Recommended Products
Over the years we have used many different products for our cats and kittens. Some of these products are awesome, and others have been a bust. The products below are the ones we have been successful with and recommend:
Cat Food
Dry Cat Food
- Life’s Abundance: All Life Stage Cat Food
Note: Life’s Abundance All Life Stage Cat Food is required to qualify for the 10-year guarantee.
Wet Cat Food
- Life’s Abundance: Canned Pork & Duck
- Life’s Abundance: Instinctive Choice All Life Stage Cat Food
Unfortunately, the two Life’s Abundance wet cat food items have not been in stock for a while, so we have been using the Science Diet product below in the meantime:
- Hill’s Science Diet: Kitten Healthy Cuisine Roasted Chicken & Rice Medley
Important note: Cats are carnivorous. They aren’t vegan, so products with grain fillers are not healthy for cats. They need a diet that is primarily meat protein, and some people regularly feed their felines raw meat. The products above are excellent sources of meat protein and are far less expensive and challenging than raw meat.
Cat Litter
We have had excellent results with the Dr. Elsey’s line of cat litter products. We use the following progression of litter products throughout a cat’s life:
We use the Kitten Attract product to begin litter box training each kitten.
By the time your kitten goes home with you, the kitten will be ready to advance to Cat Attract.
We recommend the Cat Attract product for juvenile cats and especially for cats that have been introduced to a new living space. Cat Attract is scented to be irresistable to cats and help establish their litter box habits in a new environment.
After your new cat has become very well established you can transition to the Clean Tracks product. You can certainly continue using Cat Attract indefinitely, however, Clean Tracks is more economical for the long term. If your cat “makes a mistake” you can certainly return to Cat Attract to re-establish good litter box behavior.
Litter Boxes and Waste Handling
This is certainly the least fun aspect of having a cat, but there are solutions that make it better.
Automated Litter Boxes
There are quite a number of automated litter boxes. We have used both the Litter Robot and the Littermaid devices. They aren’t perfect, but they work well enough and they do a better job reducing odors than an open box. Automated litter boxes all require maintenance and they can be expensive.
Traditional Litter Boxes
Traditional open top litter boxes come in many sizes. We use this litter box with high side walls. It is rugged and the high walls are better at keeping litter from being flipped out of the box.
Litter Mats
Put one of these mats under the box to provide walking space for the cat when they leave the box. The mat helps catch and contain litter that can stuck to the paws after taking care of their business.
Litter Genie
These devices are a great solution for holding cat waste each time you clean the litter box. The waste goes down through a hole in the Litter Genie into a plastic sleeve. The sleeve is pinched off by a sliding tray inside, trapping the smells. When the sleeve gets full, you cut it off and tie it closed, then toss the bag in the trash.
Cat Carriers
You will need a carrier to transport your cat when you pick it up at our home and also for regular visits to the veterinarian. Since Ragdoll cats are an indoor-only animal, unfamiliar outdoor conditions and experiences might spook them if they are not safely inside a cat carrier.
Hard Shell Carrier
These carriers have lots of room, are easy to clean, and best of all they have a top-side door. While cats will walk into a box that they are familiar with, it can be quite difficult to push them into a carrier against their will. However, you can easily lower them through the open top-side door.
Soft Sided Carrier
If you plan to carry your ragdoll cat with you on an airplane, the carrier will need to be “Airline Approved” and must fit under the seat in front of you. Verify the seat space dimensions of the airplane you will be traveling on. A soft side carrier is very helpful since it will adapt to minor space variances. We use these carriers when we hand-deliver kittens via air travel.
Cat Trees and Scratching Posts
Cats love to have a perch with a view, and they definitely want something to scratch. Better these than your furniture!
Cat Trees (Cat Towers)
Cat trees, towers and perches come in all shapes and sizes with lots of interesting spaces, attachments seats and features to attract your cat. They usually have a scratching post integrated into them.
Scratching Posts
You can also get stand-alone scratching posts like this one.
Scratching Pads
Our cats like these cardboard scratching pads. They come with a packet of cat nip to keep things interesting.
Lots of Options
There are so many products available to make it fun, convenient and comfortable to have a cat. If you find something different that really works well for you, please let us know!
