Paw Printz

  

 

The first time I became aware of the Ragdoll breed of cats was whilst watching Blue Peter with my children a few years ago, when the presenters introduced the latest addition to their pet family – a Ragdoll kitten.  At that time our own much loved rescue moggie had recently died, and having shed bucketfuls of tears, my husband and I had sworn off ever having another cat.  But while listening to the Blue Peter presenters enthusing about the charm and sweet nature of Ragdolls, I do remember thinking how nice it would be to have such a cat, because to be perfectly honest, much as we had adored our own cat, she had been half wild, and our devotion to her had been fairly one-sided for all 16 years of her pampered life with us – and we still have the scars to prove it! 

So, several years, a rabbit, a guinea-pig and a hamster later, we gave in to temptation (and a lot of pleading from our two animal-crazy children!) and began looking into acquiring another cat.  The only question was, did we pop in to our local animal rescue centre or go down the pedigree route, something we had never considered before? 

 

 

However, once I had Googled the Ragdoll breed there was just no contest – we were all hooked!  And when I came across the Breeder Directory of the British Ragdoll Cat Club (www.tbrcc.co.uk) our search began in earnest.  We chose a breeder due to their absolute care of and devotion to their cats and kittens, which was exactly what we were looking for – and the fact that they are so particular about who is a suitable prospective owner only made Ardendolls all the more appealing to me, because I’d like to think I would be that protective of my own kittens if the roles were reversed!

I first made contact with Angie by email back in January of 2009, and although she made it clear that no kittens would be due till the summer and then not available to their new families till late October, we knew it would be worth the wait.  

When the kittens were old enough to be reserved (following first vaccination/health check) we chose Tilly, a stunning seal colourpoint tabby, she came to live with us at the end of October 2009, and it was without doubt the best decision we’ve ever made as a family.  She has the sweetest nature, is so tolerant of all our cuddles and affection.  

We all agree she has quite dog-like (sorry, Angie!) traits – following us around the house because she loves company so much, bringing back whatever we throw for her to play with so that we’ll throw it again, and gazing soulfully into our eyes with her own pair of dazzling blue ones – you’d have to be very hard-hearted to ignore her!  She is spoilt rotten, the centre of attention at all times and absolutely adored by all – even our non-cat-loving friends grudgingly admit she’s gorgeous, and we just could not imagine life without her.  And much to our daughter’s delight, Tilly sleeps on her bed every night!    

 

It would be usual, I imagine, for the relationship between breeder and new owner to end when the kitten goes to its new home, but that has definitely not been so in our case.  On the day we collected Tilly, it was not only a kitten we took home with us – quite apart from a gift pack of goodies, food, litter and Tilly’s own personalised blanket, we also had an assurance of Angie’s continued interest in her and a genuine offer of help or advice at any stage in the future.

 

Tilly quite simply brings a smile to our faces every time we look at her – she’s a warm, contented, trusting – not to mention beautiful - little bag of fluffiness who has taken over our house and our hearts completely, and we just love her!

   

  

   

  

 

 

If I am being perfectly honest, what I really wanted was a dog!  Well, actually a mix between a cat and a dog!  I have always loved cats, but I have not been so fond of the amount of small birds and animals that they can hunt in the course of a year, especially as we actively encourage a varied selection of birds in the garden.  Throw into this mix a natural disinclination towards small dogs (sorry!) and a desire for our seven year-old daughter to have something that she can look after and play with (Guinea pigs weren’t quite interactive enough), and I was at something of a stalemate.

I remember hearing about a strange breed of cat that wasn’t aloof, was happy to live indoors, and was a good deal of fun.  Funny sounding name too.  Off to the internet, and an hour later I was tracking down all the features of a Ragdoll.   It seemed like just the sort of thing I was looking for...friendly, happy to be part of the family, interactive, playful, and totally at home with being indoors.

Well that was the theory...but theories can have an awkward tendency not to always relate to the facts, so the next task was to see one of these mythical beasts in the flesh.  The British Ragdoll Club website showed a host of possible breeders, so I looked for ones close to home to get in contact so I could see what these mythical Ragdolls looked like up close and personal.

I have always been the owner of moggies, strays and rescue dogs, so going for a pure breed was something of a departure.  I really wanted to get a cat from someone who had a natural love of the animals rather than the income derived from them.  First stop then....Ardendolls.  Within a few moments of meeting Angie and the halo of cats that fill her house, I was under no doubt that I was in the right place.  This initial thought was borne out by the fact that it felt like I had been for a job interview; it never felt like Angie actually wanted to see one of her family go; if anything, it was almost like she was discouraging me!

After having seen Gracie and her immediate family, my interest was well and truly whetted and I was pretty sure I was making a good, well-informed decision.  Back again for a second view (Angie’s suggestion, as ever encouraging me to make sure that I had considered everything) and I was totally sold on the blue-eyed furball that is now an integral part of our family.

Half fur blanket, half express train, all eyes and fun; that’s our Gracie.

Angie and Paul made the transition very easy by showing me what I needed to do and to take of.  Although I am an experienced pet owner (Red knee tarantula sir?  No problem) I had not had a pedigree cat before.  Regular emails and advice have been helpful, and it always feels that if I have any questions, help is merely an email or a telephone call away.

Overall, it has been a brilliant experience getting Gracie; every time I see my daughter playing and laughing with the rocket-propelled fur puddle, or my wife brushing something that resembles a purring sound effects machine, I am reminded that we made the right choice.