# Demography, common disorders, cause-specific mortality and life expectancy of Ragdoll cats under primary veterinary care during 2019 in the UK

## TL;DR

This study analyzed the health and mortality of Ragdoll cats in the UK in 2019, finding common disorders like dental issues and kidney disease.

## Contribution

The study provides the first detailed analysis of Ragdoll cat health and mortality under primary veterinary care in the UK.

## Key findings

- Periodontal disease, diarrhea, and obesity were the most prevalent disorders in Ragdoll cats.
- Kidney disorders and poor quality of life were the leading causes of death.
- The median age at death for Ragdoll cats was 12.85 years.

## Abstract

This study aimed to characterise the demography, common disorders, cause-specific mortality and life expectancy of the general population of Ragdoll cats under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2019.

The study used a retrospective cohort design of all cats under UK primary veterinary care within VetCompass Programme during 2019. The clinical records of a random sample of 2,025 Ragdolls were reviewed to identify every disorder recorded during 2019.

Ragdolls comprised 21,358 (1.70%) of 1,254,484 study cats. Annual proportional birth rates showed increasing Ragdoll popularity from 0.70% of all cats born in 2005 to 3.72% in 2019. Median adult Ragdoll bodyweight was 4.46 kg (IQR 3.79–5.19). The most prevalent precise-level precision disorders recorded were periodontal disease (8.84%, 95% CI: 7.60-10.08), diarrhoea (7.11%, 95% CI: 5.99–8.23) and obesity (6.91%, 95% CI: 5.81–8.02). The most common disorder groups were dental (14.52%, 95% CI: 12.98–16.05), enteropathy (13.48%, 95% CI: 11.99–14.97), skin (7.75%, 95% CI: 6.59–8.92) and obesity (6.91%, 95% CI: 5.81–8.02). From 133 Ragdolls that died during the study period, the median age at death was 12.85 years (IQR 5.71–16.11). The most common causes of death at group level precision were kidney disorder (21.18%, 95% CI: 12.49–29.86) and poor quality of life (12.94%, 95% CI: 5.81–20.08).

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40575-025-00148-9.