Caring for Ragdoll Cats and their owners

The United Kingdom Ragdoll Cat Community is led entirely by volunteers. We are dedicated to the welfare of the Ragdoll cat breed and the peace of mind of their owners. As part of our role as a registered animal welfare charity we have an active and very successful Ragdoll cat adoption scheme.

We always select new homes based on the specific needs of each cat and we take great care to match the right Ragdoll to the right home situation. We never split cats from their companions and if there is more than one cat in a family, seeking a home, then we shall ensure they are placed together. Every potential adopter has a home assessment carried out by a local UKRCC rehoming contact. This gives us an opportunity to check that the family are able to meet the needs of the cat and allows us to offer any guidance to help ensure that the Ragdoll is able to settle into their new home as quickly as possible. It also gives potential adopters a chance to ask any questions they may have about the Ragdoll breed or Ragdoll ownership. We are always available to offer support and advice to Ragdoll adopters before, during and after the placement of a Ragdoll. All adopters are asked to sign a Homing Agreement and to make a minimum donation to the UKRCC welfare fund, currently £80, for each cat adopted, to help us continue our work. All monies raised are used to benefit needy Ragdolls.

If a Ragdoll cat needs to be removed from its current home situation immediately, we have the experience and facilties to provide fostercare for as long as necessary, where the Ragdolls receive all the love and care they need. Every Ragdoll in foster care receives a full health check, is treated for worms and fleas and if necessary, is neutered and vaccinated. Any additional veterinary care or treatment that may be necessary is always provided. We fund all costs for neutering, vaccination, dematting and any other veterinary treatment that a Ragdoll may need when it intially goes to a new home.

Do you need our help to find a new home for your Ragdoll?

If you have a Ragdoll that you can no longer keep, whatever the reason, please feel you can contact us for support. We will be able to help you find a special home for your Raggie, so that you have the reassurance and peace of mind they will be loved and well cared for. Please call our emergency helpline on 0870 766 9823 or email us. All enquiries are treated in the strictest confidence.

Please note we are happy to help with rehoming any pedigree cat and we work closely with other cat rehoming services. Please contact us for assitance.

Do you feel you can offer life long care, love and commitment to an older Ragdoll in need?

We are often seeking suitable families for needy older Ragdolls. Before contacting us, please consider carefully whether rehoming an older Ragdoll really is for you. We particularly need adopters who are willing to dedicate the time their new Ragdoll companion needs to settle into their new home and accept any health problems or 'baggage' that the Ragdoll may have. If you are looking for a kitten or very young Ragdoll, then we are unlikely to be able to help you, as the majority of Ragdolls we work with are middle aged or older. Offering a home to a needy Ragdoll is a rewarding experience and most Ragdolls will repay the love they are given many times over, but they do need total dedication and life long commitment.

We do receive many adoption enquiries, but we are looking for very specific homes and cannot guarantee that everyone contacting us will be lucky enough to adopt a Ragdoll through us. Adopting is not a method of gaining a cheap pedigree cat. If you are looking for a 'perfect and baggage free' Ragdoll of specific colour, pattern, gender and age, you may be better to contact a breeder.

If you feel you can help us by offering an older Ragdoll a safe, loving home, when they need it, please complete our online adoption application form here.

Is the Ragdoll Cat the right breed for you and your family?

If you have been researching Ragdolls, you are likely to have visted many websites and read much about the history of the breed and the typical Ragdoll temperament. If you read nothing else today, please take the time to visit the following link and read what it is really like living with a Ragdoll cat. Seasoned Ragdoll owners share their experiences, in an honest, humerous way and it really is the very best insight into being owned by a Ragdoll, that you will find, anywhere.

What we wish we had known before becoming Raggie owners!

For general information about the Ragdoll breed, please click here.

The UKRCC Ragdoll Rehoming Process

At the UKRCC we are committed to the welfare and happiness of all the Ragdolls we work with and the peace of mind of their owners. We take the adoption procedure extremely seriously and always work to find the very best home for every Ragdoll which is entrusted to us.

We gain as much information about the Ragdoll that we can with regards to health, temperament and specific needs.

Whenever necessary a foster home is provided and we will care for the Ragdoll until a new home is found.

While in foster care all Ragdolls are assessed. They are wormed, treated for fleas, health checked by a vet and receive any veterinary care needed, including dentals, vaccinations and neutering.

We gain as much information about potential adopters as we can, so we know what kind of home they can offer and indeed whether they can offer the type of home we generally look for. All potential adopters are asked to complete our adoption application.

We match each Ragdoll to their new home based on suitability. We keep owners fully informed of our progress in finding their Ragdoll a new family and work to support and reassure them throughout the process.

Unlike many breed rehoming groups, we only carry out a home assessment once we have a Ragdoll available, which may suit a potential adopters circumstances. This way we can tailor the home visit to the specific needs of the Ragdoll concerned and make sure that the family really can provide the type of home we are looking for. A home assessment gives us an opportunity to meet all members of the family, inform and advise about the ownership of Ragdolls and answer any questions potential adopters may have.

If the potential adopter passes their home assessment, then we put them in touch with the owner or foster carer. This gives both parties an opportunity to ask any questions they may have and if possible arrange a visit to meet the Ragdoll, before any adoption takes place. The adoption only goes ahead when all parties involved are happy.

The current owner completes a handover document. The adopter completes a homing agreement and makes a minimum donation, currently £80, to the UKRCC Trust account, for each Ragdoll adopted. All paperwork must be forwarded to the UKRCC within 10 working days of the adoption.

We always offer support and advice to the new owners and maintain contact to ensure the Ragdoll is settling well. We are commited to offering ongoing advice and support, throughout the life of the Ragdoll.

If a Ragdoll is homed directly to its new family, without coming into foster care and needs a dental, neutering, a vaccination course etc. at the point of adoption, we shall meet the costs of this from UKRCC funds.

We keep the previous owners informed of their Ragdoll's progress in their new home, for as long as they wish us to. In many cases the adopters will happily remain in contact with the previous owner sending news and photos and we encourage this. We always appreciate news of UKRCC adopted Ragdolls, so if you do home a Raggie via the UKRCC, please keep in touch with us.

Many of those who adopt Ragdolls via the UKRCC go on to be supporters and volunteers. If you would like to become involved and help us to continue our work with needy Ragdolls, then please click here to find out how.

The UKRCC has a non-destruct policy and will never put a healthy cat to sleep.

UKRCC Ragdoll Adoption Contact Information     Emergency Helpline 0870 766 9823 Fax 0871 661 5528 Email Please click here for our email form