I hate my cat. I did not sign up for this

[Ragcatdoll]

3 year old male ragdoll. Bought from reputable breeder as a kitten. Researched the breed before buying. Consensus was I was signing up for a “living breathing teddy bear who will follow you everywhere”.

Reality is an unfriendly bored cat whose only aim in life is to leave his home. He has a 3 storey house to explore. Cat trees. Multiple toys. His 3 year old sister from same litter to play with. Attention all day from my grown up DS who works from home and my DH.

Did I mention I spent 4k professionally cat proofing my garden which he has access to 24/7 via a cat flap? Still not happy.Sits by front door screaming day and night to go out. Tries everything to get out the front including leaping from 2nd floor window which he did on Saturday. I’ve had enough.

Hes spent all day crying at the front door to go outside even though he has a secure back garden!!

I can’t cope with him anymore. Didn’t sign up for this. Not sure what else I can do except let him go outside the front where we have a road, a quiet road, but a road none the less. All I see on social media are ragdolls who lay around the house sleeping all day quite content.

His sister is lovely, loves her back garden & is a content little thing. He on the other hand is making the whole family miserable,

Let the poor boy out!!! For goodness sake, wouu you if you fancy being stuck in the same house and garden for the rest of your life?

He didn't sign up for being kept in prison for his whole life. You're being cruel. Let him out.

Even with a ragdoll, I would let him out. Frankly a bit of risk and a happy life is better than being safe and miserable inside.

My cat was supposed to be an indoor cat — possibly a Catio cat — according to the rescue. Probably lived in a flat with a balcony or similar. We were told we'd need to cat proof our garden.

She cried to be let out within days of living with us. We put her in the apparently cat-proof garden to find she loved jumping off rooves and scaling seven foot fencing ...

She absolutely loves going out. Luckily she does seem to be scared of the front door so doesn't go near the road at all. I think your poor cat wants the freedom to go outside and explore. Ragdolls are often an indoor breed but yours seems to have an adventure-seeking streak and some love going out.

I have a ragdoll who is an indoor cat constantly trying to get outside. She’s also got all the toys and trees and a huge house to play in with lots of attention. I don’t hate her though why would I? It’s a natural instinct and if she gets out (kids leaving doors open) I lure her back in hardly the end of the world. I’ve had other indoor cats (other breeds) who typically try to get outside when young then don’t bother as they get a bit older. Such that they will happily sit in the garden with me when I go out but don’t try to leave the garden (not at all cat proof). Rag dolls mature later than other breeds and so he should become more content indoors with time. Really not worth stressing over.

Haven't read the full thread, so don't know if anyone else has mentioned the 'Trust Technique' for helping animals be more comfortable in their surroundings. Seems to have had some good successes for many animals and their stressed people. Just a thought.

Cats often really want to roam. You (if you haven't already) need to get him neutered as this will probably reduce his need to explore and get into fights. Vet's bills from catfights can be very expensive!

We have two cats. The first, a girl, stays pretty close to home but does cross the road, which worries us. The second, a boy, stays in and only occasionally wants an excursion outside. Just because you have bought a breed that typically is a homebody doesn't mean that that is what you'll get because as any cat owner will tell you, cats don't do typical.

Rehome the poor little man and buy yourself one of these
Or if that's too taxing for you, just accept he's outed you as a control freak.

Hope he escapes

I always feel sorry for indoor cats. Cats should be free to roam, it’s how they’re built.

Well most of them. Not my boy. He’s afraid of the outside world and rarely ventures further than the garden. Not because he’s not allowed. He really is, he would just rather not.

Let him out. Mine is outside and he is fine.

Agree. He’s not an accessory, he’s an animal. His purpose in life isn’t to be exactly as some human might want him to be. I don’t think it is reasonable to ‘hate’ something which didn’t choose to have a relationship with you. 👀

Hear hear 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I am sorry this happened to you but thank you for sharing the story. 'Let them out' is sometimes saying 'Give them a likely death sentence'.

I try to keep mine indoors, if I can. We had a beautiful tortie who liked to roam. One evening, some neighbours turned up with an absolute cock-and-bull story about how one of their neighbours had run over a cat and left them to sort it out and to put in a cardboard box to show to all the neighbours (to identify). In retrospect, absolute bollocks but I was so upset, I hardly knew what to think - but it was our cat.

I hope they all die painfully, the lying cunts.

Poor cat. He's living in a luxurious prison, but a prison nonetheless. Cats are domesticated wild animals... Some have been engineered by humans, like the ragdoll...

Is he neutered?
Let him go out, but microchip him and keep him in at night.
Cats aren't always cute and fluffy. Just like people aren't all inherently good.

I hope you manage to resolve this... Just don't abandon him.

Would he let a stranger get close enough? I have Siamese cats. They have always had the freedom to go out. Fortunately, they treat strangers with suspicion, so it’s unliked they could be stolen.

Another poster said they had put a cat flap
in the back garden. Giving yours way out of the garden so he can go off for a little roam might be better than opening the front door out onto the road, so he can get his bearings before encountering the road.

Edited to add - I’m amazed by the number of posts asking is he neutered. Of course he will be neutered. Is the OP likely to be living in a house with an neutered male cat, since it would be spraying everywhere and the house would stink like the bowels if hell?

I sympathise OP. I have 2 Ragdolls, specifically because they are supposed to be suitable for indoor living (this choice was made due to concerns about the impact on local wildlife, as there is a small wood behind out house). However, I quickly realised that these cats don't sign up to the Ragdoll manual when they are born. One of ours is particularly feisty and would love to be out and about, murdering all the local wildllife and fighting with the local toms. The whole idea that Ragdolls are like teddy bears is misguided, if you ask me.

Suddenly it didn't feel the right think to do to be keeping them indoors. The compromise is that we catproofed part of our garden, and luckily that seems to be OK, even for the feisty one.

However, if this cat was unhappy with this setup, as yours is OP, then I think I'd have to let the out to roam free...even with all the downsides that this entails.

Don't talk such utter shite. They shouldn't be anywhere on other people's property. Or killing other animals and shitting in people's gardens. Do you let your hamster have the run of the house? Pretend animal lovers drive me up the wall. You cry abuse about everything when pets are the most pampered, spoilt creatures in existence. Nobody has the luxury of pets. We have to work for everything we have and abide by rules etc even kids. Pets don't need to lift a paw to do anything whatsoever. Then nowadays people act like they deserve better for them than you have for yourself. I'm so fucking sick of it all. If you want to behave like an imbecile fire away but don't tell other people how to look after their own possessions. Wild animals suffer terribly just to exist. If that's OK for them then not being treated like a human baby is OK for pets. Anthropomorphising needs to stop and people need to figure out how to have proper relationships with other people so they stop thinking their pets are an equivalent. They don't love you. They've had traits bred into them for thousands of years to make them appear to be really into you. It's a manipulation of the instinct to guard their resources of food. Idiots think it's love and this is why we have the stupid animal worshippers who think everyone wants to deal with their untrained shitbeast invading their spaces. If world war 3 does happen it will soon bring people back to reality.

As for the OP let the ungrateful little shit outside if that's what it wants to do.

How are cats gonna get enough exercise if they don’t go outside??

Christ, he's telling you he wants to go out. Open up your garden so you can let him out.

Poor thing

Hi ragcatdoll, I understand what you're going through, it is stressful.. could be has hyperthyroidism . take him to the vet for a checkup and blood test, hyperthyroidism makes them restless and yowly . i wouldn't let him out to roam, it's really irresponsible of cat owners who do this , endangering native wildlife . he's a very popular breed too ,so chances are high he'd be stolen . Maybe do some leash training and take him for walks. Good luck x

I’d rather spend time with a cat than the likes of you, you sound deranged 🙄

Just let him out.. you don't Like him anyway so 🤷