Katniss: The Adorable Mink-Mitted Ragdoll Cat Who Became a Family Treasure

Katniss – a Mink Mitted Bi-Color Seal Point Ragdoll Cat

We adopted Katniss as a kitten from a breeder in 2012, so she is 4 years old. She is a Mink Mitted Bi-Color Seal Point and has the softest fur, hence she is a mink. We wanted her to bond with our 9 year old granddaughter during the summer (she is now 13), and she definitely did so. To this day, Katherine (our granddaughter) is the only person allowed to carry her around in her arms for a lengthy period of time. She adores Katherine and eagerly enjoys her visits.

Katherine named her Katniss as she was reading The Hunger Games at the time. The heroine of the trilogy book series is Katniss Everdeen. The name Katniss comes from an edible plant called Sagittaria (Katniss), from Sagittarius The Archer, whose name means ‘He that throws arrows’ in Latin.

We live in Big Canoe, Georgia (a wildlife sanctuary) and Katniss loves the birds and wildlife. We occasionally have black bears and raccoons that climb up on our deck, and she loves watching the deer and wild turkey that roam these mountains. We designed our house with our cats in mind and the house has floor length windows with wide window sills, and built in cat ledges on the screened porch ~ all perfect for them to enjoy the wildlife. We recently took her to Florida to spend time in our daughter’s new condo and she loved the cool tile floors and the pelicans and other birds she saw from the windows. We usually have a friend care for her when we travel, but it is always hard to leave her.

We have had Himalayans and Persians in the past, but have fallen in love with Ragdolls. She has the sweetest personality and we love her dearly. Her favorite toys are re-fillable catnip mice, squirrels, beavers, etc. Our 13 year old Persian recently passed over the Rainbow Bridge, and we will eventually get another Ragdoll to accompany Katniss, but this time we will look for a rescue. There are too many kitties that need and deserve a loving home.

One of my favorite memories is when Katniss was just a kitten and met her first bear. The mama bear was on our deck trying to get into the bird feeder. The 3 bears cubs were in a tree adjacent to our upper deck. The bears shimmy up the wood post from the lower deck as there are no stairs. It is alarming how fast they can do it, about 3 seconds flat. One of the cubs jumped from the tree onto the deck and walked up to one of the floor length windows. Katniss jumped down from her tower where she was perched watching the black bears. Katniss and Baby Bear were nose to nose through the glass. Katniss followed it from window to window and it was adorable to watch.

Katniss is our first Ragdoll. The reason we decided on a Ragdoll is an interesting story. We had taken Katherine to Europe when she was 8. While visiting the Tower of London we saw a cat that lived in the Tower (see above). My husband said he wanted a cat just like that someday. He named the cat ‘The Royal Mouser’ and when we returned we started a search for a cat like him, which we learned was a Ragdoll.

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