Gus – Ragdoll of the Week
My husband and I picked Gus from a breeder the end of December 2012 after our 8.5 year old cat Sangha was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma and we had made the sad decision to put him down. (Sangha was a mixed breed shelter cat who looked just like a seal point ragdoll). It was the hardest couple of months of my life but I had wanted a ragdoll ever since I saw one as a pet store cat when I was a little girl. I also knew that getting a kitten would help us heal from the loss of our beloved boy. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I would have been able to get past losing Sangha.
Gus was a spunky little guy of 8 weeks old when we brought him home. I’m not going to name the breeder here (though feel free to contact for more info), but I wouldn’t recommend them. It turned out to be a pretty bad experience getting him from them. They gave him his shots too young, pushed us to declaw him (which we didn’t), neutered him awfully early (it was done before we took him home) and they obviously let us take him home too early. He also had remnants of ear mite dirt in his ears when he had his vet check. I won’t go into the rest but I learned my lesson. I thought I did 
good research but I guess not. Of course, I don’t regret getting him though because I love him so much.
Gus is two now, born November 3, 2012 and weighing in around 14.5 lbs. If he hadn’t been born before Sangha passed away, I could have sworn he was him reincarnated because they turned out to be so similar, except that Gus is no pushover! I thought he needed a nice sophisticated name like Dimitri or Alexander, but somehow he ended up Gus like in Cinderella. I think it fits. He loves to play with our other two cats, Brook and Rogue. He loves to follow me around the house and sleeps on my pillow at the beginning of the night, but disappears in the middle of the night to under the bed. His favorite toy is his Neko Flies wand. He played fetch as a kitten, though he doesn’t do that anymore sadly. He enjoys cat nip and gazing out the window. I do photography and he’s a ham for the camera. He’s amazing.
Gus’s definitely a tree dwelling cat, spending much of his time on the cat tree or the wall climbers. To his dismay, he is not currently allowed on the cat tree because of undergoing major surgery. While playing he pulled his leg and we ended up at the emergency vet where it turned out he had a fractured hip. I guess it’s a fairly common condition in larger male cats. So he’s healing from that now. After several weeks of downtime, he’s back in bed with us and starting to play again more. But definitely not ready for the tree yet.
I hope that Gus will stick around for a very long time with us because he’s a joy and I enjoy his company very much.
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,
Gus is wonderful. I just joined recently and talked about my 15 year-old boy Darwin. Well, two weeks ago today Darwin passed over the Rainbow Bridge and I haven’t slept or eaten. I finally found a little boy in North Carolina that I fell in love with. We’re naming him Bently, but we won’t have him for about three more weeks and it seems like forever. It’s still so hard to speak, but I know there are others out there who will understand. Thank you all for your time.
wishing you many cuddly wonderful years with this adorable Angel!
His is so photogenic but you have got some crazy photographer skills!!
Thanks for sharing such a heartwarming story.
A new kitty is never a replacement for another loved one we’ve lost but sometimes, as with your poor Sangha and new baby Gus, we notice similar traits that endear the new pet to us even more. I’ve seen this often in my lifetime of loving cats. Two cats of the same breed who look like identical twins many act nothing alike (my Ragdoll boys, for example). We love them all as the special individuals they are, of course. I’m so sorry you lost Sangha but glad you have Gus to fill your heart!
I’m so sorry for the loss of your lovely Sangha. ***BIG HUGS***
Thank you so much for the wonderful story of Gus! Guster! Gussie! Gussers! He is so GORGEOUS and he looks like the male version of our Miss Pink Sugarbelle and they are roughly the same age, too!
What a delightful companion and wonderful addition to your family! Congrats on getting such a lovely kitteh! He sounds amazing and so much fun!
Big hugs!
Patti & Miss Pink Sugarbelle 🙂 <3 <3 <3
Oh me catness dat Gus is a handsum mancat. Enjoy his antics, mommy sez they never end. MOL
Luv ya’
Dezi and Lexi
So sorry for your loss of Sangha. Gus is gorgeous and his photos are amazing! Thank you for sharing his wonderful story with us. Wishing you all the best.
Oh gosh, what a beauty
Isn’t he? I have a Ragdoll named Darwin, and they look a lot alike. Darwin is fifteen today, so a very special birthday boy. I swear he is 1/2 dog, for he walks on a leash, herds me, drinks from the sink, loves to travel anywhere, and growls when strangers are around.
Sorry for your horrible loss of Sangha. 🙁 It hurts just to hear about it. Darwin is my best friend and loves me unconditionally 24/7. I can’t imagine what you went through. 🙁
Such a beauty and your photos really capture his personality! Hope Gus’s hip is completely healed soon and he can get back into that tree. I have a new kitten and his playing is sometimes so crazy I worry about injury, too! Thanks for sharing Gus with us!