Cat advice

As some of you may know we acquired a Greek cat recently. Said cat has been settling in well and is still recovering from his ordeal. People tell me that he has a strong bond with me and I agree he does seem to favour me over Roger. Since arriving with us he has insisted on sleeping with us and usually on me, hugs me all night long.

I have no experience with cats and I don't understand some of his behaviour. He doesn't seem to like being told off by me, takes big offense to it. Last night I stopped him from trying to eat leftovers on a dinner plate _ didn't want him to get an upset tum. All I said was ' no ' and gently pushed him away. He has take it very personally, went off in a big huff, ignored me all evening and did not sleep with us last night. This morning he still has the same attitude. When Roger tells him off he has a huff and gets over it. Why is he being like this with me?

 

They can be like children at times

The answer is right there ...

If you think about it, he is feeling dejected; he adores you and you didn't adore him back! He simply wants to please you and he's trying to work out what has displeased you.

Confused cat thinking: is it because I wanted to eat? I've got to eat! Does my bum look big in this? I was only hungry Maybe she doesn't love me anymore? Is feeling hungry bad? Do I need to bring her a mouse? Maybe a birdie? I love it here but I don't know why she pushed me away; I am sad If she ignores me long enough, I'll sneak up behind her and rub against her leg and make purring noises and we'll fall in love all over again

 

I am so glad Dimitri is doing well. I've had cats most of my life so know a few things about them but with cats, there is an awful lot we humans will never understand. I'll try to answer some of your questions. I heard someone once say that cats see us as large friendly cats, in other words, they treat us as though we are large versions of themselves who just happen to be friendly. And we are providers of food too. I have noticed with my two is that they are very good at sharing the food I give them. This could be why Dimitri expects to be allowed to 'share' your food. We usually give our cats any left over meat scraps but we do scrape them off our plates and on to theirs. You could do this with suitable bits.

As far as discipline goes, saying 'no' will have no effect at all. Cats do not care to learn commands like dogs. The one thing that we find has some effect, say when they jump up onto the kitchen worktop, is to hiss at them. Mother cats will hiss at their kittens as discipline as well as batting them in the face but I don't suggest you do that. Hissing is a big part of cat communication so I suggest you try it next time. My cats still jump up on the kitchen worktop but jump down again as soon as I hiss at them, sometimes quite loudly. And I am pretty sure that they have a prolonged worktop prowl when no one is around.

Cats don't like being told off, who does? They will go off in a huff but it is usually short lived. To carry it over to the next day is unusual. It probably is something to do with his bad experiences in the past. You rescued him and he has a sense of this. I think the prolonged upsetnetnesses will lessen with time. My advice would be when he goes off in a huff is just let him be and let him come back to you in his own time. He will come and it just may be that he'll come back more quickly if you ignore him, rather than trying to make things up with him before he's ready.

 

Try telling that to my cat!

 

I guess that the cat starts seeing you as an "enemy" as you tell him off probably more often that Roger and you mean it. It would probably work to just limit the occasions in which you have to push him away. (otherwise use a water spray !)

 

Thanks for the replies

He has been told off by Roger a few times and gets over it very quickly. I told him off a few weeks back for putting his claws out when I accidentally snagged him whilst grooming. He took major umbrance then but came creeping back after about an hour. He is very affectionate cat and particularly clingy to me, wants to be cuddled all the time, follows me around. Last week we had to go down south for a funeral which meant placing him in a cattery for 2 days. I was worried about how he would cope as he had not been separated from me since he arrived. He was very pleased to see me when we went to collect him and for 2 nights clung onto my chest so tightly overnight I couldn't move at all.

He slept on the sofa last night, gave me a filthy look when I got up and turned his face away. I have been ignoring him too. He chased Rubi away when she went towards him and scared her, she just wanted to say hello Last night after I told him off he got on Roger for a long cuddle, but wouldn't speak to him this morning. Roger hasn't told him off so no idea why he's getting rebuffed.

 

This was only the second time he has been told off by me. He's mostly very well behaved.

 

So sorry to hear of your problems especially after all the love and care you have given him

I think one of the reasons he is doing this is because he has been rejected so many times by stupid people throughout his short life and then you come along and take him into your loving care but he has been so traumatised in the past that any sense of rejection by you in any way shape or form makes him think that you are going to reject and mistreat him so he is giving you the cold shoulder to try and make you understand that he has had enough of you telling him off,a bit like a spoilt child does when it can't get its own way.

When you say no don't shout out the word No but say it firmly but also try giving him a stroke along his back which should reassure him that although he has been told off you are letting him know that you still love him.

We used to put ours in a cattery when we went away and although they didn't mind it when they were a lot younger they didn't enjoy it as much later on apart from the winter when they had a nice heat pad to snuggle on to Ours also used to have the hump when we brought them home but once they had been outside and reaffirmed their terrorities(sp) they would come back home nd doors and would be all a over us demanding to be fed

 

@Kandy - we will never know what has happened to him. We think he was an abandoned pet based upon his behaviour. Holiday rep told us cats get dumped in the woods where we stayed.
This is him in Greece


This is him now -excuse mess in conservatory, having new wet room fitted, stuff being stored there.

 

Hi @luciusmaximus i remember reading your story on one of the other threads and it is fantastic what you have done for Dimitri and really he has come a long way since you have taken him in although I think the scars of his previous life will probably live with him forever despite all you have and will do for him over the years

It would be no good me going back over to Greece as I would want to bring back all the dumped cats so will have to make do with helping the badly treated ones here as their owners are too thick to look after them properly

I dont look at people's homes,too busy looking at their pets although our conservatory was chocca a few weeks ago when we had new windows and doors fitted and then had to move the ornaments and plants out of the way in our conservatory when the window people fitted us with new patio doors

Hope you are pleased with the new wet room when it is finished

 

Finally forgiven at 8.30am today, two and a half days later. He informed me that he is willing to give me another chance and overlook my previous transgressions . Glad we are friends again, trying hard not to upset him again . I never realised cats could be so moody .


Post dinner nap, note how he helped himself to the pillow on the sofa

 

He is such a contented looking boy ... and so pretty, just love that fluffy tail! We have had cats ... or should I say cats have owned us for 49 years ... and I still do not understand their peculiarities! Ours sleep in the bed with us and take up most of the bed leaving us clinging to the edge in a foetal position. You can train them but it takes time and patience.