Poppy – Ragdoll of the Week

I went to some cat shows a few years ago, as I was keen to get into showing and breeding, when I was introduced to the Ragdoll breed I was smitten. I had previously decided that I wanted to specialise in a short haired breed, as I have a pet Persian and an Exotic who both have high maintenance coats, but when I found out how low maintenance the Ragdoll’s coat was, that was the clincher. I have arthritis in my hands and didn’t think I would be able to deal with another longhaired breed, especially when they would need show grooming on a regular basis. I was over the moon when I discovered these beautiful looking cats were so easy to look after.

Poppy is from our own prefix Hugalicious Ragdolls and we pride ourselves on breeding kittens of quality and not quantity. Poppy is a champion show cat. Poppy is a kitten that we kept from our very first litter to show and eventually to be a breeding queen. I am a registered breeder, and show my cats, and Poppy had great qualities that we recognised from when she was very little. Poppy is currently 16 months old, her birthday is November 20th 2011. She is a Sagittarius, although she doesn’t show the

traits that a Sagittarius cat is supposed to – “This is a roaming fool in the cat world.” Poppy is very laid back and happy to lay flat out on her back waiting for tummy rubs, has no interest in roaming and would take great offence at being called a fool! Poppy loves to play fetch, her favourite toy is a rattly mouse which smells of catnip. She and most of the Raggies we have had, learn to play fetch really easily. You should try it with your Raggie. Poppy definitely does not enjoy her baths. I restrict bathing for show preparation only. Although she meows and carries on like a baby, she isn’t

too difficult to handle, even though she is quite a big girl. I think Poppy would agree that the effort is all worth it in the end, as she scrubs up very well, and the smell of a freshly bathed and dried cat is divine. She was such a cute little poppet, the name Poppy suited her well from the start. Her pedigree name is Hugalicious Blue Bayou, after the wonderful Roy Orbison song. Here is a video of Poppy walking on her lead in our garden. She loves to feel the grass under her feet, but is only allowed outside when on her leash. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz0qkRvVKdA[/youtube]

Poppy’s recommendations are:

• Food – Royal Canin Kitten and Maine Coon dry food, human grade mince (steak, chicken, turkey), left over omelette and scrambled egg as a treat, bbq chicken (not the bones), fish, she really isn’t a fussy cat, I give our kittens a good variety of foods from the start to try to prevent them from becoming finicky eaters
• Toys – favourite toys in the world are rattly catnip mice, also likes clothes pegs, hairbands, socks and crinkly cat tunnels
• Beds – usually sleeps at the foot of one of the human’s beds, especially in Winter, she doesn’t really like purchased cat beds, a laundry basket full of clean clothes is preferable
• Another favourite thing is a tall cat tree and scratching post. We have one that is about 7 feet high that leads to a cat door into a tunnel and out into the outdoor cat enclosure. Our cats love to have a jump around on their tree and sharpen their claws before going outside to lay in the sun in the safety of their enclosure.

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.