The deadliest enemy of ragdoll cat isn’t your neighbor’s dog nor its children; a rare cardiac disease affects about 30% of all ragdoll cats being probably the most frequent cause of death and disease.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most significant cause of heart failure and death in ragdoll cats. This disease is characterized by a marked thickening of the left ventricle (heart muscle mass). This increased muscular thickness determines a decrease in chamber diameters, meaning less blood will pass through the heart.

As a result your cat will have problems breathing, will eat less, will be lethargic and weak, will lose weight, suffer abdominal swelling, vomit more frequently, or will lose the ability to use its hindlegs.

Cardiomyopathy is life-threatening for any cat but especially for ragdolls as usually they are pretty calm, quite beings making the initial symptoms much more difficult to spot.

If a specific cause is identified and can be resolved, many (sometimes all) changes in the heart can be reversed. This only happens though in very rare occasions, usually ragdoll HCM being considered to be of an unknown cause (idiopathic HCM). Even in these cases a good treatment can alleviate the symptoms for a long period of time.

Recently a genetic cause was found for this idiopathic form of HCM – MYBPC3 gene (cardiac myosin binding protein C gene), the same causing a human variant of HCM. Each gene comes in ever organism’s genetic material in two copies; these copies can be identical (homozygous) or different (heterozygous).

The ragdoll cats having a single copy of the defective MYBPC3 gene have a less severe outcome than the ones having two mutant copies. Some veterinary services already offer genetic testing for this gene, crucial for breeders as the frequency of these mutation is around 30%.

Very important – if your cat has the gene, keep in mind that half of its offsprings will have it too; you shouldn’t use these cats in breeding programs if you don’t really have to.

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Ragdolls are perfect indoor cats; but that is it – they are not the type to chase mice or other stuff a regular cat should do. This doesn’t mean however they don’t like to smell the fresh air from time to time; just be careful not to leave them unsupervised as outside their typical environment are pretty helpless – they can get lost, can be stolen easily (they really love strangers, especially the smelly ones), get hit by a car or worse, scare the crap out of your dog.

They learn very fast what should and shouldn’t do; this doesn’t mean however they are always doing what they should – they know it’s wrong but keep on doing it. Ragdoll cats can easily be accustomed to travel or wear a collar, especially if thought from a young age.

Ragdolls are maybe the most sociable cats.  They are very attached to their owner  and people in general and usually enjoy the company of other cats. Of course, there are exceptions (my cat being one of them – she really hates all non human species). As true family cats Ragdolls enjoy being with kids, just not the king that tortures them continuously

Young Ragdoll kittens are usually quite active while older ones are rather  well-tempered, calm partners. Often Ragdolls like to fetch tossed toys, others prefer a combination of a game of hide and seek and tag with you. They are always happy when you spend some time playing with them your free time with them.

Ragdolls often answer in their soft low voice when called. Their sounds are very expressive and sometimes you think they answer you back.

If you need a lovable and ever  trusting pet, then Ragdoll cat is definitely a good choice.  They are a cross between a really loyal dog and a cat, the perfect pet for someone who wants a kind and trusting lap animal as an addition to their already loving and loyal family.

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