Who doesn’t adore Ragdoll cats?!
Ragdolls are the prettiest, fluffiest, and friendliest felines out there, which means they’re the purrfect pets for pretty much anyone. Ragdolls are one of the few felines that melt the hearts of naysayers, haters, and even dog people because they’re charming, charismatic, and borderline addicting.
How did Ragdolls come to be, though? Ragdolls appeared around the 1960s when a breeder by the name of Ann Baker decided to work on a breed that would be more gorgeous, gentle, and warm-hearted than any of the breeds that were available at the time.
Ann focused on breeding cats with non-aggressive characteristics to ensure nothing goes wrong. After working on the Ragdoll breed for a few years, she managed to create a breed she was happy with.
However, she became quite controversial with her statements about the Ragdoll breed, claiming that the breed was a result of medically altered genetics. Before she tainted the breed’s reputation, though, Ragdolls managed to become one of the most prominent felines out there.
Nowadays, Ragdolls are adored around the world because of their pleasant purrsonalities, larger-than-life temperaments, and high intelligence. Now, are Ragdoll cats more intelligent than average cats? Worry not, we’re bringing you the answers to all your questions down below!
Are Ragdoll cats more intelligent than average cats?
Ragdoll cats are highly intelligent, but that doesn’t mean that they’re more intelligent than average cats. Everyone who’s ever owned a Ragdoll cat can attest to the fact that Ragdolls are emotionally intelligent because they’re great at showing whether they’re happy, sad, angry, or annoyed.
Ragdolls are even better at showing affection toward humans, cats, or even other animals because they’re communicative, companionable, and confident. Ragdolls are excellent listeners, too, which means they’re easy to teach. And, knowing all that, we can assume that Ragdolls are intelligent, too.
But, how do we even measure a cat’s intelligence? We measure a human’s intelligence through numerous tests and tasks, but we don’t do the same thing with cats. We measure a cat’s intelligence by observing her behavior, what she does when she’s surrounded by humans and cats, and how she reacts to commands.
When we do that, we can draw connections between breeds and patterns of behavior. On one hand, we have cats that are outstanding at obedience training. On the other hand, we have cats that are much better at agility training. Of course, Ragdolls excel at certain types of training, too.
What makes Ragdoll cats more intelligent than average cats?
1. Ragdolls are excellent at showing emotion
We know that cats communicate through body language, sounds, and even chemical cues. When they’re happy they might show that by purring gently, rubbing against you, or even exposing their belly to show that they trust you. When Ragdolls are in high spirits, they might go a step further.
Ragdolls are efficient at showing when they’re happy, sad, angry, annoyed, or excited.
For example, Ragdolls are communicative which means they’re known to meow more than other cats to ensure you know they’re talking to you. Furthermore, they are also known to show attitude by knocking things down when they’re unhappy or running away when they’re annoyed.
2. Ragdolls are communicative, companionable, and confident around cats
One of the reasons why everyone appreciates Ragdolls happens to be the fact that they’re obsessed with hanging out with humans, cats, dogs, and pretty much anyone who wants to hang out with them.
They’re known to follow you around from room to room, wait for you to come out of the bathroom, and even pat you with their paw to get your attention.
They aren’t scared of cats and dogs and they aren’t nervous when they’re meeting new people or new animals for the first time. They’re confident and they’re happy to have new friends. Also, we can’t forget about the fact that they’re one of those pets that greet you at the door when you come home from work.
3. Ragdolls possess good memory
Oh, Ragdolls remember everything! Ragdoll parents, unite – how many times have you caught your Ragdoll cat waiting for you by the kitchen cabinet where you keep the treats?
How many times has she started meowing, pawing at you, and headbutting you around the time when you typically feed her? How many times has she started scratching at your bedroom door around the time when you normally wake up?
We know that the answers to these questions go something along the lines of “too many times to count” because Ragdoll cats happen to have a better memory than average cats.
Sure, other kitties to these things, too. But, Ragdolls remember the times that you didn’t feed them on time or didn’t wake them up to go bird-watching – and, they hold grudges.
4. Ragdolls have high standards and know how to stand up for themselves
Ragdoll cats are the opposite of dogs, sort of. They might be friendly and fun-loving like dogs, but they aren’t going to do everything you want them to do to make you happy. Ragdolls don’t need anyone’s approval and that’s why they don’t want to bother with things they don’t think are necessary.
When you’re training a Ragdoll cat, for example, you need to give her something to get her to do what you want.
Ragdolls aren’t going to perform tricks for you for free – your happy face doesn’t do anything for them because they’re there for treats. Rest assured that they’re only going to fetch, respond to your high-five, or roll around once you show them the stash of Meow Mix.
5. Ragdolls are easy to train
“How are Ragdolls easy to train when they aren’t going to perform tricks unless I give them treats?!”
That’s the thing, you already know exactly what you need to do to get them to perform tricks. Therefore, Ragdolls are easy to train.
Additionally, they are great at understanding commands, memorizing what they need to do, and responding to cues. Once you offer them the Meow Mix, they’re guaranteed to do whatever you want them to do.
At the end of the day, Ragdoll cats are a highly intelligent breed that doesn’t care whether or not they’re more intelligent than average cats. And, that’s why we adore them!
Read more: Tuxedo Ragdoll Cat: A True Gentleman Of The Feline World
