My 18-year-old cat died today, not unexpectedly. We were planning to arrange a housecall euthanasia tomorrow. She was diagnosed last year with Stage 3 kidney failure, but hung on with the verve she'd exhibited throughout her lively, dramatic, practical-joking life. She was an escape artist and had the nastiest sense of humor I've encountered in a cat. It's as well she couldn't speak. I loved her anyway. Her name was Aset (Ancient Egyptian for Isis, queen of the gods). Bast bless her.
A cat WOULD kill you if she COULD. This is probably her just testing her limits. Once she's convinced you can't be killed or intimidated she'll try other strategies.
I had a tortoiseshell kitty with major “tortitude” nicknamed Her Evilness. I adopted her from a family with other kittens and kids, and my kitty was a biter, destructive, and badly behaved all her life,to the point of being legendary for her bad behavior at the vet.
I've got one of those, only she's a calico. Horrible animal. Bites, scratches, leans out to snag you (hard) as you pass by. She has a forever home here, of course. Some people claim calicos are a bit odd, I mean odder than most cats. Torties, too. Any comments from the Wonketariat?
Monkey, my tiny Siamese-y, was flagged by the home vet and actually beat up a grown man once (he disrespected her plastic bag ownership) Weighed maybe 8 lbs. and would exfoliate my face and hands with devoted licking. Love of my life
I adopted a recently feral cat from a shelter (it was a case case of mistaken identity, I thought that she was my cat that had been missing for four months.) it took two years before she let me pet her without her attacking me but now she's the sweetest thing. Btw, I realized she wasn't my lost cat when said lost cat showed up at the door a week later. Of course I kept them both.
Ta, Sara. Meccalopolis's cats took to me right away. The first time I visited, one slept above my head and the other next to me. Now they're my cats, too. One of the dogs liked me immediately; the other is an attention whore so he wasn't very happy at first. Together, we are one weird pack.
It can take years with a feral. Take every advance as a positive. I'd be quite wary re Jackson Galaxy. He seems to have gone down the rabbithole. Ditto the Kittenlady. It always feels like they are trying to sell you something. You know? It takes a long time to build up trust with a cat, but it's massively rewarding. Take your time, take their time. Some day you will get them grumbling for your attention, but it could take years.
Even feral cats show their affection. It could be that your cat's way of showing affection is mostly just by being around you; anything else she gives is just a randomly-served bonus.
Not to alarm you but somebody has to be responsible around here and let you know that you may already be dead though through no fault of your feline ninja. However cats do see dead people but often they just ignore them so consider yourself amongst The Chosen.
Your cat DOES want to kill you. Check out Theodore Sturgeon's short story, "Fluffy." But as long as your cat is getting what she wants from you she will restrain her homicidal desires. (Probably.)
One of the biggest helps in achieving a fairly surprise-free co-existence with cats is simply the experience of living with them and learning their language. It’s ongoing work for sure (we’ve lived with cats of all personalities & ages for over 50 years and are still discovering new things); but just caring enough to read about cat communication & behavior, to ask questions, and to pay attention to the little guys themselves will take you miles and miles toward enlightenment. ❤️
72 years' experience with cats, here. They can still fool me. BTW, my practice is to adopt old cats from the pound, on the theory that no one else will. Also, they are less likely to outlive me, at least by much.
Our cat is definitely trying to kill me. She like to run between my feet when I walk, or forcefully rub her head against my feet when I'm trying to stand.
My 18-year-old cat died today, not unexpectedly. We were planning to arrange a housecall euthanasia tomorrow. She was diagnosed last year with Stage 3 kidney failure, but hung on with the verve she'd exhibited throughout her lively, dramatic, practical-joking life. She was an escape artist and had the nastiest sense of humor I've encountered in a cat. It's as well she couldn't speak. I loved her anyway. Her name was Aset (Ancient Egyptian for Isis, queen of the gods). Bast bless her.
I’m so sorry.
A cat WOULD kill you if she COULD. This is probably her just testing her limits. Once she's convinced you can't be killed or intimidated she'll try other strategies.
Here's a simple way to tell if your cat is trying to kill you. If you're alive, your cat is not trying to kill you.
Must repeat:
"Cats don't have owners, they have staff."
I had a tortoiseshell kitty with major “tortitude” nicknamed Her Evilness. I adopted her from a family with other kittens and kids, and my kitty was a biter, destructive, and badly behaved all her life,to the point of being legendary for her bad behavior at the vet.
I've got one of those, only she's a calico. Horrible animal. Bites, scratches, leans out to snag you (hard) as you pass by. She has a forever home here, of course. Some people claim calicos are a bit odd, I mean odder than most cats. Torties, too. Any comments from the Wonketariat?
Monkey, my tiny Siamese-y, was flagged by the home vet and actually beat up a grown man once (he disrespected her plastic bag ownership) Weighed maybe 8 lbs. and would exfoliate my face and hands with devoted licking. Love of my life
I adopted a recently feral cat from a shelter (it was a case case of mistaken identity, I thought that she was my cat that had been missing for four months.) it took two years before she let me pet her without her attacking me but now she's the sweetest thing. Btw, I realized she wasn't my lost cat when said lost cat showed up at the door a week later. Of course I kept them both.
Bast bless you.
That is the correct response. You are obviously a good person! :)
As an inveterate "dog person" I may have an unfairly biased opinion of cats All of my dog friends tell me I should never trust cats
Ta, Sara. Meccalopolis's cats took to me right away. The first time I visited, one slept above my head and the other next to me. Now they're my cats, too. One of the dogs liked me immediately; the other is an attention whore so he wasn't very happy at first. Together, we are one weird pack.
All of you would love this book:
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/61885029
It can take years with a feral. Take every advance as a positive. I'd be quite wary re Jackson Galaxy. He seems to have gone down the rabbithole. Ditto the Kittenlady. It always feels like they are trying to sell you something. You know? It takes a long time to build up trust with a cat, but it's massively rewarding. Take your time, take their time. Some day you will get them grumbling for your attention, but it could take years.
Even feral cats show their affection. It could be that your cat's way of showing affection is mostly just by being around you; anything else she gives is just a randomly-served bonus.
Not to alarm you but somebody has to be responsible around here and let you know that you may already be dead though through no fault of your feline ninja. However cats do see dead people but often they just ignore them so consider yourself amongst The Chosen.
Your cat DOES want to kill you. Check out Theodore Sturgeon's short story, "Fluffy." But as long as your cat is getting what she wants from you she will restrain her homicidal desires. (Probably.)
One of the biggest helps in achieving a fairly surprise-free co-existence with cats is simply the experience of living with them and learning their language. It’s ongoing work for sure (we’ve lived with cats of all personalities & ages for over 50 years and are still discovering new things); but just caring enough to read about cat communication & behavior, to ask questions, and to pay attention to the little guys themselves will take you miles and miles toward enlightenment. ❤️
72 years' experience with cats, here. They can still fool me. BTW, my practice is to adopt old cats from the pound, on the theory that no one else will. Also, they are less likely to outlive me, at least by much.
My sister's cats could kill me. I have asthma and they are my #1 trigger. :-(
I love cats, too. Dogs are also great!
Our cat is definitely trying to kill me. She like to run between my feet when I walk, or forcefully rub her head against my feet when I'm trying to stand.