Grooming a cat regularly will ensure your pet’s coat remains healthy and lustrous. Learn about Ragdoll cat grooming requirements from the following article.
Easygoing and mellow; that’s a Ragdoll cat for you. These cats are one of the easiest to keep as pets, especially for families with children. These cats have a very placid temperament and prove to be very affectionate in nature. The cat’s size makes it one of the largest domesticated cat breeds. They are long-haired cats and therefore, require regular grooming. Grooming will ensure their fur remains free from mats and hairball considerably reduced.
How to Groom a Ragdoll Cat
Ragdoll cats have moderately long guard hair. Their fur is short on the front legs and tend to be longer on the hind legs. These cats come in a variety of colors like van, matted, shaded, bi-color as well as smoke patterns. As you can see, one needs to take care of the thick fur by grooming it regularly. Ragdoll shedding and hairball occurrences will be greatly reduced if you groom your cat regularly. You will notice that their winter coats are shed in spring and thus, there will be more hair covering your furniture, clothes and upholstery. Also, if you avoid grooming, you will find your pet’s fur matted and dirty. However, you do not have to worry a lot about the grooming ritual. It is simple and very easy to carry out. Let’s go into the details of grooming care you need to follow for your Ragdoll.
Brush My Hair
In order to prevent excessive shedding, matting and hairball, you need to brush your kitty’s fur. Use a wide-toothed steel comb to brush her hair. You should begin with the grooming rituals early with kittens. This will get them accustomed to the rituals and they won’t put up much of a resistance. If the fur is matted, be gentle when brushing. You can clear the mats little by little every day. Soon, your cat will sport long, shiny and soft hair. And an important tip: Never ever place a matted cat into water for bathing. This will make things worse and you will have no choice but to shave off your cat’s fur to get rid of them. Thus, just use a steel, wide-toothed comb and separate the hair little by little.
Give Me a Bath
Before putting your Ragdoll cat or any other cat in for a bath, you need to make sure you have all your tools in order. And by tools I mean shampoo, hair detangler, brushes, ear cleaner, a human toothbrush as well as a few cotton balls. You need to plan beforehand or be ready to be torn by cat scratches. Now, decide whether you are bathing the cat in a sink or the bathroom. It will be a good idea if you can rope in some assistance from a friend or family member. This will help in holding the cat, while one is washing the cat. After you have dematted the cat, it is time to wet the cat with lukewarm water. You can then apply a suitable cat shampoo and work on it to create enough lather. Once you work throughout the cat coat, you can rinse off the shampoo totally. Brush your cat’s fur with the help of the toothbrush and clean the ears with the help of the ear cleaner and cotton balls. After you have finished bathing the cat, you need to squeeze the excessive water in a towel. Try to pat her dry as much as possible.
Hairball Giving Me Trouble
Cats tend to groom themselves clean. This continuous self-licking causes hair to accumulate in their stomach. Many times, this causes the cat to cough up a hairball. Once in a while coughing up hairball is not considered a problem. However, if this happens regularly, you can take some measures to avoid this problem. You can give a teaspoon of Laxatone or Petromalt to an adult cat. However, speak to a veterinarian before giving your cat any kind of laxative.
Time for My Manicure and Pedicure
Nail trimming is a good idea if you want to avoid those occasional scratches. Trimming nails also helps reduce tearing, splitting and infections in overgrown claws. You can use human clippers to clip the nails. But do not try so until and unless you are sure of what you are doing. You need to observe the nails carefully. You will find a pink patch running through the nail. This patch indicates the nerve endings of the cat. You need to avoid these pink patches and cut the nail slightly above it. If you cut off the nerve endings you will hurt your cat leading to bleeding, pain and possible infection. If you are not comfortable, take your cat to a professional groomer for trimming nails.
Fleas and Ticks Giving Me Sleepless Nights
One problem that you may face is a tick or flea infestation in your cat. In order to minimize this parasitic infection, you need to keep your cat clean. Give her regular baths and take her to a veterinarian for flea and tick treatment. This will ensure your cat does not scratch all the time and minimizes the chances of developing a tapeworm infection.
Brushing your Ragdoll coat twice a week ensures the natural oils in the cat’s skin spreads all over the coat. This will keep the coat healthy and shiny. Speak to the veterinarian in case you have any queries. Ragdolls are beautiful cats who are extremely docile and affectionate. Once you begin with the grooming ritual, not only your cat, but you too will enjoy the process. It is a great way to build a bond of trust and friendship with your cat.
