Ragdoll cats

wdmfapq4zs83hv

Bumping up this old post. Can anyone withone of these cats give me a bit more info? Just read about this breed today & got me thinking might be a good fit for our family. We have young kids so a docile temperament would be ideal. Any breeder recommendations? Any other info that would be useful?

Cherry Blossom

Post split away from an old thread with arguments galore going on

Nody

Joey Acidic Fan wrote: »

Bumping up this old post. Can anyone withone of these cats give me a bit more info? Just read about this breed today & got me thinking might be a good fit for our family. We have young kids so a docile temperament would be ideal. Any breeder recommendations? Any other info that would be useful?

Docile in general but that does not stop them from being cats or fearful if treated wrong and may lash out like any other cat. Getting a Ragdoll does not excuse you from taking the same precautions you'd do with any other cat. I'd honestly consider a good rescue instead simply because they would be able to tell you the personality of the kitten; I've fostered cats who'd literally speaking jump into a strangers arm for cuddles and have placed multiple kittens who went sleeping in the children's beds with the new families children from day 1 and they were all random moggies.

Lumen

I wouldn't spend €1000 to get a cat suitable for young kids, it's not necessary.

I've had cats all my life. The only one that would be unsuitable for young kids is my current rescue tortoiseshell who is psychotic.

All the others have been black.

So get a black cat and save yourself a grand.

CelticRambler

Joey Acidic Fan wrote: »

We have young kids so a docile temperament would be ideal.

The last thing your children need is a "toy" animal. Get them a real cat with a real personality and they'll learn to respect it.

Spoken as someone who's owned both cats and young children for years!

And I second Nody's suggestion of going to a rescue centre and letting the cat/kitten choose you, not the other way round.

greensheep777

Lumen wrote: »

I wouldn't spend €1000 to get a cat suitable for young kids, it's not necessary.

I've had cats all my life. The only one that would be unsuitable for young kids is my current rescue tortoiseshell who is psychotic.

All the others have been black.

So get a black cat and save yourself a grand.

I can confirm, the most placid and gentle cats I've had were both black.

mymo

Vote here rescue too, hand reared kittens are often gentler I find, or ones that are left with mum until 10weeks and we'll handled.
I'd vote for ginger, every one I've had (3 in my lifetime) have been the softest cuddle monsters, male cats are often better too, once neutered at around 5-6 months.
I have had toddler and kittens, one of those kittens is still here at 16 and the toddler is now in college!

wdmfapq4zs83hv

Thanks for the replies. How do people generally find young kids ( toddlers) get on with cats? We ruled out a dog as thought not a good idea with toddler. I had cats when younger but barely remember how much work goes into them. The more expensive types like ragdolls/ persians seem to be "indoor " cats. Can you really keep a cat indoors all the time? It seems a bit cruel. With regular cats do you let them out every day? At what age do you let them go? How much work goes into having a cat in general? Dont want to take on too much. Edited to add is there a difference temperament wise with male / female? Also does the colour of the cat actually make a difference to temperament? I remember having a black cat who was nuts!

Nody

Joey Acidic Fan wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. How do people generally find young kids ( toddlers) get on with cats? We ruled out a dog as thought not a good idea with toddler. I had cats when younger but barely remember how much work goes into them. The more expensive types like ragdolls/ persians seem to be "indoor " cats. Can you really keep a cat indoors all the time? It seems a bit cruel. With regular cats do you let them out every day? At what age do you let them go? How much work goes into having a cat in general? Dont want to take on too much. Edited to add is there a difference temperament wise with male / female? Also does the colour of the cat actually make a difference to temperament? I remember having a black cat who was nuts!

Many questions so let's go through them.

1) Indoor 100% of the time because it protects them from dogs, cars, foxes etc. and it's not a problem as long as they are entertained (that means playtime, cuddle time and access to look out windows etc.)
2) When they stop eating which means they can live beyond 30 years (which you'd never see with an outdoor cat due to the additional risks)
3) Keeping a cat means cleaning their toilet at least once a day, feeding kibble & changing water at least once a day and cuddle & play sessions for about an hour or more a day. Cats tend to sleep a lot and if you get two cats they also play with each other and keep each other entertained (once again make sure the cats are bonded rather than two random cats).
4) Male / female I'd say Males being larger tends to be cuddlier and a bit more stupid if that makes sense? Then again I have females who'd drool on you and allow anyone to cuddle them. On the other hand I've had females who'd taken to toddlers and actively protected them against dangers and would run over to purr and cuddle toddlers when crying as if they were their own kittens. Personality plays a stronger role than sex which any good rescue should be able to tell you of their kittens personality to ensure you get a good match but only a female would be protective of kittens to that extent in general. An extreme but most known example of such behaviour course would be this clip:

5) See 4

Lumen

Joey Acidic Fan wrote: »

How do people generally find young kids ( toddlers) get on with cats?

Young kids tend to be unable to pick up signals for when the cat is not enjoying the attention.

Cats are somewhat trainable in terms of who they'll attack. Mine knows that it is not allowed to retaliate against a child, but it will occasionally do a random unprovoked attack (usually on exposed feet), typically around its evening hunting time.

Joey Acidic Fan wrote: »

I had cats when younger but barely remember how much work goes into them...How much work goes into having a cat in general? Don't want to take on too much.

I've always had outdoor cats and they require almost zero effort. We often go away for a few days and leave out a pile of dry food and water. Cat doesn't seem bothered. Occasional vaccinations and worming.

Joey Acidic Fan wrote: »

The more expensive types like ragdolls/ persians seem to be "indoor" cats.

Long haired cats tend to be incredibly stupid; this can result in expensive and upsetting road kill.

Joey Acidic Fan wrote: »

is there a difference temperament wise with male / female?

In my experience males drool when excited. This is annoying.

Joey Acidic Fan wrote: »

Also does the colour of the cat actually make a difference to temperament? I remember having a black cat who was nuts!

I've had a charmingly nuts black cat, but not one that takes pleasure in hurting me. :pac:

Ms Doubtfire1

Cats are in many cases less predictable than dogs. They can also do decent damage to a toddlers face.
My bottom line here is simple: If you can't supervise the interaction of your toddler with your pet at all times, don't get one.
No pet is 100% safe all the time. Supervision is always and 100% required - no exceptions.

Lumen

The other reason to wait is that toddlers tend to forget things, whereas if you wait until they're about age 5 they'll always remember the day the cat/kitten arrived.

I realise that from a parent's perspective toddler years (particularly the nappy phase) stretch to eternity and so this suggestion may seem unreasonable. :pac:

CelticRambler

I disagree entirely with the two posters above! :pac: My very earliest memories are those of "my" cat (who wasn't mine at all, but he slept on my pillow every night, and I'm thankful that my mother never believed that nonsense about cats smothering babies.

I had two cats when I met MrsCR who would go on to add baby humans to our household, and contrary to Mrs Doubtfires 100% no exceptions rule, we were more than happy to let the cats do the babysitting when the need arose. Almost all of our baby photos have a cat in them somewhere.

Getting back to the other (follow-up) questions: long-haired cats take a lot of work, either daily grooming, or regular trips to either a groomer or the vet to get rid of all their matts. Indoor cats definitely live longer than outdoor cats, but most in-and-out cats these days will make it into their late teens at least, often sticking around longer than many of the humans you invite into your life!

wdmfapq4zs83hv

Thanks for the replies. Intrigued about "outdoor cats". Do you just leave them off to wander? Do they sleep indoors/ outdoors? How do you know they will come back?

wdmfapq4zs83hv

Ps have seen some very adorable persian cats. Anyone any experience of these?

CelticRambler

Joey Acidic Fan wrote: »

Intrigued about "outdoor cats". Do you just leave them off to wander? Do they sleep indoors/ outdoors? How do you know they will come back?

You don't.

If the purpose of getting a cat is to introduce your children to animals, then you should be thinking about having one that is mostly indoors, with some time spent outside. There's probably a thread on here somewhere about how to manage that, but it sounds like you haven't yet made a final decision about any of this, so I wouldn't get bogged down in that kind of detail for the moment.

The long and the short of it is that cats have minds of their own (that's why we love 'em ) and nothing is ever guaranteed. If you try to keep them in, they're quite likely to try and escape; if you don't want them in the house, chances are they'll forever be sneaking in ...

Joey Acidic Fan wrote: »

Ps have seen some very adorable persian cats. Anyone any experience of these?

Yep. Known to vets as "practice builders" because their healthcare bills are so high. Long hair and abnormally short noses make for lots of potential problems. If you're looking for low-maintenance, look elsewhere.

Lumen

Joey Acidic Fan wrote: »

Ps have seen some very adorable persian cats. Anyone any experience of these?

I had a friend with one of these. It was so stupid I swear it would walk into a corner and not know how to get out.

ED E

Joey Acidic Fan wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. Intrigued about "outdoor cats". Do you just leave them off to wander? Do they sleep indoors/ outdoors? How do you know they will come back?

TLDR:

Indoor cats - Kept inside at all times (unless you wanna walk them with a leash) - 999 mode if they ever find a way out. Require a lot more stimulation from the human overlord.

Outdoor cats - (What Ive had) You set "home base" by keeping them indoors for a month or two after you get them. Lots of food/water/attention. This mostly attaches them to your house. Then they can be allowed out to wander and come back to be let in when it suits them (such as 3AM mewing on the windowsill, little bugger). Hazards: Cars, Dogs, Badgers, The OAP 3 doors down who gives him milk and steals him from you. Pros: entertains self. Cons: Wanting to be let in at all hours (if no cat flap, or objects to using it, little bugger). Dead critters being discovered on the kitchen floor.

On that, outdoor kitty may bring back mice, rats, bats etc. Dead or half dead. If little baby is around he/she may be first to discover said so supervision is required.


Personally, long haired gingers = garfield. 100%. Lazy little dope. Also long hairs shed like theres no tomorrow so something to be aware of.

Dubl07

Joey Acidic Fan wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. Intrigued about "outdoor cats". Do you just leave them off to wander? Do they sleep indoors/ outdoors? How do you know they will come back?

You can put what's basically a cat-flap in a window connected to a large, high, outdoor space that's fenced in and roofed made from wood and chicken-wire. Fill that with cat toys, climbing branches etc and your cat can't roam, nor can other cats enter its space.

Alternatively, you can put a high cat-proof fence angled at the very top by 45° all the way around the garden, including the gates. The problem there is that while your cat can't escape your garden, nor can any other passing feline who decides to investigate.

Both options are fairly expensive but if you're dead set on a status cat, money may not be a problem.

mymo

Double post sorry

mymo

When you get a kitten, vaccines first, they need to be wormed every 2weeks until 12 weeks, monthly then until 6months, then every 3months for life.

Neuter at 5-6 months (I keep indoors until neutered at least), and if you have an enclosed garden you can cat proof it to keep the cat in the garden, or built a catio area outside a window or door, keeps cat safer while allowing some freedom to explore and entertain themselves.

There are threads on here about catio building and you can Google, or cat proof garden.

The trick with toddlers is to teach them the right way to interact with the cat, let them feed the cat, rub the cat, explain this makes kitty happy, this makes kitty sad, kitty needs a nap etc. Wash hands after playing or feeding kitty. They pick it up very quickly, but avoid dangly toys or play using hands, small jingle balls, bits of paper etc are better toys for toddlers, less risk of excited cat accidentally grabbing toddler.
My daughter taught our cat to give high fives when she was 3, he still does them, he loves her and used to chase around the house with her along with his brother, it's lovely to watch and a great experience for them to look after another living thing.

One last thing, go for short hair, we have a beautiful long haired cat but we find slugs and all sorts in her hair at times, it's not nice.

wdmfapq4zs83hv

Thanks for the replies. Great info there. By the way Im not looking for a "status cat" as someone said. I was interested initially in ragdoll as read about their placid nature. I felt this would suit our house with small children. Also its hard not to think the likes of persian cats & ragdolls are very cute. Though they seem to cost an arm and a leg so probably not an option. Our neighbours have cats who use our garden as an extension of their own so we are fairly used to having them around. I suppose its just wether or not to take the plunge!