Titus and Tristan – Ragdolls of the Week

Titus and Tristan – Ragdolls of the Week

Titus and Tristan…. “Brothers Rule”

Yes, I know that it’s supposed to be “Ragdoll of the Week” but when you have double trouble in the shape of two brothers, what can you do? Neither seemed keen on the other being featured so I thought I go for broke and write about both.

Titus came into our lives together with another brother, Siegfried. Adorable three month old bundles of fluff. Sadly Siegfried died suddenly of FIP. Anyone who has lost a cat to the dreadful disease can understand the shock and sadness. Our breeder agreed to give us another kitten when the original parents were mated again. So Tristan appeared in due course, another blue mitted designer baby. OK so he had a strange little Hitler type white moustache but who can resist any Ragdoll? I had read carefully about how to introduce a younger cat into the house. Hah! I needn’t have bothered! By the second hour I could open the carrying case and just let them sniff around each other. I wonder whether Titus sensed that it was a brother? Little Tristan (who didn’t stay little for long) just hung out with his older brother as if he’d always been there.

Let me explain how we decided on these names. Titus is named after an ancestor of mine, Titus Oats, who was on Scott’s Antarctic expedition and who bravely, when very ill, walked out into the wilderness to die to save his fellow adventurers rather than hold them back. When Tristan came along we resisted the temptation to called him Dronicus (Titus ‘n’ Dronicus!) and settled on one of our favourite opera characters. Tristan has grown into a huge food devouring creature, tough as old boots and ready to turf his much gentler older brother out of the way to get more food.

Together they can wreak havoc when they think we’re not looking. Christmas is an especially fertile time for destruction…….. Here they are destroying the table wreath with Tristan acting as lookout.

One night we arrived home to find that a beautiful tall vase full of real crystal drops and lights had been smashed to smithereens. Cats nowhere to be seen of course. Here they are taking possession of the Christmas hearth.

Of course they do all the regular cat things, Titus insists on jumping up on to any lap where the owner is trying to read, type, eat (do your cats head but you when you’re trying to drink a cup of coffee?) or do anything remotely requiring concentration. At the moment of typing this I have Titus lying by my side, kneading my arm with his huge lion paws.

They bring such love into the house through their very different personalities. Tristan is basically lazy. His favourite place is under a chair lying absolutely prostrate, legs and arms outstretched:
Titus is so much more active, loving retrieving any object thrown and bringing it to you for another throw. Tristan is a real glutton and we have to feed him separately now so that Titus gets a chance to eat quietly. Strangely, at dinner time Titus will come to wait for tidbits on his own plate (on the floor of course!). He loves scallops, prawns and chicken but turns up his pretty little nose at salmon. Have we spoiled them? Never!!!!! Oh yes, he likes a little plate of All Bran with milk at our breakfast time.

Tristan has reminded me to include his favourite head shot. He is SO proud of his ruff!

So there we have it, two Hong Kong Puss Princes who seem to own the house and keep us on our toes. Since we live six floors up you can imagine that windows stay mostly closed although on one occasion Titus found his way out along a narrow ledge. Heart in the mouth time! When we got Tristan there was a little sister on sale, same parents. Oh we were tempted. She would have been named Isolde to go with Tristan but we decided that three cats would have been too much for us so she went to someone else. Titus’ and Tristan’s mother has been retired now so there will be no more adorable blue mitted babies of that pairing, Adam and Sarah. We were lucky to have our two gorgeous boys!

Tristan and Titus send their best miaows to all their raggy cousins out there.

Ragdolls Rock!!!!!

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