Ragdoll Patterns

Understanding Ragdoll Patterns

Ragdoll cats are known for their stunning patterns, each with unique genetic implications. Breeders focus on patterns like Colorpoint, Bicolor, and Mitted, each determined by specific gene combinations. Understanding these patterns helps breeders predict the appearance of future litters, enhancing the chances of achieving desired traits. The genetic makeup of Ragdolls is complex, involving various combinations that can result in a wide range of beautiful and distinctive patterns.

mitted and colorpoint ragdolls in missouri

There are many combination possibilities

Colorpoint to Bicolor = ½ Colorpoint, ½ Bicolor.
Colorpoint to Mitted = ½ Colorpoint, ½ Bicolor
Bicolor to Bicolor = ½ Bicolor, ¼ Colorpoint, ¼ High White Bicolor
Bicolor to Mitted = ¼ Colorpoint, ¼ Mitted, ¼ Bicolor, ¼ Mid-White Bicolor
Mitted to Mitted = ½ Mitted, ¼ Colorpoint, ¼ Bicolor

See the chart below for more combinations

Ragdoll Pattern Varieties

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Colorpoint

Colorpoint Ragdolls feature a striking contrast between their body color and darker extremities, including the ears, face, paws, and tail.

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Mitted

Mitted Ragdolls look like colorpoints in the face, but are characterized by their white mittens on the paws and a white chin, adding a touch of elegance to their appearance.

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True Bicolor

True Bicolor Ragdolls display a charming mix of white and color, often with a distinctive inverted ‘V’ on the face and white legs. A True Bicolor receives one Colorpoint gene from one parent and one Bicolor gene from the other parent.

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Bicolor Variants

Though they look like bicolors, the high white and mid high white, along with the high mitted are not true bi colours, but they look so similar that the untrained eye will not be able to tell. See more below when we learn about the mating between cats to produce the variations.

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Blaze

Some ragdolls have a blaze on their nose/forehead. This is a small patch of white in the shape of a spot, strip, hourglass, star or diamond.

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Lynx

Also, called “tabby,” lynx ragdolls are those that have an overlay of stripes covering their fur. They also have a prominent M-shaped tabby pattern on their foreheads, their limbs and tails may have paler stripes and they also have white eyeliner. Colorpoint, bicolor, and mitted can be lynx.

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Colorpoint

Colorpoint Ragdolls feature a striking contrast between their body color and darker extremities, including the ears, face, paws, and tail.



Mitted

Mitted Ragdolls look like colorpoints in the face, but are characterized by their white mittens on the paws and a white chin, adding a touch of elegance to their appearance.

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True Bicolor

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Bicolor Variants



Blaze

Some ragdolls have a blaze on their nose/forehead. This is a small patch of white in the shape of a spot, strip, hourglass, star or diamond.



Lynx

All of the colors discussed in the Ragdoll Colors blog post come in all of the above patterns.

A True Bicolor is a cat that receives one Colorpoint gene from one parent and one Bicolor gene from the other parent as mentioned above.

A High White is made up of two Bicolor genes, one from each parent, and a Mid High White ragdoll is made up of one Bicolor and one Mitted gene. A High Mitted is made up of two Mitted genes.

All of the above can look like Bicolors, but the only one that would be a true Bicolor ragdoll is the one produced by a Colorpoint and Bicolor mating.

A High White cat mated to a Colorpoint will produce all True Bicolors as they will have a Colorpoint gene from the Colorpoint parent and a Bicolor gene from the High White parent. This is all they can produce, as the Colorpoint parent will have two Colorpoint genes and the High White parent will have two Bicolor genes.

Ragdoll cats with the van pattern only have darker points across their ears, sometimes the top of the mask, and tail. This color should be well defined from the surrounding white fur, although minor spotting patterns are allowed all across a cat’s coat with this pattern.

Ragdoll Patterns

Understanding Ragdoll Patterns