Just thought I'd create this thread for people to share info on their chosen breed of cat.

Where your breed originates, characteristics, why you chose it etc.

I generally like learining about other breeds and thought maybe other peeps would like to also..

The Ragdolls originated in California in the 1960's when a breeder named Ann Baker mated a female Angoran type white persian to a birman type male cat.. other breeds where also used in creating the Ragdoll.

Ragdolls are known to go limp when picked up.. hence the name!

They are very sweet natured, loving, intellegent and very trusting and are more like little dogs in a cats body!

The Ragdolls are the 2nd largest breed after the Maine Coone with Male neuters weighing in at approx 20+ lbs!

Their fur is soft, semi long and very low maintenece.. unlike some other longer haired cats.

Maine Coon

Read an article around 1992 in The Times newspaper about this robust huge cat breed called the Maine Coon who originated from the East Coast of America and were originally farm cats. Reputed to be 20-30 lbs and be able to jump 6feet in the air from a standing position.

Bought our MC kitten from the breeder mentioned in the article in 1993. A wonderful loving and beautiful old style MC with lots of american ancestry who lived til march this year.

Have since adopted 2 adult MCs - one is a silver tortie female ex queen (3 and a half) who is actually very small for a MC and not much bigger than our semi feral. She is a very naughty tortie however, talks to us constantly and makes her views known! So far she has got stuck up trees 4 times in about 6 weeks!

Our male is a very long lean MC with a huge tail and pronounced lynx tips to his ears, strong jaw and extremely long whiskers. His mother was Danish but was not suited to breeding - she killed 1 of her litter and 2 of the remaining 3 died. The breeder hand reared Hector and although she sold him at 3 months he was returned to her at 6 months due to 'aggressiveness and biting'.

She was very attached to Hector and I feel very priviledged to have been allowed to take him home as my own cat. He has shown little aggressiveness other than a tendancy to kick himself in the chest with his back feet. As he has become accustomed to our home this habit has lessened. He also used to bite hands but this too has virtually stopped. As a family we all love him very much. He likes to be around people but is not a cuddly cat whereas the female is.

NORWEGIAN FOREST CAT
The Norwegian Forest Cat is an ancient breed of cat, having changed little from it's origins in Norway. Over numerous centuries, the Norwegian Forest cat has evolved and adapted to survive in the sometimes hostile Scandinavian climate. During the winter it develops a dense undercoat to protect it from the cold, which supplements its long, often flowing, overcoat (called 'Guard hairs') that is course in texture and water repellent to further protect from the elements. It is a strong, muscular, heavily built cat, ideally suited to hunting in the wilderness and became a favourite as a farm cat in Norway (as you travel through Norway today, you will still see many a forest cat patrolling it's farmhouse territory).
The NFO can authoritatively be traced back to the 1500s, but it's history is much longer than this. There are many references to large cats in Norse mythology, with descriptions that can only describe the NFO
By the 20th century however, this magnificent cat was becoming a rarity and at risk of becoming extinct. During the mid 1930s, the Norwegians began to make plans to ensure the future of their national cat, and a few NFOs even appeared at cat shows during this time
It was not until the 1970s that the Norwegians once again recognised the risk to one of their national treasures, and once again a move was made to protect the NFO and a special breeding program was instigated. After much hard work in Norway, the Norwegian Forest cat was finally recognised as a distinct pedigree cat in 1977. Since then the breed has gone from strength to strength and is now extremely popular in many countries, particularly Scandinavia, where as many as 200 Norwegian Forest Cats can be seen at a cat show, often making it the largest single breed represented.

Selk did an excellent job on the Norwegian Forest Cat...I'll add some bits she left out:

This cat is known as the "butter cat" in Scandinavia. Obviously because Scandinavians are weird...what has a cat got to do with butter?? Abba = weirdos.

They are about the only cats which climbs down a tree head first (why not?).

PROOF!:



They are about the only cat which likes water (though hate having a bath):

More proof:



They have very good eyesight...I can vouch for that cos Fluffy loves watching TV...he's following the Ryder Cup golf at the mo.

One of the oldest breeds of cat...I think 5,000 years old...which invaded countries along with the vikings. And if you think about it, probably the one breed of cat which understands humans the most, seeing they've been our companions for that length of time. The only pedigree breed which was bred entirely by mother nature, I think. Ruthless hunters and they have come to resemble their real masters a bit (the vikings):

VIKING:


CAT


As you can see...no difference.

Here's my ruthless Viking hunter-cat...Fluffy:



That's his attack pose...scary

ha ha potatoes, I love the random Viking! Nice bit of eye candy! oh and Fluffy is coooo cute!

pretty interesting info there, love learning about the origins of different breeds.. the Ragdoll's past seems rather boring compared to the Maine Coons and NFC's!

Was a joke Selk....Abba are better than Pink Floyd...



No Fluffy doesn't do that with the water bowl yet...he's quite scared of water...fascinated by it..but scared.

LOL my Raggies like the water.. they try and get in the shower with me!