Adopting a Ragdoll in Sheffield: rescues, rules and costs

The count near the top of this page is live. It gathers any Ragdoll or Ragdoll cross listed by a cat rescue we work with in Sheffield or within about 25 miles, with a link to that rescue, and on most days it is zero. The long, soft coats you do see near the city usually belong to domestic longhairs, on our Sheffield long-haired cats page. Pedigree Ragdolls tend to move through the breed world instead: the GCCF, the UK pedigree cat registry, says each of its affiliated clubs has a welfare officer keeping lists of older or rescued cats and of people willing to take one.

Usually something changes for the owner. The British Ragdoll Cat Club says it has rehomed over 60 cats a year for the past few years, after changes in owners' circumstances or serious health and welfare problems, and that the number needing homes has gone up. Its rehoming page says many of its listings ask for a home without children or other pets, because the cat could not cope with one or the other before.

Ask what the fee pays for. Strawberry's cats leave neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and treated for fleas and worms, with 5 weeks' free insurance (its homepage), and its adoption page makes lifetime insurance a condition of adopting. The rescues around Sheffield include similar vet work: Royston Animal Welfare's £80 covers vaccination, a microchip, neutering, flea and worm treatment and 4 weeks' free insurance.

A breeder's registered kitten costs £200 to well over £1,000 (Cats Protection), and you need to check for yourself which jabs it has had. After that the bills are the same either way, at least £79 a month by PDSA's reckoning, plus the fuel for a long collection drive.

The GCCF warns that Ragdolls can carry a gene for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a heart disease that can lead to heart failure at an early age. Breeders have been able to test for the one known Ragdoll HCM gene since 2007, and the GCCF has required that test for every Ragdoll registered for breeding since 24 February 2016. A rescue cat's parents' results are often unknown.

• No early signs. International Cat Care names Ragdolls among the breeds at greater risk of HCM and says screening tests are available for them; ask whether the cat you like has had a heart scan.
• Tests are not routine. Strawberry Persian and Pedigree Cat Rescue does the usual vet check at vaccination but says it does not do DNA tests, scans or X-rays on every cat.
• Kidneys and grooming. PDSA lists polycystic kidney disease alongside HCM, and says the silky coat still needs brushing to stop tangles.

Plan on an indoor cat. The British Ragdoll Cat Club says that, like most pedigrees, Ragdolls are indoor cats, and advises against complete freedom because their easy-going nature can leave them less aware of danger. A catio or a secure garden is the usual middle ground. Busy roads matter to Sheffield rescues too: The Sheffield Cats Shelter checks the roads around every home, and offers an indoor-only cat where an address doesn't pass.

The GCCF says the breed's name comes from the early cats' habit of going limp when picked up, and that the Ragdoll is one of the largest breeds, taking up to four years to reach full size. Leave room for a big cat to stretch out.

Rescues and breed clubs don't sell Ragdolls. You apply for one cat, they choose the home that suits it, and you pay an adoption fee. Expect an adult: kittens seldom come up, and Strawberry runs no waiting list for kittens of any breed. Anything listed near Sheffield today is on our Sheffield Ragdoll page.

If you decide to buy, Cats Protection suggests a breeder registered with a body such as the GCCF, and seeing the kitten with its mother at home rather than buying from a video or social media advert. The GCCF says to ask for copies of both parents' HCM test results. Report a suspected scam advert to Report Fraud, which replaced Action Fraud.