If you’re looking for a pure white Ragdoll cat, you might be out of luck. Technically speaking, no purebred Traditional Ragdoll cat can be truly considered “pure white.” The Ragdoll breed standard set forth by the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) states that Ragdolls are pointed cat, meaning that its body is lighter in color than their points (face, legs, tail and ears).
Ragdolls are born without any color in their coats. Their fur gradually develops pigment as they age, and the final coloration usually isn’t fully realized until they are around two years old. So, it is possible for a kitten to be born completely white and then develop patches of color as they mature.
There are some all-white Ragdolls out there, known as Blue-Eyed White Ragdolls (BEW), but they’re not considered true “purebreds” by many cat associations. If you’re set on getting a ‘white’ purebred Ragdoll, your best bet is to look for one with very light coloring, like the Cream Ragdoll Cat.
What colors are Ragdoll Cats?
Traditional Ragdoll Cats are officially recognized to come in several colors.
These are:
- Seal – the extremities (nose, ears, tail and paws) are dark brown and their body a cream color with a shade of brown.
- Blue – the extremities are dark grey and their body a cream color with a shade of gray.
- Chocolate – the extremities are light brown and their body a creamy white color.
- Lilac – the extremities are light blue and their body a creamy white color.
- Flame – the extremities are a red/orange color and their body a creamy color with a shade of orange.
- Cream – the extremities are ivory, and their body clear white
A Ragdoll may have one of the following patterns
- Bicolor – an inverted v mask marking on the face.
- Colorpoint – the ears, paws, face and tail are all colored and the rest of the body fur a cream color.
- Mitted – As with colorpoint but their paws and chin have white ‘mitts’. The mitted Ragdoll also has a belly stripe that runs from their chin to their genitals.
There are also many variations within these colors, such as seal lynx point or blue mitted. In addition to the main colors, there are also tortie points, which are a mix of two colors.
What is a cream Ragdoll Cat?
Cream Ragdolls are the rarest of all colors. Only 3% of Ragdoll owners have a cream-colored Ragdoll Cat. Cream Ragdolls have a white body with ivory points on their face, ears, nose, tail and paws. Because they are so light in color they are often mistaken as being pure white.
Blue-eyed White Ragdolls (BEW)
The controversy in the breeding community around white Ragdolls has been ongoing for many years. Some people believe that a Ragdoll cannot be pure white, as the Ragdoll standard only recognizes size colors and pure white is not one of them. While other breeders who have embraced the mink, sepia and solid color variants believe that they can be pure white Ragdolls.
Blue Eyed White Ragdoll cats are a solid color ragdoll cat. Breeders of these cats believe that they are not a new variant of Ragdoll but are in fact a bloodline that can be traced back to the first ragdoll cats bred by Ann Baker in California in the 1960s. The original cats that the Ragdoll breed developed from were Josephine, a pure white domestic cat, and Buckwheat, a black Burmese-type cat, both solid in color. Traditional Ragdoll Cat breeders argue that Ann Baker rejected any resulting solid color kittens in favor of the pointed type that has become the standard of the breed.
In recent years, some governing cat bodies, such as The International Cat Association, have accepted Ragdoll Cats with a white coat color as being purebred. While the Ragdoll breed standard does not currently recognize the white coat color, it is becoming more and more popular among Ragdoll fanciers.
While the coloring of blue-eyed white Ragdolls may be different from the Ragdolls that most people are familiar with, they still have the same gentle and loving temperament. These cats are known for being affectionate and laid back, and they make great companions. Blue-eyed white Ragdolls are also known for being intelligent and playful, and they enjoy spending time with their human families.
So, what is the truth about pure white Ragdolls? Unfortunately, there is no clear answer.
There is much controversy surrounding the issue of whether or not Ragdoll cats can be pure white. Some breeders insist that they can, while others maintain that it is impossible for a Ragdoll to be completely devoid of color. The truth is, there is no clear answer.
