Cat Lovers

[Firebird211]

Since Siamese was brought up I might as well post the two cats that I have that have some in them.  Star was a rescued barn-cat as a kitten, but I have seen all white, tabby, and full siamese cat's running around the farm next door where I used to live.  That would explain why there were so may variations similar to her running around.  Simba, which was a shelter rescue (his prison name was Max),  I'm not sure of his origin, but he is my loyal dog-like cat.  He will come running to me if I call his name in a heartbeat, or just always hanging around me.  He acts very much like a ragdoll I used to have, his hair isn't long or short.  If anyone can identify what he is  :icon_scratch: it's still a mystery to me.

Simba - Mr. Fuzzy

Star - Mama san

 

[Cagey]

The first two shots look like a Blue Siamese/Tabby mix. Mama-san is the Tabby, which is often a Good Thing, much like Mutts are Good Dogs.

I don't have a great deal of experience with Blue Siamese. We had one for a while, and I've met a few, all of which seemed to be a sort of demur Siamese. Not as aggressive; more like a regular cat but substantially more intelligent. Very aware of their surroundings; nothing escapes their attention.

 

[Firebird211]

Star is a very good mutt.  She has to be the most intelligent cat I have ever had so far.  She has a princess mentallity and rules the house.  My girlfriend just pointed it out to me now I can't help but see it. :laughing7: No I did not draw a M on Simba's head.

 

[Jusatele]

I used to succumb to the cats own you theory till I got my last 2, they love to come in a sleep in the bed, will play with me and even put the boxers in their placc
e till they decide to go outside. Most cat I ever owned were affectionate only near dinner time. But they have all done their job, I have no mice or rats around my house which is 88 years old. Now I really enjoy having cats around, the seem to have a personality that few domestic animals can have, but I still love mu Boxers too. I guess If I could only have 1 it would be a cat, but they all have their place.
My current pair are around 12, so I am preparing myself for the fact that they may soon be passing on, and I think I have enjoyed this pair the most. I named them Oscar and Felix, and even though they are sisters, their personalities are about like the odd couple, totally different, and I love that.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Here's a question - I'm considering getting a pair of cats when winter is through. Are siblings better? Male or female? I think just one would end up too lonely with all the commuting I have to do.

There's all kinds of evidence to suggest when cats are separated from their litter too young, they're not well adjusted.  Don't know.  It's like people, it all depends on the individual.  The one I have that's the best with people and other animals was kept with the litter for 2 months until weened off of milk and has lived with other animals ever since, including a great dane.  I think they are better in pairs if you get both as kittens.  

I've thought that cats get lonely.  When I've had just one, she let me know she's upset about me being gone.  When I've had more than one, it's like they never noticed I was gone.

 

[Firebird211]

My cat's get very giddy when we are about to leave for somewhere for the weekend.  It's almost as they already know plus I can alway count on star to get into the luggage bag as we are packing it.  They make their dissatisfaction known before and after we leave.  It is very true what Jusatele said about his cats already being 12 years old and all.  That is the hardest part of having cats and I wish they could have a longer life cycle.

 

[Nando Vallart]

So, left them on the shelter yesterday and the went direct to a birthday's party of a friend some miles away... Just arrived home today: the silence is crushing...

 

[Cagey]

Here's a question - I'm considering getting a pair of cats when winter is through. Are siblings better? Male or female? I think just one would end up too lonely with all the commuting I have to do.

There's all kinds of evidence to suggest when cats are separated from their litter too young, they're not well adjusted.  Don't know.  It's like people, it all depends on the individual.  The one I have that's the best with people and other animals was kept with the litter for 2 months until weened off of milk and has lived with other animals ever since, including a great dane.  I think they are better in pairs if you get both as kittens.  

I've thought that cats get lonely.  When I've had just one, she let me know she's upset about me being gone.  When I've had more than one, it's like they never noticed I was gone.

My experience bears that out as well. You can always tell a kitten that's too early away from it's mother and littermates - it'll do the "pumping" thing with its paws when it gets or is trying to get comfy. It's a dead giveaway. Means they haven't matured or been socialized, and for some reason it's too late at that point. They never catch up. You either accept the behaviour and wait for it to get hit by a car, or turn it over to the SPCA for euthansia.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

You can always tell a kitten that's too early away from it's mother and littermates - it'll do the "pumping" thing with its paws when it gets or is trying to get comfy. It's a dead giveaway. Means they haven't matured or been socialized, and for some reason it's too late at that point.

Joking?  They all do that.

 

[Firebird211]

My all white cat makes this sucking noise all the time full grown and she was seperated really early and bottle fed.  All cats will do the pump once and a while, but she does it all the time while shes making the sucky sound.  She's a little special though. :laughing7:  She did get to keep one of her brothers, but he doesn't do the same things she does.

 

[Cagey]

Joking?  They all do that.

No, I'm not joking, and no, they don't all do that. Only the ones who are separated too early do. It's an instinct that's used to palpate the mother's mammary glands. They know to do it at birth, but as they grow older and either learn to hunt or live with a constant food supply, the behaviour stops because they realize their food source doesn't respond to it. But, oddly enough, if they're separated from their mother too early, they never discard the behaviour. Cats, like spiders, aren't as smart as they seem to be. They know how to do vector math instinctively, but past that they're not too bright.

 

[swarfrat]

Its called kneading, and yes it is considered juvenile behavior. My cat will do it when she cuddles, or when she finds a fleece blanket she's going to destroy.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I have one that was kept with the litter until they were all weened off of milk and has lived with the mother for the last 11 1/2 years.  He does it.

Now meowing, I'm told that is a learned behavior done to elicit a response from humans.  If feral and around only other cats, they seldom do it.

 

[Cagey]

I have one that was kept with the litter until they were all weened off of milk and has lived with the mother for the last 11 1/2 years.  He does it.

He's what statisticians would call an "outlier". That is, an unusual case that doesn't/shouldn't count because it's not in the general population. A kitten that never leaves its mother is unlikely to leave kittenish behavior behind. It even happens with humans, which is part of the reason they have to put pictures of the food on Burger King and McDonald's restaurant cash registers, rather than those pesky complicated numbers.

Now meowing, I'm told that is a learned behavior done to elicit a response from humans.  If feral and around only other cats, they seldom do it.

Right. You can't hunt if you can't sneak up on your prey, and cats are nothing if not carnivorous and solitary hunters. Dogs are carnivorous hunters, too, but they expect to be part of a pack, while cats don't. So, if you're not hunting and you're the alpha, neither is your dog. But your cat? Always and forever a hunter, no matter how well-fed. They'll do it just for sport.

 

[stubhead]

During a cat’s early years when it is suckling from its mother, a cat learns through instinct that gently kneading the mother’s milk ducts eases the flow of milk. Through this action, most kittens soon learn that pleasurable and desirable experiences come through kneading. As the kitten grows, it takes this behaviour in to other aspects of its life, frequently seeking to relive the contentment it once felt as a result of kneading as a kitten.

A similar idea that appears to have been relegated to the status of ‘old wives tale’ by modern thinkers is that kneading is a sign that kittens have been separated from their mother’s too early since they are subconsciously living out their unfulfilled desire to knead for their mother’s milk. However, it is clear that cats separated from their mothers at all stages of kittenhood go on to knead.

Although the need for comfort and security seems to be the principal reason for kneading, there is another action associated with kneading that is perhaps a little more in line with natural and instinctive animal behaviour. Cats are territorial, often marking their presence with a unique scent. As a cat kneads its paws, a unique feline scent is slowly excreted via tiny glands located in the pads of the cat’s feet. To the human sense of smell, the faint odour of the very small quantity of scent is barely noticeable, however to the heightened sense of smell of cats it is a clear marker of presence...

...Whatever the real reason behind kneading, it remains a very cute habit and one that, for many, epitomises the behaviour of a content, well-loved and happy cat.

-

http://www.whycenter.com/why-do-cats-knead/

Ahem. Having said THAT (well, quoted it :toothy11, I do have a cat who exhibits an inordinate amount of neediness, insecurty and he kneads like a jackhammer. And he's 3 feet long & 25 lbs., so you damn well BETTER pay him some attention or he'll eat you.

 

[Firebird211]

^ :laughing11: My cat Dazey kneeds so much it qualifies as a back massage, and she loves jumping up on me and doing that while I'm trying to sleep.  This wouldn't be that annoying but she still makes the loud  :binkybaby: noise when she does it.

 

[AutoBat]

all my cats have kneaded, some of them 6 month old farm cats, some 3-4 week shelter cats.

my current pair very rarely meow, which i've never had before.  my last cat was the loudest conversationalist ever.

 

[-CB-]

You can always tell a kitten that's too early away from it's mother and littermates - it'll do the "pumping" thing with its paws when it gets or is trying to get comfy. It's a dead giveaway. Means they haven't matured or been socialized, and for some reason it's too late at that point. They never catch up. You either accept the behaviour and wait for it to get hit by a car, or turn it over to the SPCA for euthansia.

No way... all my cats have done that up to ripe old age.  The behavior is "kneading", and it mimics the kneading a kitten does at the teat of the queen when nursing, to stimulate milk production.  If your cat comes over and begins to knead on you, take it as a sincere compliment and sign of affection, and that your cat receives the type of security from you as it did from its own mother.  Cats also "fluff" their bedding, just like dogs go in circles with theirs.  I'm not sure, but I don't tie this to the similar kneading behavior.  The fluffing is more of a "pull up" on whatever is there, and my own take is that it literally is fluffing up the spot (as opposed to just claw exercise). Cats can usually spot, and claim, a nice fluffy spot to sleep with little difficulty.  And of course, cats do keep their claws in shape.  No "sharpening" as some folks say, but removing the outer later, which sheds off.  It took me a while to figure out, and then ask my vet about cats shedding claws.  They do, and the new claw grows inside the old claw, which is shed like a snake sheds its skin.  When the cat is "clawing" at something for no other obvious reason, its trying to toy with and dislodge the old outer claw, just like a human child will "wiggle" their loose baby tooth, helping it to be shed.

There is great subtlety to cat behavior, if you take the time to discern the nuances of it.

 

[ptirman]

You can always tell a kitten that's too early away from it's mother and littermates - it'll do the "pumping" thing with its paws when it gets or is trying to get comfy. It's a dead giveaway. Means they haven't matured or been socialized, and for some reason it's too late at that point. They never catch up. You either accept the behaviour and wait for it to get hit by a car, or turn it over to the SPCA for euthansia.

No way... all my cats have done that up to ripe old age.  The behavior is "kneading", and it mimics the kneading a kitten does at the teat of the queen when nursing, to stimulate milk production.  If your cat comes over and begins to knead on you, take it as a sincere compliment and sign of affection, and that your cat receives the type of security from you as it did from its own mother.  Cats also "fluff" their bedding, just like dogs go in circles with theirs.  I'm not sure, but I don't tie this to the similar kneading behavior.  The fluffing is more of a "pull up" on whatever is there, and my own take is that it literally is fluffing up the spot (as opposed to just claw exercise). Cats can usually spot, and claim, a nice fluffy spot to sleep with little difficulty.   And of course, cats do keep their claws in shape.  No "sharpening" as some folks say, but removing the outer later, which sheds off.  It took me a while to figure out, and then ask my vet about cats shedding claws.  They do, and the new claw grows inside the old claw, which is shed like a snake sheds its skin.  When the cat is "clawing" at something for no other obvious reason, its trying to toy with and dislodge the old outer claw, just like a human child will "wiggle" their loose baby tooth, helping it to be shed.

There is great subtlety to cat behavior, if you take the time to discern the nuances of it.

Every time I cuddle up with my Oprah recommended blanket on my "Man Chair - Archie Bunker Deluxe", Lili comes and starts kneading. I don't know her history, just that she lived in a house where her original human caretaker died and wasn't discovered for three weeks, before Lili went to the shelter with her sister, both were pregnant. Kneading though has been a recent experience with her but is much more common.

 

[swarfrat]

When she's kneading because she's destroying fleece - my cat has this really loud open throated purrr. If you hear that noise, go find her quick or your REI jacket or whatever else she's found is history.

But she also likes (when she's in rare snuggly moods) to lick my neck and will often knead while she does that. Sometimes she'll also hug me - put an arm around my neck - while she does it. She seems to be aware of when it hurts - because if her claws are long and I pull away or push her paws away, she'll try to hold the kneading to a minimum (but after a 30 seconds or so forgets and gets back into it). When her claws have been recently trimmed she will flat out go to town.

It's nice to feel kneaded (when they've been clipped recently).