> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://my-feline.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Ragdoll: Britain's Second Favourite Pedigree Cat - URL: https://my-feline.com/the-ragdoll-britains-second-favourite-pedigree-cat/ - Published: 2026-09-16T08:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-16T10:58:36.000Z - Description: A big, soft, blue-eyed cat with a famous heart gene. What the largest UK study of Ragdolls found about their health, their coat and how long they live. - Author: James Cudd - Tags: Breeds & Genetics, library Ragdolls are the second most registered pedigree cat in Britain, behind only the British Shorthair. The GCCF, Britain's biggest cat registry, registered 3,111 of them in 2025\. There are far more Ragdolls in the country now than there were twenty years ago. A Ragdoll is a big, soft, semi-longhaired cat with blue eyes and a darker face, ears, legs and tail. The dark bits come from a quirk of body temperature. Some Ragdolls carry a gene change that affects the heart, and good breeders test for it before a kitten reaches you. ### A Young Breed with a Fast Rise ![shutterstock_2335355299](https://ismqigxmrhobxfjfipgo.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/library-breeds-and-genetics/BRG-012/shutterstock_2335355299.jpg) The Ragdoll began in California in the 1960s with a white longhaired cat called Josephine, and breeders trace every Ragdoll alive back to her. According to the GCCF, the first Ragdolls reached Britain in 1981. The name comes from the way Ragdolls go soft and heavy when they're picked up. VetCompass, a project at the Royal Veterinary College, studies the records of UK vet surgeries. Among the cats on its books born in 2019, Ragdolls were almost five times as common as among those born in 2005\. In Cats Protection's 2025 survey of UK owners, Ragdolls made up 4% of the cats taken home in the past year. Among cats taken home at any time, they made up 2%... **Download and sign up to the My Feline app to read the full article...** --- Research rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 of 5). Last updated 16 September 2026. ### Sources - O'Neill DG, Bass O, Brodbelt DC, et al. Demography, common disorders, cause-specific mortality and life expectancy of Ragdoll cats under primary veterinary care during 2019 in the UK. - Borgeat K, Casamian-Sorrosal D, Helps C, et al. Association of the myosin binding protein C3 mutation (MYBPC3 R820W) with cardiac death in a survey of 236 Ragdoll cats. - Casamian-Sorrosal D, Chong SK, Fonfara S, et al. Prevalence and demographics of the MYBPC3-mutations in ragdolls and Maine coons in the British Isles. - Paepe D, Bavegems V, Combes A, et al. Prospective evaluation of healthy Ragdoll cats for chronic kidney disease by routine laboratory parameters and ultrasonography. - O'Neill DG, Church DB, McGreevy PD, et al. Longevity and mortality of cats attending primary care veterinary practices in England.