Ragdoll Cats

If your Ragdoll kitten is two years of age or younger, you may be experiencing undesirable play orientated behaviors. This type of behavior is very common with Ragdoll kittens, especially in single cat homes. Play is a way for your Ragdoll kitten to burn off energy, explore, and experiment with their predatory urges. The problem is this play often comes at the expense of your furniture and other belongings. What is a new Ragdoll kitten owner to do?

Ragdoll kittens are naturally curious creatures. This curiosity drives them to explore, bite, pounce, and swipe at anything that catches their fancy. Kittens learn not to bite from their mothers and fellow littermates. If your Ragdoll kitten was removed from the litter too early it may not have had time to get this message. This can be compounded unintentionally by playing too rough with a kitten using your hands and feet. If this describes your Ragdoll kitten don’t worry, you can teach your kitten that roughhousing is not acceptable.

The way to do this is by encouraging desired behaviors. The best way to redirect your kitten’s aggression is through play. Instead of playing with your hands and feet use toys that divert your kitten’s attention from you. The feather on a fishing pole toy is an excellent example of this. Flicking the feather away from your body will give your kitten something to pounce on that isn’t you. Fetching is a tool you can utilize to redirect aggression. You can use treats to reinforce the fetching behavior. Kittens can be easily trained to perform a variety of task you might think only dogs can learn.

It may be helpful to schedule your playtime at regular intervals throughout the day. The serves to establish a routine for training, as well as to burn off excess energy. A tuckered out Ragdoll kitten is much less likely to pounce on your favorite Italian leather sofa.

There are things you can do to discourage inappropriate behavior. If your kitten is biting for example using a water squirt bottle with a touch of vinegar is a strong behavioral deterrent. You can also utilize a puff from a can of spray air for this purpose. The catch is you will need to keep the can or spray bottle handy at all times.

What you should never do is try to discourage the behavior by flicking or hitting your Ragdoll cat. The only thing this will accomplish is teaching your Ragdoll cat to fear you.

Ragdoll Cats Owner Guide: Learn How to Easily Train, Feed, Care For & Groom Your Ragdoll Cats