A New Ragdoll Kitten

Princess Sophia is almost a two year old ragdoll cat. In the fall of 2010, a good friend of mine thought that the gift of a ragdoll kitten would be an excellent symbol representing the uniting of two lives becoming one. As a wedding present, Princess Sophia would be our cat; not his or hers, but ours. Little did we know at the time, that Princess Sophia would one day rule the court with silly antics, endless amount of chatter, and mostly, a loveable demeanor.

When Sophia first arrived at our apartment she was very skittish. She was a tiny little thing and to be dragged on a 250 mile car ride to her new home must have been a shock to her. Then upon arrival she meets Ceaser.

Ceaser is an old, black and white tom cat with not a care in the world. He has lived in the lap of luxury as an only cat for all of his twelve years. He is also at least twice the size of Sophia. Now, Ceaser is a pretty laid back cat and didn't really seem to mind having a new kid in his domain. He checked her out and as he was sniffing her, she hissed and took a swipe at him with her paw. What a sight. This itty, bitty, tiny kitten sassing this huge old tom cat. Who would have thought?

For the next three weeks, Ceaser ran from her.

So, although Sophia and Ceaser did not get along right from the start, they do now. Here are some tips for introducing a new cat to your home.

• Take the introduction slowly and do not force the animals together. Make sure that the animals are not left alone together, because they may fight. At night, keep them in seperate rooms.
• Cats are very territorial. Ideally, each animal should have their own litter box, food and water bowls, and a toy of their own.
• Remember to give each animal the same amount of attention in regards to play and cuddle time, so they all feel equally loved.
• Make sure each animal has their own hideaway, where they can feel safe. As long as the cat is eatting and going to the bathroom then should not be a problem that one should check out.

Keep in mind that it will take time for the animals to get to know each other and do expect some growling and hissing. When the dominant cat has asserted itself, then things will calm down.

1. Likes to play fetch
2. Can be easily trained
3. Not all ragdolls go limp when picked up
4. Will claim one owner as theirs over all others
5. Is very vocal especially when it wants attention
6. Likes to watch and play with water, but not get wet
7. Does not have an undercoat so is more hypoallergenic
8. Have blue eyes that stay blue into adulthood, with no associated deafness

1. Play Fetch
2. Sit on TV
3. Watch TV
4. Bat at moving objects on TV
5. Sleep on mommy
6. Sleep on daddy
7. Stalk Ceaser
8. Chase Ceaser
9. Leap over Ceaser
10. Sleep on Ceaser
11. Sit on Ceaser's head
12. Play with rope
13. Play with rope on stairs
14. Run up and down stairs
15. Cry for attention
16. Crawl into bags to hide
17. Attack feet
18. Search for food in lunch bags
19. Hide in cupboard
20. Get shut up in closets
21. Attack feathers
22. Sit on computers
23. Stalk birds and squirrels
24. Cuddle with mommy or daddy
25. Watch water in coffee maker
26. Watch the item in the microwave move
27. Knock things off the refridgerator
28. Sleep in sinks
29. Help with the dishes
30. Hide between the shower curtin and liner