The Ultimate Kitten Care Guide: How to Prepare for and Raise a Ragdoll Cat

Welcoming a Ragdoll kitten into your life is no ordinary moment—it’s the beginning of a grand journey with a feline companion as elegant and affectionate as royalty itself. With their beautiful coats, calm demeanor, and loyal hearts, Ragdolls rule not by command, but by love. And like all young nobility, they need your guidance to grow into their full glory.

This comprehensive Ragdoll kitten care guide is designed for new kitten guardians—from first-timers to seasoned cat lovers—who want to provide the absolute best for their newest family member. From preparing your home (your castle!) to feeding, grooming, health monitoring, and social introductions, this guide offers everything you need to raise a healthy, confident, and well-mannered Ragdoll companion for life.

Preparing the Royal Chamber: First Steps for Bringing Your Kitten Home

Your new kitten has just left the only world they’ve known—littermates, their mother, and familiar routines. To ease this transition, create a welcoming “royal chamber”—a small, quiet room that’s warm, softly lit, and free of hazards. Equip it with:

• A clean, large litter box (placed away from food/water)

• Fresh water and dry kitten food (to be left out all the time)

• A cozy bed and blanket fit for a tiny prince or princess

• Interactive and comfort toys (more on those below)

• A large cat tree for their climbing and scratching needs

You can find our comprehensive Ragdoll Kitten Supply List here. Let your kitten explore this space at their own pace. Avoid giving full run of the kingdom (your entire home) too soon—they can get overwhelmed or confused about where their litter box is if you have a large kingdom, and they immediately have free rein. Once they seem confident, gradually open new areas over the coming days / weeks.

This space should always remain accessible as their personal sanctuary when the world feels a littlen bit too big.

Cat-Proofing Your Castle: Household & Outdoor Dangers to Avoid

While many kittens are brave adventurers, they’re also vulnerable to everyday dangers. Here’s how to protect your little prince or princess:

Indoor Hazards

• Reclining or rocking chairs: Kittens can be crushed inside mechanisms.

• Washing machines, dryers, and dish washers: Kittens will follow you everywhere and be involved in what you're doing. Appliances can be extremely hazardous for kittens and cause death if you are not vigilant. Never, EVER start any of these machines without verifying that your cat/kitten is safe and nowhere near them. And ensure all of your family members follow this protocol.

• Bathrooms: Leave the toilet seat covered and do not leave your bathtub filled with waterand unattended. Both can be drowning hazards.

• Household cleaners and chemicals: Lock them away, they can poison your cat/kitten.

• Essential oils and oil diffusers: Even passive exposure can be toxic to your cat/kitten.

• Toxic plants: Remove lilies, pothos, and philodendrons. There are more, always research and ensure each plant in your home is cat-friendly and non-toxic.

• Electrical cords: Cover them to deter chewing and potential electrocution.

• Plastic bags, string, or hair ties: These are all choking, suffocation, and digestive hazards.

• Upstairs with open railings: Kittens/cats can fall and cause serious injury or death. Buy banister guards and install htem before kittens come home.

Outdoor Hazards

Ragdolls must be kept strictly indoors, or supervised in a “catio” or secured harness. Their trusting nature makes them especially vulnerable to outdoor dangers.

• Outdoor cats who are carrying dangerous and potentially fatal feline disease.

• Fleas, ticks, and microscopic parasites that can be found in soil, grass, and on the ground.

• Predators and stray dogs: don't let your Ragdoll kitten/cat become an easy target by allowing them to roam outside. They have little defense and could easily be killed by a predator or even a stray dog.

• Cars are a very serious threat to every cat and animal that is outside.

• Pet theives: if someone sees an "expensive" looking cat outside, you better believe they'll take him/her, whether they think they're "rescuing" or if they intentionally wanted to acquire this breed.

A purebred Ragdoll deserves a safe, protected indoor domain, always.

Nutrition Fit for Nobility: Feeding Ragdoll Kittens

Your kitten’s diet is the foundation of their lifelong health. Here’s how to serve a balanced daily banquet:

How to Feed Your Ragdoll

• Free-feed a high-quality, grain-free dry kitten food—they need constant access while growing. And if you continue this practice as we have, they may be able to continue free feeding as adults

• Offer grain-free wet food twice daily (morning and evening) to support hydration. We always add extra water to their wet food for added hydration.

• Offer raw toppers / meals to their feeding regime for extra protein/nutrition and to maximize nutrition and growth potential.

• Use stainless steel or ceramic bowls, not plastic (which can harbor bacteria or cause felne chin acne).

• Set up a pet fountain, they love running/moving water. And yes, they will run to your sinks when you turn them on.

Please note, if your kitten has just arrived home, some hiding, lack of appetite/drinking, or not pooping/peeing the first 24 hours or so occasionally happens with sensitive kittens. This is the first time they've been without their mom, littermates, and the human family they know and love. While many kittens will immediately eat, drink, and play, some may take a little more time to adjust to their new environment. This is more common when kittens go home without a littermate. If they are refusing their food/water offer them a Churu treat or two which will keep them hydrated that first day. We recommend using pheromone plug in diffusers, like FeliWay, to ease the transition.

Supplements for Ragdolls

• FortiFlora probiotic: Sprinkle daily over food to promote digestive health.

• Lysine: Can be added daily or weekly to support immunity.

• Churu: Hairball formula is especially helpful for adult Ragdolls as they groom and consume a lot of their own fur.

Choosing the Right Royal Toys for Safe Play

Play time with your new Ragdoll kitten/cat builds confidence and bonds. Here’s what to look for:

Safe Ragdoll Toys

• Wand toys for interactive play

• Soft plush toys they can carry or “hunt” such as kicker toys

• Crinkle toys and balls

• Cat springs toys or mini cat slinkies

• Puzzle feeders to stimulate their minds

Cat Toys to Avoid

• Toys with glued-on eyes or decorations

• String, yarn, or tinsel toys (unless fully supervised)

• Anything small enough to swallow

Rotate toys every few days to keep playtime extra exciting—like delivering fresh entertainment to the royal court.

Children and Cats: Teaching Gentle Royal Etiquette

While a Ragdoll may resemble the prettiest, fluffiest "doll" around, a kitten is not a toy—it’s a sentient being with its own preferences, personality, and boundaries. Children of all ages will need coaching on how to interact respectfully.

Family Guidelines for Kittens

• Teach children to approach slowly and pet gently.

• No picking up without supervision.

• Never pull tails, ears, whiskers, never pull or grab the kittens by their limbs.

• Loud noises and sudden movements can startle or frighten kittens/cats.

• Never leave the door outside open.

• Never leave the garage door open.

• Always check appliances before closing and starting.

Designate a “no-touch” zone (a bed or perch) where the kitten can rest undisturbed. Royalty needs their beauty sleep!

Socializing With Resident Pets: Introducing the New Heir to the Court

Whether you have a resident cat, dog, or other animal, introductions must be handled with patience and care.

Introducing a Ragdoll to Other Cats

Before starting, you must ensure your resident cat is completely free of contagious feline disease and parasites by getting them tested and verified by your veternarian.

• Start with scent swapping (rub each with a cloth and exchange).

• Keep them separated for the first few days to a week.

• Let them observe each other through a baby gate, cracked door, or glass interior doors

• Slowly allow supervised interaction with positive reinforcement by providing them with wet food meals, treats, and playtime.

• If negative reactions become excessive, take a step back, separate, and try again the following day.

Introducing a Ragdoll to Dogs

• Ensure your dog is well-behaved, fully trained, and proven to not have prey-drive before bringing home a new kitten.

• Introduce on leash, with the kitten in a carrier or behind a barrier.

• Praise calm behavior from the dog.

• Give the kitten vertical escape routes.

• Never force interaction—trust builds over time.

• Do not leave your dog and kitten/cat unattended unless you're 1000% positive that the dog will not harm or attack the kitten/cat.

Grooming & Litter Box Care

Basic Ragdoll Grooming Routine

• Brush twice weekly at a minimum to prevent tangles, matting, and reduce the number of tumbleweeds in your home. You may even prefer to brush daily.

• Trim nails  every ~2 or so weeks.

• Gently clean any debris from eyes or nose with a damp cloth.

• As recommended by your vet, introduce tooth brushing with vet-approved paste early on.

• Continue regular baths to ensure your kitten/cat is used to them when they really need one.

Litter & Cleanliness

• Scoop litter daily and fully discard and replace the older litter at least monthly or more often as needed.

• Use clumping litter but ensure it's not dusty and ensure your kitten/cat is not consuming any of it.

• Keep the box in a quiet, private location—royals prefer discretion.

• If your kitten/cat gets occasional poop on the fur of rear-area, clean it off with pet-friendly wipes or a butt bath. Some people may do sanitary trims and keep the fur short back there.

Contagious Feline Illnesses: What Vaccines Protect Against (and What They Don’t)

Your kitten will arrive with at least two rounds of core vaccinations, but no vaccine offers total immunity. Understanding the risks helps you protect them:

What Ragdoll Kittens are Vaccinated For While in Our Care

• FVRCP: Feline herpesvirus, Calicivirus (upper respiratory infections), Panleukopenia (feline distemper)

• Rabies vaccine 

What They’re Still Vulnerable To

• Feline Leukemia (FeLV): Spread by saliva; blood, urine, and feces. While there is a FeLV vaccine, we do not recommend it as your kitten is to be kept strictly indoors.

• Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP): Rare but extremely serious disease. FIP can occur when coronavirus (which is very common and quite mild) mutates to FIP. There are multiple forms of FIP such as wet (fluid in stomach/lungs), dry (no fluid), ocular, and neurological. This disease is curable if caught early.

• Ringworm, giardia, coccidia: Fungal or parasitic; highly contagious. Can be spread by other animals, contaminated water, tracked inside on your shoes. 

• This is not an exhaustive list, there are other contagious feline diseases that you need to protect your kitten/cat from.

How to Minimize Risk

• Keep your kitten indoors.

• Never visit friends’ cats/kitten with your kitten. Unless the cats are related and came from the same place, kitten/cat playdates should never be a thing.

• Always change clothes, shoes, and wash hands after contact with outside animals or while walking/hiking outdoors in soil.

• Quarantine any new pets before introductions and get them fully vetted to be free of all disease or parasites contagious to felines.

Recognizing Health Concerns Early: A Watchful Guardian’s Duty for the Life of Your Ragdoll

Cats are subtle creatures. Sometimes a small change in behavior can signal illness—your attentiveness is vital, as you are solely responsible for their lifetime health and wellbeing.

Signs to Watch For

• Sudden hiding, lethargy, or changes in energy

• Excessive sneezing, excessive coughing, or liquid (non-dried) eye/nose discharge

• Diarrhea or vomiting

• Lack of appetite or sudden weight loss

• Breathing changes or unusual sounds

• Swollen abdomen or signs of pain

• Changes to how or when they use the litter box. If they suddenly pee or poop outside the box, this could be indicitive of an infection or blockage.

If you notice any of the above signs over the lifetime of your cat*, you must proceed with a call to your vet and an appointment as needed. You know your cat and his/her normal behavior best; it's better to be overly cautious than too late.

Weigh Weekly

Use a pet scale to weigh your kitten once per week—consistent weight gain is a critical health marker. A sudden drop can be an early sign of illness.

Parasite Protection: Defending Your Kitten from Fleas, Worms & More

Even royal kittens can be plagued by parasites if exposed to them. Parasites often spread via feces, contaminated soil, fleas, unwashed hands, or even your shoes.

Common Threats

• Roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms

• Giardia and coccidia

• Fleas and mites

Prevention Plan

• Keep your cat/kitten strictly indoors, this is your best possible prevention.

• If you have dogs in your home, you'll likely need to use monthly vet-approved flea/worm preventatives. Ensure they're fully safe and review the pamphlets and risks associated.

• Clean litter boxes daily.

• Sanitize food bowls, water fountains, and bedding weekly.

• Keep shoes that go outdoors away from areas your kitten plays in.

A Lifetime of Loyalty and Love

Now back to the good stuff, a Ragdoll’s heart is as sweet as their expression. Treat them with devotion and you’ll gain a companion who follows you from room to room, greets you at the door, and purrs with sincere affection.

By preparing a safe home, offering nourishing meals, guarding against disease, and respecting your kitten’s unique personality, you’re laying the foundation for a life of love, health, and harmony.

Your kitten's crown may be invisible—but in your heart and home, they will always reign supreme.