Roanoke – Ragdoll of the Week
In November, when I received an e-mail about a Ragdoll in need at a Texas kill-shelter, I never knew that he would wind up staying with me. He was left at the shelter because his owners “didn’t have time for him,” one of the lamest excuses I have ever heard for dumping a cat a shelter, especially for such an awesome cat. As soon as arrangements were made for transport to Waco, I jumped in my car and made a mad dash to get him and another Ragdoll that had been turned in to the same shelter. As soon as his white paw shot out of the carrier door, I knew I was lost, and we spent the next 1 ½ hours of travel time getting to know each other. Convincing my family was not easy, but he quickly won over everyone except my 15-year old DSH cat, Nimue, who is still annoyed at having a new member of the family. Since she really doesn’t care for any other cat in the house, this is not a new situation.
For the next week, we played with different names. From Keegan to Tristan, none of the names seemed just right. After a new name each day for nearly a week, I finally settled on Roanoke (Ro-an for short). I have always been interested in the lost colony, and Roanoke was definitely “lost” when I found him. Roanoke is a 1 year old Chocolate Mitted purebred Ragdoll. His papers were even left at the shelter with him.
This precious boy loves to cuddle and play with a feather wand. He is extremely food-motivated and has a bad habit of trying to steal my food; he especially goes after chicken and potato chips. He also loves Cheez-its. He is one of the most mellow cats that I have ever met, and to me he is the epitome of the best of the Ragdoll breed.
He is floppy, he is affectionate without being needy, he loves to play but is not hyper, and he loves to cuddle in the bed and in front of the fireplace. Roanoke is really small for a Ragdoll, right at 10 pounds, and I am hoping he grows a bit over the next couple of years. It is funny because my 2 ½ year old Maine Coon, Gryffin, would love to play with him, but Roanoke is afraid of Gryffin because Gryffin is already an 18-pound, monster of a cat. I am hoping that eventually Roanoke will realize that Gryffin just wants to play. For now, Roanoke sticks pretty close to his new mom.
As a rescuer, I am often appalled at the cats people dump at shelters. Actually, I am appalled at any cat being left in a shelter, but people often believe that only cats with issues are left at shelters, that Ragdolls are never found at shelters, and that somehow the cat is at fault for being in the shelter. Roanoke proves these beliefs are completely erroneous; I am just lucky I found him in time. Welcome to the family, son!
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.
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,
He is a beauty and I am so glad you found him. He will reward you for the rest of his life! Thanks for sharing such a beautiful story.
Yes, we are unfortunately a “throw away” society, and people think it is easy to get rid of a cat. It breaks my heart.
Roanoke is a beautiful cat so like our rescued Gorgeous George! I like your other commentators cannot believe how people can abuse these lovely, gentle cats. This is an extension of ‘the throw away’ society we live in. Have no use for it, ‘chuck it out’. Thoughtless and cruel beyond belief.
Beth (and all of you) thank you so very much. I consider myself the lucky one as Roanoke curled in my arms and watched Dancing with the Stars and Castle with me last night. I am ashamed of his previous owners, but so very grateful that I found him (and all my kitties). May all kitties someday be safe everywhere.
Roanoke was lucky you found him – and you are lucky too 🙂 Thanks for sharing his happy-ending story!!! Wishing you and your kitty family many years of love <3
Am so very very happy that you adopted Roanoke. He is just gorgeous and am just as exasperated as you are about how awful people are with “not having time” and feeling like the beautiful kitties are disposable. Can’t imagine anyone treating one of their own like that, but if that is how they feel, they must not have loved him at all and so happy you have him now and can shower him with love and treats!!!! Congrats!
It is terrible that any animal is ever left at a shelter. I can’t imagine giving up any of my cats for any reason. If they have issues (health, behavior), we deal with it. When I moved from NM to Texas, they moved with me; I had to live a creepy little house when we first moved because the landlord was the only one who would take me with six cats (and my Mom’s dog). But, I did it.
Stephanie, I think I have explained, that because Sasha’s ear is tipped, we cannot legally place her through Merlin’s Hope. A tipped ear, in Texas, means that she is feral and is required to remain in a feral colony. She could be adopted, of course, individually and that is my recommendation to you.
I am so happy for Roanoke.He is a beautiful boy <3
I am in the process of trying to find a beautiful Ragdoll an indoor home.She is somewhat feral and has been spayed.I have been feeding her for several years now.I am becoming increasingly concerned about her safety.Do you deal w/these types of situations or know anybody that does? I recently signed up w/you after I saw a post on facebook.My name is Stephanie Hendricks and Sasha is featured as my timeline pic.
Great Story, lucky kitty, lucky mom 🙂 So happy you got them out fast. People dump animals for every possible reason you can think of. Some
semi-valid, some absurd. I ran a Humane Society in the 70’s. An elderly
lady brought her Scotty in “to have his penis removed”…she went on…
“My dog has been exposing himself to my bridge club, and it’s completely unacceptable”..(he was lying on his back!) When we told her that wasn’t possible, she left him without another thought. I’ll never forget it.
What a gorgeous kitty Roanoke is! My Lucy was also a rescue cat. I adopted her 10 years ago and to this day cannot imagine why anyone would dump her — from the first day she came to live with me she has been a joy: sweet, loving, playful, constantly purring, without a single bad habit, unless you consider her worshiping her human a bad habit. It sounds like Roanoke is cut from the same cloth!