the dog is calm and the introduction is slow; ours sleep against the dog. With visitors, a Ragdoll is the cat that comes to the door and inspects the shoes.
The parts nobody advertises
They need company. A Ragdoll alone in an empty house from eight until six, every day, goes quiet, stops playing and over-grooms. If nobody is home most days, get two, or get a different breed. We say this to every family and we mean it.
They are not clever about danger. A Ragdoll will walk up to a strange dog, a snake, a road. It is not stupid. It is trusting, and it has never been given a reason not to be. They live indoors. What that does for their lifespan.
They are not athletes. A Ragdoll does not leap to the top of the fridge or hunt the birds. It sits in the window and watches. If you want a cat that entertains itself, this is not it.
They shed on you. A cat that is always on your lap leaves hair on your lap, and a semi-long-haired cat leaves more. How much, and what to do about it.
Boys and girls
People ask. In this breed the difference between two individuals is bigger than the difference between the sexes. Our boys grow larger and are a little more laid back. Our girls are quicker and a little more talkative. Spayed or neutered, both are the same in the house.
How we handle it
We raise every litter in the living room, underfoot, so the temperament is not a promise but a habit by the time a kitten leaves. Each kitten on the kittens available now has its own nature written next to its photograph, the sweet one, the gentle one, the friendly one, because after twelve weeks we know. If you want a cat that greets you, follows you and lies across you through a film, yes, without hesitation. If you want a cat that asks nothing of you, no, and we would rather tell you now.
Keep reading
How Long Do Ragdoll Cats Live?
Twelve to seventeen years, some reach twenty. Most of the difference is decided by the owner, not the breed.
Are Ragdoll Cats Hypoallergenic?
No. Nothing is. But plenty of people with a mild allergy live happily with one, and there is a way to find out before you buy.
How Big Do Ragdoll Cats Get?
Males thirteen to twenty pounds, females four to six, and it takes three to four years. A weight table by age from our own cats.