Ragdolls are exceptional animals who demand unique care and consideration. Their characteristic fur, character, and medical needs mean different methods of care. Let’s investigate all of these three things specific to Ragdolls and how to care appropriately for your cat.

Ragdolls have long, soft, rabbit-like fur. As their fur does not mat, the Ragdoll doesn’t need a lot of grooming. However, it’s a good to groom your Ragdoll at least every few days. This alleviates hairballs and aids in bonding.

Many folks think that Ragdolls don’t shed. This is not always true. It actually depends on the specific cat. For example, I have two Ragdolls. One sheds gigantic masses of fur, and the second sheds not one hair. Because it’s hard to know if your cat will shed, it’s a good practice have a vacuum and lint roller ready just in case.

The Ragdoll character can be defined as: respectful, outgoing, perceptive, needy, and passive. Due to these distinctive characteristics, special care should be reserved for Ragdolls.

Due to the their sociable and friendly character, we shouldn’t let these cats outside unless they are supervised. The Ragdoll breed does not grasp self-defense. They probably won’t recognize danger or comprehend the occasion to battle or flea from a risky situation.

The perceptive and needy aspects of the Ragdoll character may present challenges if leaving the cat home a long for a large part of the day. Usually, a couple hours home by alone is the longest time you should leave them alone.

If responsibilities such as work or school have you away from the home for greater than a couple hours, it preferable to adopt another pet to stay home and keep your cat company. Usually, Ragdolls are welcoming of other pets, including dogs.

Generally speaking, there are no health problems associated with the Ragdoll breed. Nevertheless, be aware of the disease called HCM or Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. This is a genetic disease found in some Ragdoll lines. Disappointingly, a cure has not been found for HCM and there are no treatment options available. The survival rate is very low. HCM typically claims the life of the Ragdoll when they are still a kitten – sometimes younger than one year old.

Ragdoll groups have donated tons of money to research and find the HCM gene. In the end it payed off: the Ragdoll HCM gene was isolated.

Now that genetic testing for HCM is available, a good breeder will test the parents for HCM before breeding a cat. If you are breed a Ragdoll, it’s tremendously important to test the cats for the HCM gene. If you want to purchase a Ragdoll, be certain to ask for the medical paperwork indicating that both parents tested negative for the HCM gene.