Bella – Ragdoll of the Week

Two years ago, this August, a past friend of mine showed me a picture of probably the fluffiest cat I had ever seen. She said this little girl who was 3 at the time and in need of a new home, was a “Ragdoll”. This was a breed unknown to me.

Her former owner, I was told, had a husband who didn’t like this cat following him around all the time begging for attention and had terribly abused her. The wife told my friend that she saw her husband place the cat in a carrier and then kick it across the floor like a football. I will never in my lifetime understand how a person can abuse an animal and I have practiced what I would say to him if we ever should cross paths.

A year prior to seeing Bella we lost my sweet Benjamin who was a tabby rescue. I was still very raw and nursing a broken heart. Needless to say, I could not stop thinking about Bella and my heart came out again. Now she was being fostered in a home with 3 big dogs and 2 screaming toddlers and hiding under a bed. But I could not get Bella’s eyes out of my head. Three days went by. Finally, my motherly instinct kicked in and my husband and I agreed to take her. Note: Day 1 pic w/pink blanket and brush.

Prior to making our decision, we read up on Ragdolls and what to expect. I bought her a brush, a soft pink blanket, new toys, a bed, etc. and brought her home. I forgot to mention earlier we also have an elder female Tortie. She had been alone for a while and mourned the loss of our tabby. We knew she would be annoyed for a week but then accept the new energy and companion in the house.

The first few days we gave Bella her own room so she could get used to the smells and sounds of her new environment. She had everything she needed in there including safety. We visited her often to pet and brush her, but she didn’t like being locked up. On the third eve I opened the door and let have the run of the house overnight while our Tortie stayed with us in our room.

After that Bella let us know she was not going back in that room! Downstairs she darted where we couldn’t find her for 2 hours. Finally, lying flat on our backs we spotted a ball of fur under one of the recliners. Thank goodness we checked! I laid on the floor and tapped the brush and out she came. That brush is now “the magic wand”.

In 2 years, we’ve learned so much about the Ragdoll breed in general and about our girl. I joined the FB Floppycats page and quickly gained knowledge.

She has such a personality! She has the softest fur imaginable and is totally photogenic. She loves to do drive-by tickles with her tail and it’s her way or the highway right down to pet me time. She hates to be picked up and is just now allowing it.

She comes to a high pitch whistle, plays fetch for 20 minutes at a time and likes to lie on the rug like a puppy. We have many other pet names for her now like belly jelly, swiffer, puppy and pretty girl. We have a daily brushing routine.

She runs to her “salon” which is a Persian rug and flops down each day and purrs while I brush her. She loves belly rubs and hates it when “stuff” gets stuck in her fur. She loves our lovebirds and occasionally touches noses oh so gently with them. She is very communicative and will answer and tell or show you what she wants.

She’ll drop a springy toy at your feet to be thrown and retrieve it until it becomes lodged where she can’t get to it and then show you where it went (pic). She turned our lazy Susan into a lazy bella, she loves to sleep under the Christmas tree and stare at the lights.

She loves to hide under the covers on the couch and take naps. Her appetite varies. We have picky days and non-picky days. She has been checking on our older Tortie a lot lately who is now 21 years old. She knows as we do that time is slipping away.

She’s a flying through the air, bug killing, sliding across the floor athlete and we just love her so much. We are so glad we brought her into our home. Thank you for the opportunity to share her story.

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