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Ragdoll Cat Cost: What to Expect When you Own a Ragdoll Cat

Ragdoll Cat Cost: What to Expect When you Own a Ragdoll Cat
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.

Ragdoll Cats are close to our hearts in this household since we unknowingly adopted one from a shelter. But I am so glad we did stumble upon adding this Ragdoll to our household. (She is lovely featured in all the pictures in this article!) If you are looking to add a Ragdoll Cat cat to your own household you may be wondering what to expect and what the Ragdoll Cat cost is. We are here to help you break down all the things you should know before you get a Ragdoll cat of your own.

This new breed was developed by breeder Ann Baker in the 1960s. Ragdoll cats are best known for their docile and placid temperament and affectionate nature. 

They got their Ragdoll name from their habit of going floppy when picked up. They are the epitome of the chill relaxed cat, making it a great pick for a family cat.

You can point out a Ragdoll not just by their docile behavior but also their color point coat (aka they look reminiscence of a Siamese) and their beautiful blue eyes.

How Much Does a Ragdoll Cat Cost

The cost of this special breed does vary quite a bit. A Ragdoll cat from a breeder can cost anywhere from $800 to $10,000. Wait, am I just saying crazy things, nope!

I found there are a few Ragdoll breeders here in Florida, where we live. And one breeder was offering Diamond Status kittens for just shy of $10,000. They had a Crown Jewel option as well but you had to contact for pricing. This leaves me to believe you can actually spend over $10,000 for a Ragdoll cat!

Ragdoll cat cost

Rescue and Adopt a Ragdoll Cat

This is the route we went. Actually I will be honest when we adopted our raggy, Tinkerbell, we had no idea. I thought she was a Snowshoe cat like as she looked just like ours we already had.

A few months into owning Tinkerbell she suddenly went from what we thought was shorthair to long hair! Her color also came in and looks much more distinct from our Snowshoe cat. Later when we took her in for a routine vet visit this is when we got confirmation that she was a Ragdoll Cat.

So we just happened across this “Siamese” kitten at an adoption event from a local shelter at Petco. She cost me $150 since she was a special breed. However, this price covered all her kitten shots, flee medication (she was fresh off the streets and covered in fleas), as well as her spay. Which made that price a downright bargain.

How to Track Down Your New Ragdoll Cat

While some say Ragdoll Cats are a hard to find bread in my search I was able to find many options here in Florida. I am sure this will vary from state to state.

If you are looking to get a show quality cat or a breeder I opted to go with the simple google search of, “Ragdoll Cat Breeders Florida.” Now instead of Florida you would put the state or country you are from to find what options are close by to you.

It is important to do your research if you are buying from a breeder. There are a few different quality levels and you will want to be informed going into the process of picking your cat out. There are four main quality tiers: Pet, Show, Breeder, and Show/Breeder.

If you are looking to rescue your Ragdoll (which I highly recommend) the process will be similar. You can run a Google search like I did above or you can go straight to Petfinder and see which cats are available close to you. There is also a dedicated Ragdoll website that has a Ragdoll Cat rescue finder here.

During the adoption process expect to fill out a questionnaire. This is to help the rescue organization make sure that cat is going to a home that is a proper fit. You will most likely need to prove landlord approval or even if you own your own home that all household members are on board. Also expect to be asked questions about your financial situation as well as if you have enough time to dedicate to your new cat.

Cost to Expect When Owning a Ragdoll

Vet Visits

As with owning any cat you should factor in that you will need to make vet trips for routine checkups and if your cat does ever get sick you will need to take them in then as well.

Annual Checkups

An annual check up at our local vet here in Florida is about $60. Which I will say is a little high but the extra care and service we get makes it worth it to us. Other vet costs could include a microchip, a Rabies booster, fecal testing, and a FVRCP shot.

A basic blood panel is around $100 that gets sent out to IDEXX. When your cat gets older or if they develop any health issues a more comprehensive blood/urine panel will need to be done. That cost runs me $200 so quite a large jump up in cost.

I highly recommend going with a Purevac ($48) for rabies booster if you need it. You are going to spend a little more but it a vaccine made specifically for cats and due to that less bad reactions have occurred. Our cats are all indoors, we have no fireplace and I am not concerned with a bat or another critter with rabies potentially getting in the house. We also no longer live in an apartment and do not have to follow their guidelines. Given these reasons we have not given them yearly rabies boosters since they were initially given their kitten shots.

Common Health Issues for Ragdolls

As I mentioned earlier this breed is relaivtely new and hasn’t even been around for a 100 years yet. However there are still some health issues that Ragdolls tend to be prone too.

  • Eye anomaly. You may notice that a lot of Ragdoll Cats look cross eyed. Like the one of Tinkerbell on her back pictured above. She also has this interesting thing where here eyes quickly dart back and forth. This is another common Ragdoll trait it’s called, Nystagmus. Just to be sure we had her checked by her veterinarian she is fine and it doesn’t negatively affect her.
  • Gum disease. Ragdolls can be prone to gum diseases and should be examined regularly as some gum diseases can be potentially life-threatening. Their teeth should also be brushed frequently to prevent periodontitis, which can lead to kidney and heart problems.
  • Renal (kidney) disorder. We experienced this one first hand, and actually with both of our Siamese at a relatively young age. With our Ragdoll she is a runt, undersized, and the best guess given they see no trauma is she has been living all these years with underdeveloped, very tiny kidneys.
  • Urinary tract infection.

Pet Insurance for Ragdoll Cats

After having two of my own cats that have faced long term disease. I know just how fast those veterinary bills add up! It’s been thousands of dollars in treatments, hospital stays and more.

Needless to say it’s made me say it’s time to look into pet insurance for our cats. Insurance helps cover things like routine preventative care, and also treatment if you cat gets sick or injured.

Pumpkin Pet Insurance That Puts Your Cat’s Health First, Get a Free Quote Today!

Best Food for Your Ragdoll

Food is essential to maintaining good health just like in humans what you feed nourishes your body. If you eat junk food you feel like junk.

My advice for Ragdoll Cats is the same I have for all cats. When picking a food you should focus on feeding the highest quality you can afford. You want to look for food that do not contain fillers. Cat’s are obligated carnivores and do not need carbs or veggies like you and me.

Raw cat food is the ultimate goal for food but it’s not always feasible. It’s expensive to buy premade and while it can be rather inexpensive when you make it, it does take time to prepare.

My next go to when feeding is looking for a high quality wet food. This means I want as few additives as possible. No corn, no peas, no spinach that stuff is all just fillers and not things your cat actually needs. My next priority is to find a wet cat food that is made with human grade meat. The standards on human grade meat are so much better than the meat that can be used in animal food.

Ragdoll Grooming

Ragdolls are a mid to long hair breed and that means things get hairy from time to time. This means unlike shorthair cats you need to be prepared to spend time on grooming your cat.

This will help with reducing hairballs as well as the ever fun poopy messes. We actually have started to trim down her fur on her back side to avoid this. She is getting older and battling kidney disease so she needs a little extra help compared to a healthy cat.

Conclusion on Ragdoll Cats

Every cat breed brings something extra special to the table and Ragdoll Cats are no exception to this. If you are looking for a friendly, docile addition to your household look no further than getting a Ragdoll Cat.