Ragdoll cats are fluffy, though they are not considered to be long-haired cats. They’re more of a medium to long-haired breed. However, any official Ragdoll website terms them medium-haired cats. Despite that, they are very fluffy animals, with soft fur and a coat that’s luxurious enough to place them highly in cat shows.
If your Ragdoll isn’t as fluffy as you expected it to be, there may be a few reasons behind it that you are unaware of. However, the most common reason behind it is the simple fact that Ragdoll cats mature very slowly, many reaching maturity at the age of 5.
But it doesn’t just have to do with “maturity” as it does with age. A mature Ragdoll isn’t going to be as fluffy as a Ragdoll that’s just entering its senior years. Also, there are things that you can do to improve their fluffiness, such as grooming and diet.
Ragdolls Get Fluffier with Age
One thing is for sure unless your Ragdoll is an anomaly, you’re going to have to wait for some time before that mane flourishes. If you’re wondering why your neighbor’s Ragdoll is so much fluffier than yours, compare their ages.
If the neighbor has a 7-year-old Ragdoll and yours is 2, you’ll have your answer. It may take some patience on your part, as five years is a pretty long wait for your Ragdoll to mature. Fortunately, not all of them take a full five years, and some may reach that pinnacle at four or even as early as three.
Of course, there are other things that can slow down your Ragdoll’s fur growth, such as diet and the summer months. You’ll probably notice that your Ragdoll is much more fluffy in the winter, which makes sense as they put on more fur to combat the cold season.
Improper Diet
Improper diet can have a lot to do with not only the growth of your Ragdoll’s fur but how much of it they actually keep. Although shedding is one thing, big clumps of fur falling out means that you need to reassess what you’re feeding your Ragdoll. If you notice clumps of hair falling out, there are a few things you need to do.
- Get your Ragdoll to a vet to assess its needs
- Introduce Omega-3 in your Ragdoll’s diet
- Come up with a routine grooming regimen
- Get it checked for parasites or worms
- Fleas can wreak havoc as well
- Hyperthyroidism
Some of the items on the above list will be caught by your veterinarian, especially if you allow them to do a full work-up, which will include blood samples, stool samples, and a urinalysis.
Hyperthyroidism is not common, but it’s not exactly rare either, especially in purebred animals, such as a Ragdoll. Hyperthyroidism radically increases your Ragdoll’s metabolism, which will disrupt all sorts of things, such as hair growth.
Introducing Omega-3 vitamins will also improve your Ragdoll’s coat. It actually works to improve your Ragdoll’s skin which, of course, is where the hair follicles are. Since fur is also skin, it positively affects hair growth from the very inception of each follicle.
You should also institute a routine grooming regimen. Not only will it improve your Ragdoll’s fur by removing the mats and tangles that inhibit its recognizable fluffiness, but your Ragdoll will absolutely love it, as it will be five minutes of blissful exposure to you and a brush.
Parasites and worms will get caught up at the vet exam, and you will likely have to give your Ragdoll some medicine every day over a period of time to help her rid herself of the parasites.
Fleas are also a terrible counterpoint to a healthy and vivacious coat. They bite down on the exposed flesh at the base of the hair follicles and feed on the blood that results from it. This will cause your Ragdoll to scratch incessantly, which will, of course, tear out hairs.
Ragdoll Fur Appearance
Once a Ragdoll reaches maturity, assuming that it is healthy and in excellent shape, you will notice that it has gotten much fluffier and will continue to do so the older it gets. Also, depending on the breeding line of the Ragdoll you chose, it can have a variety of different markings that set it apart.
Most people who have never owned a Ragdoll and are considering getting one don’t realize that Ragdolls are far more varied than the siamese cat colorations that most are familiar with.
The only difference is Ragdoll colorations are usually washed out, trending towards white and away from deeper, more vibrant colorations. The fluffier they get, the more the colors stand out. The following are some Ragdoll colors you can expect in a coat:
- Lilac
- Red
- Blue
- Chocolate
- Dark Brown
Of course, you want your Ragdoll to be fluffier, as it really brings these colors out and displays them in a neat sort of way, like a waterfall effect if the water were made of downy feathers.
Bathing and Grooming
Ragdolls are very good at grooming and cleaning themselves; however, that doesn’t mean they could or should do it all by themselves. You should definitely brush your Ragdoll once per day, for at least 2 minutes and for as much as 5 minutes.
Be careful not to overdo it, and be sure to stop after about five minutes, giving it a break until the next day. As far as baths are concerned, you should give your Ragdoll a thorough bath once per month and twice per month during the summer months.
Routine bathing is good for both their coats and underlying skin, but overdoing it threatens to dry out their skin, which is certainly not good for their coat. You also want to make sure that you bathe your Ragdoll with the right type of soap.
Stick with environmentally friendly soaps that lack harsh chemicals. Oatmeal and other pro-skin ingredients are essential, especially if it has omega-3s in them. You should only o with flea shampoo if your Ragdoll actually has fleas.
Don’t use it as a frequent flea preventative as it is too harsh on their skin for long-term exposure. However, if your Ragdoll has reached full maturity and there’s no sign of the extraordinary fluffiness that you were expecting, combine all of the above recommendations together.
- Go with a premium, high-protein diet
- Introduce Omega-3s into your Ragdoll’s diet
- Take it to the vet if you suspect something is wrong
- Routinely groom your Ragdoll with a daily, 2-5 minute brush
- Bathe your Ragdoll once a month throughout the year and twice a month in the summer
- Inspect it for fleas and parasites during every brush
So long as your Ragdoll’s health is not in question, it is at least four years of age—if not 5—and you follow the above routine, you should expect to see much fluffier results in very little time.
Final Thoughts
The most important thing to understand is that the fluffiest of fluffy Ragdolls are generally well past the age when they are considered mature. As your’s gets older, it will get fluffier.
It’s a game of patience, and if you have plenty of it, you will eventually be rewarded with a fluffy, luxuriant, and happy Ragdoll.
Related Articles
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- Why Is My Ragdoll Cat So Small?
- Can Ragdolls See In The Dark?
- Do Ragdolls Need Baths?
- Do Ragdolls Get Fluffier With Age?
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