A Ragamuffin Named Haven

A Ragamuffin Named Haven

by Robert Hudson

Ragamuffins are beautiful cats with a luxurious coat that is so soft, and Haven is a fine example. It is the closest thing to touching a fluffy cloud of poof!

Haven is eight years old and shares his home with his younger brother, Teddy.

Together they are showing the internet world the charm of this breed.  Angie shared their story with me.

The beginning of the story for a ragamuffin named Haven

“In 2012 I lost my girl, Belle, my babies are my children, it was like losing a child, I went to counseling. I really didn’t want another cat because it was so painful to lose her. It took me about a month to decide I wasn’t a person that could live without one.

The Search

I was watching animal planet and saw a show about Ragamuffins. I decided then and there that’s what I wanted. I’m far from rich but I messaged a few breeders, told them about my loss and that I was looking for another baby to love.

Only one answered me, she had a kitten that needed a special home, he wasn’t the typical ragamuffin, he was shy, he hid from people but loved the other cats. We went to see him and he would only come out if we played with him but I fell in love with his sweet little face and his beautiful blue eyes. We took him home and it didn’t take long for him to come around, he slept in my arm the first night. He also made home a place that I wanted to be again which is how he got his name, Haven. “

My Angel

“He turned into the most loving cat I’ve ever had with the biggest purr. Haven loves to lay in my arms like a baby and have his belly rubbed. He presses his head to my lips for kisses and he gives me kisses as well.  My Son is his favorite person, he absolutely adores him and sleeps with him every night.

When Haven was two we decided to get him a friend, he’s actually Havens brother, he’s incredibly sweet and happiest when he’s on my lap getting a belly rub. He’s kind of crazy and still plays like a kitten. Haven wasn’t crazy about him at first but he loves him now.  “

Ragamuffin facts: 

•  Ragamuffins are known for their white coats with pastel highlights,  they also come in every color and pattern
• The Ragamuffin is a large cat, and they mature slowly, not reaching their full size until they are four years old.
• Ragamuffin kittens are born white, then develop their color or pattern as they mature

“Teddy and Haven are completely different, Haven likes his space, he will lay near Teddy sometimes but they don’t cuddle. Teddy doesn’t know what personal space is – he also gets jealous if Haven is getting attention and he’s not.”

A Challenge for a Ragamuffin Named Haven

Two years ago Haven was diagnosed with asthma.

“I noticed that when he slept he snored, I thought it was cute but then one day I heard it when he was awake and I knew something was wrong, I took him into the vet and they did an X-ray, they thought he had pneumonia, it looks very similar on an X-ray.

They sent me home with antibiotics and steroids. As soon as I weaned him from the steroids it came back. They decided after two rounds of antibiotics that it had to be asthma.

They told me to continue the steroids since they helped. I took him in for his shot and he had lost a significant amount of weight so they did blood work and found the diabetes. They really didn’t know how to treat him so they referred him to an internist a few hours from my home.

Finding a cause

They ran various tests to try to rule out potential causes, we tried different foods in case it was a food allergy, he had ultrasounds, an echocardiogram, his heart was perfect, his stomach has always been sensitive, the food changes irritated things and  he ended up in the specialty hospital for a week, he had pancreatitis.

He almost died, they told me to come see him, he wasn’t doing well and they didn’t know if he’d make it. Nothing was working. They didn’t know what to do, I told them I was coming to see him but they needed to ask someone else if they didn’t know. I was paying them too much for them to give up on him.

That is when his luck changed. The doctor I was talking too knew another that was a feline specialist and she agreed to ask her for help. Doc spent an hour observing him and asking me questions. She would try her best but she wasn’t sure she could save him.

It’s a labor of love

She started him on an inhaler that he uses every day twice a day, there’s a chamber I use to give it to him. He also takes a bronchodilator medication. The inhaler allowed us to lessen the amount of prednisolone he had to take which allowed us to finally get his diabetes under control with insulin daily. He takes a lot of meds but he’s happy, he plays and gives so much love.

The pancreatitis flares sometimes. She taught me how to give sub q fluids, gave me emergency meds to get him through, pain meds, antibiotics, anti nausea meds. I email her and she tells me what he needs.”

Angie is dedicated to managing Haven’s health issues- going beyond what many people would be willing to do.  Haven’s fans have given Angie  the support she needs to keep going.

‘I’d like them to know how much I appreciate them, they don’t just support Haven, they support me as well. Sometimes with an illness like he has it’s stressful and hard. The fans always pick me up- their prayers, positive thoughts and words of encouragement and love is sincerely appreciated.

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