Help! Is my cat a Ragdoll or a Himalayan?

[rsmacdonald1]

I've had my cat for about a year now, and up until now I've thought she was a Himalayan. The people from whom I adopted her told me she was a Himalayan. And that's what I believed. Yesterday, however, a friend who is a vet was over and said she looked like a Ragdoll. Is that true? How can I know for sure what breed she is?

- She doesn't have a flat face like the Himalayan show cats, but I've read that some of them can have a "doll face" with a longer snout.

- Her fur is fairly long and requires daily brushing, otherwise it will get matted. 

- When I pick her up, she does not freeze or go limp as some describe of the Ragdolls. 

So, if you know cats well and can offer any insight as to what breed she is, I would really appreciate it! 

unnamed-2.jpg

• rsmacdonald1
• Apr 27, 2014

unnamed.jpg

• rsmacdonald1
• Apr 27, 2014

IMG_5247.JPG

• rsmacdonald1
• Apr 27, 2014

 

[skallal]

I am no expert, but your kitty definitely could be a Ragdoll. I have a Ragdoll who is nearly a year old with very similar fur. His fur does get matted easily. As far as going limp? My kitty does NOT like to be picked up, but does go limp. He didn't go limp as a young kitten though. Another sign of a Ragdoll, they like to stretch out on the floor, roll over, and stretch their legs and paws out. Their body language is relaxed. Also your cat has blue eyes, which is a must for a Ragdoll.

That said, I don't know much about Himalayan cats. I'm leaning toward the Ragdoll because I have a pure one from a breeder, but someone else would be a better judge.

Steve

 

[42cattier]

I believe it's Snowshoe (white mittens). Himalayans are half persian with short nose, dark colored Ragdolls have dark feet and similar face.

I have Ragdoll, darkest one (seal point).

 

[nbrazil]

Without papers she isn't anything except a gorgeous Ragdoll look-alike. But that much being said, she looks exactly like what you would expect a Blue Mitted Ragdoll to look like (which is what my boy is - wow they look identical).

One of the subtle things generally characteristic of Ragdolls is that nearly all of them have a white chin (even when the rest of the face is dark).

While a docile personality is nearly universal with Ragdolls, going limp in one's arms isn't. My personal opinion is that they have that tendency but it depends on their upbringing. My guy was handled a lot since he was a kitten and totally trusts me. So at 13 1/2 pounds, he likes to see the world upside down while held like a baby. My friend's Ragdoll, on the other hand, hates to be picked up (she got him as an adult from a family that declawed him and never handled him).

I'm no expert - but sure looks like a Ragdoll. A Snowshoe has a different look, and doesn't have the ruff and britches which your girl has.

But again, without papers, she is considered a look-alike.

 

[nbrazil]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowshoe_(cat)

http://www.ragdolls.cz/en/about-breed-colors.html

https://www.petinsurance.com/healthzone/pet-articles/pet-breeds/Himalayan-Cats.aspx

Some pictures for comparison. Again, note the white chin on the Blue Ragdoll and the completely different look of a Snowshoe. But sorry to sound like a broken record because in the course of events, look-alikes are born which strongly resemble established breeds. No papers = DLH.

Ah, but if you want to know FOR SURE and have the money, I'll bet that genetic testing is possible - don't know how or where, but since all Ragdolls share about 40% or more of their genetics, who knows?

 

[sophie79]

Okay...BEAUTIFUL cat....
She is not a Snowshoe...definately NOT, 100% sure about this.

She looks like a blue mitted Ragdoll. Not all Ragdolls have mitts btw (I saw someone say that in an earlier post), but if they do have mitts they MUST also have a white chin and white on their belly or else they may be a Birman or a Himalayan X. The only thing that I question then about your cat being a Ragdoll is that you say her fur gets matted easily. Ragdolls do not matt easily - they lack the dense undercoat that other longhaired cats have. My guess is that she is a doll face Himalayan/Ragdoll cross....but more Ragdoll in her because of her mitts/white chin AND her face which is more pronounced in structure then that of a Himalayan (even a doll face).

Most people who see a long haired pointed cat right away assume it's a 'Himalayan'.

 

[nbrazil]

About that matting. I have a purebred Blue Mitted Ragdoll and was surprised to have a lot of problems with his fur matting. But here is the deal... he grew that beautiful ruff (mane) too and, well - when he began to shed his winter coat (which was his kitten coat, too), it became very matted and was a real problem, even with daily brushing.

So I got a de-matting comb and with the help of a former dog breeder, we de-matted him a couple of times. In the process, all of his winter coat came out (his ruff is significantly reduced now, I miss it!) and now his fur isn't matting anymore. Still could use a weekly brushing, but no more matts.

The point I'm trying to make is that until all of his winter coat was "removed" he had a real matting problem which simple brushing didn't help. Had to comb out his entire winter coat, which was significant work. So??????

The thing about Ragdolls not shedding either - NOT TRUE! LOL

It is amazing, she looks so much like my boy!

 

[sophie79]

Yes Ragdolls do shed! I agree. My seal point boy is currently shedding his winter coat and it is horrendous (not the coat but the shedding and vacuuming I have to do!). He does occasionally matt but the matts are not as bad as on my other longhairs. Perhaps she does have a purebred Ragdoll then....depending on the severity of the matts.

 

[moonshyne]

She sure looks like a ragdoll. I breed ragdolls and yes, there are tests you can get done. When we have litters we test to verify because colors can be slow to show and the final coloring can take months to fully develop. My lilac bi-color has kittens that even the most experienced breeders would not be able to tell you exactly what they were. They are all born white to begin with. The testing erases all the guesswork so you can know for sure. 

But unless you really wanted to know for sure or for showing etc I'd save the money and assume pretty confidently that she is for sure a ragdoll. Hope this helps. 

 

[leobenny]

I'm convinced my 13 year old Flame Point is not a Himalayan but a ragdoll. After everything I've read about Ragdolls he has all the characteristics. He goes limp when picked up, his coat is silky and requires little to no maintenance and he's very docile in 13 years he's never hissed once I truly believe he dies not know how to hiss.

 

[GemsGem]

I'm convinced my 13 year old Flame Point is not a Himalayan but a ragdoll. After everything I've read about Ragdolls he has all the characteristics. He goes limp when picked up, his coat is silky and requires little to no maintenance and he's very docile in 13 years he's never hissed once I truly believe he dies not know how to hiss.

Hi and welcome to the site

An individual cat of a certain breed may not display all, or any, of the behaviour traits and characteristics associated with that particular breed.

If someone brought a Ragdoll, just because they wanted a cat that would go limp when picked up. They would probably end up very disappointed
Generalising breed traits doesn't work - for every Ragdoll that does go limp, there is one that doesn't Also, I know of cats of other breeds that say go limp when picked up, that doesn't make them a Ragdoll.

Cat breeds are based on looks - now there is a difference between the looks of a Himmie and Ragdoll, mainly in head shape.

Himmies have round heads/faces, big round eyes and very short muzzles.
Ragdolls have a wedge shaped head, moderately slanted eyes and a longer medium sized muzzle.

 

[mazycat]

Hi! My friend actually has both, and I play with them a lot. I think it is a Ragdoll, from my experience, but to really find out you should go to a professional veterinarian, other than the one you got the cat from! Good luck!

 

[swright4478467]

Hi there

I have two purebred ragdolls and I've had a Himayan in the past.  My ragdolls also don't like to be held.  I was very disappointed.  They are very loving though and talk a lot.  Gracie loves to lay on her back with all her legs outstretched.  It is so funny, she's just so relaxed.  Her mom likes to curl up but is very mellow also.   Their behavior and their manerisms are very similar to the Himaayian I had years ago.  I think the ragdoll coloring is slightly different though with the variations of light cream to medium/dark brown brown and they definitely have the blue eyes.  I don't remember if my Himalayan had blue yes.  But regardless, they are wonderful kitties.  I hope  you enjoy your baby as much as we enjoy ours.

 

[Mark1962]

Hi, hope this helps, I've had several Birman cats and a Ragdoll cat, last poster is spot on, all cats are different and rarely confirm to all the standard traits of a certain breed, my Ragdoll didn't go limp but he liked being picked up ... so now your cat looks to me like a Birman as Birmans have white paws (called mittens) and this is their description (below) ... google pictures of a Blue point Birman and they look very similar, some are a bit darker in the face, ignore the kitten pictures as all Birmans are born white and it takes a while for the full colouring to come through, a Ragdoll by the way was created from a Birman cat and both are very similar and very easy to mix up, good luck

They are heavily boned cats and can appear somewhat stocky in every feature. The Birman has very unusual markings. She looks like a pointed cat with four white feet (mitted) and deep blue eyes. ... The fur of the Birman is medium long, and soft and silky.

 

[Marci Jones]

Maybe she is half ragdoll half himmie -- she could be all himmie - I have had a 5 doll faced himmies over time- only one female who was more refined looking in the face than the males. 3 out of 5 of them were ragdoll in nature relative to being very ply-able. 3 out of 5 had very dense fur and they all shed a lot. 3 out of 5 were very affectionate. But they were all beautiful cats with nice dispositions. Had a ragdoll for a few weeks but gave back to the breeder cause he was no where near as chillax, playful or cute as the himmies I've had. But that's all the exposure to ragdolls I've had so that could have been an anomoly. I think himmies are a bit more boxy looking in the angles - but I also had 2 himmies that were not so much, so in summary, this cat could be all himmie.

 

[Menzies]

I've had my cat for about a year now, and up until now I've thought she was a Himalayan. The people from whom I adopted her told me she was a Himalayan. And that's what I believed. Yesterday, however, a friend who is a vet was over and said she looked like a Ragdoll. Is that true? How can I know for sure what breed she is?

- She doesn't have a flat face like the Himalayan show cats, but I've read that some of them can have a "doll face" with a longer snout.

- Her fur is fairly long and requires daily brushing, otherwise it will get matted.

- When I pick her up, she does not freeze or go limp as some describe of the Ragdolls.

So, if you know cats well and can offer any insight as to what breed she is, I would really appreciate it!

unnamed-2.jpg

• rsmacdonald1
• Apr 27, 2014

unnamed.jpg

• rsmacdonald1
• Apr 27, 2014

IMG_5247.JPG

• rsmacdonald1
• Apr 27, 2014

Gosh she's beautiful, whatever she is!

 

[lutece]

I see that this is a very old thread, from 2014

I would describe the cat in the original post as a blue point and white domestic longhair. She looks similar to a Ragdoll, but that doesn't necessarily mean she has Ragdoll ancestry. She doesn't have extreme features that would definitely indicate any specific breed ancestry. Most cats are not any particular breed, so the most likely possibility is that she is simply a domestic longhair.

 

[jefferd18]

I see that this is a very old thread, from 2014

I would describe the cat in the original post as a blue point and white domestic longhair. She looks similar to a Ragdoll, but that doesn't necessarily mean she has Ragdoll ancestry. She doesn't have extreme features that would definitely indicate any specific breed ancestry. Most cats are not any particular breed, so the most likely possibility is that she is simply a domestic longhair.

Except what caused her to look like a Ragdoll or Himi? She must have had some in her ancestry.

 

[lutece]

Except what caused her to look like a Ragdoll or Himi? She must have had some in her ancestry.

It doesn't work that way... it goes in the opposite direction actually! It's fairly common for a pointed domestic longhair to have a superficial resemblance to the Ragdoll breed, but that doesn't mean that pointed domestic longhairs must have Ragdoll ancestors... it means that Ragdolls have domestic longhair ancestors

The Ragdoll breed was originally developed from domestic longhairs of moderate type. Today's Ragdolls are a little more massive than the average domestic longhair, have a very plush coat, and have a slightly shorter face with smaller ears and sweeter expression, but this was primarily accomplished through selective breeding from the original domestic longhair breeding stock. Everything necessary to make a cat that looks like a Ragdoll is still out there in the domestic cat gene pool.