Ann Baker holding one of her very early litters. Kookie, Toy Sue, & Kookie Tu. They were born in 1966. 

In the 1960s, a regular non-pedigreed white domestic longhaired cat named Josephine, who had produced several litters of typical cats, was injured in an accident involving a car and taken to the veterinary hospital at the University of California. Josephine was of aPersian/Angora type and had litters sired by several unknown male Birman or Burmese-like cats, one of which had the Siamese point coloration. Baker believed that Josephine was subject to a secret government genetic experiment during treatment at the lab, and claimed that it made Josephine docile, relaxed when picked up, and immune to pain. After Josephine recovered, her next litter produced kittens with similar temperament. When the subsequent litter produced more of the same, Ann Baker (an established cat breeder) purchased several kittens from the owner, who lived behind her, and believing she had something special, set out to create what is now known as the Ragdoll. The breed was selectively bred over many years for desirable traits, such as large size, gentle demeanor, and a tendency to go limp when picked up, as well as the striking pointed coloration.[3]

Out of those early litters came Blackie, an all black Burmese-like male and Daddy Warbucks, a seal point with white feet. Daddy Warbucks sired the founding bi-color female Fugianna, and Blackie sired Buckwheat, a dark brown/black Burmese-like female. Both Fugianna and Buckwheat were daughters of Josephine. All Ragdolls are descended from Baker's cats through matings of Daddy Warbucks to Fugianna and Buckwheat.[citation needed]

Baker, in an unusual move, spurned traditional cat breeding associations. She trademarked the name "Ragdoll", set up her own registry ca. 1971, the International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA), and enforced stringent standards on anyone who wanted to breed or sell cats under that name.[3] The Ragdolls were also not allowed to be registered in other breed associations.[4][verification needed][clarification needed] The IRCA is still in existence today but is quite small, particularly since Baker's death in 1997. IRCA cats are not recognized in any major cat breed organization or cat show.

In 1975, a group led by a husband and wife team, Denny and Laura Dayton, broke rank with IRCA with the aim of gaining mainstream recognition for the Ragdoll. Beginning with a breeding pair of IRCA cats, this group eventually developed the Ragdoll standard currently accepted by major cat registries such as the CFA and the FIFe..[citation needed]

Since the spread of the Ragdoll breed in America during the early 1960s, a breeding pair of Ragdolls was exported to the UK. This was followed by eight more cats to fully establish the breed in the UK, where it is recognised by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy[5]

In 1994, a second group decided to leave the IRCA and form their own group due to increasingly strict breeding restrictions. This group later established the Ragamuffin breed. Because Baker owned the rights to the name "Ragdoll", no offshoot groups were legally able to call their cats Ragdolls, until 2005, when the trademark on "Ragdoll" was not renewed.[6]

Breed description:

Temperament 

The docile and floppy nature of the Ragdoll is a characteristic thought to be passed down from the Persian and Birman breed. Opinions vary as to whether this trait might be the result of genetic mutation.[7][8] The extreme docility of some individuals has led to the myth that Ragdolls are pain-resistant. Some breeders in Britain have tried to breed away from the limpness due to concerns that extreme docility "might not be in the best interests of the cat".[7][9] On multiple occasions, ragdolls have been reported as nonchalantly approaching moving cars and vicious dogs and getting hurt.[citation needed] Breed standards describe the Ragdoll as affectionate, intelligent, relaxed in temperament, gentle, and easy to handle.[10][11]

Physical characteristics

The Ragdoll is one of the largest domesticated cat breeds with a sturdy body, large frame, and proportionate legs. A fully-grown female weighs from 8 to 15 pounds (3.6 to 6.8 kg). Males are substantially larger, ranging from 12 to 20 pounds (5.4 to 9.1 kg) or more.[3] The genes for point coloration are also responsible for the blue eyes of the Ragdoll. More intense shades of blue are favored in cat shows. Although the breed has a plush coat, it consists mainly of long guard hairs, while the lack of a dense undercoat results in, according to the Cat Fanciers' Association, "reduced shedding and matting".[12] Mitted Ragdolls, which weren't allowed titling in CFA until the 2008-2009 show season, are often confused with Birmans. The easiest way to tell the difference is by size (the Ragdoll being obviously larger) and chin color (Mitted Ragdolls have white chins, while Birmans have colored chins), although breeders recognize the two by head shape and boning.[citation needed]

Ragdolls come in 6 different colors: seal; chocolate; flame; and the corresponding "dilutes", including blue, lilac, and cream. This also includes the tortoiseshell pattern in all colors and the three patterns. All Ragdoll kittens are born white. They have good color at 8 – 10 weeks and full color and coat at 3 – 4 years. The four different patterns are:

Pointed - One color darkening at the extremities (nose, ears, tail, and paws).
Mitted - Same as pointed, but with white paws and abdomen. With or without a blaze (a white line or spot on the face), but must have a "belly stripe" (white stripe that runs from the chin to the genitals) and a white chin.
Bicolor — White legs, white inverted 'V' on the face, white abdomen and sometimes white patches on the back. (Excessive amounts of white, or "high white", on a bicolor is known as the Van pattern, although this doesn't occur nearly as often as the other patterns.)
Lynx - A variant of the above type having tabby markings.[13]

References

^ Ragdoll Standard FIFe
^ http://books.google.com/books?id=HYt3zSa9N1EC&pg=PA84&dq=ragdoll+cat+flop&hl=en&sa=X&ei=5WQNUaX_GfLU0gG16YDoDA&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=ragdoll%20cat%20flop&f=false
^ a b c Helgren, J. Anne (2006). Ragdoll. Telemark Productions. Retrieved from http://us.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=CBD&breedPage=ragdoll.html.
^ http://us.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=CBD&breedPage=ragdoll.html
^ "Welcome to the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy". Retrieved 2010-12-14.
^ U.S. trademark number 1,026,916.
^ a b Understanding Cat Behavior: The Complete Feline Problem Solver Roger Tabor (2003). P 33.
^ Do cats always land on their feet Gina Spadafori, Marty Becker
^ The Cat: Its Behavior, Nutrition & Health Linda P. Case, Kerry Helms, Bruce Macallister (2003). P 31.
^ Ragdoll Breed standard Governing Council of Cat Fancy
^ Ragdoll Breed standard Cat Fanciers' Association
^ Breed Profile Cat Fanciers' Association
^ "Ragdoll International Patterns and Colors". Retrieved 2012-06-11.
^ Egenvall, A.; Nødtvedt, A.; Häggström, J.; Ström Holst, B.; Möller, L.; Bonnett, B. N. (2009). "Mortality of Life-Insured Swedish Cats during 1999—2006: Age, Breed, Sex, and Diagnosis".Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 23 (6): 1175–1183. doi:10.1111/j.1939-1676.2009.0396.x. PMID 19780926. edit
^ "PKD". felipedia.org.
^ "Minutes of Executive Council Meeting No: 28 (doc)". New Zealand Cat Fancy. 24 - 25 September 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
^ "Frequently Asked Questions about the HCM Genetic Muth here.istory

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The “Breed standard” that is being called Ragdoll by those opposed to minks was developed from cats bought from Ann Baker’s Ragdolls.  Dayton, who got into breeding Ragdolls as a business ended up breaking away from Ann Baker. 
His “standard” is the developed off shoot of Ragdolls from the original Ragdolls of Ann Bakers Raggedy Ann cattery, which included minks.
According to one breeder Denny Dayton makes it his wish that minks are NEVER admitted into the standard. Unavoidable fact: Denny’s genetic stock originates from Bakers and what is now called “mink” is at the foundation of the line. Mink is not a new type or a Ragdoll look alike.
He has chosen to breed the mink gene out of the Ragdolls in his standard.
Purposefully selecting out the beautiful mink feeling fur for rabbit feeling fur. The “Breed standard” that is being called Ragdoll by those opposed to minks was developed from cats bought from Ann Baker’s Ragdolls.  Dayton, who got into breeding Ragdolls as a business ended up breaking away from Ann Baker. 
His “standard” is the developed off shoot of Ragdolls from the original Ragdolls of Ann Bakers Raggedy Ann cattery, which included minks.

Mink Ragdolls are NOT a separate breed; they differ in only a few aspects of appearance. The temperament is the same.


Mink Ragdolls have been around since the beginning of the Ragdoll breed. YES, minks are purebred, SBT and TICA registered Ragdoll cats. A look at early pedigrees from the Ann Baker cattery, called Raggedy Ann, you will see the names of such Ragdoll cats as Josephine (a solid white Persian or Angora), and Buckwheat (a black Burmese-type cat) which confirm this statement.


The Burmese gene is cb which creates a brownish coat for a genetically black cat. The points (face mask, ears, legs and tail) are very dark and the rest of the body is richly warm. The mink gene isn’t a separate gene, but rather a combination of the pointed gene and the Burmese gene represented by (cbcs). 


When you breed two mink Ragdoll cats together you’ll get the following results:


1Half of the litter will be mink colored


2A quarter will be “sepia” colored (actually this is Burmese color, but they are called “sepia”)


3A quarter will be pointed Traditional Ragdolls.





This is possible because some kittens will receive the cb gene from both parents, which will make them a sepia color, some will get the cs gene from both parents, which will make them pointed, and some will get cb gene from one parent and cs gene from the other, and so they are mink colored.


Mink is not a new breed of Ragdoll (nor even a new pattern), but rather it is a bloodline which can be traced back to the very first Ragdolls produced by Ann Baker and other IRCA Ragdoll breeders.


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Most breeders today choose to solely continue with the pointed colors. Only a handful are devoted to continuing with these old lines and breed with Mink and Solid Ragdolls.


Do Mink and solid Ragdolls still have the same characteristics as the traditional variety of Ragdolls?


Most Most definitely!! They are a large, docile, floppy, people-friendly cat. The Ragdoll cat or kitten does not wish to be left alone, it is a very social creature. Other than having different markings, an SBT purebred TICA registered Mink or solid Ragdoll is exactly that, a True Ragdoll !!

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They are called “Mink” because the fur of this type of Ragdoll is still smoother than that of the pointed Traditional Ragdoll. It may seem to hardly be possible, but they truly feel like a ladies mink stole or a cashmere rabbit – incredibly soft.


Mink Ragdoll Kittens are born with color (yes full color, not white). The point color of the mink is much stronger, richer and darker than that of the traditional Ragdoll.


Now I hear you asking, “What colors and patterns are available in this type of Ragdoll?” Mink Ragdolls come in all the traditional colors of seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, flame, cream, tortie and blue/cream.


Eye color, however, between the traditional pointed variety, the Mink Ragdoll and the Solid Ragdoll are a distinguishing feature. In the traditional Ragdoll kitten, the eye color is always blue. The Mink Ragdoll has a gorgeous blue or aqua (blue-green) eye coloring, resembling those pictures of the Caribbean Sea.


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FACT: TICA and SBT give official papers to Mink Ragdolls - they are PUREBRED and they are issued papers as Ragdolls without clauses or distinctions.

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Here is a photo of a seal mink mitted male
from the early 80's. It came out of cats
we purchased from Ann Baker.

This is Raggedy Ann Kyoto in all his glory. He would replace Daddy Warbucks as Ann's top stud. 

Daddy Warbucks the foundation male for the Ragdoll Breed. He had a white blaze and a white tail tip, still seen in many of our Ragdolls today 

Here is a photo of a seal mink mitted male
from the early 80's. It came out of cats  purchased from Ann Baker.

Early Blossom-time Ragdolls.      Mitted- PIP,     Born 2/19/71                                Bicolor-FLOPPY,  Born 8/23/67       Colour Point -PHIL,    Born in 1972   
 

Ann Bakers cattery where it all began in 1963. This is the birthplace where the Ragdoll breed began. The home of Daddy Warbucks, Fugianna and Buckwheat.

 

This may or may not be Josephine. Ann has written on the back of this picture Josephine

History of Ragdolls

Dixon Mountain Ragdoll Cats