Wolfgang Waite – Ragdoll Kitten of the Month

Written by Wolf’s mom, Laura

I am proud and pleased to introduce Wolfgang Waite (a.k.a. Wolf, a.k.a. Wolfie, a.k.a. Velvel).

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The Backstory

Having loved two Ragdolls, Fitzgerald and Wendell, who passed in 2016 and 2021 (respectively), my boyfriend and I were anxious for another one. I knew that no other cat could take their place, but my apartment felt so empty without cat whiskers.

After thoroughly researching Ragdoll breeders in the tristate area, I decided on New York Ragdolls, a small reputable cattery in Smithtown, Long Island. It was several months till the owner, Denise, had a kitten available for me, but during that time our conversations made me confident that I had found a responsible, knowledgeable breeder.

Wolf was born on September 4 of last year. We adopted him in mid-December, when he was about 14 weeks old. He is a seal bicolor mink. I knew that New York Ragdolls breeds minks as well as traditional Ragdolls, and I’d told Denise that I didn’t have my heart set on either.

But I have to admit that I had researched the history of the minks’ lineage (partly through mink Ragdoll on Floppycats), so when Wolf became available, I was pleased to learn that I’d have one of these guys for my very own! I was also happy that he would look different from my previous, traditional Ragdolls—but I’d also have some reminder. (Fitz was a blue bicolor and Wendell was a seal mitted.)

Minks are supposed to have aqua eyes, but Wolf is one who doesn’t, as you can see by his photos. He is high-mitted, with that beautiful mocha color extending down the front of his left foreleg and forming a little belt around his tummy. He has tufted ears, an amazing raccoon’s tail, and, as I alluded to, beautiful deep blue eyes that would put Frank’s, Paul’s, or Bradley’s to shame.

His Name

I’d requested a boy, and we’d already picked the name before we met him. Wolfgang: a combination of “wolf” and “path,” “journey,” or “travel.” A nod to Mozart. An unexpected name for a cat. Combine it with Waite (my boyfriend’s surname) and…Wolf Waite—a rock star’s name if there ever was one! Another name I’d considered was Velvel (after Rickie Lane’s ventriloquist dummy, who I saw on The Ed Sullivan show). I thought it was cute, so I googled it: Yiddish for “wolf”! It was a sign.

Life with Wolf

When we met Wolf for the first time, Denise told us he was “rambunctious.” The term is not 100 percent accurate: In truth, he can be mischievous, playful, loving, and a naughty boy—within the span of five minutes. His name, it turned out, fits his purr-sonality to a tee. (Or maybe he wants to live up to his moniker?) At 5 a.m. he’s racing around his domaine, flying effortlessly six feet from bed to cat tree to windowsill, back to the bed, down the hall, onto the desk, behind the bookcase…all within less than 30 seconds.

Sometimes he’s the lone wolf: watching from a window as the building’s dogs take their constitutionals, hunting down the occasional centipede, playing/wilding in his tunnel, climbing to the top of his five-foot-tall cat tree, switch-hitting the ball in his Bergan Star Chaser.

Whether it’s for his own amusement or just to get my attention, he’ll navigate my open bookshelves like monkeybars, knocking everything in his wake to the ground. He loves water and will stand in the bathtub as I fill it, then later splash the water from outside the tub. He likes to drink from the kitchen faucet, swiping at the stream as he partakes.

But he’s also a member of the pack: He goes into purring mode as soon as he sees us, rolling onto his back when we approach him, or when seeking us out, jumping beside us to touch noses or to knead my upper arm (claws extended, but I happily bear it). If I step outside the apartment and he senses I’m nearby, he’ll “howl” until I return.

Fun and Games

Wolf is a pro at fetch, especially with crumpled paper balls, and will often return with a different object of his choosing. His favorite prey: cardboard paper towel cores.

Other pastimes: playing with a feather wand, chasing me and my houseguests, and binge-watching Cat TV. He doesn’t seem to react to catnip (maybe that’ll come later?), but he does get a definite rise out of crocheted snakes filled with valerian that I’d found on eBay.

His favorite (store-bought) toys include the

• Bergman Star Chaser Turbo Scratcher Cat Toy
• Petstages Catnip Plaque Away Pretzels
• sponge soccer balls.
• He’s also fond of a mini Wilson basketball that he’ll “dribble,”’then slam-dunk off the bed.

Wolf enjoys music, and between multiple bouts of the zoomies he can be found grooving to songbirds or chilling out to his father’s improv on acoustic guitar. He tunes in to the classic rock station (several times) each morning by jumping on top of the Bose Wave radio. He loves to jam to his fave band, Steppenwolf (who else?), to get his motor running and head out on the hallway, looking for adventure (in whatever comes his way).

Like most of us, he dislikes doctor visits. However, his friends at Baldwin Harbor Animal Hospital (Baldwin, Long Island) take good care of him. They’ll gather in the exam room to ooh and aah over our handsome boy—then restrain him for a mani-pedi. Wolfie was born to be wild!