You can easily fall into the depths of a Ragdoll cat’s glowing, sapphirine eyes, but the real enchantment of these pointed cats with the silky medium-length coat is their gentle and affectionate personality. The Ragdoll cat has a reputation for being a lap cat par excellence, and many enjoy being carried around, cradled like a baby. Among the largest of the cat breeds, a Ragdoll’s weight ranges from 10 to 20 or more pounds, but this breed has a surprisingly small, soft voice.
Meet Merlin, the Canadian Ragdoll cat whose face is nothing short of angelic. With milky bluish eyes and luxurious dark gray fur, this kitty looks like a cute toy. Merlin gained much fame on internet due to beautiful features. His human parents Nathanial Green and Elliot Green, curated a stunning Instagram page dedicated to their beautiful pet, which has about 28k followers.
The couple first saw Merlin in 2017 at the Lynchburg Humane Society on their “Free Cat Friday.” And while it was love at first sight, Elliot admitted that Merlin hadn’t been their first choice, they were looking for some Siamese kitten. “It actually was my coworker that convinced me to go in–she had just adopted a beautiful kitten from there. Browsing through the site, Nathanial and I had our hearts set on a Siamese kitten, but by the time I got off work, they were all either on hold or already adopted.”
The couple continued their search. “The lady who had shown us around eventually noticed us indecisively meandering; she stopped to tell us that she had a favorite, but that he had some issues and was sick. She took us to the medical wing to show us this little kitten who was recovering from a head cold. When I was first told that he was blind, I was a bit worried. As a full-time student also working two jobs, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to provide Merlin with the attention he needed. As soon as I got to hold him, I think it was pretty obvious that he was perfect.”
The couple couldn’t be happier that they found Merlin, “He’s an affectionate cat that loves being acknowledged and held. He’s never destructive or petty, either,” said Elliot, “Because he was born blind, he really has no concept of fear and so he’ll attempt to jump off of pretty high places. He doesn’t hide or avoid people–he’ll run up to the door to meet us and climb all over guests sitting on the couch. His preferred place is on someone’s lap.”
That’s right this loving ball of fur can’t get enough of his human dads. “Anytime we sit on the couch or the bed, he jumps up and is ready to be cuddled. He loves having his face and ears scratched; we aren’t quite sure why, but he loves having the areas around his eyes massaged. If someone puts their hands up to his eyes or nose, he’ll usually awkwardly press into it as if he’s trying to push them away, but it’s his way of feeling loved,” said Nathanial.
Looking at Merlin you can notice his unique features, that’s because he is a rare mixed breed of a Munchkin and a Persian cat, called a Napoleon. Ragdoll kittens are white at birth, but by the time they are 10 days old their points and patterns make an appearance. They reach their full weight when approximately 4 years old.
“It’s a pretty new breed–by new I mean 20 to 22 years,” explained his owner, “Napoleons are pretty small, but they’re able to move around as easily as normal sized cats. For the most part, they inherit the Persian’s physical characteristics.”
Aside from its plush fur and large body, the Ragdoll is known for its bright blue eyes and color-pointed coat. His blindness also highlights his personality. But even with his poor vision, his dad said Merlin still lives a full life. “Honestly, we forget that he has trouble seeing. When we first moved to our apartment, he definitely had trouble navigating, but he learns quickly and really knows how to own the space. His greatest recurring struggle is from our coffee table’s glass edges: Every now and then, he’ll jump or walk into it, but we think he’s learned. All he really cares about is where the food is and how far away it is from his dads.”
His blindness hasn’t been a big issue, Merlin did suffer from some other health issues and it came out later that it’s his diet plan. “For a while, he was having seizures, and we really couldn’t figure out why,” recalled Elliot, “Through some research and trying out alternatives, we learned that his food was causing it. We removed wheat from his diet, and he’s been perfectly content since then.”
Meet the Greens family: “@nathanialtgreen (left) was born in Michigan and is an insanely talented keyboardist, designer, and communications specialist. He loves chicken and waffles and syrup on almost everything. Often times can be found reading about politics. @elliotgreen.co (right) is an art director, branding specialist, and photographer from Istanbul, Turkey. Lover of olive oil and Daniela Andrade. Often can be found admiring typefaces at target. Both met at Liberty University and eventually made their way to Nashville, TN. they got married last September and spend most of their time hanging out at Baja Burrito or 51st Deli!”
As a social kitty, Merlin loves all living things, but sadly the feeling is not always mutual. Ragdolls do well in families with children who treat them gently. They are also known to buddy up with dogs so they are nicknamed “puppy cats” for good reason. “We’ve also learned–the hard way–that he’s easily dominated by other animals. Cats, in particular, tend to bully him. He never fights back, but we have seen him hiss a time or two. We have to keep a close eye on him around other animals. Other than that, he really is perfect!”
“Merlin loves watermelon, and since it’s Elliot’s favorite food, he gets it often”
There are profound reasons behind Merlin’s popularity on internet, but the Greens say it was never their intention to get fame. “We just started accumulating a lot of pictures on our phones and decided to share them with the world. It wasn’t an account we were regularly posting on, but when we did we made sure that it looked good. Honestly, Elliot was proud of the way his apartment looked at the time and thought Merlin was a good subject to help show it off,” said Nathanial.
The response has been surprising, “Yea! Friends keep telling us that they see Merlin’s pictures all over–it’s just mind-blowing.”
This family are grateful for finding this little ball of joy and say they owe it all to shelters like the Lynchburg Humane Society, “We’re grateful for animal shelters and the selfless, essential work they continue to do.”
“I’m a gift. You’re welcome.”
“Weather got meow like”
“New room who dis?”
“We’re a family of personality types. They say I’m a 4w3 always cuddling up for attention with a melancholic twist. What’s your Enneagram number or MB identifier?”
