Are You Able To Shave Ragdolls?

[Rufus93]

Hi,

Coming to this forum for some more advice! Everyone has been a great help in the past.

I have male ragdoll, he is 8 months now and from what I've read its shedding season and the loss of hair is becoming unbearable. He sleeps on my bed with me and my bed is constantly covered. As well as clothes and the carpet and tiles has a lot of hair everywhere.

I live in Australia and summer has just begun so its going to be getting hotter and hotter. Is shaving his coat the right thing to do? To help with all the shedding and also that it might get hot for him on the summer days in my apartment.

Will shaving him affect his coat later on? Will he be able to grow it nice and long again for winter?

Any advice would be great or stories about shaving your cat previously

This is Rufus sleeping

 

[Willowy]

You really shouldn't shave a longhaired cat unless they get severely matted or are extremely aggressive when it comes to grooming. Get an undercoat rake and go crazy! Or take him to the groomer and ask for the shedding special.

 

[kristenann]

He is absolutely gorgeous! You are in for a treat - ragdolls are simply phenomenal cats

The hair can be a challenge and shaving him is a real option. I would take him to a groomer to have it done but know that as a color point cat it will likely significantly darken his coat. My ragdoll Tiberius had to be shaved when I first adopted him and he almost looks like a different cat his coat is so substantially darker.

And he was an older adult when I adopted him so it wasn't the gradual darkening that happens with all color points.

I find that an actual bathe, brush, and now out do help greatly with shedding. Tiberius is very tolerant so I am able to do this myself, but a groomer can also be very useful in these situations.

Pre shave - nearly white along his backside

Post shave - dark chocolate along his backside

 

[Rufus93]

I really dont want to shave him because I love his long coat, its just getting really bad the amount of hair in my apartment. I have never washed him, after the first attempt trying to give him a bath, he reacted badly and hates water.

I brush him daily but it doesnt help that much I still need to vaccuum very regularly because of the hair.

I do know a groomer that can shave him, just need to decide if its the right move.

 

[tinydestroyer]

I don't have a long haired cat, but I did have a misguided experience shaving my Siberian Husky dog in New Orleans summer. It was the first year I had him, and thought the heat and shedding would be unbearable. He was WAY more miserable being shaved, to the point where he'd hide and walk with his tail down everywhere in embarrassment. When it grew back, it seemed to itch him. I felt so bad. I later learned that our pets hair also help to cool them when they're too hot.
I highly recommend getting an undercoat blade brush (like the Furminator) or a wide tooth steel brush, and getting into a routine. Many animals with long hair have a couple of shedding cycles yearly where the shedding is worse (called "blowing their coat") as they lose their winter undercoat. It's just part of the breed. Also, investing in a good vacuum and a Pet Wedge hair remover for the fur on in your home might help you be more comfortable. Wiping her down with a cool, damp towel or pet wipes might help remove excess fur, and the moisture evaporating from her into the air will cool her. Good luck!

 

[Willowy]

Groomers aren't just for shaving though---they can do a shedding treatment that really helps. First a bath to loosen the fur, then they do a thorough undercoat raking then a bit of judicious Furminating, etc. It really helps!

 

[10009891]

Is he neutered?

 

[amethyst]

As others have said I would not shave him unless there is a medical reason for it. Shaving him will not stop the shedding, he will just shed shorter hairs. Think of the cat's fur like the ropes and other clothes people wear in the middle east and desert areas, it shades the skin from the sun and traps cool air near the skin. Also color point cats already have the cooling thing down, their body is naturally light color which helps reflect heat, shaving the cat can cause the fur to darken causing it to absorb heat instead. As others have said ask the groomer about shedding services, I know around here groomers have a specific furminator package. There are also special shampoos groomers (or you) can use that help reduce shedding as well.

Aside from daily brushing and using a deshedding rake, if you don't already, feeding a good quality high protein diet can also help reduce shedding to some extent.

 

[sabian]

I've always had long hair cats and I've always shaved them in the summer months. I can only give you my experience and views. I had the same problem as you with my Maine Coon sleeping on the bed. If I went a day or two without shaving I would wake up and rub my hand across my chin and have a hand full of fur.

My Maine Coon passed in Feb and I now have a rescue I believe to be Siberian. They both seemed to love it after being shaved and visibly seemed to feel better. I would even say they "pranced" around afterwards. It did stop the shedding and you wouldn't even know a cat was in the house hair wise.

I would have them shaved in late June and by September their coat was almost fully grown out. I'll post a couple of Manny that is date stamp so you can see. I didn't notice any change in coat color. This could vary with other cats but I didn't notice anything drastic with mine. Tama my MC did lighten up over the years but I don't know that it didn't have as much to with age as it did with getting shaved. He was 15 and 8 months when he passed. Tama acted like he was miserable before I would get him shaved and made a total 180 afterwards. He was an indoor / outdoor cat and he would stay in mostly till he was shaved and then he wanted to go out afterward. I don't let Manny go out without a leash so his situation is a little different but he seemed to enjoy being shaved. It definitely cuts down on fur balls too.
Pics Left to Right: Top Tama at 11 yrs and Tama at 11 yrs 3 months after shave
Middle: Tama at 2 yrs and Tama at 11 yrs
Bottom: Manny shaved and 3 1/2 months later.
Tama's coat definitely changed in 9 years but how much was from age? I didn't notice any change in Manny's coat at all. I don't have any pics of him before the shave though. I just got him at the end of March.

 

[Gatorsmoke]

Hi! Can you tell me what type of shears that you used to shave your Cat? You did a great job and the kitty doesn’t look choppy.
Thank you

 

[NekoM]

Be aware that this has been done by a professional using professional clippers. I really recommend having it done by a groomer, If your going to attempt it, you’ll need a Oster cordless pet clipper which are around $300 aus. They’re fast and powerful, if you buy an inexpensive set you will be seriously regretting it after about 5 minutes and wish you took this advice.

 

[Smarl]

Some people in my local ragdoll community will shave their cats for summer, only thing is that the fur will grow a bit darker - it will get back to its normal coloring by time, but might take a bit of time.

Have you tried washing him? I just noticed that my raggie is changing her coat, and washing helped a lot - combing her at shower, then again when her coat had dried a bit and one more time when it's completely dry. Ragdolls fur might be so thick that basic brushing can never get all the dead hair out.

I've linked this tool in some previous posts as well, but it's just a best deshedding rake I've used - with thinner coat maybe once a month is enough, with my 6years old spayed lady once a week is almost not enough. So if you can find something similar, I highly recommend of getting one!

 

[LokiWolf]

A rag doll it the type of kitty I would train to tolerate bathes at a young age. Not the whole put them in a tub of water thing that most people do but use a removable shower head on a gentle setting and a ton of treats. You can't just throw a cat in a bath. It's a slow process. Get them used to the sound of the water running. Get them used to standing in the tub. Combine both but don't wet kitty. Slowly move shower head closer to kitty. Start at tail. TREATS!! Treats that they only receive when bathing.

I would also get them used to a dryer. Either a hair dryer or a variable speed velocity dryer. Cotton balls in ears and a towel wrapped around the head to muffler sounds. Slow. TREATS!! Both my kitties are bath and dryer trained in that they tolerate the process and it cuts down on the shedding so much!

Also an undercoat rake, a slicker brush and a steel comb are your best friends. Furminator are blades on sticks. They can and will rip the topcoat and it's easy to overdo and create bald spots.

Signed a former groomer and cat mom