# ragdoll kitten stressed



## voodoo (Jan 17, 2014)

Hi all cat lovers out there
I've just got a 12 week ragdoll kitten 2 days ago and she is missing her family terribly. she aeems to be haivng separation anxiety and wouldnt let us not pay attention to her for one minute. she wants someone to be actively playing with her or she will start meowing / crying. she has to be alone at home during work for atleast 7 hours. when we are home, we dont mind giving her constant playtime but then at night i try to setup her bed in laundry so thats another 7 hours of night time alone, which she is not taking well. (i am doing sort of controlled meowing technique she loudly protests (read scratch door) for about 10 minutes then stops. seeing her anxiety I am worried if I am doing the right thing or shall give in and let her in the bedroom. will she settle eventually or turn into a criminal for being neglected so badly in the childhood. 
advise please (only if u are not a fan of cats sleeping in your bed jk


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## ForeverHome (Jan 14, 2014)

My 9 year old Raggie missed feline company so much I had to get him a friend, despite working from home and giving him free run of the whole flat ... I believe advice is often to get two Raggies together, I'm sure someone will correct me!


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Thank goodness you are asking for help, that is way way too much time in solitary for a kitten. Kittens need companionship and socializing and a ton of attention.

Poor thing has gone from living with her mum and litter mates every minute of the day to 14 hours a day alone!

Play with her as much as you can before you leave for the day and when you come home in the evening and by all means let her sleep with you at night. If you don't want her in the bed set up a bed for her at the same height as your bed, up by your head. 

Get something cuddly for her to snuggle with and something warm, like one of those rice socks you heat up in a microwave. Wrap it in a fleece and put it in her bed, next to your head.

Remember, she is only a baby. She has the same needs as any baby.


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## srj (Aug 30, 2013)

When I bought my Birman kittens the breeder wasn't at all happy with the idea of me only having one kitten as we were all out at work/school all day. She said that if there was a dog or another cat then it would be fine, as would another kitten (not necessarily another Birman).

To cut a long story short I couldn't decide between the two kittens that were left in the litter..... so I bought both of them!!! 

I'm so glad that I did. They love each other and keep each other amused when we're not in or if we're busy, they groom each other, often sleep together and I can't imagine only having one of them. 

My advice would be to get another kitten of a similar age... not necessarily the same breed - there's lots of kittens/young adults looking for forever homes in the local rehoming centre.


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## Jellypi3 (Jan 3, 2014)

I'm looking at getting a kitten soon, and I posted about this a while ago regarding one or two kittens. I too work weekdays and spent hours out of the house (sometimes up to 10 hours), and was given resounding advice to get two kittens. 

I am quite surprised the breeder let her go to you (without sounding rude) if the kitten is alone, all the breeder's I have contacted so far have said they wouldn't release a kitten unless it was going to a multi cat household or with a litter mate. 

Hopefully she sorts herself out


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I agree with others - 14 hrs a day is way too much time for any kitten to be left alone, but it's even worse deprivation for a Ragdoll as they are a breed that need almost constant human companionship.

If you are unable to spend more time with her in the day (e.g. by temporarily working from home), then in these particular circumstances you really should NOT be shutting her away at night on her own. With so much time spent on her own you risk her becoming withdrawn, and nervous around humans, not what you want in a cat.

The way to improve the situation quite a bit has already been suggested - get her a kitten companion. If you phone around all the local Cat Rescue Shelters you are bound to find one which has kittens who need adopting, even this early in the year. The adoption fee will be a fraction of what it would cost you to buy another Ragdoll, and you will be giving a kitten a much needed loving home.


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## Jesthar (May 16, 2011)

Agree with everyone above - if you really don't want her in the bedroom, then she needs another kitten to play with. One way or the other, she needs a lot more company than she is getting, especially as she is a raggie.

My cat and kitten both have the full run of the house at night, and rarely disturb me, the both kow night-time is sleepy time


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## ChinaBlue (Feb 3, 2008)

As a breeder of Raggies I would *never *let a kitten go by itself to a home where the owner/s would be working all day and there were no other pets. I just would not have contemplated it. I would suggest they get a companion for the kitten - if they couldn't afford two peds then to get one from a rescue or I would give a little discount if they did want to take two from the same litter.

Raggies have doglike tendancies and do enjoy company. I would suggest you think about getting a feline companion for your kitten.


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## Aeschylus (Sep 19, 2013)

I concur about getting another kitten. I was considering getting one kitten, but eventually decided two would keep each other company, and it works really well for me. It's not much more expensive to feed two than one, and they never wake me up at night (except when they sleep on my neck, but that's another story).


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## Trogers (Jul 11, 2012)

My first ragdoll kitten was a single cat and we worked all day (though my husband did come home at lunch) she was happy enough but I always felt guilty when I came home and saw how much she missed us. 
After she passed away we decided we'd get two second time round. They are far happier and it's so sweet seeing them play and cuddle up together.


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## ForeverHome (Jan 14, 2014)

Trogers said:


> My first ragdoll kitten was a single cat and we worked all day (though my husband did come home at lunch) she was happy enough but I always felt guilty when I came home and saw how much she missed us.
> After she passed away we decided we'd get two second time round. They are far happier and it's so sweet seeing them play and cuddle up together.


Coo lucky you my poor thing got so stressed out his fur got all staticky so when I came home and tried to stroke him he would get a zap, it was awful, within weeks it was clear he had to have a friend, and that's with me working from home!


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