Many pet owners wonder how long their animals will live. The answer depends on a number of factors: genetics, your cat’s medical history, quality of veterinary care, environment, diet, and their activity level. There have been a number of veterinary advances over the past years that are allowing pets to live longer. A cat that is well cared for and kept inside on a good diet can live a healthy life of at least fifteen years.
Many cats live as long as twenty years and some live as long as thirty years. Genetics play a large role in how long your Ragdoll cat will live. Ragdolls are hearty breed and do not suffer from genetic defects. Some cat breeds that are selectively bred are more prone to illness and live shorter lives as a result.
Keeping your Ragdoll indoors at all times lowers the risk for disease and accidental death. Outdoor cats are at risk for accidental death from traffic, poisoning, or attack by another animal. Outdoor cats are also at risk from parasites and other diseases. Neutering or spaying your Ragdoll is one thing you can do that will improve your cat’s lifespan by reducing the risks for certain types of cancer.
Diet is another factor that affects your cat’s longevity. If overfed, your cat will be at risk for diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, liver disease, and any number of related illnesses. An overweight cat will not live as long as the same cat at a healthy body weight. If you are concerned about your cat’s weight consult your veterinarian about a feeding regiment tailored to maintain a healthy body weight.
The best thing you can do for your Ragdoll cat is to visit your veterinarian on a regular basis for all of the regularly scheduled checkups and vaccinations. Early detection and prevention are the best way to avoid medical conditions that could reduce your Ragdoll’s lifespan.
Related Articles Other People Have Read:
- Keep Your Ragdoll Cat Indoors
- Is Your Ragdoll Cat Pudgy?
- Seven Steps to a Healthy Ragdoll Cat
- Is Your Ragdoll Safe from Heartworm?
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I think the best thing I did for my cats’ health was switch them to a raw-fed diet. It’s just about the only thing we found other than heavy-duty medications (that have their own problems) to deal with one cat’s asthma and the other’s digestive issues.
My ragdoll is 12 1/2 years old. For the last 9 months he has been leaving stool samples and bloody droppings all around the house. He has dropped from 15 1/2 lbs. to 8 lbs. All vet tests have come back normal ( urine, stool, blood, thyroid, etc.) He has been on Prednisone for a month now and there has been no improvement. He was given that in case he had irritable bowel syndrome. It seems if he had some cancer the blood test would show up an increase in white blood cell counts or something. Any ideas? Thank you.
You would think the blood tests would show something but you never know. That is so sad. I hope you find something to help him.
my ragdoll is 21 he has been pretty skinny like 5 pounds for the last 2 years normally weighing 15-20 but the vet says hes healthy and to let him die naturally . He still jumps on the kitchen counters and bak on the wood floor i dont know how he does it cause he is super old!!
I hope Lynne’s ragdoll (same name as me) fares better than mine. He is only 9 1/2 and also dropped weight. Lots of diarrhea. The vet thought it might be IBD but after a week on meds and two sets of xrays, he felt Claude needed emergency surgery. He had a large tumor in his colon. We’re waiting for the biopsy results, but they told me to be prepared for the worst.
My ragdoll named Monty, only just turned 11 years old and passed away this morning. He had tried to jump up onto a worktop yesterday and fell. He was coughing up blood, and struggling to move. Think he’d had a stroke. I am very upset and when I read someone had a ragdoll aged 21 I wondered why mine had passed away so soon..
My husband and I just purchased our first Ragdoll one week ago. He is a Seal Lynx Mitted and we took him today for his 2nd shot. He is 10 weeks old and weighs 3.13 lbs. and the vet wanted to give him additional shots that the breeder said not to or the 3 year genetic guarantee would not be honored. It is the FIP shot and I am unsure which advice I should follow. We do not have other cats and he will never be allowed to go outside so it it necessary to give him this shot? We do have two Yorkie/Maltese but only one goes outside to potty twice daily.
Anyone that give me any advice?
Thank You,
DJ
I had a ragdoll cat that’s possibly a mix breed that we believe lived for 23 years and died on december 11, 2008. No one believes me that she lived that old. My dad thinks it’s because he fed her a senior cat diet which had low ash content
To DJ Wilson: FIP stands for feline infectionous peritonitis. The vaccine is only needed if your cat will be outdoors. FeLV and FIV are 2 other vaccines they may suggest but again, these are only required if your cat will be outdoors. , FIV, FeLV, FIP are contracted via other cats with the illness.
My ragdoll,Dash, is about 4 years old and has been very healthy until recently. He used to be 7lbs about 3 years ago and then ate a ribbon which required surgery –thank god he was big; it helped him survive. Recently he has been losing wait but eats more wet food (twice a day, along with dry food). we just took him to the vet last night to emergency room becuase he wasn’t eating and was crying. They say he has an inlarged heart and liver; heart causing the liver problem. they also are testing his pancrease. they have ruled out diabetes and other ailments. He goes for an echo cardio gram next week. Can’t believe he is such a happy young cat and might have a heart problem. Is this the breed?
I’ve read that Ragdolls can develop cardiomyopathy, it can be very serious if not treated. Find a GOOD vet, I don’t know what area you are in, but also try to find a good holistic vet to use in conjunction with the regular vet. A risk with cardiomyopathy is blood clots. These can kill the cat. Go online to get some of the tell-tale signs of a blood clot.
If it’s been a while that he isn’t eating, he may have fatty liver syndrome, the best way to correct that is to get the cat to eat, sometimes that may require a feeding tube.
Ask your vet lots of questions and go on line to do your own research, this can only help your cat, vets unfortunately, do not know everything.
Good luck. I’m sorry your little critter is having problems.
Hello,
I just wanted to tell you about my cat, Piper, P-Kitty, if you knew him. He was a blue seal that we found scared in a bush. We took him in, in hopes of someone claiming him… that was 4 1/2 years ago. He was a wonderful addition that helped create our family. When we would come home from long trips, he would have so much to tell us, he would meow for hours. That’s when we got him Penny, his sister. They were only able to love each other for a short while. We found P-Kitty peacefully past this morning on our patio, unexpectedly since we were playing late last night. He was a fabulous cat! Very quite, frisky, fun-loving and about 23 lbs! He will be missed. I just wanted to share my story, thank you.
My two sweet Ragdolls, littermates, were with me for ten years when both developed cancer at the same time! Their illnesses were completely different from each other. Savannah was very ill, weak, constipated, anorexic – he was given a feeding tube with four times daily feedings to keep him alive – he was given chemo and radiation treatments nothing worked. He passed four months after being diagnosed with lymphoma. My darling Cheyenne is diagnosed with carcinoma, his belly is severely bloated but otherwise he’s fine, eating, drinking, playing, etc. We tried chemo on Cheyenne but it hasn’t helped his swollen belly. We’ve had the fluids removed three times so far, but it seems to come back faster each time. The vet oncologist says he will live only a matter of months at best and there’s nothing that can be done.