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Why Are Ragdolls Always Hungry?

Amir Ali
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Written By: Amir Ali| November 10, 2021

Ragdolls are fussy eaters. If you are a ragdoll mom then you don’t need me to tell you how much Ragdolls love food. 

No sooner do they finish their bowl than they want another one. Quite possible that you often face a hard time in managing her clinginess for food. 

You might wonder, is everything alright, or there’s something unusual going on with your baby?

Well, first of all,  put yourself at ease. It’s common with Ragdolls to eat more than other cats. Both in terms of quantity and frequency.

You see ragdolls are big cats. These long-haired cat breeds need to keep their body satisfied with a regular supply of calories throughout the day therefore they demand more and more food. 

But this isn’t always the case. Sometimes there can be a different reason(s) behind your Rag’s unending appetite. 

Why are ragdolls alwys hungry?

Like what? 

Listen, this can be because of her fast metabolism or because of the poor nutritional value of food. Often it’s because of some disease or due to the presence of parasites in her intestine. 

Whatever be the reason, one thing is sure; it’s manageable. 

And in this article, we’ll be going to dig deep and understand the problem from its roots. 

Finally, at the end of this post, we’ll throw some light on the possible solutions. 

Related: 202 Cat Names for Ragdoll Cats

Possible Reasons Why Your Ragdolls is Always Hungry

1. Is Your Cutie a Growing Kitten?

Image Credit: Pixabay

The first reason for eating more is pretty normal. And, it’s the speedy growth of your Ragdoll kitten.

You know that ragdolls are big cats. Supplying Ragdolls with a nutritional diet is critical to meet the needs of their growing body when they are at the kitten stage. 

Now is the time to feed her with enough animal protein, essential fatty acids, and vitamins. So that she can develop strong bones and muscles. And, stay protected from diseases and deficiencies.

Although this is a common need of all breeds yet Ragdolls stand at a higher level of nutritional needs. So, they demand comparatively more food. 

Make sure to pay attention to their nutrition at this stage. 

Because stinginess from your end in the present may result in deficient and disturbed growth of your baby in the future. 

Comment: The best practice is to adopt a free-feeding approach and ensure quick access of food to your Ragdoll kitten whenever she feels hungry. 

2. Your Raggie May Have a Very Fast Metabolism

The second reason behind your kitty’s demonstration is to get more food is more good than bad. 

I even want to congratulate you that your cat is blessed with a very fast metabolism. 

And, since she’s digesting what she’s eating quickly; she’s demanding the next chunk earlier than usual.

But that’s nothing to worry about. In fact, fast metabolism will help her maintain a healthy weight and avoid obesity and other related diseases. 

3. Your Current Cat Food in Lacking Balanced Nutrition 

This cause demands more of your concern than the previous two. 

If your fluffy is not getting what she needs, no doubt she’ll demand more food. This may result in Obesity, which if left uncontrolled can lead to other fatal diseases. 

Remember, like Persian Cats, Ragdolls’ nutritional needs are also different. 

And, as you know there is a range of Persian Cat Foods available in the market, so do Ragdolls. 

So, the best practice is to feed her with a dedicated Ragdoll food or high-nutritional wet food instead of cheap dry food. 

If poor quality food is the reason behind your cat’s excessive demands then your problem will resolve as soon as you switch to a good cat food brand. 

4. She May Be a Diabetic

You might not think about it but diabetes can be the cause behind her overeating. To understand this, know that the bodies of humans and animals get energy by breaking down blood glucose (aka blood sugars). This is done by insulin manufactured and secreted by the pancreas. 

However, due to the inability of the body either to secrete or use insulin properly accumulates the sugars in the blood this creates a shortage of energy in the body and the organism shows extreme hunger for food. 

This way, diabetes keeps a cat unsatisfied with what is she eating and make her feel hungry all the time.

5. May Be She’s Suffering from Hypothyroidism

Hyperthyroidism means excessive secretion of thyroid hormone in the cat’s body which increases the metabolic rate abnormally and make the cat feel hungry as well as lose weight in some case.

As you know, the thyroid gland secretes a hormone that regulates the metabolic rate in cats. Too much of it in the body increases the metabolic rate abnormally. This means that now your cat is burning all the energy which she’s taking in super quickly. 

Naturally, now she will have extreme hunger more frequently than normal cats. And, so she demands more and more food to keep up with her energy needs.

Remember, if you cut off her meals in this condition this may result in weight loss because now she couldn’t keep up the pace of calorie intake with her fast metabolic rate.

5. Is She Pregnant? 

Now I want you to make sure whether your baby is all set to become a mom now or not? If yes then sit back and relax since it’s pretty normal to notice the increase in appetite in pregnancy.

Look, pregnancy is a critical phase of your cat’s life. At this stage, she needs plenty of calories and high-quality nutrition both for her and for the life in her womb.

Therefore, as a responsible cat dad or mom, you must provide her with what she needs and do not worry about the food budget. 

She needs more calories and you have no choice but to provide her with what she needs.

6. There Can Be Parasites in Her Gut

You know there can be other culprits behind your cat’s insane hunger that she has no control on.

Yes, I am talking about the parasites in the gut. 

Sometimes certain parasites such a roundworms, tapeworms enter into the gut and interfere with indigestion. 

These villains compete with your baby for nutrition as a result she feels unsatisfied with what she is eating and comes back to you frequently to ask for more food. 

7. She Has Become a Spoilt Cat Now Due to Free Feeding!

image showing spoilt ragdoll cat

Often, it happens that you spoil your cat yourself. LOL.

Your love for your furball forced you to adopt a Free-Feeding approach (when she was a kitten).

But, unfortunately, you forgot or intentionally didn’t decrease the frequency of meals when she grew up. 

And now, even though she is a grown-up cat, she still wants to be fed like a kitten and wants food all the time.

Free-feeding often increases the appetite since there’s no limit on how much she eats. 

The continuous intake of more food than what she needs over some time increases her appetite which gradually becomes problematic for you because she has never followed the controlled diet plan.

8. Boredom Or/And  Lifestyle

Lifestyle and Boredom can play a crucial role in the nutrition of your cat.

It’s a universal fact that Ragdoll is a Laid Back Cat! LOL. Yet, she wants to play with family members at some point in the day. 

And when they do this, they use up the energy which she has taken up before and demand food as soon as her playing session ends. 

Similarly, when there’s no one to play with her for long she may feel bored and try to kill her boredom with delicious food. 

5 Solutions to Control Ragdoll’s OverEating

Now, as you have understood all the major causes behind your cat’s craving for food it’s time to find some possible and simple solutions.

#1. Consult a Veterinarian

image showing vector graphic of veterinarian

The first solution is quite obvious. You see there can be several health issues why a Ragdoll cat is always feeling hungry.

She can be a diabetic, maybe she’s suffering from hyperthyroidism or any other health issue. 

The actual cause can be found after a detailed diagnosis. Therefore it’s advisable to drop your vet’s coat and go to a qualified veterinarian. 

Your vet after conducting a detailed health examination will suggest you the proper medication and diet plan for your cat.

#2. Keep a Record of the Daily Calorie Intake and Her Weight

If your Ragdoll doesn’t have any health problems then you can move on step 2.

Here, I’d advise you to pay attention to how much she is eating per day and record it. 

By doing this you can find out whether her metabolism is normal, fast or abnormal. 

If you find that your cat is either overweight or underweight than an average Ragdoll then again it’s time to consult a vet. And follow his/her advice.

#3. Give Her Nutritious Food

Ragdolls are large cats and need quality nutrition. 

A typical Ragdoll diet should essentially consist of high animal protein(from organ, flesh and muscles), moderate fats, fatty acids, very low carbs, and high moisture.

Dry foods generally don’t meet these nutritional requirements. These are cheaply available foods that are stuffed with grains, preservatives and fillers. 

Lack of it can make her feel hungry and weak. So, the best practice is to go with Wet Ragdoll Foods or simply Wet Cat Foods. 

Wet foods are specifically formulated to provide the cats with enough animal protein and high-moisture. There are foods that are completely free from grain too.

too. Farmina N & D is one such food that you can go with. 

Even if you can’t afford wet food and want to give dry food then make sure that the food has very low fillers, no preservatives and high animal protein. Also, don’t forget to serve her enough water after the meals.

If she doesn’t drink water from the bowl then you can encourage her by using a cat water fountain

#4. Gradually Decrease  the Number of Meals as She Grows Up

During the initial stages from birth to around 1 year, growing Ragdoll kittens need a high frequent intake of food for the development of their bones and muscles. 

Therefore it’s preferable to adopt a free-feeding schedule for them. 

But this needs to be decreased and controlled as they grow up. You also need to make the transition to adult cat food from kitten food. 

This normally happens in 13 to 14 months. However, this can differ on the basis of the health of an individual cat. 

I suggest you consult your vet when it is the right time to reduce the number of meals and make the transition from kitten to adult cat food. 

#5 Use Slow Feeding Cat Bowl

This cool heck lets you control the good intake of your Ragdoll cat without cutting on the amount of food you serve to her or its frequency. 

The idea is to serve her food in special bowls that are designed to slow down the speed of eating and thereby make it difficult for your rag to reach the food.

In this way, you can force her to consume less even when there is no change in the quantity of food or the number of times you are serving her the food. 

Check out the best food bowls in this article.

How Long to Feed a Ragdoll Kitten Food

Kittens’ nutritional needs are different from adult cats. Since kittens are in the growing phase of their lives need more animal protein, fats and calories to grow their mass, muscles and make their bones stronger. On the other hand, adult cat food contains fewer calories to avoid obesity. 

Manufacturers formulate foods specifically for kittens by taking into consideration their nutritional requirements.

Now the question is how long should you feed your ragdoll kittens with kitten food? Or when is the right time to switch over to adult cat food? 

Unlike other cats, Ragdolls grow slowly. They take almost 3-4 years to reach maturity. But it doesn’t mean that you must switch to adult food when they enter adulthood. 

Also, there are no strict lines drawn that you can stop giving kittens food overnight as soon as she enters ‘X’ number of months. 

Practically, it depends on each ragdoll kitten individually. Generally, it can be anywhere between 13 to 16 months. But only a vet can tell the exact time when you should make the transition from kitten to adult food by observing the health of your kitten. 

FAQs on Ragdoll

Q1. Do Ragdolls need more food? 

Of course! Ragdolls are large cats so they need a high amount of calories and nutrition to provide their body with what it needs to thrive. To get the appropriate nutrition, ragdolls need more food than small and medium-sized cats. 

Q2. Do Ragdolls have a favourite person?

Ragdolls have a very calm, friendly and lovable nature. They love and want to be around the person who cares for them the most. They like petting, cuddling, sleeping in bed and playing with their favourite person who gives them the maximum time.

Q3. Are Ragdoll cat fussy eaters? 

Honestly, Yes! Ragdolls are hunger giants. One of the most common problems of Ragdoll owners is the frequent vocalisation and demonstrations that their cat makes to get the food repeatedly. Although, there can be a number of reasons behind their behaviour (which I have discussed in the article) we can’ give them a clean chit LOL.