scpotpourri

I’ve decided to have my almost 3, Ragdoll, spayed.

I got her when she was a little over 2 months old. From Delhi.

She looked so adorable in the pictures. I fell in love with her.

I did some research on Ragdolls. Their temperament was bordering on that of dogs. Not high maintenance like dogs but loving, affectionate like them. Thats what appealed to me.

After the passing away of my Labrador, 3years ago, me and my British Long Hair, missed him terribly. The 3 of us hung out together. Wherever I went they followed me. It was tough without him. Chai withdrew into himself.

I decided to get him a companion.  So that’s how Ivy came home.

She had a rough 2days on the train from Delhi (I live in Bangalore) in a basket. When she came home, I was taken up by her beauty. Chai and I spent the night with her, heeding to her every need.

What got me over the next few days was how social and loving she was. Chai was 6 and pretty much kept to himself after Captain was gone. But with Ivy here, he was different – running around with her, grooming her. Sometimes, his hormones carried him a little too far, leaving Ivy crying. Reluctantly I had him neutered.

Ivy enjoys anything new – even to this day. So she explored the new home with excitement, sleeping on a couch one day, my nightstand the next. She loved sleeping on jute bags, paper, clothes fresh from the laundromat.

When I worked at the table late into the night, she made space for herself on the table, and sat there till I finished my work. When I returned from college, on hearing me coming up the staircase, Chai and Ivy would greet me when I opened the door. I simply loved this gesture of theirs. Reminded me of Captain doing the same.

I feed stray cats on the windowsill. Ivy simply loved seeing them on the other side of the screen windows. For their part, the strays would linger on the sill watching her watch them.

On one occasion, one of the strays, Greysome, littered – 6 beautiful kittens. When they were about 2 months old, she brought them into the backyard, downstairs.  Ivy loved them. Every morning, she’d run downstairs, sit by the screened back door, and watch them. For the 2-3 weeks they were there, this was her routine – spend the day with them.

Ivy is a wonderful companion to Chai. She drew him out of his shell. They run around the house negotiating the furniture. Chai grooms Ivy at times. It is such a joy watching them together.

About a year ago, Ivy began her heat cycles. Chai wasn’t interested, being neutered. The strays were out of bounds as they weren’t vaccinated. With each successive cycle it was painful watching Ivy cry with frustration. I couldn’t put her through this anymore. It was affecting her. She became quiet after these cycles.

I thought about it. It is a right age for her to go through it. I know she’ll be sad and maybe, angry for sometime (Chai was). For me, seeing her not having kittens is the hard part.

Finding a male Ragdoll is a challenge.  Even if I do, what if she has a large litter? Kittens don’t get adopted easily. I know – I tried having some kittens I rescued, adopted. I can’t afford to be saddled with a large litter.

So with a heavy heart, I’ve decided to have her spayed. Tomorrow I take her for her checkup and blood test.