THE RAGDOLL


THE ORIGINS OF THE RAGDOLL AND HIS LEGEND


First of all I would like to make a point of saying that the following information as well as some photographs were taken from the famous book « the definitive guide to Ragdolls » published in 1995 by the Ragdoll World UK.


1 - In United States of America

Ann Baker is the founder of the Ragdoll breed. The first was registered in 1965 in California USA.
According to the legend, the Ragdolls were born from a female white angora named Josephine. At some point, Josephine was involved in a road traffic accident, and after being nursed back to health, she recovered without apparent injury. After that, Ann Baker mated her to both a Burmese and a Birman male, and it was their offspring that resulted in the very first Ragdolls.

These kittens had a new temperament due to the road traffic accident suffered by their mother. Of course this was the story that generated so many of the present day myths. So, with a wonderful work of selection, Ann Baker achieved to create a magnificent cat breed with an exceptional nature : the Ragdoll. She then bred her cats under the name of « Raggedy Ann ».
The three cats foundater of the breed were all from Josephine : the male : Daddy Warbucks of Birman appearance, and two females, Buckwheat of Burmese appearance, and Fugianna who was like a bicolour imperfectly marked with a white inverted V on the face.
The three patterns of Ragdolls are :
- the bicolour,
- the colourpoint,
- and the mitted.

It's in 1969 that Laura and Denny Dayton entered into the story of the Ragdoll obtaining Ann Baker's kittens. These kittens constituted the first elements of their breeding under the name « Blossom Time ». The first kittens were : Raggedy Ann Buddy, a seal colourpoint and Raggedy Ann Rosie, a seal mitted female. Following Joshua (bicolour seal), Pecos Bill (bicolour chocolat), Lolita (seal mitted), Miss Chef (seal mitted) and Little Orphan Annie (bicolour).


2 - In United Kingdom

1981 - The Ragdoll export. Two friends, Pat Brownsell and Lulu Rowley were often spoke of their passion of the cats and it's Pat who discovered the Ragdoll through the media, she was attracted and persuade her friend Lulu to start breeding with her. They have bought a pair of Ragdolls each from Laura and Denny Dayton. Lulu started breeding « Petit Lu » with Blossom Time Lad, a seal colourpoint male and Blossom Time Lass, a seal mitted female. Lass gave birth to three female kittens, all seal colourpoint, before the end of quarantine. Pat Brownsell started her cattery « Patriarca » with Blossom Time Proper a chocolate bicolour male and Blosom Time Prim a seal colourpoint female. In a short time, other Ragdolls were added to Lulu's cattery : Blossom Time Romeo, Juliet, Myrtie, Pistil, Camelia, Bananas (the first lilac) and Spring and Summer.

These 12 Ragdolls participated considerably to establishment of the Ragdoll in United Kingdom and in Europe.

In other respects a lady named Sue Ward Smith who had always harboured a deep love for cats but up to this time had still only enjoyed the pleasures of mongrel farm cats, was very impressed by the Ragdoll. She created her cattery « Pandapaws » that contributed greatly to the establishment of the breed, but in addition she hard worked for the recognition of the Ragdoll like true breed in G.C.C.F. (Gouverny Council of the Cat Fancy). Like this « The British Ragdoll Cat Club » had created in 1987 and affiliated to G.C.C.F. in 1991.
She had bought her first Ragdolls from Pat Brownsell : Patriarca Ray Sophie, Patriarca Rag Cowboy Joe and Patriarca Ray Daisymae.

Like this at the end 1980's it was possible to show Ragdolls in the championships. It's at this time that Lorna Wallace and her daughter appeared regularly in the shows with their Patriarca's and Pandapaws's Ragdolls. They named their breeding « Azzedine ».
Their first kittens were : Pandapaw Diamond (seal colourpoint female), mated with Patriarca Rag Cowboy Joe « colourpoint ». In the litter were born Azzedine Zagato and his sister Anastasia, both seal colourpoint.


3 - In France

The Ragdoll came to France when Noëlle Vialatte imported the first pair of Ragdolls in 1987 : Patriarca Ragbarfield, a blue colourpoint male and Patriarca Rag Blossom, a seal colourpoint female breeding by Pat Brownsell. Noël Vialatte like this started her breeding under the name of « Gailande ». Her first litter was born in 1988.

Enchanted by the beauty of the Ragdolls, Noëlle Vialatte and her husband imported three other Ragdolls : Petit Lu Zack (seal bicolour male) and two females : Rag Daisymae (seal colourpoint) and Pandapaws Caréma, one beautiful seal bicolour (she will become great European Champion).

However the Ragdoll had difficulty gaining acceptance in the French shows because the Birman was extremely popular.

In 1993, Noëlle Vialatte and her husband founded the « Ragdoll Club de France ».

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE RAGDOLL