What Ragdoll Health Testing Actually Includes: A Complete Guide

What Ragdoll Health Testing Actually Includes: A Complete Guide

When a breeder tells you their cats are “fully health tested,” what does that actually mean?

Depending on the breeder, it could mean anything from “we ran a comprehensive panel through an accredited lab” to “we did one basic test three years ago.” There’s no universal standard. And most prospective buyers have no way to tell the difference — until they know what to ask for.

This post is your reference guide. Every major health test a responsible Ragdoll breeder should be doing, what it covers, why it matters, and what documentation you should expect to see.

The Two-Test Baseline for HCM

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common cardiac disease in cats and one of the most important conditions to screen for in Ragdolls specifically.

Ethical Ragdoll health testing for HCM has two components. Both are needed. Neither is optional.

Component 1: The MYBPC3 R820W DNA Test

This is a genetic test that looks for a specific single base pair change in the MYBPC3 gene. It’s a one-time test — genotype doesn’t change over a cat’s lifetime.

The reference lab in the US is UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory. The test runs about $47 and takes roughly 15 business days.

Results come back as one of three:

• N/N (negative/normal): Two normal copies of the gene. Cat does not carry the R820W mutation.
• N/HCM (heterozygous): One copy of the mutation, one normal copy. This is where sources genuinely disagree — more on that below.
• HCM/HCM (homozygous): Two copies of the mutation. UC Davis states these cats “are at high risk of developing severe HCM signs, usually between 1-2 years of age.”

The Heterozygote Question (Where Sources Disagree)

This is one of the areas where responsible breeders actually have to make a judgment call.

UC Davis describes heterozygous cats as “not likely to show signs.”

North Carolina State University’s cardiology service takes a different position: “heterozygous cats are more likely to develop a mild form of disease than positive homozygous cats,” and stresses that “HCM is a disease of incomplete penetrance” (source).

PawPeds, one of the most respected pedigree health organizations, says heterozygous cats may be bred to negative partners, but “it is not recommended to use homozygous cats” (source).

The practical read: heterozygous status is manageable but never a clean bill of health. A heterozygous cat can still be an appropriate breeding cat if paired with a negative partner, but they should be scanned regularly and any signs of disease means immediate retirement from breeding.

Component 2: Cardiologist Echocardiography

The DNA test alone is not enough. HCM has other genetic causes we haven’t identified yet, and the disease can develop in cats without the R820W mutation. That’s why echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) by a board-certified cardiologist is essential.

The widely-used PawPeds echo schedule is:

• First scan at age 1 before any breeding use
• Annual scans until age 3
• Additional testing at age 5

NC State separately recommends annual echocardiography for any DNA-positive cat, regardless of heterozygous or homozygous status.

Cats diagnosed with HCM of any degree should not be used in breeding — period.

What Not to Rely On

A few things that get confused for actual HCM screening:

• NT-proBNP blood test alone. The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) states that the quantitative NT-proBNP assay “is not recommended for differentiating normal cats from cats with mild to moderate HCM.” It’s a useful screening tool in some contexts but does not replace echocardiography.
• Auscultation (listening to the heart with a stethoscope). Many affected cats have no detectable murmur. A “clean” vet exam does not mean a heart is HCM-free.
• General practitioner ultrasound. Echocardiography for HCM screening should be performed by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist, not a general practitioner with an ultrasound machine.

PKD: Lower Priority Than Folklore Suggests

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a serious concern in some breeds — Persians have historically shown 31-42% prevalence. In Ragdolls, though, the picture is different.

A retrospective Ragdoll screening study found PKD prevalence “less than 3%” in Ragdolls, with only two positives in its final seven years of screening (source). That’s strong evidence that pre-breeding PKD1 testing has already effectively removed the mutation from most responsible breeding programs.

What this means practically:

• PKD1 testing should be done once per breeding cat — the genotype doesn’t change, so annual retesting wastes money
• Ask breeders whether they’ve tested — they should be able to show you a certificate
• PKD positive results should not enter breeding programs

Interestingly, the same study found 8.6% of Ragdolls had ultrasound changes compatible with chronic kidney disease unrelated to PKD. That’s useful context: kidney health matters in older Ragdolls even when PKD isn’t the cause.

Blood Typing: The Overlooked Test That Prevents a Preventable Tragedy

Blood typing is one of the most valuable tests a breeder can do — and one of the least commonly discussed.

Cats have three main blood types: A, B, and AB. Most cats are Type A. Type B is less common, and Type AB is very rare. UC Davis notes that the variant resulting in AB blood type “identified in Ragdolls” makes typing especially useful for the breed (source).

Why does this matter?

Neonatal isoerythrolysis (NI) is a fatal condition that occurs when a Type B queen is bred to a Type A male. The kittens can inherit Type A blood, and if they nurse from their Type B mother, her antibodies attack their red blood cells. Kittens can die within days of birth.

NI is completely preventable through pre-breeding blood typing. It is a genuine differentiator between breeders who understand breed-specific risks and breeders who don’t.

UC Davis specifically notes that blood typing lets breeders “use this test for mate selection to avoid NI in kittens.” A responsible Ragdoll breeder tests every breeding cat’s blood type before making pairing decisions.

At Kitten Around Ragdolls, [CAT NAME] is a documented Type AB carrier for Type B — which is exactly the kind of information you want documented in a cattery so pairing decisions can be made accordingly.

The Comprehensive Genetic Panel

Beyond the specific tests above, most ethical Ragdoll breeders now run a comprehensive genetic panel on every breeding cat.

UC Davis VGL offers Ragdolls a specific panel including PKD1, PRA (rdAc — progressive retinal atrophy), MPS VI (mucopolysaccharidosis), parentage verification, and coat color tests (source). UC Davis is the US reference standard.

Wisdom Panel’s Optimal Selection Feline remains the mainstream breeder panel, screening over 50 genetic conditions plus blood type, coat traits, and genetic diversity. This is what we use in our cattery. Note that the old breeder.wisdompanel.com portal was retired in 2023 and archived reports are request-only (notice).

A comprehensive panel gives you information on:

• 50+ known feline genetic conditions
• MDR1 medication sensitivity (drug reaction risk)
• Blood type
• Genetic diversity (heterozygosity)
• Coat color and pattern genetics
• Progressive retinal atrophy variants

What Buyers Should Expect Documented in 2026

Here’s the standard you should hold breeders to today:

• Dated PDF certificates naming the lab and the cat’s registered name — not a screenshot showing “N/N” without context
• A cardiologist’s echo report with date and credentials for both parent cats — not “our vet said the heart sounded fine”
• Honest framing that an echo is point-in-time — a clean scan at age 1 doesn’t guarantee a clean scan at age 5
• Published PDFs or willingness to share on request — the ability to actually see the documentation, not just take the breeder’s word for it

Publishing actual PDFs, rather than claiming “fully health tested,” is what separates breeders who really do this work from those who talk about it.

What Kitten Around Ragdolls Does

For full transparency about our own testing protocol:

• UC Davis MYBPC3 R820W DNA test on every breeding cat
• PKD1 DNA test on every breeding cat (once)
• Wisdom Panel Optimal Selection Feline comprehensive panel on every breeding cat
• Blood type testing on every breeding cat
• Board-certified cardiologist echocardiogram on every breeding cat before breeding use, then annually per PawPeds schedule
• Comprehensive IDEXX fecal panel on every litter before go-home (details here)
• All test results available to buyers — actual PDFs, not summaries

Read more about our complete health protocol or check out our related posts on how to read a breeder’s testing documentation and HCM testing specifically.

Questions?

If you’re evaluating a breeder’s testing and want a second opinion on what you’re seeing, reach out. We’re happy to help you understand what specific certificates and reports should look like.

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Looking for a Ragdoll kitten from a breeder with real, documented health testing? Check our available kittens or join our waitlist for upcoming litters. We’re a TICA-registered cattery in Sacramento, CA, breeding for health, temperament, and the traditional Ragdoll standard.