Dorothy Bow “Dottie” – Ragdoll of the Week

Dorothy Bow “Dottie” – How Dottie Got Her Cat Name

Dear Floppycats readers, I would like to introduce you to Dorothy Bow. She was born on May 29, 2015 in Spencerport, NY at Pam’s Dollhouse. We adopted her on September 19, 2015 and we call her “Dottie” for short. After spending the summer vacation of 2015 with my children looking for the perfect kitten to adopt and just not having any luck, I came across someone on Craig’s List selling a Ragdoll kitten. I had never heard of the breed before so I did some research. After reading many descriptions of their docile, friendly nature and looking at many pictures of beautiful cats with gorgeous blue eyes, I said to my family at dinner one evening that I think I found the perfect type of cat for our family, a Ragdoll. I wanted to find a proper breeder so I did some more research and that led us to Pam’s Dollhouse. Here is the story of her special name selection. We decided on this name because on the morning of our visit to the breeder, there was a full rainbow that stretched across the sky. After our former cat, Phantom, passed away, the wonderful people at Pine Rest Pet Cemetery gave us an article to ease our grief. It describes “Rainbow Bridge” as how pets leave us here on Earth and cross over to heaven to live happily with all the other animals. When we saw that rainbow on that morning, we took that as a sign that Phantom was letting us know that it was time and it was o.k. to adopt again. It had been over three years since he had passed away. My three children so wanted another cat but I just didn’t know if I could do it after having Phantom for over 18 years. Anyway, I felt at peace with welcoming a new cat into our family after seeing that rainbow. So, we visited the breeder and right away one particular kitten wanted our attention. We tried to engage and visit with all seven kitties to give each a chance but this particular kitten just kept wanting to play with us. So we knew she was the one. It seemed that she chose us so we decided to choose her. The adoption took place and we were so excited to bring her home. Back to the naming process again. My children wanted rainbow to be a part of her name somehow but we also wanted to get to know her and let her personality come out before officially naming her. After we brought her home, she was very brave and came out of the travel crate right away. She would return to the crate after a few minutes but come out again shortly and explore a little more each time. She was always interested in us and watched us intently. So we wanted “brave” to be a part of her name as well but couldn’t quite come up with the right combo yet. It so happened that during the next week at my daughter’s high school, it was homecoming week and their theme was “There’s no place like homecoming” in reference to the Wizard of Oz. We thought that the main character “Dorothy” exhibited many of the qualities that our kitten seemed to have in that she was “brave” on her journey and stuck close to those she cared about, just like our kitten. Also, there is a rainbow in the story as the subject for a famous song. So we decided on “Dorothy Bow”! It is classy and fancy as well as brave and strong just as she is. It fits her perfectly. Dorothy also happens to be my daughter’s middle name. She was named after my husband’s 93 year old grandmother who is an amazing person and has led a life of many adventures. But that is purely coincidence. As she has grown to become a special part of our family, we couldn’t imagine life without her. She gets so much attention from all of us and gives us plenty of entertainment as she is so much fun to play with and is interested in new and engaging toys. My children have also learned of the special joy that comes from knowing that another living thing depends on you and the special friendship and bond that develops between human and animal. Thank you Jenny and Floppycats for allowing us to share her with the Ragdoll community. The Murty Family – Karen, Brian, Shannon, Brendan, Aidan Do you have a Ragdoll Kitten or Cat?  Consider submitting your kitty!  Ragdoll of the Week submission guidelines Read more Ragdoll of the Week submissions.

Thank you for reading! Submissions like these – the “Cat of the Week” and “Kitten of the Month”- are provided by their owners and reflect their individual experiences and practices. The information these submissions share does not necessarily reflect Floppycats’ recommendation or endorsement regarding cat nutrition or care. Always consult a qualified feline nutritionist or veterinarian for personalized advice on your cat’s dietary and health needs. If you want to learn more about species-appropriate nutrition, please visit our cat food page.