11.05.2022

A giant among cats—Ragdoll cat size versus other felines

Just like Norwegian Forest cats, Maine Coons, Savannahs, and Bengals, Ragdolls are considered large-breed cats.

While you can’t do much about their eventual size when fully grown, you can influence how healthily they get there and ensure they don’t continue expanding as adults.

Your choice of food, the healthcare you offer, and the amount of exercise your Ragdoll gets can all contribute to your cat reaching and maintaining a healthy size.

It’s also good to know what you are letting yourself in for in becoming a Ragdoll parent—do you need to knock through, release equity in your home to pay food bills, or buy a horsebox for trips to the vet?

Read on and get all the info you need on Ragdoll cat size questions!

If your Ragdoll does venture outside, you may need a bigger garden.

Source: Pixabay

Ragdoll size vs normal cats—is bigger better?

Ragdoll cats are proportioned exactly the same as any other cat, but the overall dimensions are bigger. How much bigger depends on:

1. Genetic makeup
2. Your feeding regimen
3. Whether the cat is neutered

As long as you ensure your Ragdoll isn’t unhealthily overweight, the final size reached is out of your hands.

Compared to normal cats, you can expect the average Ragdoll to reach the following numbers:

Female Ragdolls should be between 15% and 25% below males on all counts.

How does genetic makeup influence a cat’s size?

The final size your Ragdoll should reach is largely set in stone by DNA.

While you can influence growth rates and weight control, Ragdolls’ length and height are predetermined by the genes they have inherited from their ancestors.

The importance of feeding regimen

How much, how often, and what you feed your Ragdoll may not affect their length but can certainly influence their width.

The healthier the food, the less you will have to feed, and the less frequently you will need to refill the feeding bowl.

Neutered or not?

Neutered cats of all breeds tend to grow larger than their unfixed counterparts. The earlier a cat is neutered, the larger the final size is likely to be.

Whenever a Ragdoll is neutered, though, the process often leads to cats growing up to 10% larger than if they are not fixed. Neutered cats—particularly those that live mainly indoors—are also slightly more prone to weight issues.

Sometimes you will wish they could stay this small!

Source: Pixabay

How much should a Ragdoll kitten weigh?

Steady growth during kittenhood is the key to ensuring your Ragdoll turns into a healthy adult with no mobility issues.

Large-breed cats can occasionally suffer from health issues such as skeletal problems, hip dysplasia, or arthritis. Carefully controlled growth as kittens can go a long way towards avoiding mobility problems in later life.

The weight milestones Ragdoll kittens should reach are as follows:

Every kitten is different, and Ragdolls are renowned for growing in spurts, so your kitten may not hit these milestones exactly.

This being said, you should ensure your kitten is growing steadily and not displaying signs of:

• Undernourishment
• Lethargy
• Digestive issues

How long do Ragdoll cats grow for?

While most cats are considered fully grown at between 12 and 18 months, Ragdolls take their time about reaching full size.

You can expect your Ragdoll to continue growing up to the age of 4.

Most of the growth will not affect the body length or height of your Ragdoll but will consist of weight gain through increased muscle mass.

Your job is to make sure:

• Muscle, not fat, is being added
• Your cat doesn’t continue expanding after the age of 4

Between the ages of 12 months and 4 years, you should expect your Ragdoll to reach the following weights:

Care is needed with these eyes—they can successfully beg for anything!

Source: Pixabay

Can you stop a fully-grown Ragdoll cat from growing any more?

Your Ragdoll’s weight is controllable, but this demands effort from you as the cat parent.

Cats' metabolisms are designed for a lifestyle that consists of:

1. Expending energy by hunting—Up to 20 times a day, cats in the wild will hunt prey consisting of:
1. Small birds
2. Mice and other rodents
3. Lizards and reptiles
4. Insects, including moths and grasshoppers
5. Snails, slugs, and frogs
2. Replenishing energy through eating—A cat’s natural diet is made up of numerous small portions of calorie-rich food containing a high proportion of animal protein, some animal fat, and very little else. Any requirements for fibre or folic acid are normally covered by cats eating grass, plants, and their prey’s stomach contents. The animal protein wild cats eat provides them with enough energy, amino acids—such as taurine—and vitamins to stay healthy
3. Conserving energy by resting—Cats spend up to 19 hours a day dozing. As each of their meals only delivers small quantities of nutrition, wild cats need to conserve as much energy as possible for hunting

As a Ragdoll parent, you should try to emulate your feline’s natural lifestyle in the food you offer.

What does the ideal Ragdoll nutrition consist of?

Your Ragdoll will probably spend most of the time indoors, so a healthy diet and plenty of opportunity for play are essential in making sure your feline doesn’t turn into a football with legs.

The diet you offer should consist of the same nutrients as a Ragdoll would crave in the wild.

Whatever type of food you opt for—whether it’s dry, semi-moist, wet, raw, or homemade—it should be made up of the following nutrients:

The best foods will feature large amounts of one of the following animal protein sources:

• Chicken (raw or cooked)
• Beef
• Pork, ham, or bacon
• Salmon
• Prawns
• Mackerel
• Tuna
• Liver

When you check the ingredients list, any food that contains any of the following vegetable protein sources is best avoided:

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

Cat food based on vegetables, grains, or cereals is not healthy for your Ragdoll because:

• The carbs in vegetables can overtax a cat’s pancreas, potentially leading to diabetes
• Unburnt calories from carbohydrates are stored as fatty cells, causing weight issues over time
• Cats need considerably larger amounts of vegetable-based food—as well as supplements—to cover their nutritional needs

Keeping your Ragdoll’s size under control is not difficult if you choose high-quality, meat-based food.

Can Untamed help control a Ragdoll cat’s weight?

The healthiest way to keep your Ragdoll’s size in check is to choose Untamed.

Untamed cat food is designed to give your cat everything needed for a long and healthy life.

Every Untamed recipe—whether you choose Chocka Chicken, Tuck-in Tuna, or Full-on Fishy enriched with cat jelly or gravy—features:

1. Huge amounts of only animal protein
2. Vet-controlled formulas
3. Ethical production and logistics processes

Huge amounts of only animal protein

Untamed contains no carbs, grains, colourants, flavour enhancers, or artificial or other harmful ingredients, just vast amounts of the highest-quality meat or fish.

With this amount of goodness, your Ragdoll should go wild about the taste—even fussy cats and those that normally avoid wet food find Untamed irresistible.

Vet-controlled formulas

Developed and honed by vets, our formulas are optimally balanced to keep your Ragdoll healthy and happy, as well as address the most common niggles cats suffer from, including:

• Shedding and hairball issues
• Digestive problems, such as diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, vomiting, and nausea
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs), such as cystitis or bladder stones
• Food allergies and sensitivities caused by allergens
• Oral problems and missing teeth

Whether your Ragdoll is a kitten, adult, or senior, Untamed will make sure they get everything they need to stay trim, slim, and full of energy.

Ethical production and logistics processes

Untamed is as committed to the planet as to cats.

To keep the environment as healthy as possible for your Ragdoll, we ensure that:

• We source exclusively from sustainable, cruelty-free suppliers
• Our packaging is 100% recyclable
• Our entire supply chain is carbon-neutral

Want your Ragdoll to be big but not too big, muscular but not a bruiser, and powerful but not plump? Try Untamed and let your kitty be everything a Ragdoll should be!

Keep your fabulous Ragdoll fit and healthy with our tasty and nutritious recipes!

Image (c) Untamed

Getting Untamed for your Raggie

Ready to get a subscription for healthy cat food? Starting your Ragdoll on a journey to health, energy, and contentment with Untamed is easy. All you need to do is:

1. Tell us a bit about your Raggie
2. Create a meal plan that you think your cat will love
3. Order your first trial pack

Once your trial pack arrives on your doorstep, your Ragdoll can begin trying out the taste sensations Untamed offers. We’ll keep you stocked up with monthly cat food in bulk so that you don’t need to suffer demands for more.

Countless Ragdoll parents are already on board, and they tell us that you should expect to see the following effects on your kitty: