Ragdoll genetics
This is a broad chapters and there is a lot to learn. It is also one of my favorite interests and passion in Life. In the future there will probably be much to read about in this area on the website.
In order to talk genetics in a sensible way, you simply have to learn the basic concepts and principles. They can seem quite complicated at the beginning but you will see a clear logic and it’s actually not as difficult as it seems! These simple principles and expressions are the same for all genetics and it concerns all living things on earth. You can read the basic principles in the different chapters written by me below.
More advanced genetics
For more advanced information about genetics, inheritance and breeding, I full heartily recommend Roy Robinson’s “Genetics for cat breeders and veterinarians.” The book is in English and the difficulty level is that of literature for university students. It can probably be difficult if you are not familiar with English literature and this subject since before.
A simpler version of Robinson’s book, which is also written in Swedish, is Per Erik Sundgren “Avel med sällskapsdjur”. Genetics is the same in all living creatures the difference is not the basic principles but the genes we actually carry. The modern genetics and the knowledge of the most basic principles we were given, for example, by Mendel’s experiments with peas. All our pets are additionally fairly similar to each other genetically. Thus the same genes are involved in many areas. This is why it might be interesting to read this book even if it is not specifically about cats. Where different species differ in genes the author also points this out and discusses the differences. Cats are furthermore included as examples fairly often eg regarding inheritance of coat colors.
What we are doing in our breeding has to do with genetics. Therefor i seems self-evident that we as breeders should have a good basic knowledge of this to be as prudent as possible in the selection of breeding animals and breeding programs. It is precisely these two mentioned elements that developes a breed: Selection of breeding animals = Selection and choosing which cats to mate with each other = Breeding Program.