Title: Caring for a Ragdoll Cat Word Count: 730 Summary: The ragdoll cat is a large breed of cat, best known for its easygoing and mellow nature. They have long, thick fur coats and markings that resemble a siamese. Caring for your ragdoll cat should involve a regular feeding and grooming schedule, along with regular visits to the veterinarian for checkups and vaccinations. If you take good care of your ragdoll cat, they will be healthy, happy, and a better active pet for you to enjoy. Keywords: ragdoll, ragdoll cat, ragdoll cat care, cat care, cat, cat grooming, pet, grooming, claws, litterbox Article Body: The ragdoll cat is a large breed of cat, best known for its easygoing and mellow nature. They have long, thick fur coats and markings that resemble a siamese. Caring for your ragdoll cat should involve a regular feeding and grooming schedule, along with regular visits to the veterinarian for checkups and vaccinations. If you take good care of your ragdoll cat, they will be healthy, happy, and a better active pet for you to enjoy. Feeding Fresh food and water is an absolute necessity for your ragdoll. It is recommended that you always have a bowl full of dry food available for your cat, as well as a bowl of clean water. Wet food is probably not necessary on a daily basis, but it is really up to you, and what your ragdoll prefers. You may need to experiment with different brands and flavors of wet food. It can provide extra nutrients and add variety to your ragdoll's diet. We recommend feeding your ragdoll one of the premium brands of food, as the quality is usually better. Usually kittens should have a special formula of food, so check with your veterinarian or local pet store if your not sure. You should try to clean the water bowl daily, and the food bowl as much as possible to prevent germs and bacteria from building up. Grooming Ragdoll coats can vary in thickness and hair type. The average ragdoll hair is fairly thick, and very soft to the touch. The length of the fur can be medium to long. They usually do a good job of grooming themselves, and don't require excessive brushing. It is a good idea to brush them strenuously a couple of times a week to prevent matting of the fur. The other reason for brushing on a regular schedule, is if you happen to find a knot forming, you can easily brush it out before it gets out of control. Ragdolls tend to enjoy grooming and make it easy for you to brush away! Bathing Bathing is not really necessary if regular grooming is done. It may be beneficial to give your ragdoll a bath a couple of times a year, to clean the coat if really dirty or if they have gotten into something that can not be brushed out. Make sure that you use a shampoo and conditioner that is formulated especially for cats, as regular human products may be harmful to your ragdoll. Claws Declawing a cat is a controversial subject, and one that brings many different opinions. We generally don't recommend declawing a ragdoll unless it will help with the safety within a household, specifically with children. Clipping the claws can be done on a regular basis to avoid damage to your furniture or other items in the house, so if that is your only reason for declawing the cat, your decision should be weighed carefully because it is not reversible. Keep in mind that if a ragdoll cat is declawed, it should be limited in it's exposure to the outside world. Without front claws, a ragdoll doesn't have much of a defense against other animals or threats that it might encounter. Litterbox The litterbox should be kept in a fairly secluded area to allow for privacy, but not so out of the way that it is difficult to access for cleaning. Usually a laundry room or other spare room serves as a good location. We recommend scooping out the inside of the box at least once a day, and actually replacing the litter weekly. If you have more than one cat, then it may be necessary to clean the box twice daily, morning and night for example. There are many different brands and types of litter out there, it is just a matter of preference. The main thing is to find something that your cat will use, is easy to keep clean and affordable for your budget. Veterinarian You should take your ragdoll to a veterinarian on a regular basis according to what they recommend. You will want to get vaccination shots and any other treatments that will keep your cat healthy and safe. There may be special considerations if your ragdoll spends more time outside, such as pest control and a higher susceptibility to disease. Make sure you discuss this with your vet and work out a plan that makes sense.