Meet Sassy: The Remarkable Ragdoll Celebrated as 'Ragdoll of the Week'

Sassy will be turning 16 on July 13th, although I have only had her for the last ten years- ten of the best years!!!! Sassy started her life as “Truffles”. She was purchased as a breeding cat by a breeder when she was a kitten. Sassy produced many a litter, perhaps too many, as to this day she suffers from pregnancy related illnesses. When Sassy was six, her owner passed away suddenly, leaving a house full of cats that needed to be rehomed. I have always been a cat lover, but never had had a ragdoll cat before. By working at a vet clinic, I was thrown into suddenly trying to adopt out all these wonderful cats. Sassy had just had a litter of four girls, and I decided to take them all home with me. She was a wonderful mother and it was a joyous experience watching the four girls grow to eight weeks before they were adopted in pairs. When the babies left, Sassy went through the house crying for them for days. Actually, she will still walk through the house with a little stuffed kitten doing her “mommy cry”.

Once the kittens were adopted, Sassy’s journey to regain her health began. She was grossly underweight from all her pregnancies. She was spayed and within a few months, her weight was where it should be- a petite 6.5lbs.

I have always enjoyed fostering kittens. It wouldn’t be unusual to be bottle feeding a couple litters at the time. Being a great mother, Sassy found it natural to assist in the kitten rearing process. A human is really not a great substitute for a cat mom; we just can’t teach a cat to be a cat! Sassy stepped right in and would groom and scold the babies if necessary. She is a kind little soul who would never hurt anything. My sister had a hamster that was a great escape artist. Many times, Sassy would find the hamster roaming the house at night and pick it up like she would a kitten and cry to wake us up.

I was always used to cats doing typical cat behaviors, such as scratching furniture. I have found that ragdolls seem to have more “manners.” I have two ragdolls, and both only scratch their scratching posts. They also travel extremely well. We vacation with the cats, mostly in our camper. The cats love car rides, and easily adapt to new places. They are also very easy going. In the past five years, Sassy has had a multitude of health issues, a couple of which have required frequent visits to specialists a distance from home. For instance, she suffered from stomatitis, or horrible mouth infections, causing her gums to bleed and making eating a horrible experience. After exhausting all other options, a dental specialist performed a total mouth extraction followed by a series of laser treatments to target oral inflammation. The outcome was fabulous, but for awhile little Sass had it tough. Now, she eats fine, even without any teeth. She also is on daily medication for hypertension and is currently being treated for kidney disease. She receives two daily meds for that, plus a special diet which eliminated her favorite food- rotisserie chicken. Her kidney disease requires frequent monitoring of her blood. She is a champ at the vet- I just have to hold up her neck for a jugular draw; she doesn’t even need her feet held down. Most cats try to swat! She just purrs away….

I could go on and on about how Sassy has completely gotten me hooked on the breed. Looks alone, ragdolls are just the most gorgeous cats! These cats are a true part of the family. Happy 16th birthday, Sassy!! I hope to enjoy more years with you.