Preparing for your Ragdoll kittens?

  Adding a Ragdoll kitten to your life is so much fun! What should you get before bringing your new kitten home? We applaud you for thinking about this in advance and hope the following list helps you prepare a safe, fun, and inviting forever home for your new little blessing. But regardless of what your kitten has been used to, with your help they can transition to what you have planned for them. 

 Chapter 1: Recommended Food and Water Fountain

In our home, most of our cats are on freeze-dried raw food and / or raw food. When we have very young kittens along with mom cats, we provide them with dry and wet food for a better adjustment to the new home as we understand not all families are okay with raw food conceptually and financially. From our understanding, the cost of freeze-dried raw food / raw food > wet food > dry food. If you have a reasonable budget and want to provide high quality life for your ragdoll kitten, we strongly recommend freeze-dried raw food and raw food. Please do sufficient reading on how to provide raw food to your kitten. We are also available as your resource to provide our recommendations. However, please note that we are not vets, just our two cents on everything! 

DRY FOOD:  

When you pick up your kitten, you will get a Ziplock bag of the dry food they are now eating. You can use my bag to create a 50/50 mix of yours with mine. Just increase your preferred dry food over the next couple of weeks. I advise to go with a dry food that is over 32% protein and lists meats as the first 2-3 ingredi

If you would like to continue with dry food for your kitten in the long run, please continue reading with this section. For the first year, we recommend leaving dry food out all day. You can measure out ½ a cup and add more as needed. Let them eat as much as they want the first year. Keep it fresh by not putting too much out. It can get stale. If you chose an “all stages” food, we recommend mixing in a kitten specific dry food as well.  

WET FOOD:

If you have the budget, feed more wet food than dry food. Wet food / canned food is considered “watery” and higher in moisture than dry foods. Feeding canned foods maintains better hydration and promotes dilute urine. Your kitten will transition to what you give them. While they are under 6 months, you may prefer to feed them wet chicken or turkey rather than seafood since it can be easier on their digestion. 

RAW FOOD / FREEZE-DRIED RAW FOOD:

Your kitten has been fed with raw food since they were 7 weeks old. I do think raw food is good for overall health and weight gain for cats in the long run. Cats are carnivores. They crave meat. 

We also try to switch between raw food and freeze-dried raw food for our cats (we have a separate freezer for our dog and cat’s raw food; most of our cats are on raw / freeze-dried raw food), we use Primal and Stella & Chewy’s the most. You do not have to continue them on the raw food / freeze-dried food if you are not comfortable with it. 

WATER:  

Keep fresh water out daily. I recommend pet fountains since they keep the water moving which attracts the kitten. There are so many brands on Amazon, just get the one you like and change the filter regularly. 

Chapter 2: Recommend Cat Trees and Scratchers 

There are a lot of cat trees and scratchers on the market! Most of them are pretty good quality. We like the one from -Hidden- because we can change the inside every once in a while, For cat trees, if you have more than one cat, we really like -Hidden-. If you have the budget, we think it’s a good investment because of its quality and steadiness. Additionally, they are super nice looking in terms of the color and design. We have the Cat Empire Beige (in our living room. If you have one cat, you can get something smaller from them as well.   

Chapter 3: Recommended Litter and Litter Boxes 

All of our cats are on pine pellets for the benefit of my kittens age 4 weeks to 8 weeks who can be tempted to eat clay. But know that a cat's favorite litter is clay. If you decide to continue with pine pellets after researching online, you can buy Feline Pine at your local pet store. You will want to order a specific litter box that is for sifting pine pellets from Feline Pines website. They are around $35 with shipping but are the best for pellets.  In the long run, I recommend The World’s Best Brand litter. Keep your litter box cleaned out daily. Keep it away from loud traffic areas. Have an additional litter box for the number of cats you have. If you have 1 cat, I recommend you having 2 litter boxes. If you have 2 cats, then 3 litter boxes. I also recommend all natural citrus bathroom spray to keep by the box. I use Pure Citrus Orange. You can find it at Walmart and everywhere. The less the odor, the happier the family, the more you may want another ragdoll kitten😊 

If you have the budget, invest in an automatic litter box. They are around -Hidden- but they will free your hands most of the time! We have a few Litter Robot in our home ranging from their first generation to the current generation three. There were times that we had to send the bottom part back to their factory to repair or they just send us a new sensor and we repair it by ourselves (thanks to my husband who is an engineer…), but there’s a lot of progress made on the newest generation. If you have limited budget, buy those litter boxes that are enclosed so the litter won’t mostly get on your floor or carpet!  

Chapter 4: Transitioning Week(s) 

It can take up to 2 weeks for your kitten to transition to your home. They will look for their siblings and other cats from the cattery. The smells and sounds will differ from what they have known. Other pets and family members have to transition along with the kitten. It will take patience for a few days but the benefit is a blessing! 

1) Keep your carrier out and the door propped open for the first few days. You will be given a blanket or small towel with the scents of her mother and siblings. Keep it in the carrier. The kitten may want a refuge from the change and pick this spot. Put the carrier in the room you are keeping the kitten in at that time throughout the day. 

2) Keep your kitten in a bathroom or small room when you are not home or sleeping. That room should have food, water and a litter box. 

3) Close doors to as many rooms of your home as you can for the first few days. This will allow the kitten to find the litter box and not feel lost. 

4) If you have a second story landing, weave cardboard thru the railing or close off the openings in another way to prevent falling. The kitten will gain more depth perception as they mature. 

5) If you have other pets or small children, put the kitten in the carrier at times to introduce to others. The kitten is restrained in the carrier so others can curiously approach. 

6) If you have other pets, let them work out sharing their home. Your pet may act out of character hissing or chasing. This is normal and necessary. As long as the response is not aggressive to the kitten, let them work it out for short periods of time. Then put the kitten back in the carrier or the room you chose for when you are away or sleeping. 

7) If your kitten tries to follow you out of an exterior door, place a plastic container at the door with balls, etc. so you can toss one to distract while you exit. Your kitten has been in a busy environment. If they are alone, they will need to adjust to that and may follow you more initially. (This is one reason why ragdoll owners often buy another ragdoll.) 

8) The first few days, your kitten may not eat as much or use the litter box. This is due to stress. It will pass. Just be patient and they will eat and use the box. 

9) Always but especially the first couple of weeks, try to not constantly pick up the kitten. They will come to you more if you get on their level be it on the floor or if they are on a couch for example. They will run from you if they think you only bend over and pick them up. They will possibly resist that. So...sit and wait. Dangle a toy. Spend time teaching them to come to you for interaction. If they hide, don’t dig them out. Dangle something beside the furniture and wait. The first few months are important in establishing your relationship. Just think about how the kitten is viewing your actions. It will pay big rewards. If you want a cuddle kitten, you can encourage it by lightly wrapping them in a small blanket to restrain them while they are in your lap. Rub them between the eyes and across their face. They will begin to crave that handling. If they resist after a few minutes, let them go...but do it again later. Do all the training for short periods of time. If you like, use small amounts of catnip to train also...just a pinch. You can rub a pinch in a blanket or on your favorite chair occasionally. 

The internet is filled with information on bringing a new kitten home and how to transition them. Every kitten is different. Some relax and accept the changes quickly. Others take a little longer. It can be a stressful time if you have certain expectations. It is best to just give the kitten and family members time to adjust. We are happy to help in any way I can, especially if your answer is not found after looking online. Enjoy the time of transitioning. Laugh and have fun with your new friend! The joy is never ending! 

 Please reach out to Mia if you have any questions!  We are humbled and honored to have you as our future Ragdoll parents. 

Mia

July 2024