Lacey – Ragdoll of the Week

Tom & I fell in love with Ragdolls fifteen years ago when we rescued a cat hanging around our back patio. She was 3 yrs old and, according to the veterinarian, part Ragdoll. We named her Kittybelle and she lived with us for 12 yrs.

She passed in April 2020, the beginning of the pandemic. Our hearts were broken. We let a few months pass, then started searching for Ragdoll breeders in our area. We found Lexes Dolls of Arizona, 30 miles away.

Tricia has been breeding Ragdolls for 20 yrs and had excellent reviews. After a few conversations, we put a deposit down for a kitten. Our girl was born on 6/13/2020, and we brought her home on 8/14/2020. She was 8 weeks old. We named her Lacey because she was delicate & beautiful as white lace.

It was love at first sight for us, but not so for Lacey. The breeder handed her to me and Lacey immediately tried to jump out of my arms. I was hoping to hold her on the way home, but she fought me, so we pulled over and put her in the carrier.

Lacey cried all the way home. I tried talking to her, but it didn’t help. When we got home, we opened the carrier and tried coaxing her out, but she cowered inside. Finally, Lacey took a few steps out, looked around, then ran to hid under nearby furniture. I felt so bad for her, she was so tiny and scared. For the first week, I slept on the couch near her.

Every time Lacey cried, I talked to her and tried comforting her, but she’d run from me. The breeder said, “You are her only friend right now. Give her attention and offer her toys.” After a week of rejection, finally… Lacey stopped hiding and started playing with toys and allowing us to pet her. That first week was very difficult.

To kittens, everything is a toy. Lacey started playing with the straw out from my water cup. For the longest time, that was her favorite toy. She loved chewing on it, flip it around, and going after it. Lacey was too tiny to climb up on the couch, so we moved a cat tree next to the couch, so she could climb up by herself. We had so much fun playing with her.

She was pure joy! At first, we kept the doors to extra rooms closed so as not to overwhelm her. Little by little she explored the house. Within a few weeks, Lacey was zooming around the house having a great time! She loves to play in the sheets when I was making the bed, and she loves running from room to room, jumping from couch to coffee table then back to our bed. I now call her my shadow as she follows me all over the house. She is definitely my girl.

Lacey was a good eater right from the start. The breeder fed her Blue Wilderness kibble for kittens, we continued the same food until the vet suggested we add canned food to her diet.

Lacey loves canned food. She now eats Tiki Cat pate. Her favorite flavor is beef & beef liver. This summer I hope to start grinding and making her food, that way I know exactly what’s in the food she is eating. Lacey is coming up on her first birthday. She is a beautiful, happy, healthy, playful, curious, energy filled kitty, and we love her very much.

Six weeks after bringing Lacey home, we decided she needed a playmate. We contacted the breeder and lucky for us, she had one kitten available; an 8-week-old male Red Flame Lynx. A few days later, we brought Rusty home. I will submit another story about bringing Rusty home and Lacey’s reaction. YIKES!!!