Ragdoll

Behaviour and personality

Ragdolls are an incredible affectionate and calm breed who are gentle and absolutely love attention.

They are affectionate but not necessarily demanding and they'll often follow you around the house just to be near you, but will also be more than happy to find a comfy place to snuggle down and snooze.

Generally, they are very happy to be held and will usually go completely limp and enjoy the attention, however there are always individuals who aren’t too keen for one reason or another and you must learn and respect their boundaries.

They’re not the most intelligent breed, but they’re not unintelligent, so, by using positive reinforcement techniques, they’re usually easy to train to use a litter tray and they can even play fetch.

They thrive on a routine and do not like change, so try to avoid changing their feeding times, or even making small changes to the house like rearranging the furniture, too often.

They’re exceptionally tolerant around children and will put up with quite a lot of petting and even being dressed, but you must make sure your children don't take advantage of this and treat your Ragdoll with respect and do not risk hurting them.

Unlike many breeds, a Ragdoll would prefer to move out of the way before scratching or biting someone, which is an obvious plus for most people. That said, them moving away generally means they’ve had enough, so let them do their thing instead of following or smothering them and make sure your children know that them moving away means play time is over.

They’re not a high energy cat and will not be looking to play constantly, but when the mood takes them, they will participate although they are mostly content with just chilling with their humans. So, if one of your biggest wishes from your cat is to play regularly with them, a Ragdoll may not be for you.

Grooming

The Ragdoll’s coat is simply gorgeous and consists of one medium length coat with no undercoat, which means they shed less than some other breeds.

This reduced level of shedding doesn’t impact their need for grooming which is relatively high compared to other breeds as their lush coat requires regular grooming at least twice a week to avoid mats and tangles. If you don’t commit to this brushing, their coat can get extremely matted, which in serious cases may mean your cat needs to be shaved.

Like most cats, they shed more in Spring and Autumn, so you will find you need to brush more regularly in these seasons.

Luckily, they adore the attention they get when they’re being groomed, so they’re generally very happy to stay still and often even look forward to it. Their enjoyment of grooming makes the regular routine an easy experience for both cat and owner and is a generally a good bonding experience.

Trim the nails as needed, which is usually weekly to prevent them painfully breaking if/when they get caught in carpet or furniture. Make this job easier for both you and your cat by getting them used to having their nails clipped when they're a kitten.

Check their ears weekly for infection which will show itself as unusual redness, bad odour and sometimes discharge, among other symptoms. To avoid infection, clean them with a cotton ball dampened with a gentle cleanser recommended by your vet.

Finally, to reduce the risk of trips to the veterinary clinic for costly dental treatment, brush their teeth frequently to avoid tartar build-up and gum disease.