Written by Silvia Klaus, 'of Lucill's Doll', ©2009 / Translated by Karin Heger / Edited by Susan Wenck
Errors have occurred in various bloodline or genetics databases and need clarification.
Denny Dayton maintained the genetics card, which was comprised only of Original-Ragdolls, until 1994. Upon his retirement, the recordings were transferred into a computer program, and Ragdolls with new colors and patterns were added to that Dayton-Registration at that time. References to “RFCI Ragdoll Genetic Card” seem to indicate that all Ragdolls on that card would be considered Original-Ragdolls. Please see the subsite New Bloodlines for more details.
Of the 9,000 Ragdolls registered in the database, an estimated one-third can be dismissed because they cannot be traced back to Dayton's card. These “Ragdolls” have new colors or patterns or were crossed with such cats and can only traced back to animals noted “Unknown”. Occasionally the other breed - Himalayan, Birman, Persian, Exotic, Abyssinian, etc. - has been listed.
There are less informed breeders who believe that because the official bloodline card (which may be found online at www.pawpeds.com lists their cat, it is automatically considered an Original Ragdoll. As stated before, please be careful about making this assumption.
The Dayton card exclusively lists Ragdolls with the following legend:
• Colors: s = Seal / b = Blue / c = Chocolate / f = Frost (lilac)
• Versions: c = Colorpoint / m = Mitted / b = Bicolor
In summary, the following legend may be used:
sc = Seal - Colorpoint sm = Seal - Mitted sb = Seal - Bicolor
bc = Blue - Colorpoint bm = Blue - Mitted bb = Blue - Bicolor
cc = Chocolate - Colorpoint cm = Chocolate - Mitted cb = Chocolate - Bicolor
fc = Frost (Lilac) - Colorpoint fm = Frost (Lilac) - Mitted fb = Frost (Lilac) - Bicolor
Naturally, we have compared Denny Dayton's card, Pawpeds' database and the RFCI card, and found discrepancies some of which are listed below. We encourage you to check for yourself.
Example: Raggedy Ann Adam (2nd generation on father's side, 4th generation on mother's side) from Ann Baker's cattery.
The Pawpeds database ( www.pawpeds.com ) recently listed this feline with the color code S11. Sometime during 2010 the color has been corrected, and now Raggedy Ann Adam is now listed as seal-mitted. According to FIFe's color legend, the S11 would be a Ragdoll with the new color/version Silver Shaded. The color information for this animal was initially recorded wrong, and could have misled the reader into thinking that there is already a designation for the new colors.
Side note:
-- the front size of the letters and numbers compared to the font size of the names, letters and numbers of the cat listed either above or below Raggedy Ann Adam seems to indicate that the color code does not contain an “11”.
-- the numbers on these pages do not represent color codes but page numbers from Dayton's genetic card
-- Dayton's genetic card was the basis from which copies were made.
The RFCI database classifies the same feline with “bw”, which according to their color legend means Black White.
On Denny Dayton's original, machine-typed card the same Raggedy Ann Adam is classified as “sm” or Seal – Mitted.
Example: Raggedy Ann BEN CASEY
The RFCI card lists this cat as “ws” or White Solid. Dayton's card list this cat as “sc” or Seal – Colorpoint.
On the following pages you may read for yourself:
It is not easy to understand the original Denny Dayton card. Only a few of the initial breeders who were interested in the listed Ragdolls and bought the card in 1994, are still familiar with the ancestors' names. Even Pawpeds may have had some difficulties to interpret the data correctly. Without further knowledge about the Original-Ragdoll breed, and without the complete Dayton card, it was almost impossible to accurately transfer that data.
The RFCI had similar difficulties. Both lines - The Light Side (traceable back to founding queen Josephie) and The Dark Side (traceable back to founding queen Burman) - list entries of Ragdolls that did not carry the original colors. We have determined that it has been practically impossible to verify bloodlines if: (1) one is not familiar with the topic, and (2) one does not have access to the Dayton card. Further, it is important to remember that after 1994 all Ragdolls were added to the database, regardless of color or pattern.
We do not want to dismiss all the good work Pawpeds and RFCI put into their research. On the contrary, we appreciate all their work, as it provides helpful hints and good fundamental information. We just want to point out that because of such misclassifications some data was misinterpreted which has caused people to conclude that “..the colored ones were around from the beginning.”
Thanks to the many months of hard work by Mrs. Roellin and others, we now have Denny Dayton's genetic card appearing in a perfect family tree, not unlike the one created by Pawpeds. Without the original card of Denny Dayton, which Mrs. Roellin was in possession of, our Original-Ragdoll would be lost!
Ann Baker was not only the founder of the Ragdoll breed. She also bred and kept several other breeds. It has been said that she kept several hundred cats; which was probably correct, because 20 cats don't create a new breed. Before being credited with creating the new Ragdoll breed, she also bred Persians, which at that point still had long and healthy noses. She called some of her other breeds “Cherubims” and “Honeybears”. Similar to Ragdolls, they were point-tabby, or tiger patterned, just as our house cats are today. Never recognized as breeds, Cherubims and Honeybears remained apart from and were not bred under the Ragdoll name.
It's important to note that Ann Baker was a “top breeder” particularly when it came to her know how. She would not create a new breed and then waste years of hard work by crossing the second and fourth generations with other breeds. Within then years, Baker was able to establish the Ragdoll name with only three versions and four colors.
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