Le Ragdoll

The content of these pages is under copyright, you are free to share these pages if you reference my website as the source. Nevertheless text, pictures AND IDEAS/CONCEPTS cannot be used for commercial purposes. That means that I do not want the ideas and concepts of this website to be in commercial books of feline genetics or generally genetics books and I do not want to be used in paying courses about breeding.

Knowledge is free for everybody and should stay free!

This page is in English, so that the most of us (nationally and internationally) can read it and understand it.

It is a long time that I had in mind to talk about the Ragdoll Standard… but in a different way, different from other websites. You can find in many website the description of the Ragdolls in different feline organizations. My favorite one is of course Fife, but we will talk about it in detail in future articles.

Before going into the details of the Ragdoll Standard, something has to be clear….

In order to explain the standard of a breed (any breed) you need to have understood anatomy and have a little knowledge of what’s going on “inside” the cat. If you are taking the time to read this article is because you think (and you are right to think this) that the essence of breeding should always be “Selection”. And when you select, choosing the right female for the right male, you are actually performing a practical Genetic Experiment.

Colors/pattern/type/health…. All features coming from the parents are mixed into the kittens. The number of combinations and possibilities are practically infinite but you get kittens that are pretty similar to one each other… this is because before you many breeders have also selected what they thought were the best looking parents. In this process, some people just use their “gut-feeling” and it can work deliciously well and some other people (like me) use their rational nature.

But who am I and why do I use my rational nature?

I have been studying genetics since the 90ties at the Biology University of Trieste in Italy, although even before that, when I was just 12 years old, I was having fun at home crossing fruit flies and my mother was not so happy about it.

After 5 years of studies, my passion for genetics was transformed into a nice Molecular Biology degree obtained with the maximum grade possible in Italy and a PhD offer in one of the most prestigious laboratory in Paris, working on DNA Repair.

I will make a very long story short, after 15 years of working in Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology around the world; I landed in France (again) with the fantastic opportunity of building and managing my own research group.

Genetics and Biology was always running in my blood and it has always been the oxygen for my brain. When, 6 years ago, I decided to start breeding Ragdolls it was a way to have at home the same kind of reasoning I had at work, the same kind of oxygen.
And, let’s face it, Ragdolls are a fabulous breed to work with, not just because their temperament is lovely and their look is wonderful but most importantly (for a geneticist like I am) because you can apply everything you know into your selection work.

So let’s talk about genetics/standard/selection.