Buzz – Ragdoll Kitten of the Month

I had been looking for a Ragdoll for quite some time before coming across Buzz. I have always enjoyed the presence of cats; however, I had never had a cat of my own. When I started my journey to find my feline companion, I always knew that I preferred the Ragdoll breed. I, honestly, do not remember how I found out about the breed. I just know that I loved their temperament and I thought that they were gorgeous cats- all colors and patterns!

I had done my research and found four or five breeders that I checked up on frequently. I would check their websites for postings of available kittens. I checked these breeders’ websites for months, and months, if not years. I wanted to be picky, I didn’t want to get the first kitten I saw- not that that is a bad thing. October of 2017, I ran across a listing for Buzz, then: Tater, (a Seal Mitted Lynx Point) on one of my five breeders’ websites. I instantly fell in love with him. I knew he had to be mine. I can’t really explain the feeling that I had which made me want Buzz, I just knew in my heart that he belonged with me and that I belonged with him. So, I contacted the breeder and scheduled a visit. He proved to be as perfect as I thought he would, so I put a deposit down on him. The breeder did inform me that Buzz was the runt/smallest of the litter. I had no problem with that- to me, that made him more special/unique! Funny enough, I put a deposit down on his brother (a Seal Lynx Point Bicolor), as well. I wasn’t planning on adopting two kittens, but Buzz’s brother; Bugsy sparked my interest, as well. I also thought that it may be better to bring home two kittens instead of one, in hopes that they transitioned better and did not get so lonely when I was at work. Buzz and Bugsy were born September 9th, 2017, which happens to be my birthday! To me, that made them that much more special!

Buzz and Bugsy’s pick up date was November 17th, 2017- what should have been an exciting start to our new lives together. When I picked them up, I had a vet appointment schedule within the hour of their pick up, so I took them straight to their appointment. Instantly, the vet informed me that they had fleas- not a few, but a lot. I was not pleased by this. I believe that, coming from a breeder, these kittens should have been healthy and parasite free. After all, they weren’t cheap. This could have caused an infestation that could have only been fixed by an exterminator. My vet gave them Capstar and sent them home with two doses of Revolution. They gave them the Capstar during the appointment and instructed me to give them their Revolution after they had received baths and had dried. Other than that, the vet did not find any issues with the boys. Once we got home, I put them in their designated room for transitioning and stayed with them throughout the night. Bugsy started eating out of my hand, which prompted him to eat from his bowls. Buzz seemed very scared; so he didn’t do much except for sit around. He barely ate. That next morning, Buzz had diarrhea and vomited. I was instantly worried, as I had a suspicion that this was not just the stress of transitioning. I called my vet and he told me to watch him throughout the day; that if he was not drinking or could not keep food down, to bring him in. That night, he had not eaten, hadn’t had anything to drink all day, and seemed extremely lethargic. I tried to get him to eat anything. I offered him canned tuna and even meat-flavored baby food (all recommendations by my vet). He would not eat, so I rushed him go the emergency vet. Waiting at the emergency vet felt like an eternity- I was so worried about my baby. He was dehydrated, of course, so they gave him fluids. They also instructed me to syringe feed him KMR mixed with canned food or meat-flavored baby food every three hours. The vet said that he must have been having a hard time transitioning which caused him not to want to eat or drink- causing low blood sugar and dehydration. A few days into his syringe feeding, he still would not eat on his own, was not interested in any kind of food, and still seemed very sick, so I took him to my usual vet. This time, they did many, many tests on him. He was FeLV negative, thank God. He was diagnosed with a possible heart condition, which would have to be diagnosed by a cardiologist and he was diagnosed pneumonia. My poor baby had pneumonia. Three days into starting our lives together, Buzz had pneumonia. I questioned how his breeder didn’t even realize that he was sick- it made me angry (and sad for him). I started to wonder what his conditions were like at the breeders, but I did not dwell on it. I did contact the breeder with questions about him, wondering how he had been eating and what not. I informed her of his illness and the flea issue. She thoroughly apologized (said she was embarrassed) and stuck by her contract and refunded his full purchase price. I wasn’t looking for a refund; I just wanted to know more about Buzz to make sure I was doing all I could do for him. The vet did give me U/D Science Diet food, which is a high fat canned food. This was to help Buzz put on weight quickly since he had lost so much weight while he was sick- he got down to less than a pound! I do not blame my vet for not catching the pneumonia during his first visit, as I had them for an hour and neither of us knew what was “normal” and what was not. Within the few days after his diagnosis, Buzz did start eating on his own- thank God. I was so thrilled! After that, he became a thriving, young kitten.

Tragically, soon after Buzz’s recovery, Bugsy had a deadly accident. I was letting my dog outside to potty before bed. I opened my front door to let her out on the front lawn- a routine occurrence. All of a sudden, I see Bugsy running out of the house! I tried to calmly get him to come back to me, but there was no stopping him- he must have seen something. Within a blink of an eye, Bugsy was struck by a car in the street- he was gone on impact. It was the worst night of my life. He had never been interested in the outside (or the front door), and all of a sudden, he was gone. I am heartbroken, traumatized, and embarrassed. I now put Buzz in his room to open any door for any reason, in hopes to prevent another tragedy and more heartbreak. Soon after this incident, Buzz was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection. The vet thinks it was due to the trauma of his brother’s passing. Buzz and I did grieve for quite some time; I understand how he got a little cold.

After he was treated for his infection, Buzz became a healthy, happy kitten. He has all of his kitten vaccines (that I was comfortable with him receiving) and has been neutered, so I do not have anything to worry about for quite some time! I have not furthered Buzz’s cardiology testing, as my vet seems to not be concerned about him anymore. We are watching him closely for any developments, but she said we could hold off.

As stated above, I did get Buzz and Bugsy from a breeder; however, I do not wish to name her. I don’t have any ill feelings towards her, but I can’t say that I would feel comfortable with recommending her- given all that had happened after Buzz and Bugsy came home. I would not trade Buzz for the world. I would do it all over again if I had to, but I can’t say that I fully trust the way she runs her cattery; therefore, I cannot recommend her. Hopefully, that is understandable.

There is no special meaning behind “Buzz”. Honestly, Buzz got his name by just looking online and just brainstorming names. It doesn’t have a special meaning; I just thought that “Buzz” fit him- same with Bugsy.

Buzz is a lover, he instantly purrs at the slightest touch and glance. He likes to be around any living creature. The dog didn’t care for him, too much, at first, but he nuzzled, rubbed, purred, and cuddled his way into her heart. He loves to play, but he is also laid back. He does just as much laying, sleeping, and cuddling as he does playing- if not more. He does follow me around. If he is not near me, he is either eating or using the litter box. He typically sleeps on or beside me, but every now-and-then, he will sleep on/in his cat tower. He likes to give kisses to anyone that will take them. He will stay near me when guests come over. He is a little more timid with strangers, but I’m always right there to comfort him. He doesn’t get scare, per say, he just prefers his ma’am over socializing with other guest, which I’m okay with- I prefer him, too, haha! Overall, my little baby is a lover, and I am 100% okay with that! He is definitely one-of-a-kind, and I am very, very lucky to have him- he is very special to me. He will always have a very special, happy place in my heart- I love him dearly!

Buzz is fed both dry food and canned food. He is fed “Nulo FreeStyle Grain-Free Turkey & Duck Recipe”. I looked many dry foods before choosing Nulo for Buzz, as I know that dry food can be unhealthy for our kitties. I narrowed down my choices to Orijen “Cat & Kitten” and Nulo. I ultimately chose Nulo because of their availability, seemingly great ingredient quality and these two claims:

• A balanced amount of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids nourish your cat’s skin and help promote a beautiful shiny coat.”
• “Made to provide a number of benefits for numerous diet requirements. Nulo is powered by a pure probiotic strain that supports gastrointestinal health. Also an ideal diet for cats who need a low carbohydrate and glycemic food regimen.”

I use the “Gamma2 Vittles Vault Plus Pet Food Storage” to store Buzz’s dry food. It contains BPA-free, food grade plastic and a screw-top lid that allows freshness to stay in while keeping any unwanted pests/pets out! For Buzz’s canned food, I chose to feed him: “Instinct by Nature’s Variety Kitten Grain-Free Real Chicken Recipe Natural Wet”. I decided to feed Instinct to Buzz because of it’s lack of “carrageenan” and most “gums” as ingredients, of it’s seemingly good food quality, it was specifically a kitten formula, and it is chicken flavored. Multiple people have advised me that beef and fish-flavored foods can be a little rich and cause some GI upset in kittens. I don’t know if this is proven to be true, but I wanted to keep him as comfortable and healthy as possible- hence the mainly poultry flavored foods. As a supplement, I sprinkle Buzz’s advised dose of L-Lysine powder over his canned food.

L-Lysine is a nutritional supplement for upper respiratory issues in cats/kittens. Since Buzz had such an unhealthy start to his life, I wanted to make sure he got everything he needed to be a healthy, comfortable, and happy kitten/cat. I have had no issues with his upper respiratory infections or pneumonia after supplementing him with L-Lysine. For treats, Buzz enjoys “Vital Essentials Rabbit Bites Freeze-Dried Cat Treats” and “PureBites Shrimp Freeze-Dried Cat Treats”, and I enjoy that they are on the healthier side of treats! For litter, I use a combination of “Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Kitten Attract Training Cat Litter” and “Arm & Hammer Litter Clump & Seal Multi-Cat Litter”. I use this combination because I wanted to make sure to avoid any litter box issues (Bugsy was having a hard time using the litter box properly before his passing) and I wanted to keep the litter box as fresh as possible. I like the Arm & Hammer litter because it is very low tracking and does a good job of masking the smell of the litter box. I scoop the litter box twice a day, but it is still nice to come home and not smell the litter box. I like Dr. Elsey’s because it did do a good job with helping Bugsy use the bathroom. Honestly, I am afraid to stop using Dr. Elsey’s because I’m worried Buzz may start having litter box issues if I do stop using it, since it is a litter box attractant. I’m probably worrying for no reason on that, but it has proven to be a good product and combination, so I will stick with it! For litter mats, “WooPet! Cat Litter Mats” have proven to be amazing. I have the large and jumbo size. I prefer the grey-colored mats, but that, again, is just a preference. I do really enjoy the mats and so does Buzz- he likes to use them as a scratcher! The only complaint that I have is that when Bugsy was having his litter box issues, his poop would get stuck in-between the honeycombs of the mat. I would have to hose the mat down to fully get the poop off of the mat. Like I said, Buzz never had and continues to not have any litter box issues. For a litter scoop, I use the “Litter Lifter”. I love the Litter Lifter! I have no complaints or issues with this scoop! When I brush Buzz, I only use the “EZ-Groomer Pet Comb”. Buzz hasn’t had too much of a problem with shedding since his coat is still developing; however, the brush comes with great reviews, and I wanted to go ahead and get him used to being brushed/groomed. Buzz does not have a bed, but he does have a blanket: “Frisco Sherpa Dog Blanket, Sky Tone Geo Print”. I bring his blanket with him when we travel. Other than that, his blanket is in his cat cave on his cat tower to make it extra comfy- he loves it! Buzz’s favorite toy: “Bergan Turbo Scratcher Cat Toy”. No matter what, Buzz always goes back to the Turbo Scratcher- he loves it. He plays with this toy at least five times a day- at least. His second favorite toys are tennis balls. He likes to steal them from the dog, haha. Finally, Buzz also enjoys his small, plush mouse toys (I could not find the link. I bought them at PetCo). I only give these to him when I can fully supervise his playtime. They are pretty small and do have fabric that, I worry, could be easily torn. Therefore, I watch him while he plays with his mice just to be sure he doesn’t ingest part of the toy.

Buzz does have a YouTube account; however, I do not have plans, at the moment, to start posting videos. The best place to keep up with Buzz would be his Instagram account. We hope to see you there!

Links:

• Instagram 
• Dry Food
• Dry Food Storage
• Canned Food
• L-Lysine Powder
• Treats (Rabbit)
• Treats (Shrimp)
• Litter (Kitten)
• Litter (Other)
• Litter Matts
• Litter Scoop
• Brush
• Blanket
• Toy

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