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,

That sounds hard work!

I don't know why you're getting such a hard time OP, you sound like a very responsible owner. The cat can go outside in your garden since you've taken the time and money to cat proof it. And you're trying to keep him safe and follow the breed specific advice you've received.

I think you've already had good advice to try posting on a ragdoll forum to get advice from people who are more familiar with the breed. I just wanted to add to the thread as it seems like you're getting so many people piling on you!

Let him out! We had a ragdoll / Birman cross for 13 years. He didn’t get the memo that they don’t hunt or fight.

It is! But she’s as cute as a button and I love her

My cat goes out. I went away for a month one time with a cat sitter coming each day and he was locked in. I could see him each evening on the blink camera crying and distressed because he couldn’t go out. Saddest thing ever. I won’t do that again. He goes out when he wants and goes where he wants. He only goes out at night from 9pm on. He is a massive predator so i don’t let him come back in until i see he is on his own. He has a nice house in garden though with good insulation to take shelter. Took a while to get everything working for both of us. Now we are happy.

Just let him out already Op! He might get run over sure but it’s a risk you need to take

I'd insure him, vaccinate him and put a tracker on him and let him out. I bought my tracker online and it allows you to make sure they are not lost of shut in somewhere. Mine are moggies but we have a main road nearby so I only let them out for a short while and then round them up. Mine are all in at night. Good luck, he just sounds like he needs an adventure!

I have a ragdoll, no i wouldn't let him out, they are not streetwise and will be more likely to flip down in the middle of road and get squashed than they are to get out the way, they don't sense danger, its widely discussed about the breed

They are also highly desirable and are at huge risk of getting stolen, if they aren't getting squished

Not to mention there's too many nasty people out there who try and harm cats

Keep him inside! You could try a feliway diffuser, or having him outside on a harness and lead when you're in the garden with him, but I absolutely wouldn't let him free roam

Exactly, I've got one and they're very sensitive, and its true how they don't sense danger, plus not to mention the risk of them being stolen where who knows what will happen to them

Mine is highly chatty, so I have full on conversations with her!

There's so many reputable advice places that say ragdolls shouldn't go out, and they're right

I have a rescue and it’s a condition of his adoption that he doesn’t go out.
As long as people don’t complain about their cat being run over and car driver not taking the wild roaming animal to the vets.
I live on a main road and he would run over very quickly.
But I would probably let your cat out and see what happens.

"I didn't sign up for this"

Well you did, you signed up to care for a unique living creature with its own personality and needs. It is insane to me that you'd get a cat, especially at that expense, because you wanted a living breathing teddy bear to follow you around.

Yes, you are going to have to let him out.

That poor animal is living a miserable life due to those fears.

I'm afraid you're just going to have to suck it up and do what's best for him. He needs to get out.

Exactly this.

This sounds like my two. I'm giving away the last toxic plant as my newest cat is jumping high onto a tall chest of drawers. My other cat has never managed, he's too clumsy.

Last night someone also took an interest in my toothbrush. I can't leave out anything plastic like wrappers or packs of tissues or shopping bags. I have to tell overnight guests to please stow away this or that unless you don't mind it being knocked off the table or because I think the cats will be interested in chewing it.

I soak dishes in just water without fairy because one cat once took a good sip out of them once and I just don't want to risk anything

What a life!

I’d also make sure the cat was tagged and microchipped before doing it though.

Cats have not changed, only the way we treat them. Most cats have not been bred to be indoor cats as most are just random moggies. I don't know much about Ragdolls, but if they can't go out because they have been bred to be indoor cats then that is just stupid! Who wants a cat without natural cat instincts? People should be asking themselves why they are perpetuating the breeding of unaturally strange animals. Don't get me started on those Munchkin cats or all the ridiculous defective dogs people have.

It's cruel to keep cats indoors just to keep them safe. The world is full of risks for al animals but that doesn't mean it's not worth the risks to give them a bitter life. Humans have accidents and die but we still go out in the world everyday. You wouldn't say it was ok to keep a dog or a child indoors all it's life so why is it ok for cats?

I'd let him go out.

🥱

it may not be what it wants, but it's not cruel FFS.

do you need your children play on the road because that's what they want to do, or do you keep them safe?

I don't have a cat, I'd love one but my dog would eat it my lifestyle just isn't cat-friendly. But as a PP said 'Cats should roam' advice is archaic. I'm not saying nobody should ever let cats out, but we don't live in rural villages and close communities any longer. If I did have one, I'd not be letting it out and I live in a quiet village, main road a mile ish away, private road here.

Cats in even quiet urban settings face being hit by vehicles (my friend, quiet northern suburb rescued a cat in 2012 that was ran over by 2013-a large, street savvy tom cat). Another friends large tom was killed by a dog having been lured away by 'oh so friendly' neighbours who just wanted to (& did, regularly!) Feed him bacon. He also had a heart condition and was on special food. Unfamiliar area to the cat, attacked and killed on the way back.

Another friends cat, laying sunbathing and an escaped dog split her stomach open with one bite. Friend found her beautiful long haired tabby, always been out all her life, with her gits spilled out all over the pavement.

Mrs Gardenproud puts down poison because her seeds are being eaten by rats-dead cat. Agonising death at that

Antifreeze as mentioned previously

Youths thinking it's funny to scare Cats at best, throw them about, trap them in sheds or bins and much much worse. I could link 100 articles but I won't because I'd become upset reading the headlines even.

Protect your Cats and risk assess. If OP let's this cat out which isn't used to being out she's taking a risk.. Up to her but not one I would take. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened.

I agree for op to ask on breed specific fb groups or subreddits.

Forgot to mention I also know someone whose neighbour deliberately poisoned his cat because she didn't want tenants living on her street(most houses owned). That cat was all he had left from his mother who had left him the cat when she died. He was and remains devastated. Humans are a fucking awful species when it comes to cats sometimes.

How did killing the cat stop tenants moving in? I don't understand

Sorry, should have explained better. It was juat one of the many actions the horrible woman took to try to get him to move out.

Oh I see thank you! I'm glad you came back as I was still wandering to myself about it and that could have gone on all day 😂😂

I totally agree with this. I think it's far more responsible to find ways to keep a pet happy without letting it out unsupervised in public spaces. Our area has a lot of big dogs and silly people driving stupidly fast. I wouldn't want to let a cat out here.

I also don't know why everyone thinks it's acceptable to just let cats roam in other people's gardens, killing wildlife. I don't want cats in my garden, I love having a garden full of little birds. People don't let their dogs just run lose all over the place so why do this with cats?

There are options for keeping a cat without letting them free - catios, cat proof garden, indoor enrichment, training them to walk on a lead. If you don't like any of these options then don't have a cat IMO.