Duke – Ragdoll of the Week
Duke – A 6-Year Old Seal Point Ragdoll Cat
Duke is a 6 years old Seal Point Ragdoll. He is a rescue and a total blessing. In April of this year (2016) we lost our beloved gentle giant kitty Grayson, who was adopted at the age of 8.5 and spent glorious five years with us, benevolently ruling the household. Grayson succumbed to advanced kidney disease and when there was nothing else that we could do we said our final goodbye on 4/16/16.
I wasn’t really looking for another kitty right away, but we were approached by our rescue friends who asked us if we could consider helping to rehome a great kitty who was in a complicated situation. Duke was raised with his kitty sister by a young couple who then had a baby. Duke’s sister got along grudgingly with the toddler, but Duke hated every moment. He became withdrawn, depressed and started urinating on all of the baby’s items, which pretty much meant that the whole house was affected. The situation was getting desperate and the couple was also expecting their second child.
We agreed to come and meet Duke, and seeing this small gentle kitty I just could not resist. We brought Duke home with us on 4/22/16 and he is doing very well. He is a little skittish but adjusted well, is very affectionate and would highly prefer if we didn’t have to go to work and stayed at home at his beck and call for belly rubs, treats and lovies. He has grown in this short period of time, gained some much needed weight although he is still small for a Ragdoll – only 9 Lbs. His fur is silky, his eyes are clear, he is using his litter box consistently and he plays like a little kitten!
Contrary to popular belief, our Duke is not much of a traditional “lap cat”. He does love being nearby his humans and is frequently putting his sweet face on my knee (or his Dad’s) for a nap. He loves belly rubs and is ready for one at all times, he loves his little ears and chin rubbed as well and his front paws tickled.
Duke loves playing with a feather toy, chasing toy mice and especially loves catching treats! He discovered freeze dried salmon and lamb and now his coat is softer than ever. He eats good quality grain free dry food and we hope to include some wet food in time, for now he just curiously looks at the wet food and does not consider it edible. We are still hopeful and keep offering from time to time!
Since Duke already had his name for a long time we did not rename him. If I had to come up with a fitting mane though, I think I would have named him Tiramisu, he is all chocolate-cream-coffee and is so sweet!
I am so grateful to Duke’s first family for not surrendering him to a shelter but instead turning to a rescue for help. I would like to encourage others to adopt older kitties, they are wonderful and have so much love to give. Duke would not have survived at the shelter and we are so glad he didn’t have to go through this experience. We adore him and he knows it! I hope for many more years together with our lovely baby Duke.
Do you have a Ragdoll Kitten or Cat? Consider submitting your kitty! Ragdoll of the Week submission guidelines
Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,
So wonderful that you adopted Duke and got him out of that situation that made him so nervous and scared. He is just gorgeous! Wishing you all a happy and long life together.♥♥♥♥
What a great story! Some kitties just prefer to have our full attention, don’t they? I’m so glad the beautiful Duke landed in your home where you can spoil him the way he deserves! His coat looks soft and yummy in the pictures, especially where he is looking out the window. Thanks for sharing the Duke with us and for rescuing him from his unhappy situation.
Lynn
I love your story about Duke. I hope he is helping your heart heal. It sounds like he is. I hope you all have a wonderful long life together. You deserve the best. Thank you for what you have done for Duke. Cindy
What a caring and generous act of kindness, to adopt an older kitty. We have done that with all our kitties and have never once regretted having an older cat. Except that our time with them is shorter than if we had them when they were kittens. Duke is beautiful. I am sure he appreciates a quieter home. I wonder what happened to his sister?
Thank you so very much for sharing your love story about Duke with us! I’m very sorry about the loss of your beloved Grayson earlier this year and hope you will accept my sincere & heartfelt condolences. *BIG HUGS*
God bless you and yours for rescuing the GORGEOUSLY HANDSOME Duke and giving him a wonderful furrever home! I’m so happy that he is thriving under your care and is feeling at home and is such a little lovebug!
The pics of your BEAUTIFUL BOY are just pawesome! I lurve his coloring. Your thinking that his purrfect name would be Tiramisu is spot on! Glad you are keeping him named Duke, though, which must have helped tremendously with his transition.
Wishing you and yours and Duke many more years of love, good health, happiness, belly rubs and other purry adventures together!
Big hugs!
Patti & Miss Pink Sugarbelle 🙂 <3
Hooray for you! Duke is a very lucky boy, and beautiful! My male Ragdoll is long and thin and weighs only 10+ lbs, so they aren’t all huge.
Thanks for sharing your Duke, Regal, he is♥