Meet Duke: The Heartwarming Journey of a 6-Year-Old Rescue Ragdoll

Duke  – A 6-Year Old Seal Point Ragdoll Cat

Duke is a 6 years old Seal Point Ragdoll. He is a rescue and a total blessing. In April of this year (2016) we lost our beloved gentle giant kitty Grayson, who was adopted at the age of 8.5 and spent glorious five years with us, benevolently ruling the household. Grayson succumbed to advanced kidney disease and when there was nothing else that we could do we said our final goodbye on 4/16/16.

I wasn’t really looking for another kitty right away, but we were approached by our rescue friends who asked us if we could consider helping to rehome a great kitty who was in a complicated situation. Duke was raised with his kitty sister by a young couple who then had a baby. Duke’s sister got along grudgingly with the toddler, but Duke hated every moment. He became withdrawn, depressed and started urinating on all of the baby’s items, which pretty much meant that the whole house was affected. The situation was getting desperate and the couple was also expecting their second child.

We agreed to come and meet Duke, and seeing this small gentle kitty I just could not resist. We brought Duke home with us on 4/22/16 and he is doing very well. He is a little skittish but adjusted well, is very affectionate and would highly prefer if we didn’t have to go to work and stayed at home at his beck and call for belly rubs, treats and lovies. He has grown in this short period of time, gained some much needed weight although he is still small for a Ragdoll – only 9 Lbs. His fur is silky, his eyes are clear, he is using his litter box consistently and he plays like a little kitten!

Contrary to popular belief, our Duke is not much of a traditional “lap cat”. He does love being nearby his humans and is frequently putting his sweet face on my knee (or his Dad’s) for a nap. He loves belly rubs and is ready for one at all times, he loves his little ears and chin rubbed as well and his front paws tickled.

Duke loves playing with a feather toy, chasing toy mice and especially loves catching treats! He discovered freeze dried salmon and lamb and now his coat is softer than ever. He eats good quality grain free dry food and we hope to include some wet food in time, for now he just curiously looks at the wet food and does not consider it edible. We are still hopeful and keep offering from time to time!

Since Duke already had his name for a long time we did not rename him. If I had to come up with a fitting mane though, I think I would have named him Tiramisu, he is all chocolate-cream-coffee and is so sweet!

I am so grateful to Duke’s first family for not surrendering him to a shelter but instead turning to a rescue for help. I would like to encourage others to adopt older kitties, they are wonderful and have so much love to give. Duke would not have survived at the shelter and we are so glad he didn’t have to go through this experience. We adore him and he knows it! I hope for many more years together with our lovely baby Duke.

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