Benny and Bjorn are twin brothers, emerging almost identical from their mother and only gradually taking on different external characteristics as the months passed.
But temperamentally they are still similar, exhibiting the docility, confiding and passive nature of their breed of domestic cat — the Ragdoll.
They see no one and nothing as an enemy and are basically stay-at-home creatures. “They would be at a complete loss out of doors and even more so in the wild,” their owner, Rosana Pfaffe, says.
The pair have the blue eyes, snub noses and semi-longhair silky coats of their breed, which was created by US cat breeder Ann Baker in the 1960s.
The breed is known for its placidity. “When we saw Benny and Bjorn for the very first time, they walked up to us to inspect us without showing any shyness,” Pfaffe says.
At two months the two were almost white, but at four months, when Pfaffe took them over, some colour was showing in the face and around the ears. They are now 18 months old, and can be clearly distinguished.
Bjorn is “bicolour” with an inverted white V on the face, whereas Benny is “pointed” with nose, ears, tail and paws a darker colour.
The other standard variations include “mitted” with white paws, tabby with stripes and tortoiseshell (or tortie).
Berlin breeder Manuela Eichler-Bay, who specialises in the Ragdoll breed, says: “From the point of view of colour, we distinguish chocolate, lilac, blue and seal (dark brown).”
Over the years, breeders have brought in cream and red to add to the classical colours.
Ragdolls gain their name from a tendency to go limp when handled. Unlike most other cats, they do not like to be alone, enjoying the company of other pets and of their owners.
But they demand attention and distraction, otherwise they get bored. “For that reason, there should always be two,” says Eichler-Bay, particularly if their owners are away at work all day.
They tend to get along with dogs and are ideal in families with children.
But they lack the surefootedness and agility of other cats and so cannot be trusted on balconies, which should be enclosed with netting.
And their hunting instinct is minimal. “If an insect flies in front of their noses, they look up in surprise and then lose interest,” Pfaffe says.
They also show little interest in birds alighting on the window ledge outside the Berlin flat that is their home.
But they love riding around on the vacuum cleaner and have been known to climb into the washing machine, as they tend to follow their owners around, even to extent of waking from a nap when their owner leaves the room to follow after them. —DPA