Are Ragdoll and Siamese Cats the Same?
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Originally published Oct 25, 2018
The other day on YouTube, someone wrote on our How to Hold a Ragdoll cat video – “Your cats so cool, I really want a siamese ragdoll they’re so bad ass”. It reminded me about this post. I replied and said my cats were Ragdolls and he replied, “Really? I thought the ragdolls with that coat were bread with Siamese/Himalayan cats, but tbh Idk a ton about cats all I know is I want one of those lol”. I then replied, “No, Ragdoll is a breed of cat, Siamese is a breed of cat, Himalayan is a breed of cat – all separate. All are known as colorpointed cat breeds – meaning they change color as they age and show their color the most on their points.”
Surprisingly, this is a frequently asked question among cat lovers far and wide. Growing up, I can’t tell you how many people who saw my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, and thought he was a Siamese.
Ragdoll and Siamese cats are often confused due to some similarities that these breeds share in terms of colors and patterns but they are very different breeds from many points of view.
This articles talks about the similarities, as well as the differences between Ragdolls and Siamese cats so that you can get an idea of the unique features of each of these cats.
Ragdolls and Siamese Cats – Similarities
The biggest characteristic shared between Ragdoll and Siamese cats is the seal color pattern of their fur. This means the white to creamy white bodies with dark brown masks, ears, tails, and mittens in contrast.
Since this combination of colors is quite different from those seen in other breeds, people often associate it with a single breed, thus confusing the Ragdoll and the Siamese.
While this pattern can be found in both cat breeds, there are plenty of elements that can be used to differentiate the two.
Ragdolls and Siamese Cats – Differences
In this section of the article, I am going to relay the most important differences between the two cat breeds. The main objective is disambiguation on this very common Ragdoll-related confusion.
Breed Origins
Siamese – As the name may suggest, Siamese cats come from Thailand (Siam) and they are one of the oldest cat breeds in the entire world, dating back to 1351 AD.
In 1878, US President Rutherford B. Hayes received a Siamese cat, which was the first ever of its breed to reach the US. As for the modern version of the breed, it came in the 1950-1960’s, when there was a boost of interest in cats of this particular display.
Ragdolls – This breed also came about in the 1960s when seal point cats were all the rage. The first ever Ragdoll came from a Persian/Angora cat that bred with several unknown Birman males, out of which one presented the Siamese staple seal point coloration.
Ann Baker of Riverside, California developed the Ragdoll breed and trademarked the name.
Coat
Siamese – The typical Siamese cat has a very short, yet uniquely silky coat. Please note that there are no long-haired Siamese cats.
Ragdoll – The breed standard for Ragdolls is the long coat of silky texture, which is similar to the touch of rabbit fur.
Please note that Ragdolls do not have undercoats, which makes them shed significantly more than other cat breeds.
Color Patterns
Siamese – While the seal point Siamese cat is the breed’s best-known color variety, these cats also come in several other colors – blue point, chocolate point, lilac point, flame point, and cream point.
As you may expect, in the beginning, the breeders and the cat associations have considered all the other colors to be inferior to the traditional seal point Siamese cat. But as the breed grew more and more popular, they eventually accepted various patterns, such as tabby, lynx, or tortie.
Ragdoll – This breed became popular with seal point individuals. As such, to this day, this is the most common type of Ragdoll cat. However, like for the Siamese, there is significant variety in colors and patterns.
Ragdolls also include blue, chocolate, lilac, flame point, and cream point individuals. As far as patterns are concerned, Ragdolls also have tabbies, torties, and lynxes.
Personality
Siamese – Known worldwide as one of the most intelligent cats out there, the Siamese makes for an excellent pet. They are very affectionate, yet social, and particularly vocal and agile.
Siamese cats tend to get attached to a single person but they will be sociable with the entire family. They are extroverts in the true sense of the word and they thrive on human and/or cat companionship.
Ragdoll – The trait that Ragdolls are known all over the world for is their docile nature. These cats are particularly calm and loving, up to the point where their floppy behavior has inspired their name (Ragdoll).
But don’t let their calm nature fool you, for Ragdolls are extremely intelligent and very social.
As you can see, Ragdoll and Siamese cats are quite different in spite of the fact that they share the amazing seal point coloration.
Each of these two fantastic breeds has some amazing characteristics, but they are many things that make them different one from the other.
The post Are Ragdoll and Siamese Cats the Same? appeared first on Floppycats.
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