Omi – Ragdoll of the Week
About 6 years ago I happened by a place for cat adoptions. We already had 1 adult cat and 2 Rat Terrorists yet something told me I needed to go here. I perused all the ones for adoption and just as I was starting to leave I see this little ball of fluff way back in the corner of one of the cages. The woman in charge advised me the kitten was about 4 months old, not very well adjusted and would not fit in well with my dogs. The poor baby was totally terrified but when she looked up at me with those blue eyes my heart melted. She had a new home. (It didn’t take long and she was sleeping with all of the dogs and our adult cat.
At the time I didn’t know a Ragdoll cat from an Alley Cat. We had wanted her to have an Oriental sounding name. Myomi, Kaiomi bla bla bla…You get the idea…so we settled on Omi. For the next month she barely came out in the open. I recall she hid behind the living room sofa and snuck out to the sandbox when no one was around. No one knew anything of her history and I can only assume due to her timidity she was a feral kitten someone had just found. The vet confirmed she was a Ragdoll or at least partially. As you can see in her photos her face and paws are mottled. (her whiskers are even spotted) My photography stinks so you can’t really see her eyes but as you are aware they are a fabulous blue. Some of the photos show her hair quite a bit shorter than it normally is. She had to get a lion cut due to some mats she was unwilling for us to clip or comb out.
Over the years she has ensconsed herself as a very special kitty in our home. The first cat we had (a brown tabby you can also see in some of the photos ) and Omi are best friends now. She has been able to help her become more comfortable with the humans and those other funny looking cats that bark. Omi is still very timid around those that are not family. Even with family she dislikes being picked up but adores being petted and scratched. She’s very much the Tom Boy spending most of her days lounging on the concrete by the pool and could absolutely care less if her hair was brushed or not. She will ‘butt’ you with her head somewhat like a goat when she wants attention. Her meow is more like a squeak.
Each evening I spend a lot of time watching Floppycats’ videos and reading about all the Ragdolls out there. I envy how social they are and wish I knew more to do to coax Omi into accepting people more. She is a very dear beautiful cat.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my sweetheart.
Thanks.
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,
What a sweety,I have two pure Ragdolls,both boys.One is just months old.But my oldest 17 month old,he acted the same shy way the first month.Hes shy with new adults not scared almost like he gets embarrassed,so funny.Luvs human female voices,kid voices freak Big Murphy out.But with me and my hubby hes our spoiled Luv Bug!Murphy J.R is his blood nephew.They both act totally different.You can sure see the Ragdoll genetics in your tortie Ragdoll.Hes just too cute and obviously very special.Give him and his Kitty buddy,a kiss from us.Bye Lisa and the Murphs.
What a lucky girl Omi is! She must love you so much and shows it every time she head butts you, haha!
I have two adorable ragdolls from the same breeder and the exact same pedigree. The mother and father are the same but my boy was born one litter later. My eldest, Laney girl, is so different from Caleb, her baby brother.
Laney does not like to be sociable the way Caleb does. Caleb will run straight into any strangers lap to be held and petted. When my sister stayed at my house, he jumped right into her bed one night and cuddled straight up to her, purring and loving on her. My sister couldn’t believe it! Caleb loves being picked up by anyone who is willing, and especially loves when my sister’s boyfriend (who is huge and over 6 and a half feet tall) picks him up and rubs his belly. He is not afraid of other animals and is just so placid. When first introduced “up close and personal” to my parent’s new kitten (we went through the entire ritual of separating and slowly introducing them by scent and sight first) he just sat there and let her hiss at him and bat him in the face – then he tried to lick and groom her! That is just Caleb’s nature.
Laney on the other hand is not social at all. She does not like it when I try to groom her or put her in my lap. Laney hides when people come over, were as Caleb laps up the attention. She is weary of strangers and keeps more to herself.
She is quiet and loving in her own way. When I get home from work, she is the first to drop in front of the door and roll on her back showing her tummy. She doesn’t sleep on my bed anymore but in the morning when I wake, will jump up and give me a little lick before hopping back down. She is very different to Caleb and not much at all the way “a ragdoll should be”. But what is that anyway? If you love cats and get to know them, you realize they all have their own personality, no matter what traits are supposed to be part of their breed.
I love both my Laney and Caleb so much even though they are very different. To me, they are both the most adorable and special little beings in the world. My point is, I think it is OK that Omi doesn’t like to be picked up or groomed. I think she is fine and clearly shows her love in other ways, like when she bunts you and rolls onto her back when lying with your other pets. She is clearly happy and content. She is very, very lucky to be where she is now. So I don’t think you should be too concerned that she may be unhappy or not showing “ragdoll” traits. It seems to me that she very much is and is just happy being herself!
Beautifully explained, Laney & Caleb! Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
What a beautiful girl! It sounds like she was a wonderful addition to your family. She may become more comfortable with being picked up etc as she gets older. My “tomboy” Snoopy (age 11) was also a rescue kitty & it’s only in the last couple of years has she like to be held & groomed. Short grooming sessions & positive reinforcement over time will help. Thank you for sharing your sweet Omni!
Omi is absolutely gorgeous and am so happy for all of you that you took her and then made her part of you nice family. Her little likes and dislikes are things that have to be accepted sometimes, but then, some day, she may just surprise you. Our feral, Mari, was terrified of being picked up because she had been chased and bitten savagely. It was so bad, it had to have a drain for days and that just ruined her for a long time about having anyone or anything touch her back legs or anywhere near that area. She would growl and hiss if anyone even tried to pick her up.
Treats and play really work to ease tension that has built up. Also, when Mari was having some severe anxiety problems, I got the Pet Alive “Aggression Formula” from The Only Natural Pet Store and only gave it to her for about 2 weeks, just a very small sprinkle on her food only once a day. Please always check with your vet before you do anything like that to make sure she is OK physically to handle it, but my vet was OK with it, and it worked beautifully. Made her very calm and serene. So, there definitely is a strong possibility that she will totally relax and give over her complete trust to you one day because you know she loves you, but for now, she is just a little tense. She is just gorgeous and so sweet!!!!! Would love to hug her!
Omi is so uniquely beautiful! She is like a beautiful work of art. She looks sweet, as is your story. It sounds like she called out to you. My Andy was homeless before he found me. While he was like an eager little puppy who followed me around, he did not like to be picked up. In fact, he is still pretty picky about HOW he is picked up and how he is held. It seems I am the only one in my family who has mastered it. It is different than how any of our others ever liked. Jenny has a book about Ragdolls – you can find it right on this website. I downloaded it and it was really very good. She shows how to hold a raggie — and it is how I hold Andy! Check out her book. Perhaps Omi is just waiting for you to get it right – you know how these raggies are! As for getting her used to people, have quiet friends over and have them ignore her. Cats like quiet guests who ignore them – the cats can check the guests out safely. You may be able to slowly desensitize her. Good luck – she is lovely.
Lucky kitty- Lucky you!
Beautiful girl. Looks like she has a splash of tortie in there as well. 🙂
That’s my Omi cat! Haha her and her ‘stink eye’ look.
I am sure that Omi must appreciate your love! Several years ago my husband picked up 2 ferel kittens and brought them home, we already had a litter of kittens about the same age, but we put the 2 on our enclosed front porch. Eventually we introduced them to our other babies and put them all on the porch. They would look on in terror when we picked up our babies! But they soon learned that they loved to be picked up and kissed and when we put them down, they were ok. After about 1 month we were able to pick up all of the babies! I would guess that after 6 years, if she hasn’t learned that you are only offering love, maybe she will always be scared.
Have you considered trying some of the cat calming things that are out there? Maybe the Thundershirt for Cats (I know that the dog one works very well for my Grandpuppy!
Give that little kitty a pat on her head.
=)