The Ragdoll is a large, blue-eyed, pointed cat with medium to long soft silky fur and a very laid-back and affectionate nature.   They have a quiet voice in which they will often have conversations with you and, even as kittens, are playful without being destructive.   On being picked up they will, when it suits them, lie in your arms like a baby, completely relaxed and floppy - hence the name - Ragdoll.   They love human companionship and because of their easy going nature will not readily defend themselves when threatened so are essentially an indoor cat who should only be allowed outdoors under supervision.  

They are often referred to as having a "puppy like" disposition in that they will follow you around and want to "help" with whatever you are doing.   In spite of their moderately long coat the Ragdoll is a relatively low maintenance breed and a few minutes grooming each week will remove any loose hair and keep your Ragdoll looking absolutely beautiful.

Ragdoll kittens are born pure white and their colour starts developing after a few days but may take three to four years to fully develop.   The males in particular can grow to a very large size and may weigh as much as nine kilos but they are a slow developing breed and may not reach full maturity until they are three to four years old.

Ragdolls come in a variety of patterns and colours. The three main patterns recognized for show purposes are:

1. Pointed: Colour of the points(face, ears, legs and tail) a darker colour with a lighter body colour.
   
2. Mitted: The points, except for the feet, are darker as with the Pointed variety but the feet have short white mittens on the front and longer ones (up to about half way up the thigh) on the back legs.   They may also have a white blaze on the face and should have a white strip underneath running from the chin to under the tail.
   
3. Bicolour: Again the points are a darker colour than the body but this is overlaid with a white mask on the face in the form of an inverted V with the point of the V starting just above and between the eyes and the stomach and legs should all be white.   The body may also have some white markings.

These patterns all come in a variety of colours which include Seal, Blue, Chocolate, and Lilac. More recently the red or orange gene has been introduced into the Ragdoll and this has broadened the range of colours to include red and cream well as seal and blue torties.   In addition, all patterns and colours may also be seen with the tabby or lynx pattern.