History

The beginning of the Ragdoll breed is as controversial and shrouded in mystery as the breed itself. The recorded history is confusing and full of contradictions, and some parts are impossible to prove. However, there are elements we do know for sure, such as the fact that the Ragdoll breed started in Riverside, California (USA) in the 1960s by a woman named Ann Baker. And that the foundation of the breed was an ordinary street cat named Josephine.

Ann Baker was a breeder of Persian cats, mainly black ones, before she began with Ragdolls. Josephine was a white, long-haired semi-feral cat owned by Ann Baker's neighbor, Mrs. Pennels. Like many cats in Riverside that roamed the streets, Josephine was often pregnant and produced many kittens. At some point, Josephine was hit by a car, and Ann Baker's neighbors, who worked at a local university, saved her and restored her to full health. During this time, Josephine had to stay indoors and became a bit less wild. The first time she had a litter after the car accident, the kittens were born in Ann Baker's house, and that was the moment Ann noticed something special in the kittens.

Josephine's previous litters had all produced wild kittens, but after the car accident, the kittens were exactly the opposite. They were very relaxed and social! It is not entirely clear what was so different about these kittens or why they turned out that way. One theory is that the car accident changed Josephine's genes, but that is simply impossible. Ann Baker also claimed that Josephine was "helped" at the university after the accident and that she had new genes implanted; however, this was also impossible in the 1960s, even if there had been a good reason to do so. Another theory suggests that Josephine had a mutation in her cells, which is theoretically possible but very unlikely, as multiple genes are probably responsible for the calm behavior of the kittens. In any case, Ann saw something special in the kittens and eventually decided to breed with these kittens to create an entirely new breed.

The first kitten from Josephine that became Ann's property was Buckwheat, a black female that looked a bit like a Burmese cat. Ann later acquired another daughter of Josephine, a bicolor cat she named Raggedy Ann Fugianna. Fugianna's father was Daddy Warbucks (a mitted), the son of Josephine, owned by neighbor Pennels. All these kittens came from Josephine, but they were probably all different in size. Ann was very impressed with Daddy Warbucks' appearance, who looked like a Sacred Birman with a blaze on his nose and a white spot on his tail. It was this cat that Ann later called the 'Father of the Ragdoll look,' and she often used him as a stud in her Ragdoll breeding program. These three cats are the foundation of the Ragdoll, as it was no longer possible for Ann to obtain more kittens from Josephine. After Josephine had another litter following the car accident, her owners decided to euthanize her and her kittens.

Ann promoted the breed through advertisements and brochures, and soon the media took an interest in the Ragdoll. When she started the breeding program, Ann did something that had never been done in the cat world before; she trademarked the Ragdoll and registered it. Now, all other Ragdoll breeders had to enter into a contract with her and pay her royalties for every kitten sold. Ann also founded a cat association called 'the International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA),' which was independent of other major cat breed organizations.

Ann had very strict breeding rules that other breeders had to follow in order to register their kittens as 'true' Ragdoll kittens. Ann was also an eccentric woman who believed in what she said, and sometimes she gave contradictory information on the same day. Over time, Ann began making very strange, sometimes even humorous claims. For example, she claimed that Ragdolls had human genes, raccoon genes, that Ragdolls were immune to pain and fear, and that they were the final link between humans and Martians! The relationship between Ann and the other Ragdoll breeders deteriorated, and many breeders gave up and stopped. Eventually, a group of breeders had had enough of the strict rules and decided to leave the IRCA. They began working on gaining acceptance of the Ragdoll with the other cat associations. The most important people in this were Laura and Danny Deyton, who had obtained their Ragdolls before Ann's breeding rules were implemented. This allowed them to legally circumvent these rules and start their own breeding program.

The Ragdoll Society, which later became the Ragdoll Fanciers Club and then the current Ragdoll Fanciers' Club International (RFCI), was founded in 1971 to promote the breed to major cat associations in America so that Ragdolls could be admired at shows. In 1967, Ragdolls were first recognized as a breed in America, and in 1981 the first Ragdolls were exported to Europe. Due to their strange name and the myths surrounding the breed, the Ragdoll was often mentioned in the press, and more and more people became interested. This attention also had its negative points; many breed associations refused for some time to recognize the breed because they considered it inhumane to breed a cat that did not feel pain or fear, making it unable to defend itself! Fortunately, most of these misunderstandings have now been resolved, and the Ragdoll is now one of the fastest-growing cat breeds in history!

At present, the Ragdoll is still a relatively unknown breed, but the number of Ragdolls and breeders is growing rapidly. Ann Baker passed away in 1997, dying bitter and feeling betrayed. The Ragdoll trademark ended in 2005, but the IRCA is still active after her death, and there are still both registered and unregistered Ragdolls on the market. IRCA remains independent of the other major cat associations, and since IRCA breeders are prohibited from joining other associations, their number is small and continues to decline. RFCI is also still active. Currently, Ragdolls are recognized as a breed by almost all cat associations worldwide, and some breeders are busy introducing new colors and patterns. With the ever-growing interest in the breed, the future of the Ragdoll looks very bright!