Tansy Bradshaw

I never thought I would want kids, I am a strong interdependent woman who doesn’t need… oh look at the kitty…

For the last six months that I was living in Melbourne, the one thing (apart from my own place) that I wanted was to have my mum’s cat, Nellie, who is a seal-point ragdoll (that adopted me) in my own place. Since my mum got another dog (Silky Terrier) Millie, who despite having an artificial knee is a mental case and had ostracized Nellie and she only lived upstairs. Whenever I came home from Melbourne, she would sleep on my bed and was affectionate to me. So, it was decided that Nellie chose her mother and if I could, I would adopt her, and today it happened when I registered her with the shire.

We weren’t sure what would happen when we moved her. Would she meow constantly? Would she try to run out the door when we left to do errands? Would she go off her food, hide for days and be scared? Things could not have gone better, within minutes she was rubbing up against my bedposts, eating, exploring her new place and has only meowed once to find her food and then goes back to bed.

She also hasn’t worn a collar since she was a kitten (she is now 6 and 10 months) and when I put one on her, it hasn’t bothered her.

For those of you who are not familiar with the bread I will give you an overview. They are are distinctly noticeable by their bright blue eyes, they have a semi-longhair coat which is soft and silky. They also are very docile, with a placid temperament and affectionate nature (hence Nellie really lapping up my company when I came home).

Ragdoll cats tend to be more interested in humans than some breeds of cats. They are known to run to greet you at the door, follow you from room to room, flop on you, sleep with you, and generally choose to be where you are. Many Ragdolls have been taught to come when called and play fetch. They are gentle cats, and usually play without extending their claws.

They get their breed name from their tendency (of individuals from the original breeding stock) to go limp and relaxed when picked up. This, which first drew my mother towards them, is very easy for me to manage. As I have one hand that is permanently out of action, her tendency to flop is easy for me to pick up and throw over my shoulder.