Hello All. What a wonderful forum. I have never had a cat before, but will be getting my new friend Fred in another 4 weeks time. As I have been reading about Ragdolls, I've noticed that most everyone on this forum has more than one cat/kitten/friend! I am really excited to be getting Fred, but my one worry is that I will get him on Saturday, have Saturday and Sunday with him, but then I will have to go to work on Monday...so, poor Fred will have to make do for the rest of the day until I get home in the evenings. I spoke to one person, and they told me that cats/kittens can get depressed. I haven't really seen anything on this forum about kittens/cats getting depressed, or how they would be on their own all day, so I suppose my question is: Am I being too paranoid or will Fred be okay on his own? I have a separate room all ready for him, with his scratch post, bed and litter box all in the same room. (different sides of the room). I was considering leaving a radio on for him during the day, so that he has some background noise - is that a good idea? Any help would be great! Thanks...
Fred09 Wrote:Hello All. What a wonderful forum. I have never had a cat before, but will be getting my new friend Fred in another 4 weeks time. As I have been reading about Ragdolls, I've noticed that most everyone on this forum has more than one cat/kitten/friend! I am really excited to be getting Fred, but my one worry is that I will get him on Saturday, have Saturday and Sunday with him, but then I will have to go to work on Monday...so, poor Fred will have to make do for the rest of the day until I get home in the evenings. I spoke to one person, and they told me that cats/kittens can get depressed. I haven't really seen anything on this forum about kittens/cats getting depressed, or how they would be on their own all day, so I suppose my question is: Am I being too paranoid or will Fred be okay on his own? I have a separate room all ready for him, with his scratch post, bed and litter box all in the same room. (different sides of the room). I was considering leaving a radio on for him during the day, so that he has some background noise - is that a good idea? Any help would be great! Thanks...
Hi,
I understand how you feel. I think leaving a radio on is a good idea, it can't hurt. But I think the separation may be harder on you than on your kitten. Make sure he has some toys too.
Good luck. (maybe a second kitty in your future?)
Catherine
Hello, I also have a single kitty, Coco. I am lucky at the moment as I don't have to work, I am a stay at home mum and have Coco for company. When the time comes and if I go back to work in a few years I think Coco would be sad because we have been used to each other. Your kitty will be really pleased to see you when you come home and he is really lucky to have his own safe room. I'm sure he will be fine and the radio is a good idea. Having said all this I'm sure you will end up getting another one. I would love to have another
Hello, I think you will probably find that Fred will sleep for most of the time while you are at work. We went through the same thing with out two, I think this is probably one of the main reasons we agreed to get two instead of one. But I still feel really bad every morning when I step out that door. If Fred is not sleeping and is getting bored, you may just find that he tears his room apart. My guess is that he will sleep and then be full of energy when you get home. There is a 9 hour gap during weekdays for us when no one is home, but on those rare occassions when someone is home, they seem to look at us as if we are interrupting their routine and they sleep nonetheless.
Ragdolls are very social creatures and many do not do well when alone for much of the day. If you are totally unable to get Fred a friend if he turns out to need company, then I would say a Ragdoll is not for you. You should choose a breed who is more likely to like being alone - perhaps a Persian Otherwise, you can give it a try and see how he does. Some Ragdolls are fine with it, although very few would not prefer feline company - or a dog. ; ) You may want to ask the breeder about Fred's temperament. Sometimes one can identify kittens who seem a bit more independent, although that can be hard to tell and the only time he will have been alone will be after he joins you.
Thanks for all the words of encouragement. And thanks for the information JanH. I will speak with the breeder to see if she can determine Fred's personalitiy as yet. I've been told quite a bit that cats sleep most of the day away so I'm hoping he will be okay during the day until I get home. I work standard hours, but my flatmate is always coming and going, so there will always be someone checking in on Fred. As you say...time will tell.
The person around him need not be you. Ragdolls are nicely indescriminate in their affections. Cats will sleep a lot if they are comfortable. If they are unhappy about being alone or something else, then not so much.
Remember too, if you decide to get a second cat, it doesn't have to be a Ragdoll (although who wouldn't want a second one after getting a first! LOL) There are many kittens needing good homes.
Solo was a VERY needy kitten and I was extremely close to getting him a friend. He was just having a hard time adjusting, pacing all the time and crying for no reason. I work too, but never came home to anything destroyed. Solo had run of the house from day 1 and everything has always been in good order. Although the adjusting period seemed to take forever, he finally got over it and mow is doing great as an only pet. I am sure if we decided to get a dog or second cat in the future he would welcome a companion with open paws, but I just wanted to share my experience in saying that it IS possible for a kitty to adjust to being an only if you are very patient and have a lot of love and attention to give when you are home with your baby.
My breeder said to draw the line and get a companion if Solo did start to become destructive by his boredom/loneliness, as that would be an indicator that yes indeed he needs a companion. I would say that is good advice, if you find that your little Fred is wrecking your home perhaps in search of where his friend may be lurking, then do get him a playmate. Otherwise if all is well, be patient and he will adjust to his new home and routine.
(11-16-2009 03:59 AM)Solo Wrote: [ -> ]Solo was a VERY needy kitten and I was extremely close to getting him a friend. He was just having a hard time adjusting, pacing all the time and crying for no reason. I work too, but never came home to anything destroyed. Solo had run of the house from day 1 and everything has always been in good order. Although the adjusting period seemed to take forever, he finally got over it and mow is doing great as an only pet. I am sure if we decided to get a dog or second cat in the future he would welcome a companion with open paws, but I just wanted to share my experience in saying that it IS possible for a kitty to adjust to being an only if you are very patient and have a lot of love and attention to give when you are home with your baby.
My breeder said to draw the line and get a companion if Solo did start to become destructive by his boredom/loneliness, as that would be an indicator that yes indeed he needs a companion. I would say that is good advice, if you find that your little Fred is wrecking your home perhaps in search of where his friend may be lurking, then do get him a playmate. Otherwise if all is well, be patient and he will adjust to his new home and routine.
Thanks so much for sharing your story. It gives me a lot of hope knowing that I'm not alone in feeling this way. Everyone else on this site has been great, but it sounds as though every one has more than one little friend, so I was starting to get a little stressed! (And I don't even have him home yet!!) I can't wait to bring him home. He will have his safe room, but will eventually have the run of the house as well, so I'm hoping that he adjusts quickly, but I'm happy to give him his own time...I just want him to be happy!