Understanding Ragdoll Colors and Patterns
Blue Mink Colorpoint (left) and Seal Colorpoint (right)
Hi there, fellow cat lovers! Today I'm going to talk about colors and patterns of Littlemitts ragdolls kittens. If you've ever seen a ragdoll cat, you know they have gorgeous coats that come in various colors and patterns. But do you know what those colors and patterns are called and how they are inherited? Well, buckle up, because I'm about to drop some feline genetics knowledge on you!
First of all, let's talk about the basic colors of ragdoll cats. There are four main colors: seal, blue, chocolate and lilac. Seal is a dark brown color that looks like chocolate (but don't eat your cat, please). Blue is a grayish color that looks like a cloudy sky (but don't let your cat fly away, please). Chocolate is a lighter brown color that looks like milk chocolate (but don't drink your cat, please). Lilac is a pale gray color that looks like lavender (but don't smell your cat, please).
Red or “Flame” and Creme are similar color variations (cream is lighter). This adds a fiery orange color to their coats.
Tortie is a color/pattern with patches of red/cream and seal/chocolate.
Did you know?
Ragdoll kittens are typically born white (with the exception of mink color kittens). The color will come in slowly over the first three years of their life. When picking your kitten based on color, be aware of natural tendency to darken over time!
Blue colorpoint
Now that we've covered the colors, let's move on to the patterns. There are three main patterns of ragdoll cats: colorpoint, mitted and bicolor. Colorpoint means that the cat has darker colors on its ears, face, legs and tail, and lighter colors on its body. Mitted means that the cat has white paws, chin and chest, and darker colors on the rest of its body. Bicolor means that the cat has white on its face, chest, belly and legs, and darker colors on its ears and tail.
Littlemitts King - Steve (Blue bicolor)
In addition, there are variations to the patterns.
Mink kittens can be blue, seal or sepia coloring. The difference with mink kittens is that they are born with their hair color at the follicles and show their color at birth, as opposed to the color coming in as they mature with other types of kittens. Mink kittens typically have aqua colored eyes, but we do sometimes get mink kittens with blue eyes, which can be quite stunning.
Lynx is a tiger / tabby striping pattern most noticeable on the head and face. This pattern has a distinct ‘M’ shaped lines, with eyes outlined with white liner.
Blaze has a white stripe on the nose.
So there you have it: a brief explanation of the ragdoll cat colors and patterns. I hope you learned something new and enjoyed reading this blog post. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. And if you have a ragdoll cat or want to get one, share your photos and stories with us! We'd love to see them!
If you want to test your new-found color/pattern understanding, test yourself with the pictures below, then check the answers below!
Until next time,
Kathleen
Quiz time: Identify the color/patterns of the following kittens (then check answers further down).
Quiz answers:
1.Seal Mink Bicolor
2. Seal Colorpoint
3. Flame Bicolor
4. Blue (cannot see feet to determine mitted or colorpoint) with blaze
5. Blue Mitted Lynx
6. Blue Mitted with Blaze
7. Seal Colorpoint Lynx
8. Seal Mink Bicolor
9. Seal Colorpoint and Blue Colorpoint Lynx
10. Seal Mitted
11. Creme Bicolor
12. Tortie Creme and Blue Bicolor Lynx (Whoa!)
I hope that helps you better understand Ragdoll colors and patterns! Keep an eye out for new kittens on the website to see if you can identify them on sight!