| Let me share a short story with you about the | | | | 2) They are less sensitive to pain; |
| Ragdollbreed and how they came into being. When I | | | | 3) They lack skills for self preservation; |
| first read aboutthis I was drinking a can of Diet Coke | | | | 4) Their fur does not mat together; and |
| and almost ended upwith it all over the monitor. I | | | | 5) Their bodies go limp when you hold them. |
| have a feeling you'll findit as amazing and amusing as | | | | This was all very sane, but it didn't stay that way |
| I did. | | | | forlong. |
| I'm going to break the story up into stages, even | | | | It's an X-File! |
| though itis interwoven. The reason I am doing this is | | | | In a move worthy of Fox Mulder she startedmaking |
| that the storyof the creation of the Ragdoll breed is | | | | very, very unlikely claims about the reason for the |
| convoluted to saythe least. It took me a few reads | | | | Ragdoll's traits. Some were out of this world. Literally. |
| to really understand whathappened. So here it is...a | | | | The Ragdoll Cat is not what you think it is, according |
| short history of the Ragdoll | | | | to Ann Baker, whoclaimed that the genetics of the |
| Cat, and how they came into being. | | | | Ragdoll cat were from partof a secret government |
| There once was a woman named Ann Baker and she | | | | experiment in genetics...and thataliens gave her the |
| lived in | | | | breed. There were even more claims thanthis, but I |
| California. She had two cats, Josephine and Daddy | | | | don't know how you can possibly top that. |
| Warbucks. | | | | Despite her eccentricities Ann Baker was credited |
| These two cats were to become the sires of a | | | | withsetting the standard look and temprement of the |
| great breed ofcats. Without going into excruciating | | | | breed. Shewas not the breeder that brought the |
| details about it, | | | | Ragdoll catinternational recognition, though. Denny and |
| Daddy Warbucks lived up to his name and eventually | | | | Laura Daytonare responsible for that happening. |
| with | | | | While Ann Baker was taking a walk on the wild side |
| Joesphine's kittens and his genes a new breed of cat | | | | they weresetting up the Ragdoll Fanciers' Club |
| wasborn. | | | | International, and itwas they that managed to get |
| Ann Baker called them Ragdoll cats and then | | | | the breed registered with the |
| trademarked thename, demanding royalites from | | | | NCFA, making the breed a recognised purebred. |
| other breeders using the name | | | | You can think what you like. Maybe Daddy Warbucks |
| "Ragdoll" for cats. | | | | waskidnapped by aliens and then became the father |
| She started a cat registry in 1971, after breeding | | | | of a wholenew breed of cats. Maybe it was hard |
| more | | | | work and carefulbreeding. I'm leaning toward the |
| Ragdoll cats from Daddy Warbucks, called The | | | | latter, personally. But ifyou see a flying saucer above |
| International | | | | your house, and are wonderingwhy it is there, it |
| Ragdoll Cat Association and claimed that the breed | | | | could just be aliens wanting the returnof their genetic |
| differedin 5 ways from other breeds of cats: | | | | cousin. You never know... |
| 1) They were relatively large; | | | | |