Ragdolls adore their humans. They run to greet you at the door, follow you from room to room, flop on you, sleep with you, and love you. They are gentle, do not scratch people and are good with children, elderly folks and dogs. Ragdolls tend to be floor cats, not jumpers. They prefer purrs to yowls, sometimes “talking” in soft meows.
Ragdolls shed very little, rarely have hairballs, are well behaved, and eager to please. To keep a Ragdoll well groomed a once weekly brushing and monthly nail trimming are often adequate.
There are four patterns: bi-color, van, mitted and pointed. Patterns come in eight colors: seal, blue, chocolate and lilac. Points may be solid, lynx, torbie or tortie. Ragdolls have the classic, pointed markings. The mitted have chins that are soft, fluffy white, and so are their mittens and boots. Bi- colors are a combination of white and their main color with all four legs, their underbodies, chest, and an upside-down “V” marking on their faces white, and they may have a splash or two of white on their backs. Only their tails, ears, and the outer part of their masks show the darker markings. Vans look mostly white with only the top of the mask, ears, tail, and perhaps a few spots on the body, show darker markings.
Ragdolls are large, loving, laid-back longhairs with beautiful, big blue eyes. The body is light-colored, with darker Siamese-type points on the face, legs, tail and ears. In most patterns, the points are partly covered with white markings. The ideal Ragdoll is a well-balanced cat, with no extreme features. Altered males may reach 20 pounds or more; often females are proportionately smaller. Ragdolls are slow-maturing, reaching full coat color at two to three years, then full size and weight at four to five years.