OK to bring home ragdoll kitten at 8wks?

Home The Daily Kitten Cat Chat Forum Cats & Kittens OK to bring home ragdoll kitten at 8wks?

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #839024
    Viola
    Participant

    I have had several cats through the years, but never a pure breed one.
    A colleague has a ragdoll cat and we fell in love with the breed.
    Now the same person that gave them their cat, has 3 kittens and we decided to take one. They said we can pick up the kitten next week, it will be just a few days over 8 weeksโ€ฆ I read some articles that say that a kitten should not go to his new home before 12 weeks, the article mention adjustment issues and I am now worried. Has anyone here brought home a ragdoll kitten around 2 months and can they reassure me it will be OK to adopt the kitten at this age? Thanks

    #839025
    Buttons
    Moderator

    The recommend ages to seperate kitten from mother is anywhere from 8-10 weeks old . They are weaned from mothers milk and eating solid foods. Some people prefer to leave it a little longer than 8 weeks but I think it will be fine. You have experience with cats and a kitten needs to adjust to it’s new surrounding . You want your kitten to be exposed to as much as possible before they hit the 12 week mark . Kittens do most of their learning in their first 12 weeks so it’s important to expose them to the usual routine of your house. ๐Ÿ™‚ ragdolls are beautiful but require a little extra attention if you’ve never owned a long haired cat before. Daily grooming to prevent matts ( especially behind backs of ears , tummy, backs of hind legs, under arms also ) using potato starch and sprinkling in coat and brushing through helps to prevent matting and makes their coat wonderfully soft. Baby powder works the same but I’d used that less frequently maybe one a month the potato starch can be used once a week or as required.

    Also ragdolls get pretty big so always make sure you have an XXXL litter tray to accommodate the size.

    You’ll have to post a pic when you get one ๐Ÿ™‚

    #839027
    Buttons
    Moderator

    Oh and it’s best to uses a simple fine comb on a long haired cat some of those grooming brushes actually increase matting!

    #839029
    Viola
    Participant

    Buttons, thank you for your reply, very helpful and has reassured me a bit.
    I will definitely post a picture as soon as the little one arrives, we can’t wait!
    One more question: at what age is the spaying/neutering procedure recommended? Thank you.

    #839042
    Buttons
    Moderator

    A female kitten can become into heat as early as 4 months old!

    So contact your vet and ask if they have a weight minimum to operate I’ve had most of mine neutered at 12 weeks old . The sooner the better believe me!

    #839368
    Viola
    Participant

    Hi Buttons,
    I meant to reply sooner.
    We brought our kitty home on Saturday, he seems to be doing well although he’s still getting adjusted to the new home.
    I took him to the vet yesterday and he told me to wait until the cat is 5 months before getting him neutered. I hope it will be OK.
    He’s playful and funny, loves to bite hands, although at this stage I guess I should not worry? He’s not doing aggressively, more to play. Should I discourage this anyway?
    Will post again in a few days.
    Thank you for any advice.

    #839369
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Yes, discourage it now, as it’s harder to break the habit once it’s established. I’m going to post a link about kittens play.
    http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/kitten_play.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

    #839380
    Buttons
    Moderator

    Hey viola ๐Ÿ™‚ I’m sure he’ll adjust quickly ๐Ÿ™‚ and if your vet says to wait till 5 months then go with vets advice .. Living in Ireland I deal with a lot of trap , neuter & release schemes and because house cats are almost unheard of in Ireland nearly all cats are outdoor/ barn cats with the rare exception so when we do get kittens we have no choice but to neuter very early. And I’m my experience with 100% sucess rate but even some vets here are slow to neuter young kittens. I’m greatful for the ones that do!

    be very careful and make sure he doesn’t get outside while he’s still intact ..

    KZ is correct about the butting you want to crib that as I find the boys are ao much worse when it comes to biting.. You can distract with toys if he starts to bite . The toys on sticks are best for this and then he’ll only associate playing and biting with them and not your hands. But he will still get you with stealth attacks ๐Ÿ˜† so when he does even though it might sound impossible only use slow hand movements don’t just rip your hand away as doing this will only emulate prey and he’ll bite harder and cause more damage . So slow movements and lots of toys to redirect

    #839545
    Viola
    Participant

    Thank you as always for your advice Buttons. Am
    And thank you Kittyzee for the link…. I have gotten a lot of toys for the kitten and trying to discourage the biting as much as possible. Harder to teach my 10 year old daughter, who thinks this is “cute”…
    Otherwise my only issue is the litter box. I know there is no magic formula for that, but trying to get the kitten used to corn based and flushable litter, as the cleaning would be easier for me. Right now though he will only use the litter box if there is the regula clay litter in there. Oh well…
    Also, we have a trip planned over Christmas and I am trying to figure out where I can find a reliable person to come in and take care of him when we’re traveling.
    He’s really cute and I think he’s pretty happy so far. ????

    #839546
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hi Viola,

    Concats on your boy! You want to get clay litter that doesn’t clump. Kittens have a habit of eating everything and often, they will eat litter. If it’s the clumping kind it could create serious problems by clumping in his tummy. Pick up some unscented, clay litter. Once he about 7-8 months he can start using clumping corn/wheat based litter.

    I’m sure he’s happy, Viola. He only has the most adoring meowmy ever. ๐Ÿ˜‰ I hope to see a pic soon.
    PG

    #839591
    Viola
    Participant

    Thank you for the advice Pussygat. I just posted a photo earlier, not sure when it will appear.
    Will change the litter to a non clumping for now… ๐Ÿ™‚

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.