"Needy" kittens
 

Hi All,

I was just playing string games with my Russian Blue female, Natasha.
She has the sweetest face of any cat I've ever seen (all right, it's
obvious I'm prejudiced). I mentioned to DH that someone had written
about a kitten keeping them awake all night and that they eventually
ended up shooing the kitten away. I didn't bookmark that post, but I
did want to go back to it and make some observations so I'm starting a
new thread instead.

When 'Tasha came to us, she had upper respiratory problems and eye
problems. These weren't apparent when I went to the shelter and
adopted her and her cage-mate Sumo (actually Sumo picked me out). The
thing is, when she was still small enough to fit in a pocket, she
needed pills and eye ointment. She had also been weaned too early by
the breeder since she didn't meet the breed standard. She was tossed
away like garbage because she has a little white star on her chest and
the last bone on the end of her tail has a little kink that you can
feel if you run your hand down her tail to the end.

Besides the normal things that kittens will do, such as wrestle under
the dust ruffle of the bed with her brother all night, crashing into
the bed and making more noise than you'd think two tiny kittens could,
she liked to suck on my neck at night. Since I was still working at
the time and needed some sleep, I ended up shooing her away.

If I had it to do over again, I'd just do without the sleep. Tasha
grew up into an introverted cat who loves affection, but will not come
and get it on her own. She's also a kneader, but not on me or Lynda,
she has a close relationship with an afghan that Lynda crocheted. If
she's walking by, I'll always pat my leg and she'll come by for a few
skritches, but will then move away. I can't really explain why she
only wants a few pats and then I have to pat my leg some more to call
her back for a few more skritches.

Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but I'd swear that she doesn't
really believe that she deserves a good skritching, "Thank you daddy,
but you really don't have to skritch poor old unlovable me".

Let me wind this up, I could probably go on and on, but I hope I've
made my point. I wish I had it to do over again.

Regards and Purrs,
O J (Old John) Gritmon

in article , O J at
wrote on 2/10/05 4:53 PM:

Hi All,

I was just playing string games with my Russian Blue female, Natasha.
She has the sweetest face of any cat I've ever seen (all right, it's
obvious I'm prejudiced). I mentioned to DH that someone had written
about a kitten keeping them awake all night and that they eventually
ended up shooing the kitten away. I didn't bookmark that post, but I
did want to go back to it and make some observations so I'm starting a
new thread instead.

When 'Tasha came to us, she had upper respiratory problems and eye
problems. These weren't apparent when I went to the shelter and
adopted her and her cage-mate Sumo (actually Sumo picked me out). The
thing is, when she was still small enough to fit in a pocket, she
needed pills and eye ointment. She had also been weaned too early by
the breeder since she didn't meet the breed standard. She was tossed
away like garbage because she has a little white star on her chest and
the last bone on the end of her tail has a little kink that you can
feel if you run your hand down her tail to the end.

Besides the normal things that kittens will do, such as wrestle under
the dust ruffle of the bed with her brother all night, crashing into
the bed and making more noise than you'd think two tiny kittens could,
she liked to suck on my neck at night. Since I was still working at
the time and needed some sleep, I ended up shooing her away.

If I had it to do over again, I'd just do without the sleep. Tasha
grew up into an introverted cat who loves affection, but will not come
and get it on her own. She's also a kneader, but not on me or Lynda,
she has a close relationship with an afghan that Lynda crocheted. If
she's walking by, I'll always pat my leg and she'll come by for a few
skritches, but will then move away. I can't really explain why she
only wants a few pats and then I have to pat my leg some more to call
her back for a few more skritches.

Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but I'd swear that she doesn't
really believe that she deserves a good skritching, "Thank you daddy,
but you really don't have to skritch poor old unlovable me".

Let me wind this up, I could probably go on and on, but I hope I've
made my point. I wish I had it to do over again.

Regards and Purrs,
O J (Old John) Gritmon

that could just be her personality though. I've heard plenty of people who
didn't shoo but still had kitties grow up to not be to fungusy. Sugar always
was on me as a kitten but got to be more like you describe and now, as a 7
year old is starting to finally sit on my lap quite a bit and want more
loving. I credit Pearl the lap hog for that. Sugar sees Pearl in my lap a
lot (Grant gets up and lays by me a lot, but that didn't trigger anything -
I think it's the jealousy factor at work.)

In article , Karen Chuplis
wrote:

in article , O J at
wrote on 2/10/05 4:53 PM:

Hi All,

I was just playing string games with my Russian Blue female, Natasha.
She has the sweetest face of any cat I've ever seen (all right, it's
obvious I'm prejudiced). I mentioned to DH that someone had written
about a kitten keeping them awake all night and that they eventually
ended up shooing the kitten away. I didn't bookmark that post, but I
did want to go back to it and make some observations so I'm starting a
new thread instead.

When 'Tasha came to us, she had upper respiratory problems and eye
problems. These weren't apparent when I went to the shelter and
adopted her and her cage-mate Sumo (actually Sumo picked me out). The
thing is, when she was still small enough to fit in a pocket, she
needed pills and eye ointment. She had also been weaned too early by
the breeder since she didn't meet the breed standard. She was tossed
away like garbage because she has a little white star on her chest and
the last bone on the end of her tail has a little kink that you can
feel if you run your hand down her tail to the end.

That's interesting -- Mr. Clark has that, and it is the first time I've
felt it on a cat. He's a very big light orange tabby, who probably uses
Garfield as a physical idea and the antithesis of Garfield for
personality.

I adopted him as an adult. He apparently was neutered as an adult, but
has never exhibited the less desirable toncat characteristics, and is
extremely parental toward four- and two-legged kittens -- and adults. He
will sleep on or next to me (17+ pounds), and be sure I am bathed.

O J wrote:
Hi All,

I was just playing string games with my Russian Blue female, Natasha.

snip

I think needy starts at birth. My Peewee is the epitome of neediness -
always has been and priobably will be. I indulged him horribly until I
net DH - who is allergic to cats. Then he was banned from the bedroom
(the horror!) and has since gotten over it, but is needy and whiny
still. Funny - he's the second black cat I have had and they were both
like that. Love him to bits, I do.

-L.

Lyn wrote:

O J wrote:

I was just playing string games with my Russian Blue female, Natasha.

snip

I think needy starts at birth. My Peewee is the epitome of neediness -
always has been and priobably will be. I indulged him horribly until I
net DH - who is allergic to cats. Then he was banned from the bedroom
(the horror!) and has since gotten over it, but is needy and whiny
still. Funny - he's the second black cat I have had and they were both
like that. Love him to bits, I do.

I don't want to get into the whole "nature vs. nurture" discussion
here (I'd be happy to see it in another thread). Natasha may have
been destined to be a little distant, but I'd still indulge her a lot
more than I did to try to socialize her to her inborn maximum of
interacting with other kitties and with people. She'll always have
all the love she wants. I blame a lot of it on the breeder who didn't
have the decency to let her be part of her litter till she was
properly ready to be weaned by her mother.

Poor little thing overcompensates by overeating too.

Regards and Purrs,
O J

On 2005-02-10, O J penned:

Besides the normal things that kittens will do, such as wrestle under the
dust ruffle of the bed with her brother all night, crashing into the bed and
making more noise than you'd think two tiny kittens could, she liked to suck
on my neck at night. Since I was still working at the time and needed some
sleep, I ended up shooing her away.

If I had it to do over again, I'd just do without the sleep. Tasha grew up
into an introverted cat who loves affection, but will not come and get it on
her own. She's also a kneader, but not on me or Lynda, she has a close
relationship with an afghan that Lynda crocheted. If she's walking by, I'll
always pat my leg and she'll come by for a few skritches, but will then move
away. I can't really explain why she only wants a few pats and then I have
to pat my leg some more to call her back for a few more skritches.

Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but I'd swear that she doesn't really
believe that she deserves a good skritching, "Thank you daddy, but you
really don't have to skritch poor old unlovable me".

I really do think that you're reading too much into it. When Oscar was a
baby, she always wanted to lick my hair at night. I found it really annoying,
so I always moved her off of my head.

Oscar is certainly a bit skittish, but she's also very sure that she deserves
attention. When she wants it, she will come to you with a big purr, and she
has no doubt that you will perform.

Tasha's probably just expressing her natural personality. Some cats aren't
cuddlebugs.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca