Ragdoll Cat Forums

Who has ever lost a ragdoll and for what reasons? Please don't reply if you do not feel comfortable. I just wanted to know because when I first came on here I saw posts of people that have lost them at like 11 months old and ages like that and I kind of just want some reassurance that my boy will be alright and grow and get fat and old. I kind of worry about him alot lol.

My girl Sassy was a ragdoll x Maincoon and passed away last June aged 14 months. She had HCM. We had no idea, she had been to the vets for a health check while with her breeder and also twice since we had her for a booking in check and also when she was spayed. Her heart was listened to on both occassions and nothing out of the ordinary was detected. She passed away suddenly, one min running around, the next gone. A post mortem revealed she was very healthy, the only abnormality was the thickening of her heart muscles, the muscles basically crushed her heart.

DNA tests are available for the gene which is known to cause HCM although it must be pointed out that cats can also get HCM through other means. HCM is known to be prevelant in both the Ragdoll and Maincoon breeds. My 2 other Raggies have fortunatly tested negative for this gene.
I think the main cat registration council here in the UK are going to make a ruling that all cats used for breeding have to be tested for the HCM gene by the year 2011 (I think that's what I read on their site some time ago).
The sample for testing is simple to do, a gum scraping using a cotton bud which is then sent to the labs who are doing these tests, I got the results back in 9 days and cost about $60/$70, it may be ceaper in the US.

Ragdoll life expectancy is about the same as other cats. Our first lived to 16. Our second is now 14 and third is now 12. Sadly, we have had some die younger as well. Our fourth died at 8. I do not recall the oldest Ragdoll I have read about, but the age would be in the twenties.

HCM is the number one cause of heart disease in ALL cats. It is in pedigreed cats and moggies. There are expected to be hundreds of mutations that cause this condition, which is only genetic. Only two mutations have been discovered, the one first discovered in the Maine Coon and the one first discovered in Ragdolls. Dr. Meurs' research continues in order to find other mutations and her current work is in a handful of breeds, including looking for additional mutation(s) known to exist in Maine Coons.

I lost my first ragdoll Little Magoo.
I had him only 36 days from the breeder.
You can see his picture he is my little aviator to the left.
He died of FIP.Cello in my sig the big boy is his litter mat.
Cello help heal a broken heart, but I still cry about little Magoo.
I guess I still need more time for this heart to totally heal

Angel was 4 when she died, I am still sad about it. She caught an STD from the time we used an outside male. It broke my heart. I've tested my other cats because the disease can be spread in common areas like the litterbox or food dish or water dish. Thankfully they're safe, but we're having to re-test George as he mated with her and I dont entirely trust the results of the first test we did.

Anyways.. Angel was my best friend.. I still cry if I talk about her, or think about her.. I loved her more than I've ever loved a cat, and it hurts so much that she's not here with me anymore.

I lost my first ragdoll (actually my first cat) just a year ago. She was almost 14 and her name was Priscilla. She had breast cancer and had to be put to sleep when we realized nothing else could have been done to alleviate her pains. She was operated twice and all in all had a good year survival after diagnosis and surgery. The suffering became too much only in the last couple of months.

Priscilla was beautiful, sweet, loving, affectionate, smart and amusing.

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We miss her terribly and always will. Two months ago we adopetd another ragdoll - a cute, sweetie male. He is not supposed to replace Priscilla. He couldn't. No cat could. Yet there are times he looks so similar to her! We do believe we will meet our pets again in Heaven and that they watch over us meanwhile. No doubt Priscilla is our little angel up there along with our other unforgettable kitty Casper! Wait for us, babies! We love you and always will!

i lost my marco four and half years ago when he was 6. he died from a tumour on his lymph gland. unfortunately i dont have any photos to put on here

I lost my baby boy Jasper from FIP at less than 7 months old. It was, and still is, devastating. Its been 6 months and my heart aches for him, but I am ready to bring another raggie into my life. He was my first ragdoll, and he truly taught me about the beauty of the breed.

Our first Ragdoll Sonny Delite died at almost 2 years old from a rare autoimmune type of disorder. Vets said they see it in dogs but it was the first time he had seen it in a cat. The Red blood cells were dieing off when they reached a certain level of maturity. My avatar is a pic of Sonny in the last few weeks of his life. Some of the former TRCH people might remember Sonny's story. I still miss him.

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