Ragdolls!

Helloooo---

Ok so I am thinking I have a partial ragdoll (is there such a thing) or a full - I asked my vet and they raised her and originally thought the litter was siamese but now they don't know. (???) Anyways Dite has pretty long hair. It's funny because her hair is kind of jacked up, meaning it has been shaved a couple of time in random spots because of her injuries. Side note, in those shaved areas her hair actually grew back dark when it had previously been almost white. Kind of like a scar if you want to put it that way. Because of the splint she had to wear for 6 weeks and the soft bandage she is in now she is unable to really clean herself. I found her with poopy on her BACK the other day (do YOUR cats sleep in their litter box?? jk) and I guess the whole point of this post and the actual question I want to ask is.... how often do you shampoo your ragdolls or long hairs and is that going to be too traumatizing for her and do you like dry shampoo or baby wipes or any or none and ???? I want her to feel like a lady but I am not quite as educated on this matter. Cats are queens and like to be clean and I am trying to make her as comfortable as possible. Thoughts???

Nova has sort of long fur around the bottom, and it often gets poopy. We bought some kitty wipes at the local pet store. We also used these with our ferals when they were confined to a kennel and did sleep on their litter

Hope this helps.

ETA: Your kitty does look like a ragdoll to me.

If she truly is a ragdoll or ragdoll mix her coat should be fine with only regular grooming - and that can be less than what flufflier medium and long hairs usually need, if what I read is correct. Once she's regularly eating a good quality food and if she's always indoor only, she shouldn't even get mats.

She shouldn't need bathing very often unless there's another reason for this, ie someone in the home with allergies.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

If she truly is a ragdoll or ragdoll mix her coat should be fine with only regular grooming - and that can be less than what flufflier medium and long hairs usually need, if what I read is correct. Once she's regularly eating a good quality food and if she's always indoor only, she shouldn't even get mats.

She shouldn't need bathing very often unless there's another reason for this, ie someone in the home with allergies.

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strange_wings, I believe this kitty has gotten a little bit poopy, as she was confined to a small space for medical reasons. ETA: she may also have a difficult time cleaning herself because of the medical issue.

she does look like a ragdoll to me... Does she have a very sweet and laid back personality?

I was referring to coat care for the rest of the cat's life. But yes, if she's icky now a bath wouldn't be too bad of an idea. Just make sure you have a good cat shampoo that won't dry out her coat and that she stays warm after.

Personally, I've never liked bathing cats in the winter - though that was when other people kept the thermostat turned down so it was more chilly in the house.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I was referring to coat care for the rest of the cat's life.

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Oh! Sorry!

She looks like a Ragdoll to me! Looks like my little Logan that I had to have put down at 7 months old You can look at pictures here: http://community.webshots.com/user/diffuse01, in the 'Missed Pets' album. My other two boys have albums as well, Brody & Ozzy. You can look at comparison pictures if you want.

How old is she? They don't tend to get their 'fluff' til 6 months old. Before that, their coat isn't as thick (at least mine weren't). I have two purebred Ragdolls that are 1 1/2yrs. old and they have super thick, plush coats. They are a slow maturing breed, and grow til they're 3-4 sometimes, so if she's a Ragdoll, you'll get to watch her 'evolve' over time. My guys came to me almost white, except their faces. They now both have gorgeous coloring, which you can see if you look at their pictures.

As far as bathing, IF that is something that you want to do during her lifetime (even if it's twice a year), you should get her used to it NOW while she's young. All 4 of my cats are bathed probably every 3 months or so. The 2 Ragdolls usually get baths more often, but it depends. It's been this way since they all were kittens (my oldest is 5), so getting a bath doesn't terrify them.

Grooming wise, the Ragdolls do need brushed weekly, if not twice a week. They do mat occasionally. Mine are on high quality food, and do not go outdoors, so not sure why the comment was made saying if those two things were done, they wouldn't mat?
If mine do mat, for whatever reason (usually when I slack off on brushing, but sometimes I miss a spot; like I said, they have really thick coats now so it's easy to do), I just shave it off with clippers, or use scissors to cut the mat out. Clippers are another thing I've gotten these guys used to. I clip them every 6wks. or so, just around their rear end for sanitary reasons. I also clip in between their front legs, because that's where the mats tend to be. I keep that area short, and you can't tell unless they're laying upside down.

So that's what I do! I use Earthbath shampoo, and LOVE it. It smells so good, and keeps their coats soft for awhile after I give them a bath.

Hi there, welcome to TCS! I live in Golden and have a Ragdoll too! I'm so sorry your baby has a broken neck, how horrible!

Hello.........I am owned by 5 Ragdolls The fact is......there is no real way of knowing if your cat is indeed a purebred Ragdoll without papers. Ragdoll breeders make you spay or neuter the cats within 6 months around here in Michigan. If you do not do so......you get no papers to prove the cat to be a Ragdoll and it is worth nothing if you were gonna try to sell the cat. This is intended to keep the Ragdoll breed "pure". If you do not get the papers to prove that your cat is a purebred.......it is a "pet only" quality and cannot be shown in a TICA cat show. If he or she is beautiful and has rabbit like fur......the cat maybe. A purebred Ragdoll around Michigan is around $600 bucks with papers. This price is really chump change once you have the cat and fall in love with it I would not put any price on my beautiful Ragdolls ever. Good luck.......I hope that I helped you

Originally Posted by kady05

Grooming wise, the Ragdolls do need brushed weekly, if not twice a week. They do mat occasionally. Mine are on high quality food, and do not go outdoors, so not sure why the comment was made saying if those two things were done, they wouldn't mat?

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I recently took in a stray that appears (and behaves) to be a ragdoll or at least a ragdoll mix. His former owner abandoned him outside. Inside with regular coat care is a lot different than a long haired cat running around outside and rolling in stickers, sand burrs, and dirt. Those mat up fur in no time. Despite asking the vet to remove the few mats that were on him when I hauled him off to the vet, I ended up having to do it. In the center of each mat was a sand burr (I hate those things!).

I comb and brush all my cats more than twice a week due to having a DSH with a lot of undercoat. So I'm not sure what once a week alone combing would do to a ragdoll - and I don't really intend to change my grooming schedule to find out.
Breed specifics do say that the breed does have a lower maintenance coat than a breed like a persian would have.

Until recently, Smudge was really easy to take care of. For some reason his coat is matting a lot more recently, and I'm not sure of the difference. He does have much longer fur now that he's about 2 1/2. Plus, his big adventure of the day usually turns out to be escaping to the garage where he rolls in the dirt. That's probably where the mats are coming from.