Ted – Ragdoll of the Week

I was about to be made redundant and knew that I would be alone in the house while the kids were at school. I decided to spend my redundancy payment on some company, but I live near a busy road. A friend has 2 siamese house cats, so I looked online to see what would make a good breed and match my family.

That’s when I found out about Ragdolls, these silly, friendly cats seem to match our needs, company for me and not scratchy towards the children like my childhood cat had been (he was a rubbish pet as he would spit and scratch if you went near him). So I started searching the Internet for Ragdoll kittens and, looking at the pictures, I really wanted a blue colourpoint. One person was having a litter just a few miles away and we went to see them.

At the time she was thinking of keeping Ted and it was the little girl that she was showing me – but Ted clambered onto my daughter’s knee and fell asleep – before we left the house she was deeply in love. He was the only colourpoint out of the litter of 4 as the other 3 were mitted. They were all seal not blue like their mother, but Ted was so lovely it didn’t seem to matter any more. I phoned to beg her to let me know at once if she was selling Ted, as well as his siblings and she said she was, as the mother had been ill after having them and the vet’s bills were expensive.

The breeder’s little girls had already called him Teddy Bear, and, as it suited him it just stuck. Although now that he is older he is just called, “Ted”. I bought him a large scratching tree and a big litter tray and comfy bed before we fetched him home. He always loved his bed and I never hear a peep out of him at night.

He used to fit on the top of the scratch tree but hardly fits there now. He has many toys most of which he ignores. His absolute favourite toy is his string mice – they don’t last long and they are soon just bits of string and a hard middle but he loves them.

His other favourite toys are stolen hairbands, he has at least 50 of my daughter’s they are everywhere, and if you try to keep one for yourself he will find it. Ted has turned out to be the best thing I could every have bought. He is a part of the family and it never fails to amuse me how my cat and husband fight over the best chair at night. If you get up for a drink he will pinch your warm spot, curl round quickly and pretend that he has been there for hours.

The one thing that he is still naughty about is scratching the furniture, I told him “No” firmly and put him on the scratch post every day for 2 years now, I think this is a battle of wills that I’m not going to win. He is very vocal and howls at the birds outside and they don’t like him much, they haven’t realised that he can’t reach them.

Ted is a great pet, cuddly and warm, although I don’t really want him in my bath, which he has tried more then once. Other people sometimes don’t get Ragdolls and look at you as if you are mad when you are telling them about your darling. At the vets on the day of his little operation they asked if I wanted his nails trimmed “Oh no it’s fine” I said “He sits on my lap and I file his nails with a big pink nail file” their faces where priceless.

Kitty’s Name: Teddy
Name: Caroline
Where: South Yorkshire, England