Owning a ragdoll cat should be a very satisfying partnership on both sides, yours because the ragdoll is cute, fluffy and likes cuddling up to you, and the theirs because they get to look cute, fluffy and cuddle up to you.

Ragdoll cats are really very lovable creatures, usually very attached to their owners, and demonstrate this attachment by following them around for days at a time. Attempting to hide from a ragdoll cat is futile, as they will seek you out and punish you with further snuggles.

So owning a ragdoll cat is inviting a wonderfully loving friend into your home, wonderful, but clingy. They are not an independent cat, they do not wander off for days at a time, they do not leave; only to return for dinner, instead they stick close to those they love, rarely leaving their side and insisting upon as much as attention as you choose to give them.

You do not own a ragdoll cat, it is part of your family, it is a close (furry) friend, which refuses to be seen as property, the ragdoll cat does not encourage ownership, but love and affection. Whether anyone can really own a cat at all is something to be debated, a dog perhaps, but a cat, especially a ragdoll cat, chooses to live with you, not the other way around.

If you choose a ragdoll cat to be your friend, then you are choosing all the wonderful, yet strange behaviours of this breed. A ragdoll needs constant company, leave them alone for any length of time and they get very upset, and they will certainly let you know when you return home, they have a tendency to get depressed if left alone for long periods of time. And no one wants a depressed cat.

They are far too trusting, so you can't just put them outside for a while, when they get a bit annoying, as they get into all sorts of scrapes. Plus, they cling to you almost constantly, so you will probably accidentally tread on your ragdoll more than once. With a ragdoll, you have to be constantly aware!

Despite their laid back temperament, they tend to be rather noisy creatures - especially if you are working or watching TV. They will talk to you for hours at a time, "meow this," and "meow that," and you have no idea what they are saying, so you just have to nod along.

They tend to eat a lot, because of their rather large size, so they are almost always hungry, anything you are eating is fair game to a ragdoll, after all, why not share?

But the truth is, many ragdolls end up in rescue centres because the owners didn't realize just how co-dependent ragdolls can be, while most cats would be fine with someone feeding them while you are on holiday, a ragdoll will need to be placed in a cattery.

And, despite their apparent need for less grooming, many ragdoll owners say that grooming is still essential regularly, otherwise expect a ragdoll with knots and matted fur, perhaps it all depends on what they get up to, either way, owning a ragdoll cat, or a ragdoll owning you is a great responsibility not to be taken lightly, but if you are willing to put in the hours, you will end up with a really lovely family pet for many, many years.