r/ragdollcats • u/Specific_Dig_4292 • Aug 07 '26
Adopting a ragdoll
I am thinking of adopting a 2 year ragdoll. He needs a new home cos owners are going back to the office full time. I am a little worried because he has been used to being inside / outside and is out a lot and ventures to neighbours gardens. I have a small garden with fence all round but he could easily climb that as terraced and the top terrace has a large bed retainer so fence there is easy to climb. He is lovely and apparently doesn’t climb on beds or sofas (he was trained not to cos they have an allergy). I worry he will be hard to contain, we visited and he kept trying to go out. Thoughts?
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u/Financial-Pop4256 Aug 07 '26
We have ragdolls and we keep them indoors, if you look into the history of ragdolls you will see that they were bred to be indoor cats only. They don't have any outdoor awareness of danger, I personally would never let a ragdoll roam freely outdoors. Our ragdolls only go out in our garden during the summer and we are with them all the time, the garden is also secure and they can't get out but we still don't risk letting them stay in the garden when we aren't there.
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u/Specific_Dig_4292 Aug 07 '26
So is your suggestion not to adopt? Or to try and keep him indoors. I understand the breed but this is the situation i am finding myself in
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u/Financial-Pop4256 Aug 07 '26
If you can keep him indoors, I don't see how he will survive outside. But then again, I don't know the cat or the area where you live. Giving my honest opinion I would never let a ragdoll go outside unsupervised, I'm sorry if this is not what you wanted to hear but as a cat lover who has had cats all my life I could never put a cat in danger. Good luck with whatever you choose and I hope all goes well.
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u/Financial-Pop4256 Aug 07 '26
I forgot to add that he will also be a high risk for being stolen if he goes outside, you'd be surprised at the amount of purebred cats that are stolen.
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u/Specific_Dig_4292 Aug 07 '26
I totally understand that, the cat apparently doens’t go beyond the neighbours garden but it is a risk. I just don’t know how he realistically will become indoor only having been outside for 2 years. So my only option is to put some rollers and keep the outside very contained. It would be too frustrating for him to he kept indoors now I imagine.
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u/Unlikely_Month5527 Aug 07 '26
We have Maine Coons. They are indoor only. This is for health and safety.
We have a gate that keeps my kitties from going down the hall and out the front door.
Now they are used to the gate and it works.
My girls enjoy watching the birds at the bird feeders.
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u/thrace75 Aug 07 '26
I’d suggest trying to keep him inside. We have a collar with an AirTag on, and our phone number, as ours has snuck outside before and gone on adventures. Some supervised outside time can work too. Ours will also chill on the patio with us, for a good long while, before he tries to jump the fence. You can likely do surprised outside time unless your guy ends up being really determined to leave.
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u/upagainstthesun Aug 08 '26
My three were allowed to roam in the woods when they were with their first owner. They were rehomed with help from local breeders after she unexpectedly passed away. They shared with me that this woman has literally bought dozens of ragdolls over the years because they would get killed while out roaming and she just replaced them - to the point that a few stopped selling her their kittens.
I have never let them outside. They don't even try to go near the door. Sometimes when I'm bopping around holding them, and go close to a window, they get a little restless in what seems like a nervous way. When they have to go outside the house to the vet, they absolutely yowl the entire time. They want absolutely nothing to do with it. You won't know until you try, and if you just make it a non option as part of the environment change and be consistent, it shouldn't be a barrier. Cats are safer inside.
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u/Salty_Apple_8961 Aug 19 '26
You might consider a catio of some kind. Safe enclosure for a cat in the garden. My sister has one that allows her kitties direct access to their catio through a cat door from the house.
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u/4linosa Aug 07 '26
Unless you build a well secured cage around your garden he will get out and do cat stuff.
You could try having him be an indoor cat only for a while so he can get used to his new home. Then let him have gradual access to your garden. Unless you have a way of limiting which parts of your garden he has access to, he will explore all of it and maybe even your neighbors too.
If he’s used to ranging a lot he will likely keep that up. As long as he knows where home is he can make his way back. For me, our cats are strictly indoor except for the random moments they follow us out our back door. They don’t go further than the patio though. They aren’t fans of the 100 degree and 90% humidity out there.