Matt D From United States, joined Nov 1999, 9502 posts, RR: 55 Posted (2 years 11 months 4 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 521 times:
Ok feline experts out there....my cats are exhibiting some mannerisms I'd like explained.
As most of you know, I have two cats. Both are from the same litter. The male is named Turbo and the female is named Bean. Both cats have lived together their entire lives.
First, let's talk about Turbo. He's a lovable, very playful cat. I like to pet him and rub his belly and have him chase a laser pointer around. I'm almost always the one who feeds him, grooms him, and cleans the litter box.
So who does he curl up with almost every night?
Jen. (soon to be wife)
Why?
Next involves Bean.
This is a cat that does NOT like to be picked up and held. Ever. The second you do, she starts squirming squealing, and crying to be put down. She'll let you pet her when she's in the mood for it, but otherwise generally prefers to be left alone.
Every so often...usually late at night, I'll hear her wandering around. She'll be meowing for no reason that I can think of. And it's not the cranky, squeaky meow she gives when she wants to be put down, it's more sort of a mournful, wailing meow....as though she was in heat (which is not possible, since she's been spayed) or lost, or looking for something.
Why does she [likely] do that?
Also, when she's in the [covered] litter box, after she's done with her business, she'll sit there for 5 minutes scratching at the side of the plastic until Jen or I taps on the side of it and she jumps out. I know the box isn't dirty because I clean it daily and put new litter in every week. So why does she do THAT?
Next involves both of them. Despite being littermates and living together their whole lives, is it possible that maybe Bean doesn't like Turbo? Can cats undestand such a concept?
Remember I mentioned that Turbo is a very playful cat. If he's not playing with me or Jen, he frequently chases Bean around. Often he catches her and pounces her and sometimes leaps like a frog from across the room and tackles her. So when I see and hear the two of them running it around, it's usually followed by some hissing and growling.....all "spoken" by Bean.
Does she not like to play? Maybe he's simply being too rough with her?
Sometimes Turbo will come up and start licking the back of Beans head. After about 30 seconds, she waves a paw at him and growls.
But on the other hand, they frequently eat together, sleep in close proximity to each other, walk past each other without any hostilities.
So who knows.
Plus, I'm gone a lot (work, errands, going out, sleeping, etc.) so there are long stretches of time where I do not witness their interaction with each other.
Does any of this mean anything to you cat experts?
Myt332 From United Kingdom (England), joined Sep 2003, 8713 posts, RR: 90 Reply 1, posted (2 years 11 months 4 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 513 times:
I'll answer what I can then.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): So who does he curl up with almost every night?
Jen. (soon to be wife)
Why?
Because Turbo is a straight he and obviously prefers Jen's breasts you your man boobs?
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): She'll let you pet her wwhen she's in the mood for it, but otherwise generally prefers to be left alone.
Well again, Bean is a she and as you know, women are just bitches at times. Ironic since that's the term for a female dog too.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): Next involves both of them. Despite being littermates and living together their whole lives, is it possible that maybe Bean doesn't like Turbo? Can cats undestand such a concept?
My one legit answer:
I had two cats up until last year, they were mother and son and had lived together since 1995. At first the mother cared for her son but as he grew up she started to hate him. She'd always attack him as he'd walk past and in general acted nervously around him all whilst the son couldn't care less; he wasn't vicious with her. Basically cats are still dumb animals at the end of the day although I like to think they're smarter than dogs!
She died last year of liver failure but he didn't even seem to bother one bit and that's after living togther for 10 years.
N231YE From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (2 years 11 months 4 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 497 times:
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): So who does he curl up with almost every night?
Jen. (soon to be wife)
Animals are weird with gender. It is a known phenomenon with birds; they tend to lean towards people of the opposite gender. Example: male birds are attracted to women, and female birds are attracted to men. I believe this can apply to cats too.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): Every so often...usually late at night, I'll hear her wandering around. She'll be meowing for no reason that I can think of. And it's not the cranky, squeaky meow she gives when she wants to be put down, it's more sort of a mournful, wailing meow....as though she was in heat (which is not possible, since she's been spayed) or lost, or looking for something.
Why does she [likely] do that?
I have a cat that does the same thing too, only it is [i]every[/e] morning, I believe it is the cat's way of saying "wake up, I want to play with you [cat play- owner pets cat, cat purrs then sleeps]" It is possible the cat wants to play with you, but you are presumably sleeping. But the fact the cat isn't close to you raises some questions.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): Remember I mentioned that Turbo is a very playful cat. If he's not playing with me or Jen, he frequently chases Bean around. Often he catches her and pounces her and sometimes leaps like a frog from across the room and tackles her. So when I see and hear the two of them running it around, it's usually followed by some hissing and growling.....all "spoken" by Bean.
Does she not like to play? Maybe he's simply being too rough with her?
Sometimes Turbo will come up and start licking the back of Beans head. After about 30 seconds, she waves a paw at him and growls.
Exactly the same thing with my cats. My male cat, Bucky, will lick my fairly new female cat, Munchkin, but Munchkin has a similar attitude to your Bean. Often, she'll growl and hiss, and then a biting match occurs. Munchkin will then run away if she has the chance, and Bucky will chase after and tackle her, and well, Munchkin will hiss and growl and again it goes...
IFEMaster From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (2 years 11 months 4 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 475 times:
Alright Matt, here's a reply from my wife, who is pretty much an expert on feline behaviour
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter):
So who does he curl up with almost every night?
Jen. (soon to be wife)
Why?
Cats are particularly sensitive to the odours and aromas that we all emit. Try getting close to a cat when you stink of BO, and watch their eyes twitch...they don't like it. Most cats seem to be attracted by the human equivalent of female pheremones, and as such find female humans to be useful resting places. They are especially fond of the upper torso (front and back) and the top of the head if the human has long hair. Seems like Turbo just has a think for the ladies. Be proud of him. He's a ladies man.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): She'll be meowing for no reason...Why does she [likely] do that?
Cats are naturally nocturnal animals. While they may be up and active during daylight, their natural instinct for hunt and communication is during moonlight hours. What you hear when Bean is wandering around the house, meowing her head off, is just her natural instinct to communicate with her kind. It's the same reason wolves howl at night and hens crow in the morning. Two of our cats do exactly the same thing. It's not unusual to be woken by the two of them 'calling' to each other from opposite parts of the house.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): she'll sit there for 5 minutes scratching at the side of the plastic...why does she do THAT?
We also have a cat that does this. Part of it is instinct - remember, a litter box, despite being what they are brought up on, is foreign to them. If your cats ever go outside, they get used to using topsoil as a bathroom. The litter box is foreign to their natural instinct. The result is that often they might not 'feel' like the litter is sufficient cover for their business, and so scratch away at the surroundings hoping to cover it all up. Scaring them out by tapping it isn't a good way to prevent it - if you leave them alone, as annoying as it is, they eventually learn that scraping the sides is no good, and will in time stop doing it.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): is it possible that maybe Bean doesn't like Turbo? Can cats understand such a concept?
It's very possible. Two of our three cats are mother and daughter. They despise one another. They ignore each other's very existence 99% of the time, and the other 1% is spent in warfare whenever one gets too close to the other in passing. Our third cat has no problem with either of them, which goes to show that the older two just simply don't like each other. They both happily play and frolic with the third, but never together. Also, all of our cats are female, and females are far more territorial than male cats (even though they don't mark their territory like males do). This can create a tension between competing females for superiority in a shared home. Despite the assumption that cats are devoid of certain emotions, anger, jealousy, and dislike are not among them. Cats can display elements of these three very easily and very regularly.
Hope that helps! Any other questions, I'm happy to forward them on to the missus.
ScarletHarlot From Canada, joined Jul 2003, 4240 posts, RR: 66 Reply 4, posted (2 years 11 months 4 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 464 times:
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): So who does he curl up with almost every night? Jen. (soon to be wife) Why?
For some reason he just likes to snuggle with her. He might be a ladies' man cat. I've come across lots of cats who prefer one gender over the other. Or he might like her smell better. Who knows?
My cat Emily does that. She lets out these mighty mournful meehowls during the night. My theory is that she's wondering where we are (although how hard is it to figure out that we sleep in bed every night?). When I call her she goes back to her chirpy meows and then eventually comes running up and seems quite pleased.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): Also, when she's in the [covered] litter box, after she's done with her business, she'll sit there for 5 minutes scratching at the side of the plastic until Jen or I taps on the side of it and she jumps out. I know the box isn't dirty because I clean it daily and put new litter in every week. So why does she do THAT?
Our cats do this but not for that long. Have you tried calling her instead of tapping on the box? Does she cover her pees and poops with litter or does she just scratch at the box? One of my cats only scratches at the side of the box when he pees - then he sniffs around and is like "oh, it's still stinky" and scratches again. Well, if you don't put litter over it, it'll still smell! If he keeps it up for too long I reach in with the poopy scoop (while talking to him so it's not a surprise) and cover the pee. This seems to take care of it.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): is it possible that maybe Bean doesn't like Turbo? Can cats undestand such a concept?
Sure, that's possible. Their personalities can be different enough that they don't enjoy each other's company.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): Does she not like to play? Maybe he's simply being too rough with her?
Could be either one. My cats sometimes play together and other times hate to play with each other. Sometimes Walker can take it too far and he gets carried away with his biting. Nobody likes that.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): Does any of this mean anything to you cat experts?
Yup...it means that they're cats. They all have different personalities and their own little quirks. You can't really explain it, like you can't really explain why a person is why he or she is. Just enjoy being allowed into their world!
Matt D From United States, joined Nov 1999, 9502 posts, RR: 55 Reply 5, posted (2 years 11 months 4 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 457 times:
Thanks for the info so far. I can't help but wonder if Bean is simply a lot more aloof as opposed to Turbo. He definitely has his heart in his paws but she is every bit as stiff and dignified most older cats are-perhaps this also explains why she likes being held. If there really was any hostility towards him, then surely she'd ALWAYS hiss and growl at him whenever they were close. That's not the case. She only hisses and growls when he chases her.
Here are some recent pix of them. As you can see, they have no trouble laying on the same table.
AndesSMF From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 7, posted (2 years 11 months 4 weeks 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 446 times:
All responses are pretty much on the ball. Normally, I prefer female pets, because they tend to gravitate to the males. My cat had 3 males and 1 female. The males most certainly prefer women. The females, including the mother, are more aloof. My response is that females tend to keep their 'dignity', while the males are just plain attention whores. My cat and her daughter also do not quite like to be picked up, but they will lay on your legs happily for a long time.
Kay From France, joined Mar 2002, 1873 posts, RR: 4 Reply 8, posted (2 years 11 months 4 weeks 19 hours ago) and read 446 times:
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): So who does he curl up with almost every night?
Jen. (soon to be wife)
Why?
At my parent's house, it's the same. One of the cats curls up and sleeps next to my father, whereas my mother is the one who feeds/cleans/takes care for him.
The reason is that he is simply more comfortable around my dad. he views my mum as the "authority" who also puts limitations and restrictions, whereas my dad has never done anything else than petting
Redngold From United States, joined Mar 2000, 6907 posts, RR: 58 Reply 10, posted (2 years 11 months 4 weeks 11 hours ago) and read 244 times:
I haven't read any of the other responses, so this is my interpretation, not a reaction to others.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): So who does he curl up with almost every night?
Jen.
You're his playmate. When he wants to sleep, he stays away from you. She is his cuddle buddy. Turbo has assigned the two of you different roles.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): And it's not the cranky, squeaky meow she gives when she wants to be put down, it's more sort of a mournful, wailing meow....as though she was in heat (which is not possible, since she's been spayed) or lost, or looking for something.
My male cat, Bert, does the same thing. I think it's just "talking to himself." If I call him, he is alert and playful as ever. He usually does it in the evening or at night when I am watching television or already in bed.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter):
Also, when she's in the [covered] litter box, after she's done with her business, she'll sit there for 5 minutes scratching at the side of the plastic until Jen or I taps on the side of it and she jumps out. I know the box isn't dirty because I clean it daily and put new litter in every week. So why does she do THAT?
Best guess - your cat's nose is much more sensitive than a human's, and the box still smells dirty to her... Or, she's trying to cover up Turbo's business, too. Some cats feel more of a need to bury their stuff than others. My other cat, Ernie, will also loop on the litter scratching until I shoo him away.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): is it possible that maybe Bean doesn't like Turbo? Can cats undestand such a concept?
Again, it's role assignment...
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): So when I see and hear the two of them running it around, it's usually followed by some hissing and growling.....all "spoken" by Bean
This could mean either "I'm playing the mean role" or "I'm finished, now leave me alone."
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): Does she not like to play? Maybe he's simply being too rough with her?
Possible, but if he's still going up to play with her, that message hasn't been conveyed very clearly. Cats usually learn limits quickly.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): After about 30 seconds, she waves a paw at him and growls.
Head grooming is a sign of dominance. Bean doesn't want to be dominated, so she only tolerates it for a short time.
Quoting Matt D (Thread starter): But on the other hand, they frequently eat together, sleep in close proximity to each other, walk past each other without any hostilities.
Sounds like a healthy relationship to me! I'd be worried if they stared each other down when passing, or if one cat cowered in front of the other.
My cats are also codominant. They play rough sometimes, and I even found bite wounds on Bert's neck a few months ago (roughly about the same time as there was a marked cessation of play.) Ernie learned his lesson, though; he gets the smack from Bert occasionally and has stopped playing so rough. Bert loves to cuddle with me when I am sitting down, but he now sleeps far away from me on the bed so that I can't really reach him. It's his way of being close but maintaining his space.
P.S. Those be pretty pictures, dude! Is the table made of tempered glass (I'd check since the cats lie on it)?
[Edited 2006-11-16 23:36:21]
Borderline Personality Disorder - it's not just for fence sitters. (Slogans courtesy of friends in psych rotations)
Dougloid From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 11, posted (2 years 11 months 4 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 211 times:
Quoting TSV (Reply 6): Quoting Matt D (Thread starter):
Why?
They're Cats - Cats do whatever the hell they like.
That's the bottom line with cats. They do what they choose, when they damn well choose to, they talk to things that only they can see at odd times of the day and night. We keep females because they're less likely to acquire the habit of territorial marking and that means the house is less likely to smell like pee.
Our three are collectively Lucille, Maggie and Zelda-the witches of Endor.
Sponsor Message: 
From United States, joined Nov 1999, 9502 posts, 
.gif){kind=small}
From United Kingdom (England), joined Sep 2003, 8713 posts, 
From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
From Canada, joined Jul 2003, 4240 posts, 
They all have different personalities and their own little quirks. You can't really explain it, like you can't really explain why a person is why he or she is. Just enjoy being allowed into their world!
From Australia, joined Nov 1999, 1641 posts, 
From France, joined Mar 2002, 1873 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
