Adopting a Retired Adult Ragdoll

Patience matters more than anything else when you adopt a retired adult Ragdoll. Start the cat in one quiet room and let it come to you. Settling in can take a few days or a few months, depending on the cat. If it ever isn't working out, contact us before you do anything else.

When one of our breeding cats retires, we look for a family who will give it the attention it deserves for the rest of its life. These cats have lived with us for several years. We know each of them well, and we choose their new homes carefully. Below is what we tell every family before a retired cat goes home with them. We shared a shorter version of this on our Facebook page.

About the adoption fee

We may ask a small adoption fee to help cover the cat's spay or neuter surgery, which is done before it leaves us. Now and then we place a cat with no fee at all. The low fee has nothing to do with how much the cat is worth to us. You are taking home a cat that has been part of our family for years, and we will want to hear how it is getting on.

An adult cat needs a different start

A retired Ragdoll is a grown cat with its own ways. It may not come looking for attention straight away. Some of our retired cats are asleep on someone within the first week, while others watch from across the room for a month before they come over. Both are normal. Let the cat choose when to come to you and its trust will grow from there.

Its personality is already formed

An adult cat arrives knowing the people it grew up with, the other cats in our house, its own corners and the sounds and smells of our home. Moving means it leaves all of that behind on the same day.

Our cats have always had company, too. For the first few weeks in a quieter house, expect yours to follow you from room to room and complain when you shut a door. That usually fades. A home where everyone is out most of the day can be a hard fit for a cat used to people around it, so think about that before you decide.

Because the cat is grown, we can tell you before you commit whether it likes being held and how it does with children and other pets.

Start with one quiet room

Get one room ready before the cat arrives. A spare bedroom or an office works well. Put these in it:

• A comfortable bed
• Somewhere safe to hide, such as a covered bed or a box with a blanket inside
• A litter box
• A scratching post
• The same food the cat has been eating with us
• Fresh water

Bring the carrier into that room, open the door and sit down on the floor. Talk quietly. Let the cat come out when it is ready, even if that takes an hour. Keep the rest of the house closed off until the cat is eating, using the litter box and walking around the room calmly. After that, open up one more room at a time and leave the door to its first room open so it can go back.

Trust takes time

Building a relationship with an adult cat can take weeks. With a shy cat it can take a few months. Hiding, eating a little less in the first day or two, and staying just out of reach are all common early on. If the cat hasn't eaten anything for a full day, call your vet.

Please don't give up on it.

Before you decide

Read up on what to expect, and be honest with yourself about whether your home suits an older cat that may need time. Adopting a retired breeding cat is a commitment for the rest of its life. If you know someone who is thinking about it, please send them this page.

You can see which of our cats are retiring on our adult cats page. If you are bringing home a kitten instead, our guide to a kitten's first week home covers that.

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