My Ragdoll Cat Adventures Blog Post 4 → Welcome To Ragdoll Cats For Life

26th March 2022

The Arrival

I was sooo excited I couldn’t wait! I had it marked on my calender Friday 11th July with a little pic of a kitty. Considering I had not even met my babies even once, only seen and heard them on videos.

I arranged for a pet transport service to pick them up from the home and transport them to my house (about a 1 hour and 20 min drive). I had set out their toys, their scratching posts, their beds, their food bowls, water fountain, three trays (one in the kitchen, one in the downstairs office and one upstairs in my ensuite bathroom). I had purchased the same litter the breeder used (although as it turned out I had bought crystals instead of the granules of the same make but more on litter later). I had also purchased some food (the breeder used Applaws wet and Royal Canin dry). I had kitten-proofed the house as much as I thought possible.

I had decided to keep them downstairs initially. I have an open plan kitchen, dining room and lounge so I set that up for them and I would sleep on the sofa with them in the lounge until they had settled in. I booked the Friday and the Monday off work so I had 4 days to spend them with and get into a routine.

They arrived at about 11am on Friday. The chap brought in this big crate and inside were these two little fluffy kittens (and the breeder had put in a towel from her house so they had their mother’s scent with them.) Jack came out first and Tom needed a little persuasion but eventually got them both out and into the dining room/lounge.

I had intended to show them their trays first but I forgot in all the excitement. I just let them wonder around and have a look and a sniff of their new environment. They did not seem scared, just curious and confused at first. I got out some toys and we had a little play. They sniffed their food bowls and took a drink from the fountain. All going well. Then I think they realised they needed the toilet and didn’t know where to go so Tom had scuttled behind the TV unit so managed to do a squitty poo and as I was cleaning that up and wiping his bum Jack managed to do the same but I did manage to pick him half way through and plop him their tray but ended up with poo down my top but oh well. Bless them. I had bought a pet odour cleaner that is supposed to mask the scent of poo/wee if they have an accident as they may go back again to the same spot if it smells like that. So I cleaned up the mess with that and I moved one of the scratching posts in that area to try and block it off. Thankfully, by the end of the afternoon they had successfully used the tray for their wees so I had cracked it.

They did manage to eat some dinner (they had good appetites). They spent most of that evening snuggled up together on one of the curved scratching boards I had got them and they looked so cute. Then I spent the night on the sofa and they slept on the rug in front of me and they didn’t wake me up at all. All in all a good start.

What Is A Ragdoll Cat?

The Ragdoll cat as legend has it, was descended from Josephine a feral cat living in California in the 1960s. She was struck by a car and after she recovered, her kittens produced all the winning traits that would become the hallmark of the Ragdoll cat including large heavy build, soft downy fur, docility and laid-back personality. The original bloodlines of Ragdolls can be traced back to Ann Baker’s Ragdoll cats. It was she who developed the breed from the original Josphine. Ragdolls are beautiful, friendly, loving cats know as gentle giants of the cat world.