Congratulations — your new Ragdoll is finally coming home! The weeks of waiting are over, and now the real fun begins. The first two weeks set the tone for everything that follows, so I want to walk you through exactly what to expect, how to set up for success, and which little hiccups are completely normal versus the rare ones worth a phone call.

Our kittens go home with their preparation and records in place, and we want you to feel supported as you help them settle in. Insurance-trial coverage is not automatic; confirm the provider’s eligibility and activation requirements before relying on an offer.

What Comes With Your KAR Companion Kitten

$4,500 is our standard price for every companion kitten. It is not a show-kitten price. Boys and girls, every color and every pattern, receive the same care at the same price. We do not offer free or discounted kittens. Our price supports the time, veterinary care, supplies, and preparation we invest before homecoming. We are not willing to cut corners to offer a lower price.

Our companion kittens go home at 12 weeks or older, when they are ready and cleared by our veterinarian. Alteration, microchipping, a veterinary examination, age-appropriate vaccinations, and deworming are completed before homecoming. We provide care records, registration paperwork, written contract and health-guarantee terms, familiar food and a comfort item, feeding and care instructions, and lifetime breeder support. Our itemized go-home guide explains the package, testing records, and any insurance-trial eligibility and activation requirements.

Plan for a homecoming appointment with your veterinarian. They will review the records and advise on rabies vaccination, any remaining boosters, and ongoing care. Ready for homecoming does not mean a guarantee of no veterinary visits for a year. Transport, ongoing food and supplies, future veterinary care, and continuing insurance premiums are separate expenses.

Before Your Kitten Comes Home: The Setup

A little prep before pickup day makes an enormous difference. Cats settle fastest when their world starts small and predictable, so the goal is to have one calm, kitten-proofed room ready to go.

Here’s what to have in place:

A proper litter box. I only ever recommend an XXL stainless steel box — minimum 28″×20″ with walls 12–19″ tall. This is our cattery preference; any material still needs regular cleaning. These are the two I trust and use myself: the open-top XXL stainless box and the covered XXL stainless box. Choose a roomy box with an entry your kitten can comfortably use.
The right litter. Your kitten is already trained on Cat Butler Pea-Based Clumping Litter, so starting with the same litter avoids any confusion. Use code kittenaroundragdolls20 for 20% off your first order. Cat Butler is our familiar go-home choice. Do not treat any litter as edible; call your veterinarian if your kitten is swallowing it.
Food and water. In our cattery, we free-feed Open Farm Pasture-Raised Lamb grain-free kibble 24/7. Follow the go-home feeding instructions for your kitten, and keep fresh water available. Keep your kitten on the exact food they’re already eating — a sudden diet change on top of a big move is the fastest way to upset a tummy.
A safe room. Pick one quiet room — a bedroom or office works great — with the litter box, food, water, a cozy bed, and a couple of toys. This becomes home base for the first few days.

You can find everything I personally use and recommend on my Amazon storefront.

Day One: Keep It Small and Quiet

It’s tempting to give your new kitten the run of the house and introduce everyone at once — but resist! A whole house is overwhelming to a tiny kitten who just left the only home they’ve known.

Bring your kitten straight to the safe room, open the carrier, and let them come out on their own time. Show them where the litter box is, then mostly leave them be. Sit on the floor, talk softly, let them approach you. Some kittens are bold and exploring within minutes; others hide under the bed for a few hours. Both are completely normal.

Keep day one calm. Save the extended family meet-and-greet and the rest of the house for later in the week.

Feeding and the “New Home Tummy”

A move can affect appetite and stool, but please do not assume a kitten’s digestive symptoms are just stress. Keep their food familiar and water available, and contact your veterinarian when symptoms appear or your kitten seems unwell. We are here for support too.

We keep our kittens’ usual kibble available 24/7 and send home instructions for their rehydrated meals. Our feeding guide explains what we feed; follow the individual go-home instructions rather than assuming every cat needs the same plan.

When should you reach out? Call your vet (and feel free to text me too) if you see repeated vomiting, watery diarrhea, refusal to eat, or a kitten who seems lethargic, hunched, or not their usual self. Do not wait for a fixed number of hours if your kitten is not eating or seems unwell. Cornell’s appetite-loss guidance explains why prompt veterinary assessment matters.

Litter Habits in the First Two Weeks

Most Ragdolls walk into their new home already litter-trained and don’t miss a beat — but a new environment can occasionally throw a kitten off, especially in a busy household.

A few things stack the deck in your favor:

Keep the box in the safe room at first. Don’t make your kitten search a big house for the bathroom. Once they’re confidently using it, you can add boxes elsewhere.
If you have other cats, follow the n+1 rule. That’s one box per cat, plus one extra, spread around the house. Resource competition is a sneaky cause of accidents even when each cat technically has access to a box.
Watch out for soft, fluffy surfaces. Plush bath mats and shag rugs feel a lot like litter to a cat. If your kitten is drawn to a soft rug, roll it up for now while the box habit locks in.

If an accident does happen, the cleanup product matters more than people realize — you have to fully eliminate the scent or the cat will return to the spot. Our cattery choices include Biokleen Bac-Out, OdoBan and Rescue, but odor cleaning and disinfection are different tasks. Follow the exact product label for the surface, contact time and any rinsing or drying; keep kittens away during use and never mix cleaners. For a deeper dive, see my full guides on litter box setup and what to do when a cat goes outside the box.

Settling In and Bonding

By the end of the first week, most kittens are ready to start exploring beyond the safe room. Expand their territory gradually — one or two new rooms at a time — and let them set the pace.

Ragdolls are famously people-oriented, so bonding usually happens fast. Spend floor time together, use a wand toy to build confidence and play, and let your kitten seek out laps and shoulders on their own terms. Within two weeks, most of my families tell me their kitten is following them room to room, flopping over for belly rubs, and acting like they’ve always lived there.

If you have other pets, take introductions slowly — scent-swapping and supervised, gated meetings over several days beat a rushed face-to-face. Our guides to introducing another cat and careful dog-and-cat introductions walk through that planning.

You’re Never Doing This Alone

Every Kitten Around Ragdoll comes with lifetime breeder support — that’s not a tagline, it’s a promise. Whether it’s a 10pm “is this normal?” text or a question two years from now, I’m a message away. I’d genuinely rather you reach out over something small than sit and worry.

Welcome to the family — these first two weeks fly by, and before you know it you’ll have a floppy, affectionate Ragdolly shadow who can’t imagine life without you.

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