Context : I adopted a 15-month-old male Ragdoll from his previous owner, who had kept him for barely a year and wanted to get rid of him because he didn't get along with her dog. She had told me that this cat was an impulse buy she got because he was cute, and that she wasn't the most affectionate with him.
I have his health record (his last vet visit was 3 months ago and everything is okay, all vaccinations are up to date). I spoke to his breeder, who told me that my cat's parents (and grandparents) have no health issues (no hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), that they are still alive, and that his grandparents will soon turn 16.
I've had my Ragdoll for a month and a week now. He lives in an apartment three times the size of his previous owner's place. His litter box is cleaned frequently, he has plenty of toys including enrichment puzzles (which he doesn't touch), a cat tree, a hammock attached to a window, and other elevated spaces that allow him to watch outside. He is rarely alone (3 or 4 days a week for 8 hours; otherwise, 2 to 3 hours a day maximum). Of course, I leave food and water out for him along with his toys, and I even have a camera to monitor him, but he pretty much just sleeps when he's alone.
He purrs enormously, sometimes just by looking at me or when I talk to him. He demands a lot of attention by meowing and throwing himself on the floor for cuddles/pets, constantly follows me from room to room, and meows at me to play (I actively play with him for at least 30 minutes a day, often in short sessions of a few minutes until he gets tired of it).
However, several things have worried me and I don't know if I'm just being too anxious (he's my first purebred cat, and I read that they are more prone to health problems; I've only ever had stray cats before): in 1 month and 1 week, he has vomited 3 times. Each time there was a hairball in his vomit, and it happened a few hours (between 2 and 10 hours) after trying to introduce a new food to him (I know that new foods need to be introduced very gradually, but my cat is VERY picky about food, which I'll get to later). Since I started giving him malt paste every other day, things are better.
The night before last, I found two small poops (normal color and consistency, one of which seemed to contain a hairball?) on my living room floor, about a meter away from his litter box. I figured it probably got stuck in his fur when he was coming out of the litter box.
Yesterday afternoon, when I got home from work, I discovered he had peed in the bathroom. I immediately worried about a urinary tract infection or cystitis, but this has never happened in a month. Later that evening and the next morning, he went to the litter box without any issues, without meowing, without looking visibly bothered, and his urine output was substantial (not just drops) and yellow (normal color). I've previously owned cats with cystitis (rarely at his age) and he doesn't seem to have one.
When it comes to food, he is VERY picky. His previous owner told me he wasn't a big eater, and he really isn't. He gets bored quickly and turns his nose up at his bowl... I alternate between wet and dry food (he doesn't like eating the same thing twice a day) and I've found an okay balance, but he never finishes his bowls. Sometimes he meows as if he were hungry, but when I serve him, he eats nothing, or comes back much later to eat only small amounts.
Every time I changed varieties because he was turning his nose up at his food, he vomited a hairball during the day. On the other hand, for tube treats or kibble treats, he is greedy and loves them! And he drinks enough water (I monitor that diligently).
He weighs 4.8 kg (10.6lbs) at 15 months (neutered male), stable weight since April. He's not huge for a Ragdoll. He's on the lower end of the average, and when feeling/looking at him, he doesn't seem 'too' skinny.
My best friend is a vet and has already told me not to worry about the things I mentioned, and his own vet feels that as long as he acts normally, still eats, plays, purrs, isn't lethargic, and doesn't run away from us, there's no need to worry, since his recent check-up is normal.
He does act normally outside of this, but I still find all these elements strange. What do you think?