When you take the kitten home, take time to get to know him/her. Trial and error has proven that if you do not force or push the kitten too quickly, the bond will happen faster! Counter intuitive, however he/she will feel secure if you “admire wholeheartedly” more from a distance, at first. Don’t take this to mean that you should not hold and kiss and play with the new baby, just let it be on his/her terms, don’t force the intimacy. Speak lovingly, and entice with kindness and play and “it” will happen, if you let it!
Introduce to other pets in the home s l o w l y . . .up to a week or two, is normal. It’s best, even with friendliest of pets, to allow them time to trust one another. Most importantly, be overly attentive to the older pets so as to not cause unwarranted jealousy to develop between the new addition and the older ones in your home.
To help with the transition, all our new families receive lots of ‘starters’ to enable them to enjoy their new addition right away!
What To Do For the First Seventy-Two Hours
Don’t plan to take your new family member home until you have at least THREE DAYS to dedicate to him/her. Try to stay in as much as possible to familiarize the kitten to its new surroundings, but if you do have to go anywhere, bring him/her along – in their carrier, of course! Although the Ragdoll breed is likely the friendliest of all felines, I have found in my experience that the first 72 hours with the new family is an extremely crucial time necessary to create the life-long bond between new “parent” and kitten. Therefore, allow your new family member that time to bond!
For the first three days, you will want to keep the kitten near you, even while asleep, if possible. If the kitten will not come out of the carrier, put the carrier at the end of your bed along with a small litter pan, food and water. Sit with the kitten while you play with toys outside the carrier like play a bit, let him/her go back inside, play a bit more…you get the idea? This worked so well with the last few kittens I bought for my cattery that I can’t sleep without at least one of them on my pillow! After the first night, you can put the temporary litter box on the floor next to your bed…then night by night move it to the location you want it to be permanently.
Key Points
- Take three days off.
- Use soothing words, lots of kisses, and play.
- Keep the kitten, litter and food near you in a confined small area to
begin with. - Slowly introduce other pets in the home.
- Use the bell collar given to keep the kitten safe from being stepped on and do the “sting-ray shuffle” while you walk around the home until he/she gets bigger!
- Invest in a water fountain. Cats can get urinary issues, and the water bowl is crucial to keep clean at all times. The fountain pays for itself in the time you will save keeping the bowl clean.
Ragdoll Appearance Colors & Patterns
This is a pdf document, click the link to open in a new window, close to return.
RagdollAppearance, Colors & Patterns
Poisonous & Non Poisonous Plants for your Pet
Bathing Tips from Ragdoll Fancier’s World
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