Cats are aloof. And independent.

[xiphias]

So, it being very hot, I took a nap midday today. Nicky saw me lie down on the daybed, walked over to me, lay down next to me, and snuggled into my side.

He's like that. Any time I take a nap, he curls up next to me, rolls in, rests his head on my upper arm, looks up, and licks my face, then snuggles down and goes to sleep.

This is because cats are so aloof and aren't affectionate or anything like that.

Comments

[burgundy.livejournal.com]

That's the same reason that Lily follows me from room to room, and Domino not only climbs on my lap at every opportunity but insists that I create opportunities when they are not otherwise present. Also, Domino frequently brings me her favorite toy when I'm not paying adequate attention to her (asleep, behind a closed door, in the shower) because she is completely indifferent to me except as a food source.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry; I wasn't able to read that. An aloof cat was ignoring me by crawling on my shoulders and licking my face.

[tober.livejournal.com]

My experience is that cats vary (more than dogs usually do) a great deal in how independent and/or aloof they are and I think it's mostly related to their experience as kittens. The other night I was leaving a friend's place very late and I saw a cat skulking around the parking lot so, being someone who cannot resist the urge to play with a kitty, I squatted down and made friendly noises and the cat came right over and we had a good head-butting and petting session... and that was a cat I had never encountered before. Clearly, extremely aloof. When I'm at home, there's an excellent chance that Sputnik is lying on top of me and snoozing, or making me pet him (he kind of pokes at you if the petting is insufficient).

[greenlily.livejournal.com]

I've always subscribed to the it-depends-how-their-kittenhood-goes theory. My parents' cat is absurdly affectionate (she comes when she's called! and when I sing she curls around my ankles and purrs! and as soon as anyone sits down and makes a lap, she comes and sits on it and purrs more! such a good kitty).

She spent her first 14 or so months living with various college students, first in the apartment of her mom's humans and then in my brother's dorm at Syracuse for a year. Constant exposure to weed smoke, yes, but also a 24-hour environment and people who were willing to play with her and snuggle her 24/7 if she'd tolerate it. I compare her with cats who I know spent their kittenhoods in households where everyone worked 9-5 and slept all night, and the contrast is impressive.

[burgundy.livejournal.com]

I don't know that it's that cut and dried. My mother's cat is a lifelong indoor/outdoor cat (mostly outdoor until the last five years or so, now about 50/50). He's skittish around strangers, but he's very affectionate with his people, and completely attached to my mother. And he certainly never had 24/7 attention. Neither did my cats, for that matter.

Consider: I adopted my cats from a fostering organization. This woman brought half a dozen cats for me to meet: two grown cats, three just-being-weaned littermates, and a slightly older, unrelated kitten. We sat in an empty office and hung out. Of the three sisters, one slept in the carrier the whole time, one romped around playing with the older cats the whole time, and one split her time between playing with the other cats and sitting on my leg. (That's the one I ended up adopting, along with the older kitten, who immediately cuddled up to me and chewed on my shoe laces.) These three kittens had the same formative environment, but displayed very different levels of interest in people. So I'm guessing that while early experience definitely plays a role, so does inherent temperament.

[bradhicks.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you can make a difference in how much you handle them when they're very young, but anybody who thinks that kittens (or babies) aren't born with a personality of their own simply hasn't met enough of either one.

[soberloki.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes: the infamous disdain of felines.

Totally the reason why Arlo sleeps on/next to me every night and demands kisses before he'll settle and go to sleep.

Also why Finn insists on morning snuggles during Human On The Big Cold Water Seat time, and why he isn't happy until he's melted across my shoulder and getting his flanks scritched.

They HAAAAAATE me. Heh.