09.05.2022

Can Ragdoll cats go outside? They're best left indoors, and here's why

As members of your family, Ragdoll cats are perfect.

Always waiting for you at home, friendly and attentive, watching your every move, and up for any games around the house, Raggies are brilliant to have around.

You may notice, though, that your Ragdoll never seems to venture into the great outdoors.

Many breeds—such as Maine Coon, Abyssinian, Norwegian Forest cat, and Bengal—will happily spend all day or night roaming the garden and only returning home for food.

Ragdolls seem content to spend their days and nights around the house.

Can Ragdoll cats go outside, or should you rather leave them in peace to take over every nook and cranny in your house? Read on and find out!

An unusual sight!

Source: Pixabay

Are Ragdoll cats indoor cats?

Ragdolls love nothing more than being near you. This will mean that they will stay inside the house and may follow you around as you move from room to room.

As primarily nocturnal creatures, you may see your Raggie snoozing extensively during the day, and many Ragdolls will have several favoured spots in your house. These will usually be places where:

• They can watch everything going on
• It’s warm
• They are in an elevated position

When they are active, Ragdolls love playing—often boisterously—with toys, laser pointers, or lures. The games will quite often get out of hand, and you may frequently experience collateral damage to furniture, ornaments, or photo frames on display.

All their activity tends to be indoors. While they will happily spend hours watching bird TV—staring out of the window watching the possible prey fly past—they are generally satisfied with letting the outdoors remain a foreign country, unworthy of exploration.

Orienteering is not a Ragdoll’s best discipline!

Source: Pixabay

Why can’t Ragdoll cats go outside?

In theory, there is nothing stopping Ragdolls from going outside like any other cat.

In practice, Ragdolls are best left inside due to a couple of breed-specific issues, including them being:

1. Not particularly street-savvy
2. Prone to tummy upsets
3. At risk of infestations
4. Useless in a fight

Ragdolls aren’t street-smart

Ragdolls are not used to the outdoors and can easily get lost or disoriented.

Once outside familiar surroundings, Ragdolls are prone to panic and forget where they are. This can be particularly dangerous if there is traffic outside your house—your Ragdoll has no idea about cars or lorries and could easily wander into the middle of the road.

Raggies have sensitive stomachs

While they may look robust and able to eat anything, Ragdolls are fairly susceptible to gastrointestinal disorders, resulting in:

• Diarrhoea
• Nausea or vomiting
• Constipation
• Irritable bowel disease (IBS)

These are often caused by eating something that disagrees with them, the chances of which are considerably higher in the street than in your house, where you control the menu.

If Ragdolls venture outside, there is a good chance they will try whatever they can find, such as:

• Mice or small rodents (alive or already dead)
• Birds 
• Snails, slugs, or frogs
• Insects, like moths or grasshoppers
• Contents of rubbish bins
• Grass, garden refuse, or plants

If your Ragdoll has been used to eating only commercial cat food—with its controlled and safe ingredients—any of the above could cause a stomach upset.

Ragdolls can catch fleas, or worse

Ragdolls that live as indoor cats have the luxury of a clean environment, normally free from fleas, ticks, and other parasites. Venturing outside can change this in a heartbeat, and your Ragdoll can quickly become infested.

Most infestations are relatively harmless and can be treated with local ointments and cures, but there is a risk that your cat could develop:

• Flea allergy dermatitis—This is an intense itching sensation caused by an allergic reaction to flea saliva
• Tick bite fever—Cats that roam through grassy or wooded areas can pick up ticks, some of which carry tick bite fever. While you can inoculate your feline against the disease, you may consider it unnecessary if your cat lives predominantly indoors
• Lice infestations—Lice can nest in cats’ fur and cause skin irritations, resulting in excessive shedding, over-grooming, and increased production of hairballs
• Mange or scabies—Ear mites, sarcoptic mites, and Cheyletiella mites can all infest your cat, leading to an irritation of the skin known as mange or scabies

If your Ragdoll comes home with a parasite infestation, you will have to address your kitty’s problem while at the same time performing extensive decontamination of your house to make sure the issue doesn’t spread to the rest of your household.

Ragdolls are wimps

Although adult Ragdolls are large cats, they don’t have a good reputation as bruisers.

Their legendary friendliness and tendency to go floppy when picked up translates into an inability to adequately defend themselves against attacks by predators.

This means that allowing Ragdolls to wander outside could bring them into contact with dogs or other cats, some of which might be spoiling for a fight or wanting to defend their territory.

Ragdolls will generally come off second best in such encounters.

“This is better than that noisy street any day!”

Source: Pixabay

Your Ragdoll cat’s in the garden—what should you do?

Letting your Ragdoll wander around the garden is fine as long as you are there to supervise.

If your Ragdoll has managed the Great Escape, you should entice them back into the house as soon as possible. This may be easier said than done.

A Ragdoll’s playful nature could result in your attempts to retrieve your cat turning into a game of tag that you are unlikely to win. Your best bet is to lure your Ragdoll back inside the house with a favourite toy, a laser pointer, or—better still—food.

The best food to keep your Ragdoll safe and healthy at home

Ragdolls are more likely to go walkabout if the nutrition they receive at home isn’t giving them everything they need. The better the food you offer, the less likely your Ragdoll will be to go wandering off around the neighbourhood.

When it comes to food for your Ragdoll, you need to opt for quality as the breed—while not usually prone to food allergies—has a reputation for being both fussy and sensitive.

If you get your choice wrong, you may find Ragdolls turning their nose up at your food—regardless of whether you have chosen wet, dry, semi-moist, raw, or homemade meals or a mixture of more than one type.

A proven formula for success is to make sure the food you offer contains ample amounts of:

1. Protein from meat or fish
2. Animal fat

Protein from meat or fish

Cats need animal protein to provide them with essential amino acids, such as taurine.

The amino acids cats need are used to:

• Provide energy
• Build strong muscles
• Maintain healthy skin and coat
• Support healthy organs

Plant protein doesn’t do the job—vegan cats don’t exist—so when choosing the best possible food for your Ragdoll, you should check the ingredients list for any of the following in first place:

• Chicken (raw or cooked)
• Salmon
• Prawns
• Mackerel
• Tuna
• Liver

You should avoid products that contain vegetable protein, such as:

• Soya
• Corn or sweetcorn
• Wheat
• Peas
• Carrots
• Rice

Animal fat

As well as being an excellent secondary source of energy, animal fat gives your Ragdoll:

• Essential fatty acids, important for their organ function and overall health
• A great taste that your cat will find irresistible

What is good for your Ragdoll?

The best food for your Ragdoll will contain:

• High levels of animal protein
• Sufficient calories to maintain energy levels without weight gain
• No grains, cereals, or carbohydrates

The percentages you should look for in high-quality cat food are:

Can Untamed help keep your Ragdoll happy at home?

Untamed is the perfect way to keep Ragdolls where they are happiest—at home!

Every Untamed recipe is designed to give your cat the right balance of excellent nutrition and great taste, so your Ragdoll will keep coming back for more.

You can expect the following in every tin of Untamed jellies and gravies:

1. Vet-formulated recipes
2. Huge amounts of real meat or fish
3. Environmentally friendly nutrition

Vet-formulated recipes

Designed and honed by our vets, Untamed recipes can help with the most common diet-related ailments cats suffer from, such as:

• Weight control, whether your kitty is a kitten needing to grow, an overweight, neutered, or lazy adult, or a senior suffering from weight loss, digestive problems, gum disease, or tooth decay 
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs), such as cystitis or bladder stones
• Diabetes, pancreatitis, or other blood sugar issues
• Food allergies (super sensitive kitties can try our single-source-protein meals!)

With Untamed, you can put together the ideal meal plan for your Ragdoll, tailor-made to ensure optimum health and happiness in easily digestible portions.

Huge amounts of real meat or fish

Whatever Untamed flavour variety you opt for, you can rest assured that it contains twice the amount of animal protein found in other commercial cat foods.

Our food is exactly the way your Ragdoll would eat in nature, with the added benefit of the great flavours offered by our top-quality ingredients. 

This amount of meat means even the fussiest of Ragdolls will go wild about its taste, even if they don’t normally like wet food. You can rest assured that you are doing the best you can for your feline.

Environmentally friendly nutrition

Untamed is also committed to keeping our planet healthy for your feline friends. We ensure that we:

• Only source from sustainable, cruelty-free suppliers
• Use only 100% recyclable packaging material
• Run our operations on a carbon-neutral basis

Want to keep Ragdolls safe at home? Try Untamed and see how they never leave your side!

The best way to keep your Ragdoll indoors!

Image (c) Untamed

No need to go scavenging for Untamed!

The best way of keeping your Ragdoll indoors is to entice them with Untamed!

Getting Untamed delivered to your home is an easy process—all you have to do is:

1. Tell us all about your Ragdoll
2. Pick the recipes your cat will love
3. Order your first trial pack

Once your trial pack lands on your doorstep, your kitty can explore the great taste and healthy nutrition that Untamed offers. Our monthly cat food delivery service will keep you stocked up so your Ragdoll never needs to go scavenging elsewhere.

Hundreds of happy Ragdoll parents tell us you can expect these results: