A question about Kitty Cats......

[clarice]

Before we got our cat, I was under the delusion that most cats were, indifferent , aloof creatures.
Ours is VERY affectionate , and cuddly. Are most cats like mine, or does it depend on the individual cat
or breed of cats? Just wondering.

[PoliticAverse]

1. Sure they can be very affectionate, cuddly and playful. Just remember though...

it wants to kill you...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/10/31/cat-lion-psychological-traits/74941388/

[djean111]

2. Individual cats and/or breeds.

I have one who, if she is in the house and not out hunting, sleeps on my desk or on my bed. Another is totally aloof. Another is very cuddly at times, but prefers to lounge around outside (he totally ignores squirrels and lizards, just likes to sleep in the grass), with the occasional belly rub, and when he is feeling affectionate, will literally hug me as best he can, when being held. My rag doll cat demands to be picked up, but only for about 30 seconds, then she wants to be put back down. All cats were treated equally.

[clarice]

5. It sounds as if they have you well trained. lol.nt

[djean111]

8. Yup. I am, basically, their concierge.

I think that, if they had opposable thumbs, they would just take over.

[clarice]

13. That would be a catastrophy......sorry.nt

[djean111]

16. djean clutches her head, staggers around the room, and says "good one"!

A couple of years ago I had to explain to my grandson that a really good pun makes people groan, not laugh. He was mystified and a bit hurt at the reaction to puns where he worked.

[clarice]

18. Thanks. It takes a particularly weird sense of humor (like ours)....

to truly appreciate the masochistic thrill that we get from an atrociously bad pun.

[3catwoman3]

25. It is said that, "Dogs have owners.

Cats have staff."

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

28. I have a cat with thumbs

Looks a bit like this one:
My daughter remains adamant that when we're not around, she practices for the overthrow using small tools.

[clarice]

3. I was wondering why she keeps eyeing my AR-47.nt

[fizzgig]

4. it just depends on the cat

i've had lap cats and those who only want affection on their terms. my boy is very loving, but wants you to come to him, the fat bastard.

[clarice]

6. "fat bastard" lol.nt

[fizzgig]

7. he really is a beast

[TexasBushwhacker]

11. Rub my belleh NOW! n/t

[clarice]

15. Beat me to it.lol.nt

[clarice]

14. He looks so stressed out.... I mean stretched out.nt

[TexasBushwhacker]

9. It depends on the cat

If a kitten isn't handled a lot when they are less than 4 months old, as is the case with feral cats, then they do tend to be more aloof. An adult cat that has been feral since birth is unlikely to make a good pet if affection is what you're looking for. But even some of them come around.

[lunatica]

10. Cats can be as temperamentally different from each other as we are

I think you're lucky to have such a good experience with your first cat. Be ready for many hundreds of hours of enjoyment. But remember that cats need mental stimulation too. Play with it.

[clarice]

12. all the time.lol.nt

[applegrove]

17. It varies. And sometimes cats change. I have a little black cat now that is all over me at

night (Twilight). Where before she was aloof. Part of that is cat dynamics, my older cat Monster died and that allowed her to bond with me better. Then I got a new cat and he's totally focused on me all night. So Twilight is now too. She purrs. She sits on me in bed.

[clarice]

19. "cat dynamics"...sounds like it would make a good college course.nt

[NJCher]

29. mine would like to do that

But instead they're incredibly hostile to my iPad mini, my full-size tablet, and my Nook, so they come over and slap them. Often I lose my place. Then they run away because they know it's a "NO NO!"

They are hostile to computers and other people. Visit from a person? They will come over and stand in front of my face. Looking at the computer? Come over and stand in my face.

I know, I know, cry for help. Good thing they don't have access to guns.



Cher

[applegrove]

32. I know cats and computers well. My captain morgan will turn off my computer and then go into the

corner and purr, because he knows I will then be focussed on him, and when he purrs I cannot help but pet him. I am well trained.

[NJCher]

34. cats/computers

that's so cute.

Nobody ever said they were stupid, and I kind of like their direct line of thinking.

Nope, nuthin' subtle about it.


Cher

[VinDiezul]

20. Get a Dog

I would get a dog for protection against the cat. The cat WILL backstab you at some point.

[libodem]

21. Snort

[Skittles]

27. that sounds like conservative logic

[NJCher]

30. oxymoron, but still very funny

"Conservative" and "logic" don't go in the same sentence.


Cher

[niyad]

39. welcome to du. were you attacked by a kitteh at some point?

[rurallib]

22. we got one now that is soooo affectionate and one that's kind of indifferent

have had varying degrees over the years including one that was flat out hostile.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

23. They can be extremely affectionate and loving.

If they are well-socialized as young kittens with a lot of handling and cuddling they usually will grow up to be friendly adults.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

24. One more thing:

They snore.

[3catwoman3]

26. One of ours, who demands a lot of lap time, has the...

...revolting habit of drooling when he is really relaxed. I've had many, many cats over the years, and this was a first/ Wehave to keep towels nearby so as not to gets our clothes soaked. Kinda gross.

[NJCher]

31. maybe yours is a ________

I can't think of the breed, but when I do, I'll come back and fill it in.

I have two of them. They act like they are love-starved, when they are anything but. I got my two when they were babies, and they never spent a day in a shelter, only in foster care where they were nurtured by someone I know.

But still: want to hang around with you constantly. Sit on the back of your chair. Climb all over you. Sleep next to you in bed. Love skritches, hugs, and kisses. Roll on their back for tummy rubs all the freaking time. Standing at the counter? Brushing by your ankles. Sitting at the dining room table. Little silk sharks, floating by. "Notice me! Notice me!"


Cher

[catbyte]

33. I've had cats all my 60 years on this planet and have not had an aloof one yet.

They get a bad rap. Independent does not equal aloof. They just don't have the same slavish loyalty that dogs have.

[Fla Dem]

35. I love my cat. She was a 2 month old bobbed tail tabby feral when I found her dehydrated

Last edited Wed Oct 11, 2017, 10:16 AM - Edit history (2)

on my neighbors driveway. I thought she was dead. That was 10 years ago. As a kitten she loved snuggling in my arms and on my lap. But about at a year old she began not liking me holding her or touching her. She still curls up next to me on the sofa and always wants to sleep on the bed, but holding and touching is not her favorite thing, although I still do it and she's not happy about it. But she is loving in her own way. Always has to be in the same room with me. If she comes in from the screened patio and I'm not in sight, she cries for me. If I don't answer her, she'll search every room until she finds me. Then gives me a disgusted look that says, "you could have told me where you were". The one thing she "allows" me to do is brush her. She will jump up on the hassock where I'm sitting and let me brush her until she's had enough. She'll give my hand head rubs and the occasional kiss on the hand, but when she's had enough, she's had enough.

She is definitely not the playful cat I see on videos. She doesn't climb on things or jump in boxes. I can't tell you how much money I've wasted on cat toys and houses and crinkly tubes just to have her ignore them completely.

But she's my Buddy, my Pal and my Friend. Together until the end.

10 Years ago.

[niyad]

37. what a beautiful baby. thank you for rescuing her.

[Fla Dem]

40. It was a labor of love. I didn't know I had allergies and asthma until she entered my life.

But I would do it all over again.

[niyad]

43. oh my word!! that makes the rescue even more special. May Lady Bast bless you both.

[niyad]

36. it all depends on the cat, and, often, on previous interactions. now, ALL of my cats have always

been affectionate, demanding, and cuddly. even the one I just rescued is a love and affection kitteh (although, since there were clear abuse issues, it took a while).

there are few things more soothing than the sound of a kitteh purring in your ear as you sleep (of course, it might be more restful if said kitteh were not actually sleeping ON your face!)

[niyad]

38. there is an old adage, "dogs have owners, cats have staff"

[OriginalGeek]

41. No matter how cuddly they may appear

they are always just one too many chin scritches away from Clawmageddon.

[LWolf]

42. It depends on the cat.

I have two cats. One is small, hyper, and can't handle stroking; it's over stimulation and she'll purr for 15 or 20 seconds and then strike like a snake with her teeth.

The other is large and loves nothing more to snuggle for as long as you'll let him.

Both, though, are territorial. That's part of why they demand lap time; they are claiming me.

[Nac Mac Feegle]

44. In the interest of full disclosure:

You must read this.

http://theoatmeal.com/misc/frame/cat_kill