XXL Kitty!

[3113]

I had not heard about these cats, but they exist, are rare and currently gaining in popularity (kittens cost about $500!). This particular photo prompted me to look them up...I've edited this post to note that it is a fake (as Matriarch pointed out to me down below) and a famous, long-time fake at that....

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i190/thirteen1031/XXLKitty.jpg

The ones that follow, however, are not. There are kitties almost as large. They're called "Ragdolls" and they are the gentle giants of the domestic cat world. Within 3-4 years they reach maturity and are 3X the size of a normal cat. Males can weigh upwards of 20lbs.

Personality-wise they are the MOST loving and dog-like of cats:
*They are so trusting, that they must be kept as indoor cats as they'll go off with any stranger or step out in front of cars.
*They are so unaggressive that they're not good mousers. They like to play, but not to fight.
*They love to be floppy and boneless and will happily be held like a baby in person's arms.
*They adore their people and will follow them around constantly, wanting to particpate in all activities.
*They can be taught to fetch and play games

Here's some more picture of them. If there weren't so many websites for them I'd be sure someone was playing a silly joke on me with photo shop......

http://members.aol.com/catz4u/ragdoll/dent2.jpg
http://www.kittysites.com/deluxe/joehannahragdolls.jpg
http://files.dogster.com/pix/cats/53/135153/135153_1112674894.jpg
http://www.ragdoll-cats.com/littlegirl.jpg

 

[kiwiwolf]

They're real all right. There is a breeder about 2 kilometers from where I live who breeds ragdolls and ocicats. my daughter wants a ragdoll... god help me. I'd need to own a petfood factory to be able to feed it.

Here's a link to more ragdoll info.

http://www.ragdoll-cats.com/

 

[rgraham666]

Considering the size of them, it's a damn good thing they're friendly.

 

[Liar]

*They are so trusting, that they must be kept as indoor cats as they'll go off with any stranger or step out in front of cars.
*They are so unaggressive that they're not good mousers. They like to play, but not to fight.
*They love to be floppy and boneless and will happily be held like a baby in person's arms.
*They adore their people and will follow them around constantly, wanting to particpate in all activities.
*They can be taught to fetch and play games

So, in all essence, they are dogs.

I have a cat because I want a Cat. You know, included.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Considering the size of them, it's a damn good thing they're friendly.

that is EXACTLY what I was thinking...

I have a regular housecat who thinks he's a tiger... if he was THAT big, we'd be in trouble!

 

[matriarch]

I had not heard about these cats, but they exist, are rare and currently gaining in popularity (kittens cost about $500!). I didn't believe this picture was real when I saw it...actually, I'm still not sure it's real.....

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i190/thirteen1031/XXLKitty.jpg

They're called "Ragdolls" and they are the gentle giants of the domestic cat world. Within 3-4 years they reach maturity and are 3X the size of a normal cat. Males can weigh upwards of 20lbs.

Personality-wise they are the MOST loving and dog-like of cats:
*They are so trusting, that they must be kept as indoor cats as they'll go off with any stranger or step out in front of cars.
*They are so unaggressive that they're not good mousers. They like to play, but not to fight.
*They love to be floppy and boneless and will happily be held like a baby in person's arms.
*They adore their people and will follow them around constantly, wanting to particpate in all activities.
*They can be taught to fetch and play games

Here's some more picture of them. If there weren't so many websites for them I'd be sure someone was playing a silly joke on me with photo shop......

The breed of cat may indeed be genuine, I have no idea, but that first photograph, the guy holding the cat, is definitely a hoax. It's been doing the rounds for several years, and in the end I looked it up on the Museum of Hoaxes site. Take a look at what it says:

Snowball the 'monster' cat?

 

[matriarch]

.......whereas this one is apparently genuine.

 

[3113]

The breed of cat may indeed be genuine, I have no idea, but that first photograph, the guy holding the cat, is definitely a hoax. It's been doing the rounds for several years, and in the end I looked it up on the Museum of Hoaxes site. Take a look at what it says:

Snowball the 'monster' cat?

AH-HA! Thank you. I really did suspect that photo...and would not have trusted it but for the fact that there were those Ragdoll cats. One had only to imagine a particularly large Ragdoll and suddenly the photo didn't seem so absurd.

Thanks for the research. I'll put an edit into the my original post on this.

 

[matriarch]

Characteristics

Ragdolls truly deserve their name. The name implies to Ragdolls´ tendency to relax all their muscles and go limp in one´s arms like big beanie babies, but they have other characteristics that could be connected to a rag doll: they are friendly, sweet, loving, docile, gentle and serene. Although they have many good qualities, it is the personality which has made people call Ragdolls addictive!

Ragdolls are "people-oriented" cats who love to be with humans and attach strongly to their owners. Many Ragdoll owners tell how their cats wait for them at the door when they come home and follow them everywhere like shadows! Ragdoll owners are rarely alone; Ragdolls want to take part of everything that happens in the house and "help" their owners on whatever they do. Because Ragdolls want to be close to their humans, they are always on danger to be stepped on! Luckily they also forgive easily. Because Ragdolls are very social, you should get at least two cats if you are a lot of time away from home.

Lynx point RagdollsRagdolls are calm, yet moderately active and like to play. With their easy-going attitude, they get along well with other animals and children and rarely use their claws while playing with someone. Ragdolls can also adapt to live in a small apartment and they are happy living indoors, as long as you play with them and provide them cat toys and a climbing tree. In fact Ragdolls should never be let go outside alone, because they are very trusting and tend to think of everyone as a friend. Their trusting nature also shows in the way they let people handle them: you can put Ragdolls on their backs and carry them like babies, and unlike most cats, they actually often enjoy tummy rubs!

Ragdolls are usually not very "talkative" and they have a quiet voice. Yet they have a large vocabulary and often Ragdoll owners tell how they cats "chirp", "squeak" and "growl"!

Ragdolls are less stubborn than most cats tend to be and they can be easily trained. They usually learn the same tricks as dogs, like retriving toys, rolling and begging. They are also easy to teach how to walk on a leash and how to use a scratching post. Ragdolls are generally not destructive at home, because they are calm and usually prefer the floor-level to climbing. Due their lack of undercoat, Ragdolls shed relatively little.

Don´t forget that these are only common qualities in Ragdolls and just like in any other breed, they don´t apply to all of them. Every Ragdoll is an individual!

So..........their name has nothing to do with size, but their ability to relax.
Got it.

 

[matriarch]

Appearance

The first thing you may notice when you see a Ragdoll is its size --female Ragdolls generally weight about 4-6 kg (8-15 pounds) and males about 7-10 kg (12-20 pounds), making them about three times bigger than "regular" cats! Ragdoll is the largest cat breed in the world and it´s even mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records. Ragdolls grow slowly and it takes approximately 3-4 years to reach full maturity.

Bicolor RagdollExpect for the size, Ragdoll has no physical extremes. Ragdolls are heavy-boned, muscular cats with broad chests and large hindquarters. The eyes are large and oval and always blue --darker color is preferred. The ears are large and rounded and set with a slight forward tilt. The curve profile looks like a "ski slope" and the tail is long and bushy.

Ooops.........my mistake. They ARE big.