Please DO NOT give your Ragdoll kitten any chlorinated water for the first 3 – 4 weeks. Give bottled water. Kittens are building enzymes for the first 3 – 4 weeks in their new environment while they adjust to the stress of a new home, and chlorine will kill those enzymes. This can cause your kitten to have loose stools and/or become ill.

Your Ragdoll kitten is eating NUTRO kitten formula as much as he/she wants, whenever he/she wants. Please keep your Ragdoll kitten on this feline formula until he/she is 9 – 12 months of age. After that, slowly switch your kitten to a high quality adult formula – low in ash (magnesium & phosphorus). Free feed, unless directed otherwise by your veterinarian. Please DO NOT change your Ragdoll kittens diet abruptly. If you decide to change brands or types of food, your Ragdoll kitten may have loose stools and stomach upsets. To decrease these symptoms, diet changes should ALWAYS be done very gradually over a period of two weeks. NEVER change the diet to anything less than a high quality food. A high quality food is not only better for your Ragdoll kitten, but will also decrease the number of stools produced during the day. Poor quality foods are high in filler type ingredients.

I recommend feeding wet food (as long as it is of high quality) as little as possible. Feed wet food only occasionally, for a treat. Remember that dry food keeps away gingivitis and provides most all the protein required, while the wet food provides little to no protein required. NEVER be over generous with wet food or treats, for too much of these are often the source of loose and high odor stools.

NEVER feed your Ragdoll kitten milk. Your kitten’s digestive system is not meant to metabolize milk. Milk can cause predisposition to Irritated Bowel Disease (IBD).

I recommend clay, non-clumping litter for the first 6 months of life. DO NOT give your kitten clumping litter prior to 6 months of age, for clumping litter can clog/constipate your kitten if eaten. NEVER give Ragdoll kittens/cats the pearl/crystal type litter. It is advertised that these types of litter absorbs all ammonia smells in urine – imagine what it will do in the stomach if eaten. Many people are happy with other safe litter alternatives such as Yesterday’s News or Feline Pine.

I recommend that if you have more than one level to your home, that a litter box is available on each level. Remember that your Ragdoll kitten is still a baby and needs his/her litter box easily accessible. Picking your Ragdoll kitten up occasionally and actually placing him/her in the litter box will help to remind your kitten where the box is and help to prevent accidents. DO NOT allow your kitten free access of the entire house until you are sure he/she can find his/her way to the litter box.

All Pet Quality Ragdoll kittens are sold with a spay/neuter contract.

I do not recommend your Ragdoll kitten/cat be vaccinated with the FIP vaccine. It is at best an unproven vaccine and may be implicated in making your Ragdoll kitten/cat more susceptible to the disease.

I ALWAYS recommend that your Ragdoll kitten/cat remains indoors. Outdoor cats are exposed to feline diseases. For many of these diseases there are immunizations, (Feline Infectious Peritonitis – FIP, Feline Leukemia Virus – FLV, and Rabies) however; immunization is NOT an ironclad guarantee that your Ragdoll kitten/cat will not catch communicable infections. Immunizations only reduce and help prevent the likelihood of infection or moderate the course of infection. NEVER let your Ragdoll kitten/cat outdoors!

Nail care is best if kept up regularly, started at Lexes Dolls Ragdolls. A good pair of stainless still clippers is what I recommend. Clip only the tip of the nail being careful not to cut into the quick. Declawing is strongly discouraged!

If you ever have any questions or concerns, Please feel free to call me anytime at (520) 748-9163 or email me at trisha@lexesdolls.com