Is There Something Wrong With My Ragdoll Cat?
I have owned a ragdoll for about a year now. He was born on the 28th of march 2006. I find that my ragdoll starts screaming when i pick him up for more than 1 minute… and a couple of times has scratched my face on rare occasions. Is this normal because he is a kitten? Everyone keeps telling me he is supposed to relax and flop in my arms. Even when i open the door to go outside he sprints out the door and will not come back. I find that he hisses at people on the street instead of being trustworthy.
Is there anything I can do to change his temperament or will he grow into a docile cat? I know it takes 2-4 yrs for them to mature. I mean dont get wrong he’s sociable and he has "character", but hes always getting into mischief and doesnt listen; he has grown attached to being sprayed with water when he does something wrong. He tends to become more energetic and causes more mischief. He doesn’t tend to fetch either… but i’m more concerned about his behaviour.
thank y
Cats aged 6-18 months are classed as teenagers. At this age they have a heightened exploration of dominance, including challenging humans. This might explain why he’s becoming more independent natured.
If he hasn’t been neutered, this would also add to the problem as his interest will be focused on finding a female.
Our boy cat is just over 2 years old and is still mischievous when he wants to be, but he’s such a happy-go-lucky cat with some crazy habits, that I find it hard to be upset with him for long. I’ve also found that as he’s grown older, that he seems to enjoy being petted, whereas when he was younger, he would physically push my hand away with his paw if I tried to stroke him. Now he will come over and nudge my hands when he wants a fuss.
As you’ve said, it will be another year or so before your cat is an adult and his personality is more fixed – plenty of time for him to calm down.
All kitties are different…some are more antsy, devilish, cranky. Get him checked out if you think his crying is due to pain. You’re lucky to have the little guy:)
There are exceptions to the rule in every breed, especially if they came from a pet store or backyard breeder. If he is overly aggressive, there could be a thyroid issue. At a year old he should have calmed down some. Many cats learn to ignore the spray bottle, a firm no is much more effective. I would also suggest not letting him out of the house. This can lead to antisocial behavior.
I’d suggest reading the book, The New Natural Cat by Anitra Frazier. She has some really good tips.
Ragdolls are suppose to be VERY dosile cats. I think since you let him out somone or somthing may have gave him a REALLY big scare when younger or somone might have basically put him in their house. Or maybe somone that he did not know started abusing him or started hitting him. There are many ways that your cat may have been given a big scare to not wanna be very dosile and be held.