New kitten families
Bringing Your Kitten Home
A practical guide to your Ragdoll kitten’s first days, from the family who raised them.
A practical guide to your Ragdoll kitten’s first days, from the family who raised them.
A little preparation makes the first day calm for everyone. Have these ready at home:
Download our New Owner Checklist (PDF)
The full tick off version: our exact food, our litter, safe cleaning products, UK links for where to buy it all.
Begin with one calm room and let your kitten explore it fully before opening up the rest of the home. The scented blanket in your kitten pack carries the smell of mum, of littermates, of home. It does more work than you would think.
Some kittens explore within minutes, others prefer to watch from a hiding spot for a day or two. Both are completely normal. Let them come to you. Keep early handling gentle, keep it short.
Feed at regular times. Keep the litter tray in one place. Keep the first week low key. Routine is what turns a new house into home.
Feeding: keep to the food from your kitten pack for at least the first 14 days. Our kittens are raised on mixed wet and dry food (Purina Gourmet Perle pouches and Purina ONE Kitten). Changing later? Do it gradually, over 7 to 10 days. Fresh water always down.
Grooming: your kitten has been brushed since birth. Keep it going with short, positive sessions two or three times a week. Check nails regularly.
Safety: kitten proof before they arrive. Windows and balconies closed, cables tucked away, washing machine and tumble dryer doors kept shut, toxic houseplants moved out. Lilies are the one to watch: every part of the plant is lethal to cats, pollen included. For whether to let them outdoors at all, see our breed FAQ.
Book a veterinary health check within 48 hours of collection, taking along the health records from your kitten pack. Your vet will advise on ongoing preventative care. Insurance is worth considering from day one.
Keep introductions calm, short, supervised. Always give your kitten an escape route. For resident pets, swap scents before anyone meets face to face. Ragdolls are patient souls, but every friendship takes time.
Book that first health check within 48 hours of collection, taking the health records from your kitten pack along.
Beyond that first appointment there are a few things worth knowing: which practice we use for our own cats, why a health plan can take the sting out of the first year, and the out of hours numbers you will want saved in your phone before collection day rather than found in a hurry at 2am.
Our support doesn’t end at collection day. Whatever the question, whenever it comes up, we’re a message away.