Tuna Cat – Floppycat of the Week

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This is T.C. (Tuna Cat).  She is a Blue Point Ragdoll. The photo at the bottom with her “grumpy” face is when a camera is pointed at her, as she is anticipating a flash, and is not so fond of it. I acquired T.C. from Specialty Purebred Cat Rescue in Kenosha County, Wisconsin over 10 years ago. They have a great website – check it out. The rescue had named her Little Tuna as she was only about 11 pounds, so I adapted their name a little bit. Ironically, she’s not fond of canned tuna. No one is quite sure of her exact age, but the best guess from my veterinarian is late teens. T.C. was found stray in a soybean field in northern Illinois and brought to S.P.C.R. I saw her on their website and went to adopt her right away. She was so sad to be in a cage, and absolutely blossomed the moment they took her out. I knew immediately that I wanted to adopt her, as my prior cats were Burmese / Ragdoll mixes, and even though they looked mostly like black cats, those cats had the Ragdoll trait of going limp when you picked them up. I loved that. Due to her age, T.C. has some health issues, and is now almost completely deaf. She never was too afraid of vacuum cleaners, typically just acting annoyed and moving out of the way when I got too close, but now I can regularly vacuum her with a hand-held and she seems to like it. Ever since I’ve had T.C., she’s always parked herself at my feet whenever I play the guitar, which I do quite often. She seems to sense that it’s something I enjoy, and even now, with her being deaf, she still does it. Such a wonderful thing. She purrs almost non-stop, and most certainly when you pick her up. I love to put my ear up against her to really hear her purr. I once learned that cats have two different voice boxes: one to meow with, and one to purr with. She has always had the sweetest disposition. She loves every person she’s ever met, and walks up to perfect strangers without hesitation to introduce herself and ask for pets and belly rubs. She will tolerate most dogs, but does not like other cats. The rescue told me this, and it certainly has proven to be the case. I put it to the test once, by (briefly) adopting a retired stud Bengal cat. Probably not the best choice. He was 25 pounds of gorgeous Bengal, and most likely accustomed to having his way with a harem of female Bengals. His name was Ozzie, and he was curious about T.C. Quite curious, but not aggressive in the least. Mostly sniffing her when she slept and wanting to play ALL the time. But there is a huge difference in energy levels between a Ragdoll and a Bengal, and T.C. did not appreciate his presence at all. She lived in a small cabinet above the refrigerator for the two weeks I had Ozzie. I had to ship him back to his breeder and felt bad about interrupting the peaceful existence T.C. had been enjoying. Her favorite toy by far is the “rotating mouse toy” with the mouse that gets chased in circles around in the semi-enclosed track. Even in her advanced age, she frequently plays with it. She limps somewhat with arthritis, so I have small stairs up to the sofa, a scratchy-ramp up to my bed and the stair-ramp to the Litter Robot III that help her get to all her favorite and needed places. When she was younger, we would go out for walks every day. She never needed a leash or harness, as she mostly just moseyed along, munching on grass, chasing the occasional squirrel up a tree. I always stayed close by, for her safety. These days, I am lucky enough to live on a lake, and with large windowsills, T.C. gets to contentedly watch waterfowl all day, one of her favorite pastimes. She seems impressed when a family of Canadian Geese or wild Turkeys walk up near the windows. It took me a while to find the proper fur-grooming tool for a Ragdoll. Their fur is unique, and a lot of “normal” pet brushes don’t work well. A former veterinarian instructed me to utilize a rather plain, coarse, steel-toothed comb. It works great, and I comb T.C. at least once per day, as she loves it and it’s great bonding time.

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Do you have a Ragdoll Kitten or Cat?  Consider submitting your kitty!  Ragdoll of the Week submission guidelines Don’t have a Ragdoll, but want to share your kitty? We’d love to feature them as Floppycat of the Week. Here are the guidelines for the Floppycat of the Week. Read more Ragdoll of the Week submissions. Want to read other Floppycat of the Week submissions? Check them out here.

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.