Personality

The Ragdoll is a docile, gentle, unusually relaxed animal with a decidedly even disposition. When socialized correctly from birth, they will be friendly and endearing members of the family. Ragdolls can be welcoming to strangers and love being held and snuggled by people of all ages. This breed tends to prefer the company of people more so than that of other pets. They normally are a good pet for young children, as they tolerate and appreciate affection and attention and typically can withstand a child's exploration and potentially unexpected behaviors. Nonetheless, Ragdolls generally prefer calm, rather than rowdy, living environments and are happiest housed entirely indoors. They are great companions for a modern, busy household.

Activity Level

As a breed, the Ragdoll is not an especially active animal. They tend to prefer being on the floor rather than jumping or leaping to high places. Still, these are playful cats that love attention.

Behavioral Traits

In the early days of the Ragdoll breed, it earned the far-fetched reputation of being genetically insensitive to pain. The first Ragdoll kittens supposedly inherited this resistance to painful stimuli from their white longhaired mother, Josephine, who successfully gave birth to that litter despite being severely injured in an automobile accident. We now know that Ragdolls are not insensitive to pain. They do, however, have an unusual ability to become extremely relaxed, especially when being stroked lovingly or held by their owners or by others. Ragdolls are known for becoming “limp as a ragdoll” when they are picked up, which is the basis for the name of the breed. The Ragdoll’s specialized temperament is probably due to the fact that the breed developed primarily or only from prearranged matings of cats with especially loving dispositions.

Ragdolls often run to greet their owners at the front door and have been known to learn to play fetch and come when called. They are gentle creatures and typically play without extending their claws.