Mimi – Ragdoll of the Week

20140208_073522I would like to introduce Mimi, our new-to-us Ragdoll.

Mimi is 13 months old, and is a Seal Tortie Point Mitted Ragdoll neutered girlie.  She is a fairly small Ragdoll, I think, as she only weighs seven and a half pounds.  However, having done quite a bit of reading, I hope she will grow some more over the next year or so!

We have had Mimi for three weeks now, and rehomed her from a family whose youngest little boy had sadly developed an allergy to cats.  She didn’t come with any papers, but that doesn’t matter to us.  Her previous 20140209_182547owners had named her Mimi, and she responded to it when called and spoken to, so we decided to keep the name.

We lost our much-loved terrier dog, Jim, in January to renal failure at nearly fourteen years of age, and we had decided not to have any more pets for a few months – but – oh, the emptiness of the house!  We decided to have a cat this time, but only the one, to be company for me as I am at home as a Domestic Goddess/Housewife all day.

We were introduced to the Ragdoll breed by our neighbour, who has two cats, one of which is a very large Ragdoll Seal Point boy named Maximus, and he is just gorgeous!  20140226_105317Our neighbour told us all about the breed and their endearing traits, and to have a cat which acts a bit like a dog seemed ideal.  We have rehomed many of our past pets from shelters, so this time we decided to compromise and go for a Ragdoll, but to rehome one.  I looked at the websites of local rescue centres and then at private adverts by owners looking for new homes for their Ragdoll for genuine reasons.

20140209_182534I made contact with her owners, finding out all that I needed to know, and drove the fifty miles to fetch her.  She miaowed pitifully all the way to her new home with us from the security of her pet carrier, but I kept chatting to her and put the car radio on quietly for some background noise.

Mimi spent the first couple of nights shunning her beautiful squishy, poofy bed that I had lovingly chosen for her, and slept under the spare bed, but gradually she began to feel more at home and after a week or so decided that the only place to sleep at night is on my pillow, just above my head.  If she feels a little 20140226_105142chilly, she dives down under our duvet (which is constructed from sheep wool inside a pure cotton cover – so allows a bit more air in than synthetic duvets!) and turns round so that her head is peeping up between us.

She loves sharpening her claws on her scratching posts, chasing a tinkly ball and savaging a small knitted catnip-filled mouse that my elder daughter bought from a Cats Protection 20140223_142628charity stall.  She follows me around the house and “chats” to me whilst watching me from the kitchen table.  She has wet food for breakfast and supper, with a small amount of Royal Canin Ragdoll dry food to nibble during the day.

She has settled beautifully, and delights me every day with her antics and her loving, affectionate nature.  She doesn’t often sit on my lap, but likes to drape herself along the back of the sofa behind my head or to snuggle up next to me or cuddle the two resident stuffed toys that are in our living room!

UPDATE: We have had Mimi for three-and-a-half weeks now, and are so glad that she has come to share our lives.  But…… on Saturday, our “spayed” cat came into season.  Whether or not the people who sold her to us as “spayed” were unsure, naively optimistic or worse, I don’t know.  It makes no difference in that Mimi has happily found her “forever” home here with us, and she will be off to see Auntie or Uncle Vet for spaying as soon as she has stopped calling and waving herself around!

So although this update is a bit depressing, I just wanted to advise anyone getting a cat for rehoming from a private advert, to sit on your excitement, make a list of all the questions you have regarding the cat’s history, both ownership-wise and medically, and ask, ask and ask again until you get the answers you are happy with.  If necessary, ask for the name of the vets your sellers used for the cat so your vets can make contact with them if there is a problem.

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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,

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16 Comments

  1. She looks so kissable,send her many kisses from me ,Murphy Bo Dee,and Ce Ce OR Ceasar,my two huge male dolls that are very spoiled and energetic at times but,I love it and cant stop chasing them for kisses,I feel bad when Im tired that they are not getting enough attention,Like im a bad MOM huh huh !Enjoy your Girl!

  2. Hi, Carolyn!

    What a great story about your darling Ragdoll girl, Mimi! (Lurve that name, btw!)

    She is SO GORGEOUS! Lurve her colors and the way she sleeps with you at night makes me so jealous! I wish my Pink Sugar girl would sleep on my pillow above my head! Darnit! 🙂

    I’m so sorry that she wasn’t spayed but happy to hear the deed was done today! Give her a big huggy and cuddle from me and my angel, Pink Sugar (Blue Lynx Bi-Color girl).

    My deepest sympathy on the loss of your Jim. So sad. <3

    Thanks for sharing your story with us!

    Big hugs!

    Patti & Pink Sugar 🙂

  3. she is adorable, i love how they lay on their backs, it’s so cute. yeah some people will say anything and she is definitely in a better place now with someone that is responsible. it was meant to be. thanks for sharing your story!

  4. I enjoyed your tale about Mimi. I rehomed my Ragdoll, too, and I didn’t have the heart to change her name, either. She definately responded to her name (Ariel, which I would not have chosen), so I felt it would be nicer for her sake just to leave it. My kitty meowed pitifully all the way home, too! I wish you all the best, and hope the spaying goes as planned!

  5. Mimi has such cute markings as if one parent was a Ragdoll and the other a tortoiseshell 🙂 I’ve had two typical Raggies – big boys with perfect markings and sky blue eyes. For 13 years I’ve had a little girl (under 7 pounds) who’s Ragdoll in every way except size and color. Baby Mew is an orange tabby (long-haired “ginger cat”) with golden-green eyes, lovely Ragdoll nature and soft coat.

    Wishing you many wonderful years with your beautiful bundle of love!!!

  6. Dementia Boy says:

    Not that it ultimately matters, but I’ve seen a number of “re-spays” where the vet doing the original spay didn’t take out the ovaries, causing the cat to cycle. It will be interesting to hear what your vet says.

    Mimi looks like a Mimi!! I personally think that all torties are French–I think a *lot* of things, lol–so Mimi suits her well. I’m so glad you found each other.

  7. Mimi is a perfect name for this beautiful, petite girl. So glad she found a forever home and that she gives you so much joy. Thanks for sharing her story and pictures!

  8. Janet Knowlton says:

    Great story! She is absolutely beautiful. My 7 month old boy also sleeps on my head! He used to attack my hair but after enough pushing his paws back he has stopped. This breed is also new to me too. They are just the best. I decided to get another one to keep my 10 month old company as we plan to travel. They are now best buds. The problem is that Ragdolls are like potato chips. You can’t just have one! Thank god Mimi didn’t get out before you got her spayed! Phew! Good luck. She sounds perfect.

  9. She is adorable!! I love to read about how these angels came to live with their new families!!

    1. Thanks – and I agree, this website is just wonderful for us Ragdoll loving people!

  10. I’m sure you will have many many years of love and fun with Mimi. Not all Rags are huge. I have a long thin male, 10.8 lbs,(his dad was 22 lbs.) and a short squat female, and at their mutual yearly check ups last week, they weighed exactly the same 10.8 lbs! They are 5 and 6 yo and unrelated. So, Mimi may gain a little bit, but may be a petite girl in the end.♥♥

    1. Thank you for your reassurance! We have investigated further since the update, and have now found that she is 23 months old, so several months older than we initially thought. So she may stay petite, but she’s still a pretty little thing 🙂

  11. She is so cute and beautiful! Sorry, her old owners didn’t get her spayed. 🙁
    But thanks for sharing her story with us!

    1. She is a lovely girl! And the good news is that she was safely spayed today 🙂

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