Is A Ragdoll Good For Me?

This is a real question from a person who wants to have a cat. The title is the question, verbatim. The extra information is as follows:

  • the proposed cat companion to the person who asked the question, will be alone 9 hours per day because the person will be out of the house for 9 hours per day. She obviously works. She may have a companion and he works all day too. This is normal but not ideal. There are ways to deal with this though. It cat work.
  • the person says that she is “desperate for a cuddily, fluffy cat but my worry is if Ragdolls can be trusted in the house by itself and Im worried it will scratch the house down. Im thinking about getting 2 Ragdoll kittens but is this good for me???” (this is quote verbatim as it is sometimes useful see how people express themselves).
Ragdoll cat as a single cat
Photo copyright Giane Portal, “fofurasfelinas” on Flickr.

This is my response:

Get a plush toy, please. I really don’t think you are ready for a cat companion never mind two. You mention Ragdoll cats because they are thought of as laid back accepting cats, which are able to adapt to being alone all day. This is incorrect.

Perhaps I am being too harsh. I probably am. However, I do think you need to make sure you are doing the right thing.

If I were you and if I was very keen to look after a cat I’d consider older rescue cats. The point is you say that you are desperate for a cuddly cat. But are you really desperate for a cat? Perhaps you want a cat as child substitute? Or some sort of comforter.

What you say gives me an indication that you want a child. That probably sounds horrible and insensitive but that’s the way I see it. You mention “scratching the house down”. This is not a good comment to make as it reflects a poor attitude towards the presence of a cat in the home which fails to accept natural cat behavior although cats do not “scratch the house down”.

Ragdoll Cats

Ragdoll cats are no better at being alone than any other cat. The better arrangement is to save the lives of two cats from a rescue center who are known to be friendly towards each other.

Then whatever happens, at the very least you have probably saved the lives of two cats. Everything else is a bonus. This is far better than buying two cats from a breeder.

You can then make your home very cat orientated to make sure that both cats are as contented as possible when they are alone. Marc on this site has some great ideas.

A key factor is to adopt a cat for the cat and for yourself not just to satisfy an urge that you have. And to adopt a cat for the life of the cat and to accept that your life will change. What you probably could have said in your question is:

I would like to adopt a couple of cats. I love cats and as I am out of the house all day I think it is better to adopt two. Has anyone got any tips as to how best to do this?

And please, never, ever declaw a cat. Accept cat anatomy and natural cat behavior and learn to work with it and enjoy it.

22 thoughts on “Is A Ragdoll Good For Me?”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. Hi Maureen. Yes, it would be fair of you to have a Ragdoll kitten except as you hint in your comment that your life might end before the life of your cat companion. Therefore you should make provision for the care of your cat on your death. Also you need to make sure you have the ability to care for a cat properly in terms of your ability to get about and do all the necessary things such as veterinarian visits when required. I’m sure you have considered this.

    Some people would say that you should adopt an elderly cat from the local rescue centre such as Cats Protection as it is arguably more suitable under these circumstances. But as you long as you do the right thing in respect of cat welfare it’ll be fine.

  3. I am a 75 year old lady who is disabled Im at home all day I would love to have a rag doll kitten because of my situation would it be fair for me to have one I have exsperience with animals, but I have none now. thankyou for your time

  4. I gave her genuine advice: don’t get a cat. If you find an honest and direct answer unpalatable tough. More fool you. Actually, to be clear this person was not asking me for advice. The question was taken from somewhere else and I used it as a discussion point.

    There are too many people who “want a cat” for the wrong reasons. This is an example. There are too many abandoned cats for no good reason. I want to stop those situations occurring.

    We are all sensible animal loving people who like the truth.

  5. i think it’s your guys attitude that stinks quite frankly. She is being logical, obviously never been a cat owner before, decides she wants a cat. She does her research which suggests the best suited to her life style would be a Ragdoll. All the websites do say that. She takes it further, seeking advice before rushing into a decision. Instead of being supportive and giving solid advice you just attack her personality and make baseless assumptions about her. Then you all jump on the band wagon and throw baseless insults just because someone was asking for genuine advice about the big decision to get a pet. Clearly a bunch of bored housewives who have all day to sit at home and judge or retired or jobless grumpy old men of the same social standing. As a career women who faced a similar kind of moral dilemma and thought process around if it is fair to get a cat or kitten as a career women and which breed you could give the best life to considering your life style. You people are deranged. You can work an 8 hr day and have a happy lovable cat. I do. So jump off your soap boxes and either give real solid advice or shut up. I read one logical piece of advice and that was the taking two weeks off work to get the kitten to adjust. You guys are probably bitter jealous old cat ladies or men who never had the gusto to succeed in the work place. Everyone works these days if u unemployed and unstable and don’t know if u will be able to afford vet bills, neutering or toys then don’t get a cat! Xoxo

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