Hanna – Ragdoll of the Week

I’ve owned Ragdolls since 1986. A friend showed up at my door with one & I fell in love….when my Bandy (my first, a seal point-mitted Ragdoll) passed away at 18 in 2004 it hurt so bad that I just could not even think.  I knew I wanted another Ragdoll someday, but, I couldn’t then. (Meanwhile, my daughter & I got heavily involved with rescuing & fostering animals, so I had seen enough to know that when I was ready, I would get a shelter or rescued Ragdoll. I’m amazed how many purebreds are in the shelters!) In August 2006, I decided it was time for a new member of our family & started my search.

I found Hanna…I was searching on Petfinder & saw her!!! That was MY Babydoll…she had been through so much & ended up at a high kill shelter when a rescue worker grabbed her.  I found her at Tranquility Base outside Sherman TX. My daughter & I loaded up for the 12 hour round trip. The minute she saw us, she just sauntered right up & jumped in my arms…! Looked up at me with her big Ragdoll eyes & started her meows/chirps & head butts. She had decided to adopt me as well. (Hanna is her original name, I respected the fact she was named that since her birth at “Riverdolls”…Hanna is a tortie seal-point Ragdoll with papers & lineage all the way back to the original ragdoll “Josephine”).

Hanna’s first human mommie adopted her from the breeder, but became ill & passed away. Her family passed Hanna around but no one or their pets could get along & no one knows how, but someone took Hanna to a shelter.  (We had our moments with our other furbabies! Hanna, Ragdoll that she is, doesn’t like sharing me. Lol.) Hanna rules around here. As long as everyone gets that memo, every critter is welcome. Hanna is my shadow. She follows me into every room, always meets me at the door & if I’m sick, she’s right beside me…putting her paw on my head, I swear she’s checking my temp!!! Lol. She loves playing with her catnip “Mr.Chicken”, feathers & loves her tower condo to hide in. She has two scratching post, utilizes both & never scratches furniture…She’s the quintessential Ragdoll!

Hanna is now 9yrs old.  You’d think she would slow down, but nope…she plays, runs & acts like a kitten. She’s partial to our Border Collie…seriously, those two are like siblings.  I’d like to say thank you to Jennifer here, for her Blog…a while back she blogged about raw diets, food allergies,etc. On her information, I went to PetFoodDirect.com & bought EVERY brand she discussed as a good match for raggies…its been about 8mths now & Hanna (& our other kitties) have had NO MORE tummy problems & no more vomiting. They are happier, shed less & their weight is perfect! I only feed my babies EVO dry food (chicken/turkey is their fav) & Wellness can food. (Chicken again!) They’re grain free & made with exceptional ingredients.

We’ve had one emergency, which I want to mention, so you with Ragdolls will watch for. Hanna had been asleep on my bed, I came in the room & Hanna tried to get up & come to me, she couldn’t walk. She was pulling her body with her front paws to just get to me. I scooped my baby up & off to the ER vet! I had put Hanna in her carrier so she couldn’t get hurt. All the sudden, she was standing up, all normal!! I just cried.  I was so scared the vet was…never mind, NOT going there…The vet could not find anything wrong. (They felt she had a blood clot in her spine & by some miracle (Thank God) the clot worked its way loose & dissolved. They say it rarely happens, so its amazing Hanna is healthy!) My point: Ragdolls could have a genetic disorder,  HCM. Right now, I’m looking for a cardiologist for Hanna, I’ve not found this type of specialist…so my search continues. My vet agrees, that HCM should be ruled out since this happened,but, to my knowledge she does not have HCM. But this meow-mommy isn’t going to quit looking until I get answers! Just please, look into your Ragdoll’s background to rule HCM out! And let me know if you know of a cat specific cardiologist! (Aren’t Ragdolls wonderful???)

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.