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Kitteh idiosyncrasies
personal | boatbums

Posted on 06/25/2012 11:20:00 PM PDT by boatbums

Everybody who has cats (or dogs) knows that they may have traits in common with other like animals, but each one has their own idiosyncrasies (idiosyncrazies, that is). My two and a half year old Birman male cat, Beaux, has this strange, but cute, almost OCD behavior that he does EVERY day, sometimes three or four times a day depending on how much time I happen to be home in a given day. If I have been gone most of the day, he will find the time to "fit in" his odd little habit at least once before bedtime. Here's what he does:

As I sit at the kitchen table working on my laptop computer, usually on Free Republic, he will jump up on the table and plant himself between me and the keyboard. With his head and belly facing me and his backbone up against the keyboard, he will tuck his head down into the crook of my left arm, close his eyes, brace his back legs against my chest and begin kneading me like I was his nursing momma, loudly purring the entire time. Like I said, he is compulsive about it and it seems like he MUST do this as often as he can. It will go on for about five or ten minutes after which he will stop and snooze, still in his tuck position.

Does anyone out there have a cat with the same habit? I think it is adorable and I kinda like that he wants to be so close to me. But, I worry, is he developing a compulsive disorder and should I discourage him? My other cat has NEVER done this nor have any other cats I have known. I had one who would knead my tummy if I was lying down on the couch watchng TV, but none like this.

What are some of your kitteh's habits that could be called "indiosyncratic"?


TOPICS: Humor; Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: cats; kittehs; kittyping
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To: boatbums
Y'all make it sound like the main benefit of having a cat is the free lap dances!

We have about eight cats, down from a peak of 13 due to very old age (one as old as 19). I say "about" eight because we have a couple of semi-feral visitors. One was a catch-and-release named Tribble that we had spayed after she dropped her kittens under the deck. We left her out there to make sure she wasn't replaced in our outdoor cat ecosystem. Now she comes in through the cat door and is a regular around the food bowl, although she never comes closer to people than about about six feet.

Except occasionally, around 3 or 4 in the morning she will come into our bedroom in the semi-darkness and rub her entire body up and down my legs for a few minutes and then sometimes do the same to my wife. My wife has actually gotten a hand on her to pet her. Tribble disappears as quietly as she came in, and then acts the rest of the day like she doesn't know us, although she stays inside to avoid the Arizona heat.

21 posted on 06/26/2012 1:49:45 AM PDT by AZLiberty (No tag today.)
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To: boatbums
There is no such thing as "normal" cat behaviour.


22 posted on 06/26/2012 1:54:22 AM PDT by HerrBlucher
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To: HerrBlucher

Whoa... it’s “LAZAMACAT”.......Hittin it!!


23 posted on 06/26/2012 2:29:20 AM PDT by BubbaJunebug
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To: Netz

Appreciate your reply. I recently got a girl cat and she loves to knead me. Sometimes she will settle down on me. Used to drive me crazy but now that I understand why, I can accept it better.


24 posted on 06/26/2012 4:06:37 AM PDT by Buddygirl (Just about all Democrats are (blank). You fill in the blank!)
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To: Buddygirl
It's all natural. I have a stray female (that I spayed). She is more outdoors than in. When not eating dried cat food she keeps my property field mouse clean. At certain times of the day she relaxes next to me and kneads my leg, foot, hand or whatever is close. This is a true sign of trust between cat and cat servant, oops, I mean cat owner. Enjoy, it's a good sign.
25 posted on 06/26/2012 4:23:26 AM PDT by Netz (Netz)
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To: boatbums

I once read about a cat who would suck on one of his own nipples and knead himself.

I’ve witnessed various kneading behaviors over the years, but nothing as bizarre as that!


26 posted on 06/26/2012 4:29:25 AM PDT by exDemMom (Now that I've finally accepted that I'm living a bad hair life, I'm more at peace with the world.)
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To: boatbums

Now that is one cute Kitteh!!

I think some cats are just more insecure than others and it makes him feel better. Almost like a pacifier.


27 posted on 06/26/2012 4:49:30 AM PDT by autumnraine (America how long will you be so deaf and dumb to the tumbril wheels carrying you to the guillotine?)
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To: boatbums
Well, they're certainly different than dogs!
28 posted on 06/26/2012 5:18:44 AM PDT by Dubya-M-Dees (Little HOPE... No CHANGE)
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To: boatbums; Slings and Arrows; Glenn; republicangel; Beaker; BADROTOFINGER; etabeta; asgardshill; ...

29 posted on 06/26/2012 5:38:33 AM PDT by Slings and Arrows (You can't have Ingsoc without an Emmanuel Goldstein.)
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To: boatbums

At least your cat doesn’t bark like a dog!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP3gzee1cps


30 posted on 06/26/2012 5:51:25 AM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
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To: boatbums

He’s asking you to leave that computer alone and pay attention to him. You are lucky he’s a cat and that that is his only way of demanding attention.

I had a “found” Schnauzer at one time. Since he was prone to having “accidents” in the house, I would always lock him in the kitchen when I went out. He quickly learned to squeeze through the bottom of the accordian gate that I installed to block the kitchen doorway. So, I put my typewriter case there to block the opening. (This was back in the late 1970s before home computers). I also was a reporter for the local newspaper and often attended late night meetings, dashing off my report early the following morning to meet my deadline.

One morning, shortly after we adopted this dog, I wrote up the City Council meeting. I left my typewriter on the kitchen table, blocked the gate, and dashed off to turn in my copy. When I got home, I found that that dog had jumped up on the table and POOPED on my keyboard.

Now, what do you suppose he was trying to tell me?


31 posted on 06/26/2012 6:01:08 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: boatbums

Birmans are affectioinate to the point of being almost possessive. They don’t like being left alone because the object of their affection isn’t there to rub up against.

Their sweet natures actually hide a blazing intelligence and reasoning power beyond the norm.

Mine would wait till we had company, wander the room checking them out, and sit at the feet of one, calmly cleaning himself. Then he would float onto their laps and settle in. What no one knew but me was that the one person he invariably chose was a confirmed cat-hater!

Smug little guy...(22 pounds)


32 posted on 06/26/2012 6:16:11 AM PDT by Monkey Face (Ask me about my vow of silence.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

That he was previously owned by Maureen Dowd, for whom he ghostwrote.


33 posted on 06/26/2012 6:18:25 AM PDT by Erasmus (Zwischen des Teufels und des tiefen, blauen Meers)
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To: Erasmus

LOLOLOL!


34 posted on 06/26/2012 6:23:29 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: boatbums

Catholic cats don’t do that. :-)

Alleyxandra Purrdita Po’ Tabby Trash Cat would wait until I was in bed, crawl under the covers and knead my, ahem, manly pectorals. I have a bunch of t-shirts with little rough patches on ‘em because of her.

She also interfered with freeping. She was the most clingy cat I have ever known.

Clint Junior Lightning prefers to shove things under the refrigerator and then meow at me until I get them out. If we put a refrigerator magnet less than a yard high on the icebox he’ll swat it off and under the refrigerator — and then ask me to get it out.

He also will bug me until I follow him to the sink and make the faucet drip so he can drink from it.

Love my kitteh!


35 posted on 06/26/2012 6:26:14 AM PDT by Mad Dawg (Depone serpentem et ab veneno gradere.)
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To: Monkey Face
Mine would wait till we had company, wander the room checking them out, and sit at the feet of one, calmly cleaning himself. Then he would float onto their laps and settle in. What no one knew but me was that the one person he invariably chose was a confirmed cat-hater!

I had a vanilla and orange tabby who used to do that. Usually the recipient of this brand of affection was wearing something like a Navy blue suit. In fact, he had been "found" cat who wandered up onto my deck in the middle of the night years before and settled into my husband's tool box as he was working on some project. My husband had always maintained that he hated cats, prior to that, but that orange tabby became his cat before he became the family cat.

36 posted on 06/26/2012 6:29:14 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: boatbums

Cats “knead” you to determine if you are ripe enough to eat. Be very thankful that cats are smaller than us.


37 posted on 06/26/2012 6:34:24 AM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: boatbums

Sometimes cats do this because they have been taken away from the litter at too young an age...they associate you and that behavior with their moms...


38 posted on 06/26/2012 7:26:10 AM PDT by Fawn (DEAR JESUS....PLEASE LET OBAMA LOSE.....AMEN.)
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To: boatbums

What you are describing is NOT a Kitteh idiosyncrasiy. It is standard, NORMAL behavior for pet cats.

I’ve had many cats as pets since childhood and have two now. They ALL love to curl up in your lap or belly and knead and purr. Some more than other but still ALL of them. They like the affection and it makes them feel safe and secure. It is a remnant of their kitten nursing and bonding habits with their mommies.

They will do it quite a bit if you are home a lot. If you are gone a lot they will want to make up for lost time.

They need warmth and affection just like dogs do.

My cats are all over me. Great little pals. LOL


39 posted on 06/26/2012 8:03:08 AM PDT by Smokeyblue
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To: afraidfortherepublic

How well I remember the nice clothes that were worn out the door, with the owner threatening to send me the cleaning bill to get the cat hair off.

I laughed at the derps!


40 posted on 06/26/2012 8:16:03 AM PDT by Monkey Face (Ask me about my vow of silence.)
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