A Ragdoll Pal

When Howard Kim’s parents came to America 27 years ago, they never once thought that they would have a pet. His mother was adamant about not having any, hating the idea of keeping up with the maintenance. However, a few years ago, Howard’s father and his little sister decided to drive out to Alabama to get a cat without their mother’s permission. This isn’t just any kind of cat. Terry is a purebred Siamese. As Howard recounts it, he says, “She brought him home one day and my mom just looked at the cat and I looked at the cat and…we had one.”

His mother grew to love Terry and after a while, his father decided he wanted a cat of his own. He specifically wanted one that was white with blue eyes. Howard began researching ragdoll cats, known as the dogs of the cat world. Their name comes from the way that, when picked up, they go limp like a ragdoll.

Howard and his father settled on a beige ragdoll cat with aquatic eyes and named him Choco. They went and picked him up from the Whiskey Willow Ragdolls. Like with Terry, Howard’s mother fell in love with Choco, even if he does sometimes bite her hair while she sleeps. Choco is extremely affectionate but prone to loneliness. He is constantly needing to curl up with someone at night and adores being picked up like a baby. Choco is very talkative, too. Right now, he is approaching his first birthday.

Happy early birthday to Choco!