Ragdoll cats, oh boy!

[bellaluna777]

I have a two year old Ragdoll female and we have a love-hate relationship. She can be very sweet when she wants to and can hiss and swat and bite. To be fare, the Ragdoll is a breed that is only 50 years old and part of the mix is a ferral cat. What irks me is that the breed is listed as sweet and docile and will go limp in your arms and is a quiet breed. However, I have found my Ragdoll and from so many other owners on forums claiming quite the contrary.

When I told my vet I had a Ragdoll cat she exclaimed, "they can be real firecrackers". This coming from an all cat clinic vet with 40 years experience. Now I know one argument that some Ragdoll owners/breeders put forth is that if your Ragdoll doesn't fit the breed description, they must come from a bad breeder. This, however, was not my case as I got her from a TICA registered breeder who bred her kitties under foot in a family atmosphere and her parents come from "Champion" lines descending straight from Anne Baker's selected kitties. I am hoping my Ragdoll will mellow out over time, she has twice the energy level of my Persian cats the same age and we are contemplating getting her a cat wheel. 

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• bellaluna777
• Feb 3, 2015

 

[yayi]

A cat is a cat is a cat whether it's pedigreed or not. 

 I don't believe that because your Ragdoll or any other purebred veers away from the behavior pattern means that she came from a "bad breeder". The cat's independent spirit will always be there. That is what I love the most about them. 

 

[Willowy]

As you've pointed out, most cats breeds are fairly new and behavioral traits are last to be really established in a breed. In my experience, purebreds vary just as much in personality/temperment as moggies do. The only thing I've seen with any kind of consistency is that Siamese (and related oriental breeds) are LOUD!

My mom has a Ragdoll who doesn't fit the supposed personality traits as well. I doubt she came from a "good breeder" (she's a second-hand cat. Actually third-hand) but who knows. Her first family moved a lot so even if she did come from a good breeder they probably would have lost track of her anyway.

 

[bellaluna777]

Yes, I can see the difference between  a cat breed that is hundreds of years old like the Persian vs. the Ragdoll. I have had lots of Siamese cats and I for one can attest to the fact that they are LOUD, but very sweet. To tell you the truth, I was hoping by getting a seal point Ragdoll, I could have a Siamese looking cat with a more lad-back disposition. Oh well, we love her all the same, but definitely prefer Persians over Ragdolls. I think they are ideal for a household with a young family and a dog.