Grooming Your Ragdoll Cat
Jul 10th, 2006 by Rob
Ragdoll cats have soft, rabbit-like fur that rarely mats. You can reduce shedding and hairballs by grooming your Ragdoll regularly. Cats shed their winter coats in the spring; you may notice more hair on your furniture and clothes during the spring months. To keep matting and shedding to a minimum, comb your cat’s fur using a wide-toothed steel comb. Ragdoll cats and kittens are easily conditioned to their grooming rituals, so you should not have any problems. Be gentle when grooming your cat. If mats have already developed, try doing just a little every day.
Giving Your Cat a Bath
Bathing your cat on a regular basis helps keep their coat shiny, clean, and healthy, helps to reduce shedding, and helps to remove oil accumulation. You should bathe your Ragdoll cat or kitten approximately once a month, and then blow dry until completely dry to avoid a chill. Your cat’s body temperature ranges between 102 and 104 degrees, so they will like the bath water fairly warm.
If your Ragdoll has problems with eye goop or if tear staining is a problem, you can wash your cat’s face using a wet washcloth on a daily basis. Fortunately, with their calm, gentle personalities, Ragdolls take well to grooming if you are gentle, consistent, and start their grooming programs when they are young. Some breeders report that the Ragdoll coat is easier to maintain, and that eye tearing is not as much of a problem as it is with the Persian cat.
Pet Shampoos
Any pet shampoo is acceptable for bathing your cat. Other products that are safe to use are blue Dawn dish soap (very good if your cat is greasy), and No More Tears baby shampoo. Do not use ‘human products’ as a general rule. They have additives for fragrance that can be irritating to a cat. Remember that your cat will lick their fur.
Grooming and Hairballs
As cats groom themselves, they accumulate hair in their stomachs and often throw it up. This process is usually accompanied by loud howling, gagging, retching, and gasping noises that can be very alarming. An occasional hairball isn’t much of a problem; however, in long-haired cats, hairballs sometimes become quite large and cause problems. Minimize the problem by grooming out loose hair before it can be swallowed and by using a hairball lubricant like Laxatone or Petromalt. Adult longhair cats may be given a teaspoonful once a week. More frequent administration is not a good idea because these products can interfere with vitamin absorption. Giving mineral oil is not a good idea because it is tasteless and may be accidentally inhaled. Frequent vomiting, as often as once a week, requires veterinary attention as it could indicate another serious medical condition.
Nail Trimming
Most cats attend to the nails themselves; however, claws can overgrow, tear, and split causing painful infections. Trimming your cat’s nails regularly reduces the chances of these problems and reduces their desire to scratch your furniture. Human nail clippers work well on some cats, particularly kittens with tiny claws. Commercial cat toenail clippers are available from your veterinarian, pet supply store, or you can buy them online. These are designed to cut kitty claws at the proper angle without the risk of splitting or crushing the nail. There are trimmers designed like scissors as well as guillotine-type clippers. The best clipper has very sharp blades and is one you’re comfortable handling.
Get your Ragdoll cat used to having his paws handled while still a kitten. A good time to clips claws is when your cat is relaxed after a nap. Often, it’s easier to have two sets of hands available during nail clipping; one pair to hold and calm your cat, the other to trim. Trimming nails single handedly works well with trusting cats that have confident owners. Remember to cut only the clear translucent tip of the nail and to stay away from the pink part. If you cut in the pink part of the nail the cat will bleed and an infection can occur.
This site is perfect tells me everything about my Rag Doll kitty his name is Benji and he is gorgeus he is white with a black mask and he loves getting baths and getting held he loves children and he cannot stop cleaning himself.
Luv Chloe
Hello - I am looking for a cat that sheds little and is not high on the list around children with asthma and allergies - I will not get a hairless cat. I was wondering if the Ragdoll is good for people with allergies and asthma.
I have just gotten my ragdoll cat & she is shedding excessively right now, so if you are looking for one that doesn’t shed….you definately don’t want to consider a ragdool!
Thank you - its funny because most websites say they shed very little and grooming is only about once a week! this is good to know!
Yep, I was fooled into believing that also, so imagine my surprise the first time I saw clumps of hair all over everything in the house. I read something last night that said they shed their winter coat in the spring, so I’m hoping this thing will improve in a few weeks. If not, I’m gonna have to have her clipped.
Thank you so much for you input - it has helped us immensely in our decisions regarding a pet!
My ragdoll cat is shedding quite a bit right now. Its May so im sure hes getting rid of his winter coat but its still unexpected and annoying. Hopefully it will get better. But even with the shedding, hes a wonderful cat and I love him! I would definately suggest a ragdoll.
My ragdoll continued to shed excessively, so I took her to the vet & they clipped her hair really short. I can still see some shedding, but it’s not nearly as aggrivating as the long hair was, getting all over everything. My cat is precious, & I wouldn’t take anything for her. She’s so lovable, and she, too, cleans herself all the time. Must be a a “ragdoll” thing. Also, it seems that most ragdolls have blue eyes, by my cat’s eyes are yellow. How bout everyone else’s?
My first ragdoll was a stray and the one I have now was not really brushed often by the previous owner. I have found that once I got the matts out and got on a regular grooming schedule, the shedding was not bad. I use a zoom groom brush twice a week, that gets all the loose hair and helps prevent matts and keeps the coat nice and they love the massage they get from the zoom groom brush. I realize that is not the typical grooming technique recommended, but both my ragdolls were seniors when I got them and had never really been groomed, so instead of fighting with them to use a comb, I did this and found it very effective and the cats loved getting groomed!
I inheretited a real sweet ragdoll from my girlfriends grandmother… she is matted and has… had fleas… we hope, she had a flea bath tonight….she definatly resisited the bath, I have the scratches to prove it……. what my concerns are is her being wet, I dont want her to get a cold, what is the best way to get her dry????
hi, my cat is a pure breed ragdoll. His name is Tailor. He has white fur with spots of a tan/peachish color. He has bright blue eyes. My brother does have allergies and asthma. But when we first went to see the cat at the previous owners house he did not have ANY reactions. So we went along with getting the cat and its been 2 months or so since we got the cat and my brother has had zero reactions. I noticed that Tailor cleans himself a lot. Tailor also when he feels attached to you he will let you know by attacking you ( in a playful way) hopes that helps!
I always read that Ragdoll’s shed rarely and their fur doesn’t mat much, but I have a pure bred Seal Mitted Ragdoll and he’s gorgeous but he sheds like crazy and he has the longest fur! He is the furriest animal I have ever seen in my life! Haha but he is adorable. The fur on his stomach is kinky and curly and it mats all the time. I have to try to brush his stomach and under his arms every day or he gets huge clumps of mats. So I’d say that info is pretty false.
I do have a question though, my Ragdoll is very floppy and sweet when he wants to be, and inherited typical Ragdoll traits such as playing fetch, running to the door when we come home, flopping anywhere and everywhere, laying on his back all the time etc, but….as much as I love him, he has quite the attitude for what I believed a Ragdoll would be. He doesn’t like to be held, he never lays on my lap and he bites sometimes. Does anyone else have this problem? Help!
Oh yes! They say that ragdolls are docile but my cat, Tailor doesn’t like to be held and he bites and scratches a lot. I consider it to be out of love. See, Tailor has an attitude, but usually he wins his way by his cuteness. My cat also sheds a lot, but I think its because of the weather. He loves to go outside but i wouldn’t suggest letting them out, 1. They go straight for the dirt and roll on their backs, 2. They tend to run away if you try to take them in.:) So let me know if that helps, ragdoll79!
You ragdoll sounds a lot like mine. My ragdoll does not like to be held AT ALL! And she WILL bite when you play with her! She also sheds like crazy!! But on the bright side…she is beautiful and very lovable. She loves being around us, just does not want to be picked up. She is always looking out the door as soon as we pull up at home. She, too loves to lay on her back with her hind legs all sprawled out and her front paws all curled up over her chest…(SO CUTE)!! I have never had a problem with her fur matting. It is always soft & perfect & she washes it all the time.
Haha sometimes its hard for me to get mad at my ragdoll because he is sooo cute!
Hi, I am a new owner of a Ragdoll cat and i find that he sneezes alot… Should that be something to worry about. Also he doesnt like his paws handled. I got my cat just recently and he is 3 years old. He was rescued in the first place, and i was wondering how to get him used to everything that i do to groom him. Thank you for your time. Looking forward to some information about my cat from you.
Sincerely,
Bridget Cardinal
I have a four year old ragdoll..His name is Bailey…He is timid,shy and only loves me…I also bought a tabby cat Andy two years ago..He loves Bailey..Andy loves everyone…Anyway Bailey hates to be held also…He loves tummy rubs..Sleep on his back all the time..I took him for the first time to be groomed at a grooming salon..(What a terrible mistake)..Less then a week later I notice a diamenter of appx; 5 inches on his neck all matted and hard and bleeding..I took him back to the groomers..They shaved it and it was unreal..I ended up taking him to my vet and Bailey had to take antibiotics for a week..A thick scab formed..Finally I was able to cut most of it off when it got lose…His neck the vet said is going to take months to fill back in with scarring…The vet said that the groomer must have not got all the soap out..What a costly mistake but more so I feel so sorry for Bailey..A hard lesson learned..I love my cats both of them and I never have regreted getting a ragdoll…They are beautiful but are not as friendly as we are lead to believe…