Ragdoll Cat Adventures Blog Post 3

25th March 2022

The Next Steps

Obviously it is important to consider the price as Ragdolls can set you back quite a bit! Normally between £750-£1000 per kitten so you need to give a lot of thought about finances before you buy. It was a good investment for me as it turned out as they have made me so happy and gave me an interesting hobby. Pet insurance is a must also and you should shop around for the best price. Your Ragdoll kitties should be micro chipped and vaccinated before you get them arranged by the breeder. Then when you get your babies you need to ensure you add your details to the micro-chip website and for the GCCF registration. For purebred Ragdolls their parents should already be on the GCCF register. Ok, so next is planning for the kitten’s arrival. I made lots of lists! I like lists anyway so that was fun for me. I listed all the things I decided I would need including:

Food (the breeder normally sends them with a sample pack of their food)

Litter (check what litter the breeder uses)

Litter trays (at least one per cat and an extra)

Beds

Toys

Flea and wormer products

Food bowls

Child-proofing items such as socket-plug ins

Leash and harness if you plan on teaching them to walk outside

A toy box

Scratching posts

Cat tree for having a safe place to be high up and for climbing on

Litter locker/storage bin for poopies and wee wees

Nappy bags, baby wipes

Feliway plug in

Cat carriers

Water fountain (or bowls for water)

Consider a catio, cat house or cat proofing in the garden so they have a secure place to go outside (if you want to let them)

In terms of things I bought that ended up being unnecessary I would say it was the beds as they have not used any of them! They seem to like finding their own places where they like to snuggle and snooze. There a lot of toys I bought for them that they were not interested in but I think that is a mistake a lot of cat owners make and there is not much you can do about it except do some research beforehand.

I also messed up with the cat carriers. The first two I had were ok and initially I could fit both kittens in one medium size carrier. Then I bought another as they got older and bigger they had one each. Then about eighteen months later when they had doubled in size I had to buy a VERY large cat crate to fit them both in! Be aware that Ragdoll cats can grown up to be 9-10 kilos. My boys are 9.5 kilos and it takes two of us to take them to the vet! After some reading on the internet and the Ragdoll guides I kitten-proofed the house as much as possible. For example:

Remove or cover anything that is accessible for potential chewing and have the risk of accidents such as wires, string, cables, blind chains and plastics.

Cover unused sockets

Remove anything breakable you want to keep safe e.g. knick-knacks on the window sill

Think about any places little kittens can hide or get stuck e.g. under the bed, in a drawer or cupboard, under a sideboard, in gaps between furniture

Keep toilet lids shut

Avoid having any plants or flowers around as some can be toxic to cats

Put medications, alcohol, make-up, air freshners, household cleaners and anything else that might be toxic safely out of the way

Keep work surfaces and tables clear as possible as they WILL jump onto any surface then can get to

Never leave windows and external doors open as they can escape and potentially have an accident or get lost (Ragdolls are bred to be house-cats and should not be outside unsupervised)

Basically look at your environment from the persepective of a little kitten and consider all the dangers and plan accordingly!

Last bit of the post- yes Jack turned out to be a boy! The vet assistant had insisted he was a girl but the breeder was sure he was wrong so after a second opinion from the vet at her local surgery it was determined Jack was a boy. I was a bit confused when she rang to tell me but I said I was happy with two boys! By that point the breeder had already given them their pedigree names. Tom’s is Rusty (a bit weird right?) and Jack is Scarlet! And that is what is on their certificates.