Breeders Profile

Pas de Chat Ragdolls

Name:

All photos courtesy of Bob Fox and Tracey-Jane Rigler.

Tell us a bit about you:
I have lived in a small village called Wateringbury in Kent for the last 9 years having moved from Dorset to take up a new job.  I now breed Ragdolls full time along with selling cat accessories, including wonderful catnip toys.

My Raggies are the loves of my life and totally spoilt.  A few years ago I wanted to name one of my breeding queens Spoilt Rotten, when I told my dad this he just sat there shaking his head. Luckily for her I eventually chose Honeysuckle Rose. 

My garden has been cat proofed so that they run around at will playing, shouting at the birds (which they never catch) and lazing in the sunshine, when we get it.  They are useless at mowing the lawn and the only weeding they do is usually the bed where I have just planted out the seedlings.  When I first moved in I planted a patch of catnip plants 10 foot square which they adored just a little too much.  Needless to say the plants did not survive all the loving they got - but the cats had a lovely summer.

Those of you on the FIFe show circuit probably already know me as a) the Ragdoll lady and b) the catnip toy lady.  By the way, even one of the judges called me the Ragdoll lady the other day!

Why did you choose your breed(s)?
My parents, June and Brian Rigler of Ragtime/Dreamcats, actually chose Ragdolls.  They saw an article on them just after they first came into the country from America in the early 1980s.  I helped out from the beginning and the rest is history. 

Why/how did you start breeding?
I always said that once I had finished my studying I would start to breed Ragdolls under my own prefix (Pas De Chat with FIFe and Tufytoes with GCCF) which I have held since 1992. I started breeding seriously once I moved to Kent and I did not have to look too far for my first breeding queens.  Yes you got it, mum and dad. Well they did have, in my opinion, the best breeding Ragdolls in the UK and had a world wide reputation for the quality of their Ragdolls.  I already had “my” stud.  I say “my” - he belonged to my parents but we were inseparable so when I moved he moved.

Why did you choose your prefix?
My FIFe prefix of Pas De Chat was easy, more on that in a minute. My GCCF prefix was harder as they kept rejecting my choices but I settled on Tufytoes due to the fact that Ragdolls have tufts of long hair between the toes.  So why not spell it Tuftytoes you say?  Because there is a breeder in the USA with this prefix and I wanted people to be able to tell who was who.  I learnt that from experience as mum and dad have Ragtime as a prefix as does a breeder in USA.

So back to Pas De Chat, those budding ballerinas among you already know the answer; for the rest of you here goes.  When you have a kitten it sometimes arches its back and jumps sideways - this is a Pas De Chat!  It is a dance step that mimics the cat and combines my love of ballet with my love of cats.  The Dance of the Cygnets from Swan Lake has sixteen pas de chat, performed by four dancers holding hands with their arms interlaced.  If you want to see a Pas De Chat in action click this link (needs Apple Quicktime to view).

When were your most memorable occasions as a breeder?
My first litter is very high on my list, as is the unconditional love all my cats and kittens have and still give to me. 

In the show ring, my first nomination was wonderful, as was my first Best In Show and my first European Champion.  I currently have and am breeding with the only four European Champion Ragdolls in the UK and for those of you who know her we cannot not mention EC Tufytoes Arabella, DSM (pictured top left), the only female Ragdoll European Champion in the UK and the only UK Ragdoll to ever have held the title DSM (Distinguished Show Merit).  She was also the Aristocats Club's first ever DSM which, in true Arabella style, was won at an Aristocats Club show in Thornbury. 

The other three ECs are EC Pas De Chat Vaslav Nijinsky (above right), EC Pas De Chat Diaghilev (above left) and EC Pas De Chat Baryshnikov (right).  The latter two are Arabella's sons and full littermate brothers, and of course all four are listed on the Aristocats' Roll of Honour.

Who were/are the most memorable cats you've had?
This without doubt goes to the love of my life, my “husband”, Chandella Raggafylo (below left), aka CoCo who is also Arabella’s dad.

What are your hopes for the future of your breed/your breeding programme?
I am currently working with the pure old English lines as I am trying to preserve the original look of the Ragdoll.  This has its plus and minus sides and you have to be in it for the long term but I look at some breeds and they are so different in look to how they were when I was a child.  I’m not saying this is good or bad, but it is not what I want for the Ragdoll.  I want to preserve what I originally fell in love with all those years ago, so I’m doing something about it before it is too late.  I would also love to breed another Arabella!

Is there anything else you'd like to mention?
This year I decided to concentrate on my Ragdolls fully and to expand my web site to sell catnip toys and cat accessories.  The “shop” is now open at my website and I can occasionally be found at cat shows with a trade stand selling everything you ever wanted for your cat including some lovely designer items in 13 different colours.  I have searched, and am still searching, the world to find items that appeal to both cats and humans. if the toys do not pass the Raggie play, play and play again test then they do not get past go!

Tracey-Jane Rigler

www.pasdechat.co.uk

August 2007