Do Ragdoll Cats Shed?
Yes, but less than the coat suggests. A Ragdoll has very little undercoat, and undercoat is what makes a cat shed. Budget a brush twice a week, a fortnight of daily brushing in spring, and one steel comb.
Here is the whole routine, and the three places every Ragdoll mats.
What the coat is
A long, silky guard coat over a sparse, soft undercoat. Persians and Maine Coons have dense undercoats that come out in handfuls and felt into mats. A Ragdoll's coat is closer to human hair and separates with the fingers rather than clumping. It is also slow to arrive: a fluffy baby coat that drops at four months, a scruffy adolescent coat for a year, and the full adult coat with the ruff and the trousers at two to three. The rest of the cat takes just as long.
When they shed
A little all year, more in spring and autumn as the coat changes, and, in an Sedona house with heating and cooling, less seasonally than an outdoor cat. The spring drop is the one to plan for. Two weeks of daily brushing in September and the rest of the year is easy.
Where they mat
Behind the ears, where the fur is fine and the cat cannot groom. Under the front legs, where the arm rubs. The trousers, the long fur on the back of the hind legs, where litter and moisture collect. Check those three places twice a week with your fingers. A mat you can feel as a pea combs out in seconds. A mat you find as a walnut has to be cut.
The tools
A steel comb with wide and narrow teeth does most of the work and reaches the skin. A small slicker brush for the trousers. Round-tipped scissors for the rare mat that will not comb. Nothing else. The deshedding rakes sold for double-coated dogs pull out too much of a Ragdoll's guard coat.
The part that catches people out
Starting late. A Ragdoll brushed for one minute a day from the day it arrives, whether it needs it or not, will lie on its back for the comb at two years old. A Ragdoll that first meets a comb at two years old will not, and the mats win. Comb in the direction the hair lies, lift the fur to reach the skin, and stop before the cat has had enough.
Bathing and clipping
Almost never, and no. A Ragdoll's coat resists dirt and a healthy cat keeps itself clean; bathe if it has got into something, with a cat shampoo, warm water and a long towel-dry. Clipping is not a fix for shedding. The coat insulates against heat as well as cold, and a clipped Ragdoll burns in the sun in January and shivers in July.
Shedding and allergies
Less hair means less allergen carried around the house, which is why some people with mild allergies do well with the breed. It does not make a Ragdoll hypoallergenic, because nothing is.
How we handle it
Every kitten here is combed from three weeks old, so the comb is furniture by the time it leaves. The comb goes home in the pack with the kitten, and the routine is written in the guide. the kittens available now have already started.
Keep reading
How Long Do Ragdoll Cats Live?
Twelve to seventeen years, some reach twenty. Most of the difference is decided by the owner, not the breed.
Are Ragdoll Cats Hypoallergenic?
No. Nothing is. But plenty of people with a mild allergy live happily with one, and there is a way to find out before you buy.
How Big Do Ragdoll Cats Get?
Males thirteen to twenty pounds, females four to six, and it takes three to four years. A weight table by age from our own cats.