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Original poster

Tell me about Ragdolls

42 replies

patrickbatemansbusinesscard · 29/10/2021 10:21

Morning all, I was surprisingly offered a Ragdoll kitten yesterday and have had a restless night on what to do! Thought I would turn to the knowledgeable cat owners of Mumsnet for advise...

Current situation, in the home me, my DC(16) and British Shorthair(5)

What is this breed like, my BSH is wonderful, he is the perfect cat and worried that another will be so different from him.

OP posts:
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6
Ellmau · 29/10/2021 10:33

I don't have one myself but know one.

Beautiful, affectionate, not the sharpest tool in the box.

RedCarsGoFaster · 29/10/2021 10:35

Oh I love thrum and one will be my next cat!

Absolutely enormous, very fluffy, generally (as a breed) very affectionate and docile. Usually indoors / house cats because they are too easy to pick up and walk away with.

MalFunkshun · 29/10/2021 10:38

What @Ellmau said. We have an absolutely beautiful one who is totally bombproof - literally the kids can be shrieking next to him and he either ignores it or wanders off in a casual sort of way.

Likes to sit on people, likes just to be near people all the time, very gentle - but Not Bright 😂

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Cats
GoodVibesHere · 29/10/2021 10:39

I would love one, but don't want a house cat as I prefer them to get a bit of fresh air and decent exercise.

A few mumsnetters over in the litter tray have raggies, I'm sure if you ask there you'll get good advice.

Original poster
patrickbatemansbusinesscard · 29/10/2021 10:40

Ohhh this is really making my decision very easy Grin

They sound very like my BSH boy.

Obviously another worry is how would my boy be introducing a newbie to the house.

OP posts:
Mushrooms0up · 29/10/2021 10:44

Ours is amazing. She always wants to be near you and get involved.

I’m ‘working’ from home atm and she’s sleeping behind my laptop.

No regrets at all - go for it!

slavetothekittens · 29/10/2021 11:23

Have had two Raggie boys in my life and now have a Raggie girl. They need to be indoor cats as they are the least streetwise cats ever, no road sense, incredibly nosy and incredibly trusting.

Lovely natured, the boys, I found, were the most placid, my girl is a bit of a Diva, lol. Nothing is sacred....you will be accompanied to everything..sit on the loo and you are an instant cat seat! Raggies get everywhere...in cupboards, in bags, boxes, it is honestly like having a toddler without the tantrums. Fabulous cats, the more time and love you give them, the more they will return. Friends for life.

Oh, they do shed, but I love brushing kitties, I find it relaxing.

Baypony · 29/10/2021 11:55

I’ve had both ragdoll and ragdoll crosses. In my experience they are really great with people, very affectionate and quite vocal. Shed surprisingly little for a long haired breed and just love you and want to be with you and have their nose in what you are doing all the time. A lot of people keep them as house cats or have an outdoor run because their affectionate nature makes them less streetwise and more liable to theft. Mine did go out and they were fantastic hunters (both the males and females) so never a day without a present. Some breed lines are prone to heart problems, although I am not sure which ones. They are great with kids, don’t bite or scratch humans much and go floppy when they are picked up (hence the name Ragdoll). I think they are lovely but they do require brushing and kittens need a ‘bum trim’ so they don’t get too smelly. They are also quite large when fully grown, so you might need to consider bigger basket/bed etc.

Toddlerteaplease · 29/10/2021 11:59

Ask to move this post to the Litter tray. You'll get more advice. We are all crazy cat people!

Sprig1 · 29/10/2021 12:17

Did you want another cat anyway? If not then have a long think about this may affect the status quo. It sounds like life with your current cat is excellent. What happens if he is really upset by the arrival of a new cat?

purpleme12 · 29/10/2021 12:22

@Sprig1

Did you want another cat anyway? If not then have a long think about this may affect the status quo. It sounds like life with your current cat is excellent. What happens if he is really upset by the arrival of a new cat?
Agree

But if you really are looking for another cat anyway there's no reason to not have a ragdoll they're amazing, but then all cats are!

Original poster
patrickbatemansbusinesscard · 30/10/2021 08:49

Another sleepless night lol.

My only reservation now is my boy, I'm worried about bringing another cat into the home. He is so chilled out and very gentle but I have never really seen him interact with another cat.

Any advise on how well or badly this could go?

OP posts:
Dontstepinthecowpat · 30/10/2021 08:53

I’m sitting on the sofa while my ginger raggie overlord sits on the cushion behind my head. He is the best cat ever, to be found in the strangest of places and happy to be carried around by my 4 year old even though they are basically the same size. You won’t regret it.

Tell me about Ragdolls
Whadda · 30/10/2021 09:08

As I type, I’m lying in bed pinned down by my Ragdoll who is asleep between my ankles and I know she’ll give out if I move Grin

Best cats ever. Ours is quite shy and not affectionate with everyone, but very bonded to me and my husband (it’s just the two of us, but she’s not crazy on visitors). She doesn’t love to be picked up but is happiest between us on the couch or at the bottom of our bed. She loves comfort so anything like a soft fleecy throw is an instant attraction.

She’s very bossy, nosey, and communicative. Great fun and just loves an empty box to play in.

They’re not known as the brightest breed, but I think she’s pretty clever. Like, if she sees me boil the kettle, she’ll grab a seat at the kitchen table because she knows that’s where I’ll be heading. When we switch off the kitchen lights at night, she knows it’s time for bed and walks to our bedroom.

I’ve been away from home quite a bit lately, and she’s pined for me while I was gone.

I’ve never had an indoor cat before but it’s working very well for us (our house is between two farms and alongside a road with a busy school so had concerns about her getting injured by livestock or killed on the road) and she seems very happy with the arrangement. Once she has a comfy perch inside and some people around to entertain her, she’s very happy.

She’s two now and I’m hoping to add another at some stage over the coming year.

Ephe17 · 30/10/2021 09:51

"As I type, I’m lying in bed pinned down by my Ragdoll who is asleep between my ankles and I know she’ll give out if I move"

I was like that earlier. Well at first he insisted on been petted for a full half hour then he pinned me down as he settled to sleep on my legs.

Later I let him out. I wedged the door open for him but he's no doubt struggling to work out how to come back in. As others have said they are not very bright. It took him three blooming years to learn how to push a door open. Our ex feral moggy delights in outwitting him. Grin

Duckrace · 30/10/2021 09:57

We had one a few years ago and the neighbour in a different street stole it. First said it was "starving and thin", so she had to feed it, then that it wanted to live with her. I had a vet record that her weight was perfect , too. Cat wouldn't come back, eventually. They're very beautiful, talkative and friendly, and she just wanted my cat.

CreepySpider · 30/10/2021 10:00

I’ve had three Ragdolls and they were wonderful but my BSH is the absolute best. They did live with other without an issue if that helps your worries.

BrilliantBulb · 30/10/2021 10:09

They want a lot of attention. Be prepared to be woken at the crack of dawn for cuddles and to be followed around being guilted during the day if you’re too busy to give them a lap.

They need a lot of upkeep for their coat. It mats very easily and you don’t want to let it get to that point. If you like brushing though then that would work out well for you.

They’re not particularly good at keeping themselves out of danger.

Mine hates other cats so I’m not sure how they cope at being with others. Mine is a person cat not a cat cat. But I think that’s more to do with individual temperament and how they were raised.

CreepySpider · 30/10/2021 10:30

@BrilliantBulb

They want a lot of attention. Be prepared to be woken at the crack of dawn for cuddles and to be followed around being guilted during the day if you’re too busy to give them a lap.

They need a lot of upkeep for their coat. It mats very easily and you don’t want to let it get to that point. If you like brushing though then that would work out well for you.

They’re not particularly good at keeping themselves out of danger.

Mine hates other cats so I’m not sure how they cope at being with others. Mine is a person cat not a cat cat. But I think that’s more to do with individual temperament and how they were raised.

Yours doesn’t sound at all like the three I’ve had and all three had long lives (lived to be around 20).

Mine loved cuddles and did follow around with little mews but were very happy to just snuggle up nearby when I was busy. They never woke me up at the crack of dawn past kittenhood. Very few mats and low maintenance for grooming, although for non moulting cats they did get fluff all over the place.

I agree about not being good at keeping themselves out of danger but they were reckless (my Bengal won that award).

The three of them loved each other and tolerated the three other cats I had alongside them. Very happy, gentle, affectionate, loving cats.

CreepySpider · 30/10/2021 10:30

*weren’t reckless

onelittlefrog · 30/10/2021 10:41

I had one years ago and he was absolutely gorgeous. Best cat ever.

Personality wise he was docile but affectionate, and as someone else said definitely not the brightest. Like he would lie precariously on the top of the sofa, gradually falling off, but he wouldn't realise and catch himself before he fell.

It was kind of funny but you can see why they are often house cats! No street sense at all.

They don't always cope well with other cats. Mine just simply did not understand "cat etiquette" or any kind of aggression from other cats at all, so they are definitely at risk if you let them out. They will aways come off worse in a fight.

Best thing for them with going outside is a secure garden.

If your BSH is territorial at all then he will walk all over the ragdoll, but the ragdoll probably won't care (as long as BSH is not violent/ aggressive!)

They are super lovely pets though, and everyone who comes round will love them because they're so cute and fluffy.

Beware thoughh - they shed everywhere and you will not be able to wear black clothes for 15 years!

onelittlefrog · 30/10/2021 10:45

@patrickbatemansbusinesscard

Another sleepless night lol.

My only reservation now is my boy, I'm worried about bringing another cat into the home. He is so chilled out and very gentle but I have never really seen him interact with another cat.

Any advise on how well or badly this could go?

It really depends on the temperament of your BSH.

The ragdoll (if it's anything like mine was) will most likely be docile and laid back.

Could you have the kitten on a trial for a day or two and see how they get on?

onelittlefrog · 30/10/2021 10:48

Oh yes and as someone above said, they are a higher risk of being stolen if you do let them out because of the way they look and that they are a pedigree.

People pay £1000's for ragdolls. You definitely need to get them chipped.

FliesAreMad · 30/10/2021 11:20

We have a 16 month Ragdoll boy. He and the dog (cavalier King Charles) enjoy their wrestling play fights and I think he’d get a bit lonely with his doggie buddy. He sheds a lot though. He’s an inside boy, but has an outdoor enclosure and also goes out in a lead in the big garden every few days.

He’s very floppy and gentle, not scratchy. Docile. Affection is totally on his terms though, he tolerates being picked up but usually has his Humans Disgust Me face on, and would rather be put down. Happy to be patted, but he’s not a cat who will sit on your lap but will certainly follow you around the house and sleep in the same room as you.

He regularly sleeps in a splat position, on his back, paws stretched out which makes him look like a fat fluffy triangle.

Essexmum321 · 30/10/2021 12:10

Someone in the next street has one and he is awful, my cat and others have had horrible injuries from him, he has attacked people and will happily wonder into other peoples houses and scratch their furniture if he gets the chance.