Herd your cats here

[Volhiker78]

Lil'Lil,  our tabby rescue that we adopted last year,  was inadvertently left outside all night in our screened in lanai.  She let us know very loudly this morning that our mistake was entirely unacceptable human behavior.  However, after a larger than normal breakfast, she calmed down and was her regular good natured self.   We were reprimanded to never let this happen again!

[Puget]

The gas plumber is here hooking up the new fireplace. Naturally, both cats are in the back corner of the bedroom closet.

Before the pandemic, they were quite friendly with most new people (at least little calico was, and panther boy was once he could see that they didn't eat little calico), but six months of basically only being around me has turned them into scaredy cats around anyone else. I wonder if they will get over that once I can have guests in the house again?

[FishProf]

Orestes deigned to let me rub his tummy this morning.  My eyes got leaky.

The cynical part of me thinks it's just because his incision is itchy.  The optimist told me to shut that noise and enjoy it.  So I did

[smallcleanrat]

Gratitude exercises are frequently recommended to counteract stress. Whenever I try one of those "Name 3 things you were grateful for today" or similar prompts, Maestro is always one of them. Here are some of my favorite things about him:

1) He doesn't just tolerate belly rubs; he enjoys them. He often rolls over when I approach him and purrs when I gently stroke that fuzzy tummy. Of course, like all things cat, he has to be in the right mood, but I still get in an average of one belly rub every day.

I long fantasized about having a belly-rub kitty, but I never thought the dream would come true. It's more than I dared to hope for.

2) He has an extremely expressive face. Like, cartoon character expressive. It's been the basis of some great photos. When anticipating food, his eyes sparkle and his entire face radiates joy. My favorite is the blissful smile: pet him in the right spots and the eyes close in contentment. The white mustache accentuating his mouth makes it look like a satisfied smile.  I love to see a happy cat.

3) The effects of petting on his purr are additive. One hand petting him gets a strong, rumbling purr. Two hands petting him at once adds a whole other layer of sound (a sort of high-pitched coo, like a pigeon's), rich with expression. I call it his Rainbow Purr, because of the wide spectrum of frequencies. SO calls him "aggressively happy" because of how fervently Maestro reacts to pleasant feelings.

He also seems happiest when both SO and I are with him. He will wedge himself between us on the couch or drape himself so that he is lying on both laps. In the bed, the blanket makes a little valley where it dips between SO and myself. Maestro likes to recline in it, stretched out on his back as if it were a hammock.

4) He's very smart and highly food-motivated, so clicker training has paid off more than I had hoped to expect. He's learned some practical commands: sit, up/down, wait, leave it. But he also has several cute tricks in his repertoire: hitting the piano keys, standing cute (like a meerkat), wave, high five, handshake, and play dead.

5) We've bonded. Well, at least I think so. I like to believe I'm more than just a warm body that dispenses food, interchangeable with any other warm body that dispenses food. When he shows me his belly or nuzzles me or nestles in my arms, I want to tell him that I'm honored by his trust. I like to think I am a member of a highly exclusive club: Maestro's Chosen Humans.

[Larimar]

Awww, that is so sweet. I'm glad that you and Maestro find such joy in each other.

[OneMoreYear]

Love the Maestro updates, smallcleanrat. It definitely sounds like he has chosen you. 

[smallcleanrat]

Maestro and the Musical Beds

I had often heard that cats are creatures of habit, often finicky about food and consistency of routine. Does this set in during adulthood? Are kittens more willing to experiment?

For one thing, Maestro wants to sample every food that comes into our home. Even if it's something he tasted before and didn't like, he wants to taste it again. He's been able to develop a taste for some initially detested foods (citrus fruits, for example). We are constantly shooing him away from our plates at mealtime. He's like a feline garbage disposal.

For another, after months of having a pretty regular nighttime sleep routine, he's been bed-hopping. SO and I usually sleep in separate rooms (he snores, I kick). After months of sleeping next to me, Maestro switched to sleeping with SO (resting right on top of him, in contrast to snuggling next to me). He did this for about a week, and I dejectedly figured he had decided he was sleeping with SO from then on. Then one morning I woke up to find the kitty nestled by my side, using my shoulder as a pillow for his head. After that, some nights he'd be in my bed, some nights in SO's. Some nights he chooses one bed, only to hop out at 2-3am to sleep in the other. Some nights he doesn't sleep with either of us, preferring to curl up in his pet bed (in my room). I have no idea what motivates his choices.

Do adolescent cats go through a sort of Goldilocks stage in which they try a bit of everything to find that "just right" solution?

[mamselle]

They work very hard at being inscrutable and unpredictable.

They wouldn't want you to think you had a clue as to what they were thinking, you know?

In fact, I think the theme of this thread could be, "Who knows why cats do what they do?"

Maybe not even the cat...at least some of the time.

M.

[Larimar]

They work very hard at being inscrutable and unpredictable.

They wouldn't want you to think you had a clue as to what they were thinking, you know?

In fact, I think the theme of this thread could be, "Who knows why cats do what they do?"

Maybe not even the cat...at least some of the time.

M.

They'd never admit it, though!

[statsgeek]

I feel you Puget.  We always said the next time we adopted, we'd go out of our way to socialize with new people from the beginning.  And, here we are, three months later, and the only people they've seen besides us are cleaners (vacuum cleaners), the exterminator (scary smells), and the occasional work person (loud noises).  This is going to be interesting to try to undo later. 

Today is 3 years since I lost my LittleGirl.  As much as I already can't imagine being without our new additions, I don't have that same connection with any of them yet.  Part of me knows a bond like that takes time to build, and part of me is scared I only get one of "those" kitties in a lifetime. 

[Puget]

Maestro and the Musical Beds

I had often heard that cats are creatures of habit, often finicky about food and consistency of routine. Does this set in during adulthood? Are kittens more willing to experiment?

For one thing, Maestro wants to sample every food that comes into our home. Even if it's something he tasted before and didn't like, he wants to taste it again. He's been able to develop a taste for some initially detested foods (citrus fruits, for example). We are constantly shooing him away from our plates at mealtime. He's like a feline garbage disposal.

For another, after months of having a pretty regular nighttime sleep routine, he's been bed-hopping. SO and I usually sleep in separate rooms (he snores, I kick). After months of sleeping next to me, Maestro switched to sleeping with SO (resting right on top of him, in contrast to snuggling next to me). He did this for about a week, and I dejectedly figured he had decided he was sleeping with SO from then on. Then one morning I woke up to find the kitty nestled by my side, using my shoulder as a pillow for his head. After that, some nights he'd be in my bed, some nights in SO's. Some nights he chooses one bed, only to hop out at 2-3am to sleep in the other. Some nights he doesn't sleep with either of us, preferring to curl up in his pet bed (in my room). I have no idea what motivates his choices.

Do adolescent cats go through a sort of Goldilocks stage in which they try a bit of everything to find that "just right" solution?

Cats have an instinct to move around their sleeping places to evade predators. Some do this more than others for whatever reason. Little Calico (who is clearly the smart one) rotates her sleeping spots all around the house, Panther Boy not so much. If there ever are really hyenas in the living room, he's the one who gets eaten and they'll never find Little Calico in her spot of the week.

[mythbuster]

The musical beds may have something to do with the change in temperature in the house. I always knew when it was a cold night, because I would wake up with a cat between my legs and another with a nose in my neck. Never happened in the summer! It was too hot for that.

While cats like routine and can get irked if the routine is upset (mine KNEW dinnertime was 6 pm sharp!), they also have their own prerogatives.  This is one reason why some people like dogs better- they are ultimately more predictable. But it's why I love cats. When they hang with you, you know  it's by their own choice.

Maestro sounds like a wonderful companion. I'm impressed with your training!

[mamselle]

Just saw this and had to laugh.

   https://phys.org/news/2020-10-evidence-cat-mimicking-human-behavior.html

Why would cats ever want to be able to replicate what humans do?

Why limit themselves like that?

No wonder the replication rate is only 80%.

The rest of the time they're probably thinking, "This is so dumb."

M.

[the_geneticist]

I feel you Puget.  We always said the next time we adopted, we'd go out of our way to socialize with new people from the beginning.  And, here we are, three months later, and the only people they've seen besides us are cleaners (vacuum cleaners), the exterminator (scary smells), and the occasional work person (loud noises).  This is going to be interesting to try to undo later. 

Today is 3 years since I lost my LittleGirl.  As much as I already can't imagine being without our new additions, I don't have that same connection with any of them yet.  Part of me knows a bond like that takes time to build, and part of me is scared I only get one of "those" kitties in a lifetime.

I feel you statsgeek.  I lost my beloved Buddycat 3 years ago.  Lady Jane, Sir Puck and Izzy kitten are sweet and silly kitties, but not even close to the same sort of bond.  And we just lost our Effie cat a month ago.  Mr. Dr. Geneticist is certain that he will never have another cat that special.

[FishProf]

When we said goodbye to the Mighty Bunga, I never expected to find another cat of comparable grandeur.   While Orestes is not yet there, his increasing chirpiness, robust purr, and cuddly loving of MrsFishProf and Smolt (but not yet me) has made him a solid contender.