KitTen – Ragdoll of the Week

KitTen or Calina the Blue Torti Ragdoll

I have a 4 year old Blue Tortishell Ragdoll Kitten named Calina aka Kitten, Princess Fluffy Butt, Sassy Girl, Little One, Beautiful Girl and Sunshine. I bought my little girl from Springvale Ragdolls in Brandon, WI. I got KitTen six or 7 months after my 6 ½ year old Tortishell barn cat, Luna died. Oddly enough, Calina, means moon in Greek. Her full name is Calina Autumn Iris (my mom’s middle name is Iris) and I brought her home in October so autumn season, my favorite in Wisconsin. I call her Kitten most of the time and I say it like this “KitTen”. Calina shares her home with a 12 ½ year old rescue gray Tabby, named Tobey Maquire (the cat, not the actor) and a 12 ½ year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, named Willow. I became interested in Ragdolls from a friend at the time who had two Ragdolls and was bringing a third one home. She had two girls and a boy. My Corgi and I just fell in love when we saw and met them! My Corgi loves sniffing those little fluffy butts! Kitten was born July 15th and raised with a wonderful family. I have enjoyed watching her grow up and all her little antics. When Kitten came home Willow and her were best friends instantly. Tobey, well, it took some time, but she finally wore on him and he finally fell in love! How could you not! She takes every chance she gets to snuggle with the boys and gives them kisses. They even kiss her back now. When she first kissed Willow, my Corgi, he gave her the Corgi smile, which means showed his teeth. I told him be nice. He obliged. After he realized she was not trying to take his bone and was just loving him she was allowed to kiss him all the time. I’ve never seen a cat kiss a dog or my other kitty so much! It’s actually quite touching. When KitTen was about 6 months old, I was sick with the flu and fell asleep on the bathroom floor. Kitten came up and head butted me, trying to get me up to make sure I was okay. I thought that was amazing! Kitten doesn’t always like to admit that she loves the mom, but I know she does. At times she can be fearless. She does so many things that my other cat seems to look at her and say, “I never would have thought of that!” She also seems super sensitive to all that’s around her. When her world is not balanced Kitten lets you know. She usually enjoys meeting people, but runs at first sound of the doorbell. If she recognizes the voice or smell she pops out to say hello. KitTen is the most loving and patient girl I’ve ever met. When I was taking my Willow dog to the nursing home to see my Aunt with dementia she came along. She did very well. Even enjoyed the elevator ride. J She enjoys Taste of the Wild with Venison in, baked cod is her FAV, baked trout here and there, dried chicken treats from Fresh is Best, Fussie cat dry chicken or salmon flavor, can Fancy Feast mixed with warm or hot water, Fussie cat, Nature’s Variety and Wellness, nothing raw at this point. She gags at it so I don’t really see that in our future. Also, a good dry food soaked in water from time to time. She does not like eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, butter – I guess Dairy. LOL. She also does not really like dry foods that contain two ingredients together; like chicken and salmon. Put them separate and she is one happy kitty. Can food seems to be getting easier. She also did not start liking other fish (like trout) until she reached 3 ½ years old accept for baked USA cod. Bake at 350 for ½ hour in water. NO seasoning. I flake it into little pieces for her. She always goes back for seconds. Ragdoll mouths seem to be softer than a regular cat if you can understand that. Like a Golden Retriever vs. a Doberman. I use the Nature’s Miracle hooded cat litter box. They have large openings and it contains the odor well. I use Tidy Cat 24/7 cat litter. It works. She likes to play with plastic spiral springs along with pipe cleaners rolled up around your finger or a pen (like a spiral), little soft balls that you buy at Joanne’s Fabrics, ping pong balls, the cat puzzle game (that we just got), she LOVES the Cat Cave! and bugs. When she was young she went outside for like the second time and got stung by a bee. Needless to say, we had to go the vet as the girl has a little allergy to that. She also plays with Tobey and Willow. When they are tired I play with her or she entertains herself by running from the basement to the porch, then she does it at least two more times or she just gets plain crabby and sassy. She loves Da Bird Feather, and Neko toys I think they are called. Da Bird also sells a bee and mouse toy. She loves DA Bee. She also like the cat dancer, but gets bored fast with that! She also enjoys organic dried catnip put on the floor to eat or fresh catnip leaves that I grow in the back. I have to break them into tiny pieces for her. She likes catnip toys, but it took her a couple of years. She enjoys sitting on top of the refrigerator or in the top upper kitchen cupboard when I am cooking or doing dishes. Sometimes the kitchen window while I am doing dishes. She loves her kitty towers. I have lower ones these days to save on the cats joints. She loves, loves, loves to be up high like in the closet or on top the fridge and is fearless in jumping down. I don’t encourage it for her. She loves scratching on the sisal rope instead of the carpeting on the towers and she loves those cardboard things. She loves plastic bags; playing on them, laying on them, hiding in them, being carried in them, just as long as it makes that crinkly sound! When I come home from work she is happy to see me, but God forbid I touch her (like pick her up). I say hello and small pat on the head all the way down to her tail then let her sort it all out. KitTen has a foot and face fetish. If you are lying in bed and put your foot by her she grabs it, snuggles with it, kisses it, bites it, then starts all over. It totally tickles! She also loves to smell faces; makeup, hairspray. I get the sniff down every time I go to get my hair cut and styled. When I wear makeup she needs to smell it all especially mascara and eye shadow. If I pick her up to meet a new person she goes right for the face to sniff them. I tell the person what she is doing as to not make them nervous. I basically explain that’s how she checks you out. When she is sad and lonely she cries so I call to her to let her know I am there. My boys are older and don’t always want to play. She also talks to me. There was something I read on Ragdolls… they don’t meow or are quiet and few other things. She DID NOT get that Ragdoll memo. LOL. She visits me every bathroom visit. It’s as if she knows I am finally sitting in one spot! Same routine every time. Hi, I love you, pet me, ok, I gotta go now you might be making a stinky! I then tell her, “Have you smelled your stuff lately?” I get the Ragdoll look. Ya know what I mean. That look that only Ragdolls can give you. BTW she does not cover her stuff up in the cat box. Thank heavens for Tobey! She goes in, does her stuff and runs out! Very strange. When I take a shower and partially close the door (she totally despises closed doors – that’s all wrong in her world) KitTen will stand up on her hind legs and push the door open with her front paws. Tobey opens the cupboards and closet doors and she pushes. Those two could really get into or out of a lot of trouble if they wanted too. She walks great on harness and leash. Started her young. She goes outside on leash with Willow and Tobey during the summer and fall. She loves to watch birds!!! I try to set up the bird feeders so she watch from the porch in the summer and from the bedroom window in the winter. I tried putting her outside in the winter BUT she does not like getting her feet wet. If the grass is wet from dew she will NOT put a paw on the grass. At all. She cracks me up! She also does not like rain. At all. On her. Watching is ok. Storms do not bother her either. She is also a very good mouser. Princess Fluffy Butt J likes to keep herself very clean. She is getting better at brushing. She gets a really FULL and FLUFFY coat and chest. Come winter she’s all hair with a small little head. That girl. When she is cleaning herself, I can almost hear her say, “All this hair mom!” She sleeps with me only on weekends and that is if I am still in bed after 8 or 9 as if to say, ok, I guess I have to share with you as you are interrupting my normal schedule. She is getting better at becoming a lap kitty. She does not really care to be held. I’ve tried Jenny’s way of picking her up and she seems to like that. She’s always been fond of me carrying her like a baby over my shoulder. She seems happy and purrs with those positions. She also loves to be put around my neck like Jenny did with Rags. She does NOT LIKE my holding her belly up and facing me. She puts her paw right on my face as she knows I want to kiss her and that’s her way of telling me Nope. I still sneak a kiss in though. I have to, I’m the mom. 😉 She loves to be under fleece blankets. She loves to sleep under the bedspread in between the electric blanket and the quilt. She does travel quite well. I started her young. No long trips, just mostly in town. I would like to do more with her, just need the time. She has a good foundation it’s just to continue. Sweetest thing about Kitten… at night before we all go to bed, everyone sits on the bed and I give out dried chicken treats. That’s her and our favorite time and she leaves no crumbs. All in all, Kitten totally SOLD me on the Ragdoll breed. I don’t know how to explain how they are different from other cats. I’ve had cats all my life; barn cats, house cats, rescued cats, foster cats, you name it. I love their kindness, intuitiveness, sweetness, their soft rabbit-like hair, their blue eyes, their sensitivity, how they can be docile, so dog-like too with walking on the leash, traveling, there are just so many things…. They seem to think differently too. I don’t know how to explain that. it’s just different. She’s still a cat, don’t get me wrong, it’s just different.. I have really enjoyed owning my first Pedigree cat. A dream come true for sure! I Am BLESSED to have chosen and brought home a Ragdoll cat. Tara Schmidt & Calina (aka Kitten)

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