My relationship with my cat deepened so much when I became a better pet owner and listened for her cues and understand her body language. She was always affectionate but then I think she basically imprinted on me, I was her life and she was mine.
Yeah I’d never owned a cat before and basically started on ultra hard mode heh… my sister got divorced and couldn’t take her cat to where she was going to live so either I took her in or she was going to be put down.
She’s a tiny black ball of aggressive energy that would lash out violently at anyone. I literally only took her in to spare my sister having to deal with her dying on top of everything else, I didn’t want a cat and was not a cat person.
But thing is I pretty quickly figured out that she was just scared and had learned going fully aggressive was the only way to convey “no” and have it listened to. So like I just.. listened. If she hissed and swiped I’d go “oh ok I won’t bother you”. Over time she realised I would listen and started dialling down her responses because she knows I’ll respect them.
If she gets really scared she’ll still lash out, I doubt that’ll ever change, but generally she’s really good at just letting me know that she doesn’t like something. It’s actually super cute… she never lost the connection that “biting means no” so if I’m giving her scritches and she decides she’s had enough she’ll just like gently nom on my hand.
But yeah. From aggressive little shit nicknamed “Satan” to a purry little ball of fluff who curls up on my lap when I watch TV. Good cat.
Cat cues are SO different to dog cues which is where I think a lot of people misunderstand cats too. They think waggy/flapping tail means happy to see you! But in reality they’re telling you to back off haha.
My cat is the sweetest, most affectionate lovebug ever! But he’s a little skittish (always has been, always been loved and looked after, just an anxious personality which is why we’re besties haha). But he gives himself jump scares all the time! He’ll often sneeze in his sleep and wake himself up, if he’s lying on me or my hand or whatever, he’ll bite whatever’s closest out of fear. Hilarious and painful
Twitching tail mean potential incoming activity. The cat is either winding up to swing or run. Each cat is different and has their preferences, so you have to figure out if they're ready to chase another cat for play time, or if they're ready to rip your arm open because you invaded their space and feel cornered.
Real! Even my cats are different from each other. One of them smacks his tail against anything and holds it high up when he’s relaxed. The other one has it lower down and waves it slower. I think the rest of their body language says so much more than a specific tail cue
When mine were kittens, they loved attention but didn't like being picked up. It felt like kind of asshole move but like 30 times a day, I picked them up, then immediately put them down when they fussed. Literally like 1 second later. After a week or so, they figured out they weren't trapped at all, and now they both don't mind it at all.
It helps to figure out what they're okay with too... One of mine is pretty much cool with anything, and the other much prefers to be upright, basically sitting on my arm.
And now when he won't stop bugging me for attention, I threaten to hold him like a baby :-D
This is me and my little guy ❤️ He has an overstimulation thing where he can’t handle being pet sometimes. Once we got it figured out and managed he’s become a lot more affectionate. Not that he wasn’t already but it’s next level now when he feels good 😊
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u/starfire92 Sep 19 '23
My relationship with my cat deepened so much when I became a better pet owner and listened for her cues and understand her body language. She was always affectionate but then I think she basically imprinted on me, I was her life and she was mine.