About Magisragis Ragdolls

My name is Margaret Lynch and I live in Manchester with my mum, Evelyn, and older brother David, and family of Ragdolls. I currently work for the Co-operative Retail Group in the centre of Manchester in Retail Finance. 

 

My love of animals started as a small child but it was a few years before I owned my own pet.  My love of cats was always there.  I have postcards with cats on that I was sent by friends and relatives as a child and a much loved 'toy' of kittens in a basket, safely tucked away in our china cabinet.  I always wanted to work with animals but it was not to be.  Adding up numbers was my calling instead.

 

Over the years I have owned many cats but living on a road was not ideal and many much loved cats were killed there.  I made a decision that the next cat I had would have to live indoors and therefore a pedigree.  I looked through some magazines with pictures of pedigree cats in and my partner, Paul, took one look at the photo of a seal mitted Ragdoll and said ' you have got to get one of those'.  This was May 1998. I made some phonecalls and was put in touch with Christine Hodcroft of Chesawood Ragdolls and my addiction to the breed started there.

 

Milo, Chesawood Daisy May arrived in August 1998.  A seal mitted girl who was not perfectly marked but I enterred her in the North West Cat Club Show, Altrincham, in September 1998.  Milo won some rosettes and a trophy and I got the showing bug.  Milo was not ideal show quality but at the time not many Ragdolls were being shown.  I decided that showing was for me and I went back to Christine for a show quality Ragdoll and in May 2000, Willow, Gr Pr Chesawood Willow Ufgood arrived.

 

Over the years of showing, mum and I have met some fantastic people who have become very good friends.  Showing is a very social hobby. I take a pride in representing the Cat Fancy, the Ragdoll breed and the breed clubs I am a member of.  In 2004 I made the decision to get my first breeding girl.  Peggy, Spiritdancers Peggy Patch, bred by my close friend and mentor, Sue Allen. She arrived in October 2004.  My knowledge of studying type was gained by going out to shows for six years before getting my first breeding cat.  It is vitally important that a good knowldge of type is gained before buying any breeding cats.

 

I am a GCCF steward and currently a pupil judge for the Ragdoll breed. I aim to be a full Ragdoll judge in the future. 

 

As a breeder I am fully committed to preserving the traditional Ragdoll lines (no red and tabby series in the pedigree, all lines traceable back to Ragdoll foundation cats Josephine, Daddy Warbucks and Buckwheat), that has made this breed so popular in this country and the standard of points was written around.  I also breed from red series in the hope to improve the type of this newer colour so it closely resembles the traditional Ragdoll cat.  

 

Breeding cats is not easy.  It is not a money-making hobby.  Far from it.  It breaks your heart as you never know if any kitten you breed will make it in those first few weeks of life and you love them as soon as they enter the world.  It is a roller-coaster ride.  When you see them grow up and develop those very individual personalities it makes it all worth while.  I know I would not be able to breed without the support of my mum and my mentor, Sue.  I will always be very gratefull to these important people. Also, to my long suffering partner, Paul, who has three much loved cats, Ted, Sherlock and Cidd,  for putting up with me travelling around the country at precious week-ends to meetings and shows.

 

In my spare time, I love to make cards and my passion for football and Manchester United will never die despite not being able to attend The Theatre of Dreams anymore.