Ragdoll Cats and Children
I was raised with Ragdoll cats. Although, of course, I didn’t get my first one until I was eight years old, when we got Rags when I was 10, my sister, Amy, was not yet born. So she was genuinely raised with my Rags.
My cousins (children of my mom’s twin sister and my mom’s older sister) were also raised with Ragdolls. So in our family, Ragdoll cats and children were hand in hand.
However, I know many people looking to get a cat are interested in learning if it’s true that Ragdoll cats are good with young children. And while in general, I think they are, there are so many factors that go into whether or not they will be good with children. Such as:
- Your respect level for animals and how you introduce them to the children
- What do you allow your children to do and not do, and what do you teach them about respecting an animal
- Your respect level for children and their desire to learn
Of course, I am not an expert in this area – so I want to hear about your experiences with Ragdolls and young children too!
In the videos below, you’ll see my nephew’s experience with my parents’ Ragdoll cats, Caymus and Murphy. They were 5 when he was born; they are now eight, and Marshall is now 3.
Remember, these are my PARENTS’ CATS – they are not cats that Marshall lives with – so their tolerance of him is unbelievable to me. Furthermore, Caymus and Murphy were not raised with young children. When they could live with us in 2004, my sister was 14 years old – way past the baby and young child stage. So, it’s more impressive that they are OK to eat in front of him, etc.
Marshall as a baby:
Marshall is now with Murphy and Caymus:
My niece and nephew with my parents’ Ragdoll, Caymus:
My niece and nephew with my parents’ Ragdoll, Caymus, again, but they are much older here:
My cousin Molly with her Huck:
We have also had discussions on our social media about Ragdoll cats and kids:
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Photos Submitted by Readers:
Lynn writes, “This little guy could put Dinky to sleep brushing him. Have a series of pictures where Johnny dusts off Dinky’s tail with a feather duster. Dinky just sat and let him to funny. I am going through so many pictures to find some of these gems. Also, have my granddaughter making Fisher Price ice cream cones for Dinky the week before he passed away. The best thing is that my cats have never hissed or scratched me or any of my kids.” Hugs, Lynn
Do you have Ragdolls and children? Tell me your experience by leaving a comment below!
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,
Haven’t had the opportunity to have any Ragdolls with children, but my sweet Persian Benjamin was my daughter’s guardian angel just like Lynn posted above with her Ragdoll. He was always very vigilant and sweet with her. She could flop over on him and he just loved her even more. The unique thing about Benjamin was that he was a hugger and by that I mean that he would put his forearms out and would grasp them tightly around your neck as if there were magnets in his fingers. It was the most endearing thing. He was so docile that I took him to my daughter’s kindergarten class and held him out to each one of the kids. He hugged 26 smiling kids he made feel extra special because he actually gave them a real hug. He was amazing!
We are very cautious about adopting cats into a home with children. A lot of it depends on the age of the child. In my opinion, the younger the better, since they can grow up together. I do think, again in general (as Jenny stated) that Ragdolls are pretty accepting of children. I read this excellent article by Jackson Galaxy on what you can do when a cat is not happy with a newly mobile child: http://www.littlebigcat.com/behavior/double-the-fun-double-the-territory/
My Seal Bi-color Dinky was well prepared for my grandson coming to live with us for the first four months of his life. He sniffed all the new toys ,crib and pack and play. I knew enough to have my camera on hand. Dinky made himself the designated babysitter. Which meant that- while Johnny slept, he secretly curled up at the bottom of his blanketed feet. Never woke him or disturbed him… He was his guardian angel. I have so many awesome pictures of my grandchildren playing with my two Ragdolls. Sending the picture to go with this reply. Would love to send some of my favorites.
Our Ragdolls are 2 and 3 years old. We have a 7-yr-old daughter and a 9-yr-old son. All three cats are incredibly tolerant. Even when my nephews and children’s friends come to visit. Gary is a little wary of kids, but if he’s not comfortable with the situation, he just leaves. I don’t think he likes how jumpy they can be! Minou and Samson love, love, love the kids! They come to both of them for love and cuddles. Both will even allow my two kids to carry them around. But, this comes with a caveat. Our kids were initially raised with senior DSH cats that lived with us long before we even thought about children. So, it was drilled into them early to respect a cat’s space, and to be gentle with them. I’ll try and rummage around my hard drive for pics of Minou and Samson with the kids. I know I have some great ones.