How Often Should You Bathe A Ragdoll Cat? Here’s The Answer

Ragdoll cats have semi-long hair on its body, and grooming becomes a crucial job for any Ragdoll owner.

The cleanliness of cats varies from one cat to another, so it is not always possible to determine the correct grooming regime for every cat.

However, the hygiene of the cat should be of prime importance for all cat owners. So, we often hear the Ragdoll owners asking about the frequency of baths that should be sufficient for it.

We will cover the question with enough details and answer a few related inquiries on this topic. Let us start by explaining how often you should bathe a ragdoll cat.

How Often Should You Bathe A Ragdoll Cat?

Ragdolls are excellent at taking care of their fur by self-grooming. So, the grooming of Ragdolls is uncomplicated than most other cats in the cat world.

However, you have to maintain a healthy bathing regime to ensure that the cat does not have any unwanted clots in its fur.

So, you can bathe a Ragdoll once a month, and it will be enough for a healthy coat.

However, if you let the cat roam outdoors, the requirement of a clean bath might be more than a regular indoor Ragdoll.

You cannot let the cat cover itself in mud and turn a blind eye. Hence, you may have to clean the Ragdoll if the need may arrive, unfortunately.

The correct method of the long-awaited shower is a crucial aspect in this case, and we will let you know that in the following sections.

How Do You Bathe Your Ragdoll Cat?

You cannot be too hasty or forceful with a cat during bathing, as it can negatively affect the cat.

Hence, you have to follow a specific bathing technique known to the cat while giving the cat a full-fledged bath.

As a result, familiarizing a cat with water since kittenhood is the best shot at this. If your cat is comfortable with water, follow the following steps to bathe a Ragdoll:

  1. Fill the tub with lukewarm tap water up to 4 to 5 inches. Make sure that the face of the cat remains above water.
  2. Gently wash the body of the cat without touching the face.
  3. Put some cat-friendly shampoo on the fur and rub all the probable dirty places thoroughly. Do not touch their face at any cost.
  4. Rinse the shampoo off with water.
  5. Wrap the cat in a dry towel.
  6. Use a dryer to dry the cat on the lowest heat settings. Do not keep the hairdryer near the skin. Avoid pointing on the head.
  7. A treat for the good boy or girl after bathing will be a great idea as well.

What To Do When Your Ragdoll Cat Does Not Like Water?

Bathing a Ragdoll who is afraid of water becomes a hopeless and challenging task for any owner.

This problem is more apparent when you have not trained the cat since it was a kitten. So, you can start making the Ragdoll kitten familiarized with water from the start.

However, if you have adopted an adult Ragdoll cat, you can perform the following methods to make it acquainted with water –

  • Keep a little amount of water in the tub, and bring the cat near the tub using treats. Put it inside the tub and give it treats.
  • You can also bring the cat under the shower using the treats.
  • Make sure that the amount of water is never much initially.
  • You can increase the amount of water gradually as it becomes more comfortable.
  • You can take the help of other cat owners who have bathing-trained cats.

Should I Dry My Ragdoll Cat After A Bath?

Drying the Ragdoll cat after the shower is a crucial part of the bathing process. If you let the cat remain drenched in water for a long time, it will catch a cold.

So, you should keep a towel and a cat-friendly dryer nearby. Ragdolls also have semi-long fur.

So, they are more susceptible to catching a cold in that condition. The bathing regime should include the two following segments:

  1. Wrap the rat in the bath towel and gently rub it all over the body.
  2. Start the dryer until it has no water on its fur.

However, there are a few precautions that you have to take to make sure that the cat does not get frightened in the process. Those are as follows:

  • Keep the dryer at the lowest heat settings while drying the cat.
  • Keep the dryer away from the cat so that you don’t frighten the cat with its noise.
  • Do not point the dryer at the ears, nose, or eyes. The simple trick is to keep the dryer away from its face.

How Often Should I Bathe My Ragdoll Cat During The Summer Months?

It is a great idea to bathe the ragdoll cat more often during the summer months. The summers can become difficult for the ragdolls as it has semi-long fur.

They undergo vigorous shedding during these months. Bathing the cat will remove the chances of entangled, loose hair sticking to the coat.

You can stick to a short bathing schedule for the cats as long as it gets the job done. A little bit of extra care will work magnificently to make a loving bond between you and your cat.

It also provides you with an opportunity to look for any parasitic infestation on the fur. Although Ragdolls are not susceptible to these kinds of problems, it is better to be safe.


Ragdolls are beautiful, friendly, playful, affectionate, and have elegant long, furry coats. However, you should be aware of the fact that it comes with a long list of responsibilities.

Grooming the cat now and then is one of those responsibilities, and knowing the details of this part comes in handy while taking care of it.

You should be well aware of the details of the bathing aspect of grooming now. A 30 days interval between consecutive baths may be a reasonable number for any cat owner if the cat is comfortable with water.

However, you can achieve a more frequent bathing regime as well. Taking care of the Ragdoll is your responsibility, and you can make a loving bond in this way as well.

Related Article:

  1. Can you leave your ragdoll cats during the day?
  2. What are the different types of ragdoll cats?
  3. Reasons why ragdoll cats are pricey