Ragdoll Cat History

The beginnings of the Ragdoll cat breed are filled with strange stories and controversy. The stories told by this breed's fonder are bizarre and downright silly. The facts known about Ann Baker are that she started breeding Ragdoll cats in the 1960s in California. Ann was a eccentric person that liked to tell wild stories about her cats. The first Ragdoll cat was called Josephine and belonged to Ann Baker.

The Ragdoll trait came from Josephine and her kittens and became the breeds name. Ragdoll cats go limp when you pick them up and hold them, just like a rag doll toy. Ann Baker applied for and was awarded a trademark for the breeds name. She wanted anyone that bred Ragdoll cats to be required to pay royalties for the use of the Ragdoll name. Ann Baker went on to found the first registry for Ragdoll cat breeders; however, many of the breeders left her registry due to her strange behavior and wild claims.

This characteristic of going limp when held is where Ann Baker's wild stories come from. It all started when her cat Josephine was hit by car. On one account Ann Baker said she rushed Josephine to a nearby University to be treated for the accident. Ann Baker's story goes to to say that Josephine's DNA was altered and this is where the characteristic limpness comes from.

Ann baker made other wild claims, telling people for instance that her cats did not feel pain. She claimed the cats had been altered genetically and their DNA was actually a hybrid of aliens and cats. Look out x-files; alien cat hybrids have been hiding out in California since the 60s. Baker made other wild claims telling people the cats did not have fear and were hypoallergenic. She claimed that Ragdoll cats were the ideal pet for anyone suffering from allergies. When it comes to Ann Baker and the history of her cat breed, the stories she told are stranger than science fiction.