The Ragdoll is a relatively new breed, having originated in California in 1963 and only arriving in the UK in the early 1980s. The Ragdoll was created by a breeder called Ann Baker, and there are many stories about how the Ragdoll developed their tendency to hang limp when picked up - one of these is that Ann's foundation queen, Josephine (a white long-haired cat of Angora-type) was hit by a car, and after recovering from this accident the kittens she produced were very relaxed and "floppy"! 

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The Ragdoll is a large, muscular, semi-longhaired cat and can even grow as large as 7 - 8kg. They have a beautiful silky coat which needs regular grooming. Do not be mistaken in thinking that a Ragdoll will be a docile lap cat though, as they are often very energetic and playful! They have a wonderful temperament and their nickname of "puppy cats" is very apt, as they want to be with you all the time, will follow you from room to room and always sit close to you. 

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Originally the Ragdoll came in four colours - seal, blue, chocolate and lilac. Ragdolls in these colours whose pedigrees trace all the way back to Ann Baker's foundation cats are known as traditional Ragdolls. As the breed developed the additional colours of red and cream were introduced. Three of these colours are created when the dilute gene is added to the original colours:

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• Seal

• Blue (dilute of seal)

• Chocolate 

• Lilac (dilute of chocolate)

• Red

• Cream (dilute of red) 

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Ragdolls come in three main patterns - colourpoint, mitted and bicolour. On top of these three patterns you can also have the additional patterns of tabby (known as lynx in some countries such as the USA) and tortie (tortoiseshell). I like to think of tabby and tortie patterns as an overlay that can be added to the other patterns - for example, you can have a blue colourpoint, you can have a blue tabby colourpoint and you can also have a blue tortie colourpoint. 

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Below is a helpful diagram (courtesy of The British Ragdoll Cat Club) showing the three patterns of the Ragdoll, and the full GCCF Standard of Points can be found here.