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Cat people, a curiosity

prplchknz

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Do Cats Get Lonely or Are They Fine Without Other Cats? - Catster
I just found that article interesting and was wondering which side of the fence other people's cats are on. The 2 cats i grew up with were never close they tolerated each other. I think daisy wouldn't like an adult cat but may be okay with a kitten. She's some how both more social and skittish than a lot of other cats, though only with humans
 

Siúil a Rúin

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My older cat was originally paired with another kitten when I adopted her and they were inseparable. They would take naps hugging each other in the sunshine. Then, the second kitten had peritonitis and had to be put down. My other cat never bonded with another cat until I adopted a kitten that looks just like the one from when she was a kitten. They have bonded and the younger one is crazy about my cat, and she is reluctant, but does snuggle and will watch the younger cat squeezing her eyes and purring. I think they have bonded.

I can't find the link now, but I've read that cats have a tendency to pair-bond with each other. I read it in an article that talked about the Hawthorne cats.
 

rav3n

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prpl, if your cat's an emotional support animal, it's likely best that there's only one cat in the family. More than one cat can limit bonding with humans. The same holds true with dogs.
 

prplchknz

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prpl, if your cat's an emotional support animal, it's likely best that there's only one cat in the family. More than one cat can limit bonding with humans. The same holds true with dogs.

she is unofficially but i'm also her emotional support human
 

Earl Grey

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All (literally, all) the cats I've ever had were strays, and most weren't littermates. The most clingy one seemed to just be clingy by nature- she was completely alone, no mother, no fellow littermates. I had them all on and off and I didn't really particularly notice anything other than that cats as a whole being very independent animals. They would come around for food and hang out together, but I've never seen them cuddling or anything- pouncing, chasing, but nothing cute like napping together or tagging along all the time unless they were a family. If anything, the ones which did cling, clung to me more than with each other. Maybe depends on the cat and their background?
 

ceecee

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:(

why don't people want to talk about their cats?

I have a cat. She is 2. She's generally pretty independent but sometimes wants to cuddle, which is nice. She's much less of a spaz than our dog and I appreciate that.
 

Doctor Cringelord

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Unfortunately my 2 cats don't really get along too well, and they've already been living together over a year. They've made some progress but it's been very slow and at best I can get them a couple feet away from one another without growling and hissing.
 

prplchknz

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I have a cat. She is 2. She's generally pretty independent but sometimes wants to cuddle, which is nice. She's much less of a spaz than our dog and I appreciate that.

my cat is 4 and definitely a spaz but i love her and she's sweet. but demanding when she wants cuddles which is 2-3 times a day
 

cascadeco

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My first cat, who lived to be a little over 17 years old, from a young age acted very territorial/ upset whenever she saw cats outside the apartment window - her fur would bristle up, she'd start breathing heavily, would sometimes violently bat her paw at the window screen. So I always took that as an indication that getting another cat would be a very rough go. So, it was always just her and I, which was fine, as I loved her/bonded, but I also always felt bad leaving her alone when I went away on my many day or weekend trips or simply leaving for work. As, I do think she was probably lonely.

So I always had it in my head that once she passed, I was going to get a young kitten along with a 2-4 year old cat who needed a home. So, I did that, and have had the 2+ year old since mid June and the younger 4.5 month since ten days after the first. I was very careful with an initial separation and gradual shared space, and perhaps I had some luck combined with doing the slow intro, as so far things are smooth and I haven't heard a hiss since those first ten days of introduction. They play a lot, the older grooms the younger occasionally (though with time she has backed off doing that as much, as the younger isn't often receptive to that), very occasionally there's mutual grooming that goes on, and though they never curl up next to each other for long sleeps, they'll sleep peaceably near each other. It just seems they have a good respectful dynamic and I like to think they both get something out of it. Too, I think they both enjoy having a playmate when they're both keyed up and wanting to wrestle/expend some energy. I'm kind of curious to see how things evolve over time. Hopefully positively!
 

prplchknz

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My first cat, who lived to be a little over 17 years old, from a young age acted very territorial/ upset whenever she saw cats outside the apartment window - her fur would bristle up, she'd start breathing heavily, would sometimes violently bat her paw at the window screen. So I always took that as an indication that getting another cat would be a very rough go. So, it was always just her and I, which was fine, as I loved her/bonded, but I also always felt bad leaving her alone when I went away on my many day or weekend trips or simply leaving for work. As, I do think she was probably lonely.

my cat is the exact same way. though when i come back from being gone she won't let me out of sight until the next morning. I do have someone come over daily to check and play with her, and she usually interacts with the person, but when i'm back it's like "I've missed you, I thought you were never coming back, don't leave me"
 

cascadeco

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my cat is the exact same way. though when i come back from being gone she won't let me out of sight until the next morning. I do have someone come over daily to check and play with her, and she usually interacts with the person, but when i'm back it's like "I've missed you, I thought you were never coming back, don't leave me"

It's special. Sounds like you two are really close. :) My first cat would eventually warm up to a few people but she was also prone to hiss at other people - she definitely only really wanted me, though tolerated some others. (My two new ones are much more open to other people - maybe it's a combo of being around so many when they were at the shelter, as well as just having each other/ it not just being me??). I miss my girl a lot, but my new ones are a new experience and bring new joys. I do think like [MENTION=10808]rav3n[/MENTION] mentioned, having one cat might mean an intenser human-cat bond is possible; subconsciously maybe that too is why I wanted two this time. I didn't want to try to re create or expect the level I had with my first cat; wouldn't be fair to anyone involved.
 

prplchknz

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It's special. Sounds like you two are really close. :) My first cat would eventually warm up to a few people but she was also prone to hiss at other people - she definitely only really wanted me, though tolerated some others. (My two new ones are much more open to other people - maybe it's a combo of being around so many when they were at the shelter, as well as just having each other/ it not just being me??). I miss my girl a lot, but my new ones are a new experience and bring new joys. I do think like [MENTION=10808]rav3n[/MENTION] mentioned, having one cat might mean an intenser human-cat bond is possible; subconsciously maybe that too is why I wanted two this time. I didn't want to try to re create or expect the level I had with my first cat; wouldn't be fair to anyone involved.

you would think that, but mine had kittens before i got her so she's been around other cats. then again, it could be she only liked hers and the rest can fuck off.
 

Maou

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My cat Noctis hasnt been the same since he lost his sister in August. He has been very lonely, and seeks comfort with me to replace her. He has gotten a lot more clingy and cuddly. Ultimately, it has to do with each individuals life and personality.

Cats who have trauma are either aggressively independant, or clingy in my experiences.
 

Cellmold

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We've had quite a few cats in our household.

The current ones are 1 half from a pair we got over 13 years ago, but sadly one of the brothers got run over on the road near my house after only having them for about 1-2 years. And the other is a female cat we got about 2 years after 1 of the brothers died.

The two brothers started out very friendly with each other, but got more distant as they grew older. The shorter-haired one who got run over was extremely affectionate and used to get under the covers and lie right next to the person with his head on the pillow. The long-haired one who is still alive, though getting on a bit, was always more irritable and timid. He was never aggressive or attacked anyone, in fact he's incredibly soft despite the fact he makes threats with his voice, but he was always more aloof and less cuddly.
However, after the other one died, he has slowly become more affectionate and friendly and actually likes to be held sometimes and put his head on your shoulder, still largely on his terms though. The deceased short-haired also did something unusual. When he got run over it was a lady who lived opposite who brought his body back and informed us that he used to visit her female cat (bearing in mind all of ours have been neutered) and it wasn't territorial or aggressive, they used to nuzzle each other then play-chase around the garden like kittens, which I thought was really interesting.

It's possible that was a form of company for him, given that his brother largely fought with him a lot and they didn't get on in their adult years.

Our female cat is extremely friendly and soft, though she has become nervous since I had to bring her to the vets recently with hemorrhagic diarrhoea and it was while I was working there, so she had to spend most of the day in our kennels. But she often follows people around the house, particularly me, and she nearly always sleeps on my bed or in my room.
She has become a bit more irritable with age, but is still largely a house cat and very much a lazy home-body.







 
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