Skip to content
Breed RadarBeta

About the Ragdoll

Origin: United States
Ragdoll cat
Photo from The Cat API
View Ragdoll breedersSee Ragdoll kittens

20 breeders are on record here.

Typical life span
12-17 years
Size
Large — from its typical weight
Weight
6.8-9.1 kg
Height
33-43 cm
Registry status
Recognised by TICA
Breed group
Long-haired
Origin
United States
Known hereditary risks
3 documented conditions, with the test for each

About

What is a Ragdoll?

Large, gentle cat famous for going limp when picked up. Striking blue eyes and colorpoint semi-long coat.

Ragdoll history and origins

Developed in California in the 1960s by Ann Baker. Famous for relaxing completely when held. Slow to mature, reaching full size at 4 years. One of the largest domestic cat breeds.

Ragdoll appearance and size

Typically 6.8-9.1 kg and 33-43 cm at the shoulder — published as one range rather than separately for males and females.

Ragdoll temperament and personality

Generally described as affectionate, friendly, gentle, quiet, easygoing, docile and calm.

That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.

Breed reference from The Cat API.

Characteristics

Size
Large
Exercise needs
—
Easy to train
—
Amount of shedding
—
Grooming needs
4 of 5
Good with children
—
Cost to keep
—
Tolerates being alone
—
Intelligence
—
Health of breed
3 conditions documented

Pros & cons

Pros & cons for the Ragdoll

What you get with the Ragdoll

  • Commonly described as: “Affectionate, Friendly, Gentle, Quiet”

What you are taking on

  • 3 serious inherited conditions are documented, mainly in heart & circulation and hormones & metabolism. The health guide tab has the test to ask for on each.
  • High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “Medium long, dense, soft and silky texture, lying with the body.”

Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. The Cat API; UC Davis VGL — Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) in Ragdolls; FIFe breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.

Characteristics

FIFe standard · Ragdoll

Coat

As the FIFe standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.

Coat

Feels like cold silk to the touch.

Longest around the neck and framing the outer edge of the face giving the appearance of a bib.

Short on the face increasing in length from the top of the head to the shoulders down the back.

Medium to long on the side, belly and hindquarters.

  • Medium long
  • Dense
  • Soft and silky texture
  • Lying with the body

Shortened from FIFe standard RAG — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.

Temperament

AffectionateFriendlyGentleQuietEasy GoingDocileCalm

Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Ragdoll in general; any individual animal can differ.

Health guide

Health & screening guide for the Ragdoll

Known hereditary risks for the Ragdoll breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.

3 conditions documented

Health checklist (PDF)

Heart & circulation

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)

Serious

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy thickens the heart's left ventricle wall, raising the risk of heart failure and sudden death. Ragdolls carry their own breed-specific mutation (MYBPC3 R820W, distinct from the Maine Coon's separate HCM mutation): a cat with a single copy usually shows no signs and can live a normal lifespan, but two copies bring a high risk of severe disease, typically appearing between one and two years old — so the exact genotype matters more than a simple 'tested' claim.

What to ask for

Ragdoll HCM (MYBPC3 R820W) DNA test result for both parents, stating the genotype (N/N, N/HCMrd or HCMrd/HCMrd), from UC Davis VGL or an equivalent laboratory

3 sources

Hormones & metabolism

Mucopolysaccharidosis VI (MPS VI)

Serious

Mucopolysaccharidosis VI is an inherited enzyme deficiency. Its severe form causes stunted growth, joint disease and hind-limb weakness or paralysis by around eight months old; a milder form can leave a cat looking outwardly healthy while still carrying and passing on the mutation. UC Davis's genetics laboratory specifically lists Ragdoll among the breeds it recommends testing for this condition.

What to ask for

Mucopolysaccharidosis VI (MPS VI) DNA test result for both parents (UC Davis VGL or an equivalent laboratory)

1 source

Kidneys & urinary

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD1)

Serious

Polycystic kidney disease causes fluid-filled cysts to form in the kidneys from a young age, usually leading to kidney failure later in life. It is the same mutation documented in Persians, and UC Davis's genetics laboratory explicitly lists Ragdoll among the Persian-derived breeds it recommends testing, reflecting Persian-type ancestry in the Ragdoll's foundation stock.

What to ask for

PKD1 DNA test result for both parents (UC Davis VGL or an equivalent laboratory), or a normal renal ultrasound from a veterinary specialist

2 sources

How long the Ragdoll lives, in the records

Median age at death 12.2 years

Middle half of deaths between 4.3 and 15.5 years, from 69 recorded deaths. 17.4% of them were before age two.

Read this with care. Well above the 7.5% seen in non-pedigree cats, which pulls the median down. That can mean higher mortality in young cats, or simply that the breed has become popular recently so most of its cats are still young — these records cannot tell the two apart.

Computed from United Kingdom veterinary records covering 7,936 deaths. This is an age at death, not a life expectancy: half the cats of this breed in the records died younger.

Dataset: O'Neill, D. & Teng, K.T. (2024), Figshare, doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.25006802, CC BY 4.0. Teng, K.T., Brodbelt, D.C., Church, D.B. & O'Neill, D.G. (2024) Life tables of annual life expectancy and risk factors for mortality in cats in the United Kingdom. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 26(5).

Gallery

No photographs yet

This is where Ragdoll owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.

A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.

Kittens

No kittens listed right now

That is not the same as none existing. Publishing a litter is part of a breeder's subscription here, so a Ragdoll breeder can have a litter and no listing — ask them directly.

See Ragdoll breeders
Sections