How we came about
Chiffondolls
The Ragdoll, their history and description

How we came about

Our first Ragdoll was a gift I got from my husband. Little did he know at the time, just how much it was about to be a life-changing venture. Whippette has got to be the nicest gift I ever got … it was love at first sight! Not only was she our first Ragdoll babe, she was also our first cat.

Our first love lies with those 4-legged creatures that bark. Even though they were not very impressed at first with the addition of a furry sister that meowed, they soon adapted and adopted her. In no time, our Whippette was ruling our home.

Like many exhibitors out there, it is her breeder that explained to us about showing. Right after adopting this cute kitty, we went looking for anything we could find to learn about cat shows, standards and Ragdolls. Even though we had adopted her as a pet, we thought we had a real looker on our hands, and figured it would be such a waste not to show her. So we decided to show her as a kitten to see how it went, for her and for us, and then we would decide what would come next, if anything.

We thank Blossom Cheverie of LionsRoyale, for her words of encouragement, guidance, and tons of information she provided when we decided to attend that first CCA show in Montreal.

Whippette made a final at that show and was awarded 8th best kitten (out of 70 something) by judge Hayley Boam. We were so excited; it’s all it took to hook us! We then went looking to adopt a Show Alter.

Thank you Isabelle Bellavance for Kbkat Abracadabra Shaka. He is such a sweety pie and a real purr machine. Shaka is a CFA and a CCA Premier. We then went on to show, for about a year in the Alter division with CFA, before we made the decision to become Ragdoll breeders.

We are so lucky and thankful to have great people surrounding us and supporting this dream. Whether it be in the shows halls, at home or with our friends, it just seems everyone is very supportive. Some of them have even turned into cheerleaders ;-), yep, our kitties have groupies loll. They will probably never know just how much it means to feel them with us on this. We also have great babysitters … They make it possible for us to hit the road for a cat show, with great peace of mind, knowing everyone staying at home is well taken care of.

Even though we are newly established breeders, we will do our best in preserving the bloodlines and breeding the sweetest dolls that we can.

Chiffondolls

The aim that we have for our breeding program is to produce the best show quality dolls we can while preserving the Ragdoll’s lovely characteristics. We are definitely breeding for temperament, size, color definition, floppiness and for those gorgeous china-blue eyes.  Above anything else though, their health and sweet disposition will remain our first priority always.

Our objective is to produce kittens who are well adjusted and well socialized to allow for a smooth transition when introduced to their furrever families. Because the Ragdoll is a breed that matures slowly, our baby dolls will remain with us until their 14th week.

Even though we would love to be breeding full-time, at this point we are hobby breeders, and we raise our lovely babies in our home. Our dolls are never, ever caged. Our ladies (unless being courted) and their babies have the run of the house while our gentlemen dolls enjoy their own living quarters with plenty of natural light and frequent visits from their humans.

The precious babies are born in our bedroom so we can keep a close eye on them and the mother. At 3 weeks we move them into the playroom, which is the room next to ours, for a few weeks until they get their first shots. It is during this time that Mom teaches them toiletry manners and the joys of using a scratch post. After the first shots, it is time to introduce them to the rest of the family; from that point on, they take over our home. A great deal of time is spent keeping a clean and fun environment for them.

 

Our dolls are strictly indoor cats and are sold with such in the contract, which also includes a strict no-declaw clause. Breeders should note that we also have a no-caging policy in our breeder contracts. You will find all the information related to the adoption of a Chiffondolls in the Adoption section of our website.

As we are on the small size, as far as catteries go, and, most importantly, to protect the health of all our furry friends, it should be noted that we don’t offer stud service, nor do we offer boarding.

Ragdolls

History of the Ragdoll
I have read so many versions of this on so many websites. I will not go into great detail here, but will give you an overview of what my take on it is, and where they come from.
The Ragdoll is not a natural breed, they are called a hybrid breed which means that man has created this darling of a kitty. Their history goes back more than 50 years and has many mysteries surrounding it.

They were created in the 1960s in Riverside, California by a breeder named Ann Baker. She set out to breed the perfect cat with the sweetest temperament. It is believed that a white Persian-Angora cat named Josephine was bred with outcrossing’s to Birman and Burmese cats; which is apparently what started it all.
She had an ideal of a kitty in mind when she created the Ragdoll and obviously has reached her goals and then some.

Is the ”flop-factor” a myth or a fact? Often you’ll hear or read about the famous ”Ragdoll flop”; which means that when you hold them, they go totally limb in your hands. Many breeders now believe it is only a myth … I beg to differ. What I do believe, is that throughout times, it was probably exaggerated in such a way that it became unbelievable.

Our two first Ragdolls have totally different personalities from one another. One of them doesn’t have a clue as to what the Ragdoll Flop could possibly be, while the other one makes us strong believers. This little guy goes totally mushy when you hold him; to the point it is difficult to hold on to him and he almost feels like jello or a slinky. It is a given that not all Ragdolls have that fun characteristic, but some definitely do.
Today, with the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA), the Ragdoll is the fastest-growing breed in popularity. The CFA is the largest registry of pedigreed cats in the world.

Description of the Ragdoll by RFCI
I have decided to use the Description of the Ragdoll given by RFCI and credit them for it, as I cannot do any better nor render them more justice, than what they have done here.

The beauty of the RAGDOLL is only one of their many features. Their disposition and personality are what makes them a truly unique cat. They are quiet, playful, placid, relaxed and very loving. They make a wonderful house or apartment cat. Because they adapt well to the indoors. A RAGDOLL should never be left outside unattended. They can be easily leash trained, however, it is recommended that they stay in the house at all times, so they don’t get a taste of the outdoors, and then try to sneak out whenever the doors are opened, especially with children in the house.

RAGDOLLS are docile, large and affectionate and respond well to children and other pets. Ragdolls and dogs do especially well together if the dog is well mannered. Children should be watched around a Ragdoll kitten, but most Ragdolls raised with children will tolerate being lugged around the house and be happy to be played with.

RAGDOLLS are slow to mature physically obtaining full maturity between 3 and 4 years of age. Altered adult males may reach 15 to 20 pounds; females will weigh about 5 pounds less.

The Ragdolls fur is rabbit-like, medium long with LITTLE shedding. Remember, all animals, including humans do shed their fur, so expect some shedding in the spring and fall. What is nice about the Ragdoll fur is that it is very easy to pick up. It is so soft that it just sits on top of the surface instead of working it’s way into fabric and is therefore easy to pick up. Just a damp hand, or rag will lift most hair off your clothes. The RAGDOLL requires little or no routine grooming. During shedding season, be sure to watch for some tangles under the armpits in some Ragdolls. All pointed RAGDOLLS have beautiful blue eyes.

At this time, the only Ragdolls that are accepted for Championship in the show halls, are blue-eyed pointed Ragdolls. The solid color Ragdolls is considered experimental. The solid color Ragdolls can be registered, but have not been accepted as to the Standard, by the majority of the breeders. Therefore, the solid Ragdolls cannot be shown towards any titles.

Colors & Patterns of the Ragdoll
The RFCI currently recognizes 6 colors and 5 patterns in the Ragdoll: (recognition of colors and patterns may vary between registering Associations)

 

Colors
Seal Point	The body color should be ranging from ivory to pale fawn beige, shading gradually into a lighter color on the belly and chest. The points will range from a warm seal brown to a deep brownish black. The paw pads and nose leather to be a seal brown to brownish black, with rosy undertones allowed.
Blue Point	The body should be a bluish white to platinum grey, cold in tone, free of any tinge of brown, shading gradually to lighter color on the belly and chest. The points will be blue- grey to deep slate. The paw pads and nose leather dark blue. They may have rosy undertones.
Chocolate Point	The body should be ivory, shading gradually to lighter color on the belly and chest. The points ranging from warm milk chocolate to bittersweet chocolate, all with rose undertones. The paw pads should be a brownish salmon pink and nose leather a rose brown.
Lilac Point	Body magnolia white. Points a pale dove grey with pinkish tones to a warmer deep lavender, the dilute pigment permitting the flesh tones to show through. Paw pads and nose leather lavender pink .
Red Point	The body should be a warm, even, creamy white. The points will be a deep orange “hot” red. The paw pads and nose leather to be pink.
Cream Point	The body should be creamy white. The points ranging from pale sand to deep cream. The overall impression is dull, cool buff beige. The paw pads and nose leather pink.

 

Patterns
Colorpoint	The points, ears, mask, feet and tail are to be dark with the color well defined. The body should have definite contrast between it and points. Soft shadings of color are allowed on the body, as the cat gets older. Nose leather is the color of the points.
Mitted	The points are to be dark and contrasting to the body, with matching white mitts on the front feet, and white going up the back legs at least to the hock. The chin must be white, and there should be a white belly stripe from the chin down the bib, and running to the base of the tail. This pattern may have a single white blaze between the eyes or a broken blaze between the eyes and on the nose. Blaze may not extend into the nose leather. Nose leather is the color of the points.
BiColor	The Ears, mask and tail to be well- Defined in the darker color. The mask is to have an inverted “V” which should be as symmetrical as possible and should not extend beyond the outer edge of the eye on either side. The nose leather must be pink. The chest, stomach, all four legs, feet and ruff are to be white. The white should reach above the elbow on the front legs, and above the hock on the rear legs. The back may have shading in a lighter shade of the point color, with various markings of white and color patches.
Lynx Point	Overlays any one of the above patterns. The Lynx pattern shows as tabby markings on the face in what appears to be the letter “W”.
Tortie Point	Overlays any of the above patterns. Tortie Points, color-wise, will generally have Red or Cream mixed with one of the other colors.

 

 

Ya need help? 😉
(Sapphire & Whippette, December 2009)