Ragdoll Cat Breed Origins
by Ben Harper

The history of the Ragdoll cat breed is filled with controversy and myths. This cat's origins often contradict itself depending on who tells the story and some of the Ragdoll's story is simply ridiculous. Some of the breed's history is factual, for example we know the breed was founded in California during the 60s. The breed was started by Ann Baker, an eccentric woman that loved her cats. The very first Ragdoll cat belonged to Ann Baker and was named Josephine.

Ann Baker recognized a characteristic in Josephine and her kittens that became the defining feature of the breed. Ragdolls simply go limp when you pick them up and hold them. Ann Baker even trademarked the breed name so that anyone that wanted to breed the cats had to pay her a royalty. She founded the first registry for Ragdoll cats but eventually lost control of the breed partially due to her wild claims and erratic behavior.

The fact that Ragdoll cats all go limp when held is where Ann Baker's unusual claims come into the picture. It begins when her cat Josephine was hit by an automobile. One story told by Baker was that she took Josephine to a University for medical treatment. Baker claims the University modified Josephine's DNA and this is where the Ragdoll trait came from.

Ann Baker made many wild claims about her cats, telling people Ragdolls do not feel any pain whatsoever. She told people her cats were really feline alien hybrids that had been genetically altered for her by aliens of course. An x-file that never made it off the editing room floor; however, according to Baker alien cats have been in California since the 1960s. She also told people Ragdolls were the perfect pet for people with allergies because they did not give off allergens. When it comes to the stories Ann Banker told about her cats, Ragdoll history is a page out of science fiction.