Neville
Ragdoll cats are a sociable, affectionate, and intelligent cat. They have oodles of love to give and thrive on human company. A large cat, the ragdoll cat is a popular pet cat as they enjoy living in family environments, and unlike many non-pedigree cats, they benefit from lots of human attention.
They are also love to play—either with other cats, or you. Any toy will do: either a plastic ball that rolls along the floor, or the lounge curtains that provide hours of entertainment as a jungle gym.
A semi long hair cat, the ragdoll cat has an extraordinarily silky coat that doesn’t matt up easily. Our female ragdoll cat, Daisy, is a chocolate bi-colour. She has a white patch on her back, , white paws and a white abdomen, plus an inverted white V on her nose and the distinctive blue eyes that all ragdoll cats have.
We are also lucky enough to have a male ragdoll cat. His name is Neville and he is Daisy’s son from the litter of ragdoll kittens born at the beginning of this year. Neville is a blue point ragdoll and like most males ragdoll cats, he is a big boy!
Neville is much larger than his mum now, despite being only eight months old. To begin with, he was less affectionate than Daisy because most of his attention was mummy oriented, but when Daisy was separated from him for a week, his attitude changed and he became much more demanding of our attention. Now, when he wants attention or love, he meows persistently and pesters us until we stroke and make a fuss of him.
Daisy is far less tolerant of Neville these days. When he was small, she mothered him and was quite happy for him to trail around after her. These days, she reprimands him quite severely when he annoys her and he responds by sulking. However, she is happy to sleep next to him as long as he behaves.
Although Ragdoll cats are supposed to have a floppy tendency when picked up, our female cat, Daisy, doesn’t conform to the breed trait. She actively struggles when picked up and prefers to decide for herself when she wants human attention. She is extremely vocal when we first arrive home at the end of the day and wastes no time in demanding attention. As soon as we get up in the morning, she is eager to be fed. Once she has eaten, she expects the rest of the family to play with her, irrespective of what time it is!
Neville is much more like a typical ragdoll cat in his behaviour. He flops down on the floor and lies on his back, legs in the air and belly exposed. One of his favourite habits is sitting next to a door and when we try and open it, he collapses in a floppy heap, refusing to move. We either have to pick him up and move him, or nudge him out of the way using a gentle foot. This does have its advantages—on the wooden floor, Neville acts as a very convenient duster!
Ragdoll cats and kittens make wonderful and very loving pet cats. All ragdolls are full of personality and they each have their own little foibles, so if you want a pedigree cat full of character, but robust and sturdy enough to tolerate the rough and tumble of a busy family home, a ragdoll cat is the perfect pet cat for you.
And if you do decide to bring a ragdoll cat into your family, from the moment these ragdoll cats enter your home, your life will never be quite the same again!
Daisy (rhs) and her brothers
