Why is my ragdoll’s fur like this?

CleoTheKitty

CleoTheKitty

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Hi!
So I got a 3 month old ragdoll a week ago and just wanted to ask why the hair on his chest and behind his ears look like this (almost looks permanently wet)? I’m very curious as I don’t have a lot of experience with long haired cats and haven’t really seen any photos of this. I’m still trying to make him used to brushing but he keeps biting whenever the brush is near his mouth.
Thanks for any advice!

(excuse how he looks, I was wiping away poop he had on his head so he got angry 😅)

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Furballsmom

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Hi
It might be a little oily, or it may be that your handsome little man is dragging it through his food. I'm thinking the first as more likely - would a cat/pet wipe and a fine-toothed comb work at all? Maybe over time, since you sound as though you're working with him to get him to become more willing :)

Anyway, we have that here on Captain Jack, and did with Poppy-cat (RIP darling boy), and I wasn't/am not consistent enough in grooming so those two areas end up looking very similar to your sweetie.
 
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CleoTheKitty

CleoTheKitty

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Furballsmom said:
Hi
It might be a little oily, or it may be that your handsome little man is dragging it through his food. I'm thinking the first as more likely - would a cat/pet wipe and a fine-toothed comb work at all?

Anyway, we have that here on Captain Jack, and did with Poppy-cat (RIP darling boy), and I wasn't/am not consistent enough in grooming so those two areas end up looking very similar to your sweetie.
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Oh both might be the case honestly! I’m not sure what I should do though if he’s doing it because of his food? Also, since I’m still training him and he’s young, he keeps on biting the comb and the brush so for now I guess he’ll have to look like that 😆
 
iPappy

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What a beautiful kitty!
I wonder if the kinky looking for is from him grooming himself or as suggested, from the food and water bowls. I don't have a long-haired cat right now, but my long haired dog (Papillon) gets grimey on her chest and ears within days of having a bath.
 
Caspers Human

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A cat's mane is the hardest place to groom, isn't it? This might be because he has natural oil in his fur and he can't groom himself in that area. Brushing him might be the thing, so I guess he's going to need to get used to being brushed.

Our eldest, Casper, hates being brushed. If he even sees you pick up a brush, he instantly nopes out! Elliot, the younger, will tolerate brushing for about a minute. Fortunately, both cats like petting a lot.

You can pet Elliot absolutely anywhere, nose to tail! You can scratch his back, you can pet him on the sides and his tummy. You can pet his paws, his chin, his whiskers, his head and ears, his tail, his butt. Elliot will even roll over as if he's saying, "Pet me here, now!..." (Roll over.) "Now, pet my tummy!..." (Roll over.) "Now, pet my back!"

His favorite is to do the "elevator butt" move while you scratch him on the bum. He'll stretch his paws out in front, hunch down and stick his butt up in the air with is tail going straight up while you scratch his bum. This is a ritual when he greets you at the door, coming home after work. He comes to you and actually wants you to scratch his butt.

Casper will walk in fiigure-eights as you pet him. You pet his back as he passes by the first time. You pet one side on the next pass. The other side on the third pass. There's a pass to pet his chin, pet his tail, scratch his ears and so, on until he's done being petted. Then he just walks away.

Casper's petting oddity is that he wants you to stick your finger in his ear! No, he doesn't have mites or an ear infection. We had the vet check. He just likes you to scratch him inside the ears! You put your finger on his head, next to the bald patch in front of his ear and he will actually push against your finger until it goes down his ear. You wiggle your finger a little bit then, after a second or two, he pulls back. Then, you have to put your finger in his other ear.

Point is... Neither of our cats are into brushing but love to be petted. Petting is almost as good as brushing.

Maybe you could try one of those grooming mittens. They've got soft, rubber nubs. You wear it on your hand and just pet your cat. Maybe your little guy will tolerate that? :)

Elliot's fur was pretty greasy when we first adopted him from outside but, now that he lives indoors and gets lots and lots of petting, his fur is always soft and fluffy. :)

If that doesn't work, just pet him a lot. Petting is almost as good as brushing. If his fur gets oily, maybe you can get some wet wipes, made for cats. Wipe his oily spots down with a wet kitty wipe then just give him lots of petting for everything else.
 
Boris Diamond

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I have a Siberian longhair and his fur below his ear often looks like your cat's. Cats have many sebaceous glands on the back of the neck and I assume the oil comes from that area. Also, when he grooms, sometimes his fur gets stuck together like it appears that your cat's fur does. I have a metal comb that I pull through his hair and it looks good again. If he bites the brush or comb, try putting your hand on his head and gently try to keep him from biting it. It may take some practice to become skilled at this.
 
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CleoTheKitty

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Boris Diamond said:
I have a Siberian longhair and his fur below his ear often looks like your cat's. Cats have many sebaceous glands on the back of the neck and I assume the oil comes from that area. Also, when he grooms, sometimes his fur gets stuck together like it appears that your cat's fur does. I have a metal comb that I pull through his hair and it looks good again. If he bites the brush or comb, try putting your hand on his head and gently try to keep him from biting it. It may take some practice to become skilled at this.
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I see! I guess I’ll just brush him daily and it’ll have to look like that. I just noticed that his stomach is all curly as well and I brushed him yesterday 😅
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iPappy

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Do you have a comb for him? I would suggest getting a wide toothed comb and a fine toothed comb to use to catch any tangles the brush misses (and trust me, brushes miss plenty sometimes.) I have a cat that is short haired, but, she has a lot of undercoat and her top coat is longer than the typical DSH. If I just brush her, she looks "clumpy" no matter how much I brush but if I go over her with those combs, her fur looks thick and fluffy with no separation. These tools make the coats of long haired cats look clean and flowing. :loveeyes:
 
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CleoTheKitty

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iPappy said:
Do you have a comb for him? I would suggest getting a wide toothed comb and a fine toothed comb to use to catch any tangles the brush misses (and trust me, brushes miss plenty sometimes.) I have a cat that is short haired, but, she has a lot of undercoat and her top coat is longer than the typical DSH. If I just brush her, she looks "clumpy" no matter how much I brush but if I go over her with those combs, her fur looks thick and fluffy with no separation. These tools make the coats of long haired cats look clean and flowing. :loveeyes:
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I have a comb and a slicker brush! His back looks absolutely fluffy, literally looks like a running cloud when he plays. Its just his underside that gets sort of curly right after I comb him. His neck/chest hair doesn’t get straight either after brushing, it just becomes wavy instead and I do brush him everyday! 😅
Some more pics of him!
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Boris Diamond

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I had another Siberian whose fur did not stick together when he groomed and did not get oily looking behind the ears. The breeder I got the Siberians from said that my present cat, Leonid, had what she called "cotton fur." It's really fine, but tends to clump. His belly fur looks like your cat's and his neck fur below his chin tends to look like you cat's too. By the way, your cat is a really beautiful cat! Love his eyes. Did you mention his name and I missed it?
 
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CleoTheKitty

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Boris Diamond said:
I had another Siberian whose fur did not stick together when he groomed and did not get oily looking behind the ears. The breeder I got the Siberians from said that my present cat, Leonid, had what she called "cotton fur." It's really fine, but tends to clump. His belly fur looks like your cat's and his neck fur below his chin tends to look like you cat's too. By the way, your cat is a really beautiful cat! Love his eyes. Did you mention his name and I missed it?
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Oh really? His hair is r e a l l y soft but then again I don’t have anything else to compare it to except for my shorthaired girl Cleo hehe.
His name is Atlas and thank you! He truly is a gorgeous little guy 🥰 Him and Cleo are like polar opposites, she’s great at taking care of her fur 😌
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Draco

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Such a beautiful cat!

I recently adopted two maine coon mixes and their fur were in extremely rough shape. Their neck scruffs were like yours, if not worse. I started daily brushing with a variety of brushes- slicker brush, greyhound comb and a furminator. It's looking much better. I actually used a thick round bristle brush for humans and rolled it under their chins and down their chest and they LOVED that. Maybe try that with your cutie to see if he'd accept that?

I also noticed one of them gets his scruff in his food. Brushing will help keep that area clean as well.

I also feel like that area, the chest and belly, will always be crinkled and curled due to the fact they're laying on it constantly.
 
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