Is it possible to discipline your Ragdoll cat?
Most Ragdoll owners experience some form of behavioral problem at one time or another. Many find it difficult to believe that disciplining Ragdoll cats is possible; however, despite a cat’s independent attitude towards life in general, it is possible to train your Ragdoll cat. Training your Ragdoll cat takes a healthy dose of patience and perseverance; but don’t get discouraged, you can correct the worst problems your Ragdoll has to offer.
Remember That Pets Aren’t People
Animals rely heavily on instincts for their behaviors. If you’re experiencing negative behaviors you can correct these by being consistent in your interactions with the cat. Your Ragdoll most likely thinks of you as a big cat and interacts with you based on this perception.
You should never consider hitting or using anger to discipline your Ragdoll cat. Pets do not understand violence and will only teach your cat to fear you. If you need to reprimand your cat for bad behavior, consider one of the following methods.
Use a Squirt Gun
Using a squirt gun filled with water and a touch of vinegar is an excellent training tool for your Ragdoll cat. If you observe your Ragdoll scratching or harassing other pets squirting followed by a verbal “No!” is a very effective behavioral deterrent.
Rattle a Can Filled With Coins
Another method for training your Ragdoll cat is to startle them with a metal can filled with coins and a verbal “No!” when you observe the offending behavior. This method will lose effectiveness as your Ragdoll cat becomes familiar with the sound so use it sparingly.
The “Face Push Method”
The final method for discouraging your Ragdoll is the “Face Push.” This is a good way to deter aggressive play. The face push is a firm but gentle push against your cats face followed by the verbal command, “No!” Most cats hate having their faces pushed in this manner and is an excellent training aid.
Related Articles Other People Have Read:
- Cat Behavior Problems: Can You Discipline Your Ragdoll Cat?
- Training Your Cat Part II
- Correcting Cat Behavior Problems
- How to Change Your Ragdoll Cat’s Behavior
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Hi,
Some great tips there, however I think it is worth mentioning that Ragdoll’s can be trained using a ‘reward’ method as well – for example lavishing attention on them when they use a scratching post.
Nice website, by the way. I’m looking forward to having a good look around.
dsdWEB
great methods! although, i also belive that rewarding is a good suggestion! but great site! i have a ragdoll cat called bailey(male) and a maincoon kitten called finley(male)
I have a 4 month ragdoll female who can become very aggressive and I need to know how to stop her from this behavior and become more loving and gentle.
I have two male Ragdoll kittens (8 months old). I love them to death but one of them has taken to peeing on my leather furniture. I have tried the squirt bottle, Feliway spray. I am at my wits end. Does anyone have this problem? Help in Southern California!! Thank you.
These are some GREAT tips! I am getting a rag doll soon so I am up for any advice!
I am bringing my mother’s 3 yrd old ragdoll across country to my home (my mother passed away) which is already ruled by two cats (an 18 yr old and a 16 yr old). I adopted my cats that had been declawed. My mother’s cat has claws. I need guidance on how to introduce the her ragdoll to my cats (a very skiddish persian/mainecoon, and a alpha tabby). All cats are spade/neutered. I dont know my mother’s cat very well, but since my mother’s death, she has not recieved much attention as Dad is not a cat person. I already plan to separate them for a few days, and have built a door so that they will be able to see one another for as long as it take. Brini (the ragdoll) is driving my Dad nuts, as she is a talker, and particularly always wants to be fed. Any comments and ideas are welcome.
Thanks.
Lexus “Happy Pants” as he is our resident clown. He loves to run, play and invent ways to make us laugh. A trick my wife taught him when he was but 3 months old was to retrieve a drapery rope when thrown a long distance. Lexus learned that trick in minutes and even today almost nine years later, the rope is one of his favorite toys as he retrieves it and drops it at our feet. His brother, Ty is happy to watch and not participate. Love them both.
My 1 year old Ragdoll has decided to poop in the kitchen on my hard wood floors.
This just started about a month ago. He had a stomach virus and pooped there to show me that he was sick but, now he is well and about every two days he decides to poop in the kitchen. What gives? Is he just being lazy about going to the litter box?
Jan
I had a somewhat similar problem, Jan. My ragdoll would 1) poop in the litter box and then pee outside and 2) he would also not cover his poop in the litter box. We noticed that this tended to happen when he had used the litter box more than once during the day without a cleaning in between. We added a second litter box and that pretty much solved problem 1. My mother (who also has a ragdoll) read in a book that they can be slightly finnicky about their litter. I got in touch with our breeder and she gave me the name of the litter she had used on the kittens. I switched him over and we have not seen problem 2 since. You might try this.
We are getting a Ragdoll soon and can’t wait, but reading about some of the behavior problems reminds me of how some cats can be and it’s getting me a little nervous. I had a Persian cat who had many behavior and health problems……..what am I getting myself into? I will only pray that our little one will be a blessed part of our family for years to come!
We chose to get a male kitty over female even though I’ve had experience with male cats “spraying.” I guess I’m just partial to male cats and feel a male would make a better, more laid back pet for our four kids. It is possible to have a male cat who doesn’t spray, right?
My ragdoll is very possisive with my husband. She scratches and hisses when anyone comes around him. He is home a lot with her and is the primary feeder. Any suggestions on how to get my jealous pussy not so catty when it comes to my husband.??? Thanks
If you want to be sure to eliminate any conflicts with introducing a new cat, it takes more than a few days. A few weeks is what you are striving for and then you will think they were siblings.
I too quickly introduced a kitten to my 8 year old resident cat and it took almost a year to end the squabbling and have the resident cat become friends with the new cat and me again.
This time I took my time and it was worth it, I have a 2 year female old ragdoll and got a 7 mo old ragdoll male. I left him in a guest bathroom for about a week and visited him and played with him very frequently,
I exchanged scents before they saw each other. Placed items in each others areas.
Then I let them look at each other several times a day for a minute or so.
Then I let them walk around in each others territory without the other present.
Lastly, I let them loose in a limited space where no one could hide under a bed etc. and supervised the short visits. There were some hisses, I let the sessions go longer and there were some attacks which I intervined in by throwing a towel over them. In short, I took baby steps and in about 6 weeks they were great with an occassional territorial squabble. I got here first and this is MINE. It took about 2 months for them to really love each other. Today, they are inseparable. It was worth the effort. They play all the time, groom each other and walk around with their tails in the air. By the way, the girl rules.
Hi I have an 8 week old Ragdoll and she won’t stop meowing. How can I make her be quiet? I’m not really supposed to have her in the apartment complex I live in and I don’t want to have to get rid of her because I love her. Also I would like to know if anyone can tell me why she loves sleeping and laying in her litter box?
My kitten cowered in the back of his covered litter box for the first few nights I had him because he was afraid of his new surroundings. She might also be meowing because she’s afraid…she’s young and she needs to get used to her new surroundings. If she continues for days I would check with a veterinarian as there could be a medical problem.
Thank you Heidi. She is still meowing a lot. And she now has diahrea. She’s about 8 and a half weeks old and she’s been eating hard food for about a week maybe two weeks. And she drinks a lot of water. Not to mention when I first got her I don’t really think she was weaned because she would always lick my fingers..(She was a stray kitten) All ten of them..But since I haven’t been letting her lick them she meows more. Even when I’m holding her. But I am glad to say that everytime she sees me she starts purring..I just wish I knew why she’s meowing so much and has the diahrea. But I can’t afford to take her to the vet right now and that kills me..I hope she’s ok. I tried looking stuff up online. That’s how I came across this site but nothing else came up.
I have a problem that is driving me batty. I share a house with two beautiful Ragdoll cats. The new young Ragdoll cat (Sophie) has been here for almost four months, and the older Ragdoll cat (age 14 yrs) has always been very verbal. When they play, the older cat (Snuggles) walks around growling, hissing, and actually screaming at least once a day. But the younger cat isn’t deterred. The older cat goes back for more play-so it’s just an annoying habit. They lay on the same couch cushion, and sometimes Snuggles growls like she’s talking to Sophie. There is no other body reaction, such as standing hair on her back. It’s just annoying. Snuggles sometimes meows when I’m on the telephone-she has always been super verbal. Now the younger cat is picking up some of these verbal ‘bad habits:” Sophie meowed loudly today while I was on the telephone. How do I shut these two ragdolls up?! LOL
Raveb-
My Ragdoll cat laid in her litter box when I got a new litter. Snuggles just wouldn’t come out-she was completely comfortable. After a day or so, she stopped. I think Snuggles was making sure that this new introducution to the household had her scent stamped all over it.
I have a 1 year old male ragdoll who we all adore 1 month ago my moggy 3 year old cat who was best friends with casper the ragdoll was killed by a car casper was upset for days so we bought a female kitten ragdoll for company who he loved and adored and washed all the time as we did but we all made sure he had the same attention all of a sudden he started hissing at all of us and now does not seem to like much attention i am very upset as i adore him and so does the kitten, we did introduce them quite quickly do you think it is just a jelous thing
dawn
I have a 5 month old male ragdoll. He is very docile & affectionate, purring the moment we pick him up. Unfortunatley he doesn’t seem to have very good grooming habbits and I’ve actually had to bath & clean his back end. Does anyone have any information on their grooming habbits & how I might encourage them?
I have 1year ragdoll, she is beautiful and very smart cat, she has a behaviour problem, she likes to bite and scratching , how to stop this behaviour, she wasn’t like that when she was kitten
thanks
I have a 1 year old male ragdoll. The only major problem I have had with him is he wanted to get in the middle of the sofa and pee. That was the only place that he would pee except for the litter box.
The solution: We drape a very light piece of plastic over the entire sofa. He hates getting on the plastic and he now refuses to get on the sofa. When humans want to use the sofa, we take the plastic off and fold it up and keep it nearby. We always put it back on when we are done. A little bit of a pain, but it definitely works. Oddly enough, he is not interested in peeing on any other piece of funiture.
Shedding: During his first year, he shed a lot. However, now that his white baby fur is gone and his has gotten his more normal seal color point color, he sheds very little. Even when, I brush him and comb him, very little fur comes off of him. I brush him once a week. When he was little I had to brush at least twice aweek and I would get large handfulls of fur off of him. We live in Florida, he does not seem to grow any thicker coat in winter.
Bathing: I have never been able to give him a bath. He HATES water in any form. I have used the waterless shampoo and it works very well. Of course he grooms himself very well also. Although I have no hairball problems. In one year he has only vomitted one hairball. However, based on the breeders recommendation, I do feed him a “HAIRBALL” formula dry food; but only 1/3 to 1/2 of his food is this formula. The breeder also recommended that the other 2/3 to 1/2 be a regular dry cat food.
Biting: Oh, he loves play aggression in the form of gentle biting. A firm “NO!” along with my pointing my finger at him, stops the behavior right away………for about five seconds…..hahahahaha. Actually, he is getting better with consistent correction with the firm “NO!.”
If you are considering getting a Ragdoll do not let these stories deter you! Find a great breeder who will work with you and get one! My wife and I have three. Two females that are 1 year old and a new baby boy that is 4 months old. We love this breed! Each has it’s own personality but all they take is a great deal of affection and attention! We chose BeyondTheValleyRagDolls in Wisconsin because she wasn’t far away and has always been available for our questions. Any really good breeder will be the same. They are dedicated to their Ragdolls even after they leave.
We have owned other breeds but we are in love with this one! Our girls are Tasha and Sophie and our new boy is Winston.
I have a 12 month old ragdoll who i absolutely love but she can’t stand to be alone. My fiance and i ended up having to take her to our shop each day because she would be alone in the house all day, then when we’d come home she would get ‘angry’ with us and pee on something random like the bean bag. The litter is always clean, her diet has never changed, and she never does anything wrong when we aren’t there, it seems as though she is punishing us for not being there, as the other day, i saw her sit on the bean bag as if she was going to pee, so i put her in the litter tray and she came straight out again and peed on the beanbag anyway. Please help me!!!!!i dont know what to do!
Our 3 year old ragdoll Noodles has recently become very withdrawn. Prior to this behavior we changed her food on the recommendation of our vet, a cat specialist. As a general rule Noodles is shy around strangers, but now seems to be avoiding us (we have another ragdoll – no children) – she spends much of her time in the basement. We were inclined to attribute her behavior to the holidays, however she seems unusually sensitive. We’ve also had a problem with pooping outside the box – thought that was corrected with a change in litter and a feliway difusser, but we discovered a new incident after more than five weeks without a problem.
My comments here are toward some of you who have left questions though I haven’t read everyone’s comments all the way through. My female Ragdoll is 11 yrs old and she gets upset if things aren’t done her way around the house. She expects to be fed at a certain time and expects other things as well. She’s very vocal about it also. Ragdolls were bred from the Birman, Himalayan and Siamese breeds. I’ve found that the Birman breed accounts for the Ragdoll look more so than the Siamese, but that’s just my opinion. But, my Ragdoll behavior is closer to a Siamese’s. One thing I’ve learned over the years is, Ragdolls have very good memories and they hold a grudge. My Ragdoll gets upset if I go away on trips (1 week or so) and leave her with my son. For those of you having problems with your Ragdolls, I offer my sympathy. It’s sometimes tough to figure out what they’re upset about. Urinating/defecating on furniture or other places outside the litterbox usually means that something in the Ragdoll’s life has changed and they’re upset about it. Even if you can’t think of anything, chances are, some small thing has changed and they want you to pay attention. It could be that you moved their water dish, or there’s a new piece of furniture in the home, or someone is new in the home (you’re dating someone and they don’t approve or feel they aren’t getting the attention). So, think about what has changed.
Also, to the person living with a Ragdoll in an apartment I have to say this:
Why would take a cat and give it a home when there’s a chance your landlord would find out? If you really cared about the cat, you wouldn’t do this. If your landlord finds out, you have to give the cat to a shelter or to someone else. I know you ‘love’ the cat, but this type of life is unfair to the cat. I think you know deep down, that eventually the landlord will find out, either because your Ragdoll is making a lot of noise, or someone else will report you. As for its health, it has diarrhea. This means this is from the food it’s being given or it’s sick. If you switch foods all the time, such as going from Iams to Friskies and back again, you give the cat an upset stomach and diarrhea. If you are giving it milk to drink (which most cats don’t like) it can get diarhea from milk. If the diarrhea doesn’t clear up, your Ragdoll can get very sick from the lack of minerals and electrolytes in its body…just like a human can get sick this way.
Please consider the fact that you said you ‘can’t afford’ to take your Ragdoll to the vet. This is a sign that you shouldn’t have gotten the cat to begin with. Yes, I know I don’t know you, but let’s be real. You post here and say that you snuck the cat into your apartment and now you want to keep it from making noise. And, on top of that, your cat’s sick. Give it a better life and give it to someone who can afford to keep it healthy and not worry about having to give it up because their landlord forbids pets. I’ve been a cat owner for over 17 years and a Ragdoll owner for 11. I would never have a cat in an apartment if a landlord forbid it. It’s not fair to the cat.
We chose a Ragdoll after much consideration and we too went to Beyond the Valley Ragdolls in Baldwin, WI. I have no regrets! Our little (big) guy “McDreamy” is now 9 months old and a huge attribute to our family! This breed is known for being like a dog in that they love to be around their people. We take McDreamy on car rides and he loves it…you should see the looks I get picking the kids up at school or going through a drive-thru! I would definately read up on whatever problems are occuring with your cat…don’t give up! Contact your vet and/or breeder to see what advice they can give you…there might be a medical problem. Have faith & hope and all will work out!
Mel, there could be a number of reasons for your cat peeing on the bean bag chair.
1. Make sure she has a clean litter box. I scoop no less that twice a day. When I am home all day (which is most of the time since I am retired), I scoop three or four times a day. Additionally the litter box should be completely emptied and cleaned no less than once a month. But be careful. Do NOT clean with a cleaner that has a strong smell. I use plain water with only a drop or two regular Ivory Liquid.
2. Be observant about her litter preferences. Have you changed the type of litter recently? If you have changed, go back to what she was used to. But change GRADUALLY. Start adding the new litter to the old a little at a time, until you have completely changed to the new litter. If she reacts negatively to a change, stop and stay with what you had been using.
3. Be observant about how deep she likes her litter. Some cats like their litter at a certain depth. My cat will ignore the box if the litter is too deep. He prefers best around two inches deep. Any deep than that and he gets upset.
4. Some cats like to mark a favorate spot (more a male problem than a female).
Any spot she has peed on must be THOROUGHLY cleaned and descented. There are enzematic formulas at the pet store that will most thoroughly remove the scent. Discourage her from getting back on the same spot. Put a piece of plastice over the chair for awhile. Many cats will not like to walk on or sit on a crinkly piece of plastic. If you find her there, pick her up and move her away. Do this CONSISTENTLY.
5. Give you cat LOTS of attention. Ragdolls love to be around you and to play with you. Just remember, do not encourage your cat to use your hands or feet as toys. Always play with them with some other type of toy. My cat’s favorite toys are: cloth mice, balls, plastic bottle caps (must be big enough so she cannot swallow them), empty paper towel rolls, a big ball of paper ( do not let them have it when you are not there; some of them will eat the paper).
PLAY with your cat as much as possible: before you go to work, when you get home, before you go to bed.
6. Put a little ground, dried catnip mixed in with the litter in the litter box.
7. Make sure she has at least TWO different things that she is allows to scratch on. I use a tall sisal covered post and also a long flat piece of rough corrugated cardboard.
7. If none of this works (it make take you several weeks to work through all of these remedies. You can stop if one of them works), take you cat to a vet for a checkup. Tell him the problem and you want to make sure that she does not have any type of urinary tract infection.
Remember: Each type of cat has their own set of issues that owners have to deal with and each individual cat has its own individual personality that makes them different from other members of their breed and other cats. The more you OBSERVE your cats behavior and reactions to you and your home, the more you will learn what is best for her.
Do not be discouraged. Ragdolls are a wonderful breed. I would not trade mine for anything
I have a 9 month old ragdoll who is mostly white except a band over her left eye a few spots on her back and her glorious brown tail. When we got her her markings were not perfect and we knew that from the start. She is currently loosing the hair over the band on her right eye. Which would have been a mask if both sides has been brown. Does this mean her colour is changing where her hair is coming out?
I just purchased my first Ragdoll, and my 17 week old female is sweet and smart.
She is almost fully toilet trained (stands in the bowl, paws on the seat), and I have been clicker training her. I can put her in a sit/stay, put a treat down and then walk away, but she won’t take it unless I tell her to with an OK.
I have been a dog person for many years, and I have been using those methods with great success to train her. She was fussy with her litter, and I compounded it (because I hate litter) by cleaning the litter after each elimination, but this also made toilet training her a lot easier.
We just adopted a 10 month old male Ragdoll. After reading the above posts, I think our little guy is almost perfect and feel fortunate we lucked out with him. He has absolutely no bad habits, but could be a little more agreeable to being picked up sometimes. Like most Ragdolls, he follows me and my husband everywhere, is curious about life and is an expert at the Ragdoll flop.
One thing I am wondering about in these posts is people who mention that their kitten is only 8 weeks old, or was a “stray” …. are you SURE you have a Ragdoll? Most breeders won’t let a kitten go before 12 weeks of age. They need this time to be socialized properly and taught certain things by the mother. And how would a Ragdoll end up a stray? I think most owners fiercely hang onto their pets, and if they can’t keep them, many friends and family members are in the background, wanting to adopt them. That’s how we got our little guy and he’s already become a great member of our family.
My 3 yr old male ragdoll has gotten aggressive the past 6 mos and jumps at my arm and/or trys to bite it. He has everything he needs, very clean, but he whites to get me up at 5 in the morning and hates my bedtime when he jumps up on cupboards, down in backo fo washer/dryer, etc. He bites dresser drawer, jumps into bottom of 2 inch blinds, etc. What do I do. Vinegar and water and a loud Unh Unh do not help. Any hope for me?
TO: M Craig
I am not sure if I can help or not.
1. Yes, cats like to get up early in the morning. The only way I have been able to stop this is to NEVER respond to anything he/she does to get you to get up before you regular time to get up.
2. Cats are generally most active early in the morning up through a couple or three hours after sunrise AND they are active around the couple hours before sundown and an hour or two after sundown. The poor kitty needs more attention and PLAY. At least EVERY night before I go to bed, I play with my Ragdoll for at least a half hour. He needs something to chase, hunt, and jump at. Play with him until he gets tired (adjust for older cats)
3. The blinds: oh yes, they love to get at the window. I make sure that in every room that the cat goes into that there is at least one window that he can get up onto the window sill without the blinds getting in his way. If not, he/she is going to go through, under, around the blind to get to see out the window.
4. I have never had my Ragdoll be aggressive. However, play aggression sometimes gets out of control and he will nip a little OR if you do something he really does not like, he will try to bite.
Play time helps with this. Remember, NEVER let your cat think that your hands, arms or feet are play toys. Always uses, a mouse on a string, a ball, or something else both he and you can bat around. That should eliminate play aggression. Mine tries to bite sometimes during brushing because he can tolerate it only for a short period. So I stop and do a little more later. He gradually got used to it. He also does not like to be picked up when he is interested in some other toy that he is chasing. Finally, if he is trying to bite because of something that you are doing that is ABSOLUTELY necessary, (i.e. giving medicine, trimming hair around his rear end), then I have to play MOMMA cat with him and grab him by the scruff of the neck and he immediately becomes submissive. However, do this VERY RARELY and only when ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for his own good.
I love reading people’s comments on their ragdolls. I am getting my first ragdoll in a few weeks and I am very excited.
I have been interested in buying a ragdoll kitten for some time, however have been reluctant becasue I work all day 5 days a week, which would therefore mean the kitten would be left indoors alone for most of the day. I live in a 2 bedroom flat with my partner, do you think this would provide enough room for a ragdoll kitten? I was looking to buy a kitten between 4-6 months old. Carol, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on my situation as I understand you have owned a ragdoll for over 11 years. Anyones help would be appreciated as I want to do whats best for the ragdoll kitten I would potentially buy. Thanks.
Donna,
I think you have enough room for a Ragdoll; however, be forwarned. They do not like to be left alone. You will be able to manage it, if you make sure you give the kitten/cat plenty of personal attention and play time in the morning and evenings.
Donna,
I, on the other hand, disagree with J. King. I think it’s too much time alone for a Ragdoll. They love to follow you all over the house and be near you. Mind you, they do sleep a lot, but not as long as you’ll be gone every day. Our one year old boy HATES it whenever we leave, and tries to come with us.
Ragdolls are like dogs. They need a lot of attention. Instead of a Ragdoll, why not adopt another breed of cat, someone who looks like a Ragdoll. There is also a Ragdoll rescue, and not ALL the cats on there are Ragdolls, but look like them, so that would be a great place to start, I think. You’d be opening up your home to someone who needs saving and they probably would not be so needy, emotionally.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Hello,
I have read through all these comments and am hopeing to get a bit of help. I have a 4 mth Ragdoll X and a 5 month BSH. I got them within a week of each other. (Originally I was getting the Ragdoll X and a sibling but due to a mistake with the breeder I ended up with just Fudge) The ragdoll X is becoming very tempremental. She either wants over the top fuss, nipping and biting if it isnt to her standard. Or n she will come no where near you, race around like a madman and when you do manage to get her she is very stressed and wide eyed. I would like her to get used to my terms for grooming and vet checks etc but I really dont know what to do. They both have around and hour in the morning and again in the evening play time with me. As well as all the bits in between. I do not favouritise them. They are never left alone for anymore then a couple of hours (i home work) they get on very well together although Fudge does like the upper hand. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong??
Many Thanks
If your cat likes to pee or poop outside the toilet (if toilet trained) or the box, start taking notes to see at what time they go … and after a few days, you will know when they head toward the litter box, follow them with the spray bottle, given them the chance to do the right thing, and if they do, give them lots of attention and a couple of treats; if not, spray and put them in the box.
If you have a cat that bites, or hates being held, it’s time to show who is the boss. I train dogs, and I have used the same way for my kitten. When she tries to bite, I say a sharp NO! and push my hand, arm or finger (whatever they are biting) either down or back into the mouth, and they don’t like it and associate the biting with the discomfort, and this will stop fairly quickly.
If your cat hates being held and squirms, then wrap them up in a small towel or blanket and make it happen, talking nicely to them. Wrapping them to cut their nails is a good way to get them used to being held. I cut my girl’s nails every Sunday, whether she likes it or not. She is getting used to it and I don’t have to wrap her up much now. Her coat is changing and I am pulling out the kitten fur so that it doesn’t land on my clothes, my food or my tongue, and she’s not fond of the fine tooth comb, and will vocalize but she doesn’t struggle but is glad when it’s over. But if I take out the pure bristle brush, she beats a path to my lap and falls asleep as I am brushing her.
No matter what the problem is, I have found that positive reinforcement works like a charm.
Sarafina is our 4 month old female Ragdoll, she will not sit with me
she likes to be held only on her terms and thats just tolerating us for a few minutes and then scratches or bites to jump down, if we pick her up, and sit down imediatly she jumps of straight away, I thought ragdolls liked being handled and would be lap cats , thats why i bought her. Im disapointed in her behaviour, and am wondering do the kittens act like this as young enegetic kittens and settle as they get older?
I love my kitten and even if she doesnt change would not love her any less but i wanted a cat that would snuggle!, i suppose you could say i bought her as a replacement to my children as the last one started preschool this year and now after 20 years of having a child at home with me i find myself alone! hench the purchase of Sarafina, she loves our family 5 kids ages 20 all the way down to the 4 year old, even my hubby is loved by the kitten she follows and trips us just to let us know she CARES!
Does anybody have any ideas on what can be done on our part if anything to get the snuggly cat i wanted?
Diane/Sarafina — Give the kitty some time to adjust and grow. I adopted a 3 yr old cat for my mother, and then several months later when Mom died, brought her back across country to reside with me where 2 ruling ancient cats already resided. Brini was not a lap cat until about 2 months ago (almost a year to the date of bringing her to my house). She is slowly growing to accept me picking her up… I just cant stop hugging her as she is so sweet. I had to teach her that the lap was ok, by giving her treats when she was on my lap. Like I said, it took a while, but now, every evening when I sit down, she is in my lap without treats as an incentive. She also loves to be brushed which is really helpful. A
As an update for not using the litter box — I took her to the Vet three times, and on teh third time, after several weeks of testing her urine, they found a very difficult to detect infection…. after a month of 2 meds, she was back to using the litter box. If you are having a kitty who pees outside the box, really encourage your vet to do extensive testing. They also did an ultrasound to make sure nothing was weird in the bladder.
She is a treasure of a kitty, well worth the troubles.
For all those complaining that your Ragdoll is peeing on furniture, try changing their litter. My male ragdoll started peeing on my bed every day about a year after I got him. It took me 9 months of covering my bed in a plastic sheet every day to finally try and find a solution. I tried alot of things, but then I read that sometimes cats do this if they don’t like their litter. This is especially true if they only pee in one spot. I switched his litter and he hasn’t peed on my bed now in almost a year.
Does anyone have any suggestions they could give about introducing a new ragdoll to a resident ragdoll?
Jenn — when you say “change the litter” do you mean type (lumping to crystals). manufacturer, or just plain fresh litter?
Hi
I have an 8 year old ragdoll cat and as he is getting older he constantly craves more and more attention. The more attention you give him the more he craves, to the point of being annoying, nothing is ever enough. He is also extremely vocal. Another problem I have with him is that he will eat and eat and eat until he is sick. I feed him on dry Iams. I have tried feeding him wet food but when fed to him he devours it and screams for more. I would just like to point out that he is not malnourished weighing in at roughly 19lbs.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Hi! We have a one year old ragdoll cat who when comes inside, seeks out and messes on our beds! Always directly in the middle of the bed, the softess part of the covers. We have 2 ragdolls and the other one is fine with his toilet manners. They have a litter in their outdoor cage, two infact and one litter inside the house when they come inside.
This habit is awful and he is sneaky and looks for an open door to use one of our beds as a litter!
Anyone have any ideas to help stop this behaviour?
The cat is not happy. I suspect one of two things or a combination of the two. He does not like being in the cage outside and/or there is not enough litter boxes. For two cats, there should be THREE litter boxes in the outside cage. If both cats are in the house at the same time, there should also be THREE litter boxes inside the house. The safest rule of thumb is to have 1 more litter box than there are cats for a single story house. There should be one box on each floor of a multstoried house for each cat. Two stories and two cats makes 2 boxes on each floor for a total of four boxes.
I have a 7 month old female Ragdoll, and I live in a split level ranch house. She is fully toilet trained and I need NO litter boxes at all.
I have 3 dogs who sleep in their crates at night, and when she saw me putting them into the crates at night, and getting their treats, she ran into hers and has slept there at night since.
In the morning, when I let the dogs out, she goes to the door to see if she can go out, but when I close the door and head to the bathroom, she follows me and paces in front of me, and jumps onto the toilet after I am done.
It took me under a month to train her to be fully trained with no accidents, and she is a joy to have around, though she pushes the dogs around mercilessly.
I own a beautiful 12 (in August) year old Persian boy, Alfie. He has always known life in the house with other cats. Recently our beautiful bi-colour Persian Armando passed away at 10 years old due to kidney failure, and only Alfie now remains. Alfie is very docile, placid, submissive, loving but also playful and curious (despite him being almost 12 yrs old). We have decided to get a companion for him, a cat of the same type of temperment, we have read wonderful reviews about Ragdolls and their docile yet doglike behaviour, and reserved a little boy who will be ready to come to our home mid June. I have read about the slow introductions between two cats, and will be following the advice to they’re introduced gradually for a good outcome. Has anyone else had a similar experience to what is to come for me, Alfie and the Ragdoll?
I often bring my sister docile loving Collie to our house, and Alfie cannot stop looking at him, he even rolls over for him, although the Collie keeps his distance… Alfie has only hissed once at him. Also, my sisters dopey Lab came to the house the other day, again Alfie was totally in awe of him. I pray he is going to be the same way with the Ragdoll, any hopes?!
My ragdoll is nearly 2, and he has started to mess on the floor in front of his litter box. I use a wood pellet based litter and don’t really want to use the clumping clay type ones, any ideas?
Please help!
Our 11mnth old female ragdoll kitten is driving us made, she has starting waking us up at 5am every morning. She first plays with your hair to wake you up, goes downstair for food and her litter then comes back up and goes mad. Scratching on our wadrobe, playing with her toys and jumping over the bed, we don’t know what to do with her and the sleep depreviation is kicking in – any suggestion??
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