Ragdoll colours and patterns, explained

Every Ragdoll is a pointed cat: the body is lighter, and the face, ears, legs and tail (the "points") are darker. Every Ragdoll has blue eyes. Within that, there is a lovely range of colours and patterns. Here is how to read a kitten's description.

Kittens are born white

Ragdoll kittens are born almost completely white. Their colour starts to appear at the tips of the ears, nose and tail within the first couple of weeks and keeps developing for months. A Ragdoll's coat is not fully mature until they are around two to three years old, so expect your kitten's colour to deepen as they grow.

The colours

The colour describes the shade of the points:

• Seal. Deep, rich brown points. The classic Ragdoll look.
• Blue. Soft slate-grey points with a cool, silvery body.
• Chocolate. Warm milk-chocolate points, lighter than seal.
• Lilac. Pale, pinkish-grey points on an almost white body.
• Red (flame). Warm apricot to orange points.
• Cream. Pale, buttery points; the softer version of red.

The patterns

The pattern describes where the white is:

• Colorpoint. Classic points with no white at all.
• Mitted. Points with white "mittens" on the front paws, white boots on the back legs and a white chin, often with a white stripe along the tummy.
• Bicolor. A white inverted "V" on the face, white legs and a white tummy. The points are on the ears, mask and tail.
• Van. Mostly white, with colour only on the ears, tail and sometimes the top of the head.

Extra touches: lynx and tortie

You may also see lynx, which means the points have tabby striping, giving a soft, striped look on the face and tail. Tortie describes points with patches of red or cream mixed in, which happens almost always in girls.

Reading a kitten listing

Put the pieces together and you get descriptions like seal mitted, blue bicolor or lilac lynx colorpoint. Because colour develops over time, we describe each kitten based on what we see and on their parents' genetics. Their final look becomes clearer week by week.

Colour and pattern are lovely to choose by, but personality matters most. We are always happy to tell you about each kitten's nature.

Ready to find yours? Meet our available kittens.