A Cat Question?

[I_love_cats]

I have a cat related question for you guys to answer. All of my cats are young 1 to 2 yrs old. None of my cats would lay on my lap and I cannot hold them for very long, only when I am standing up. Don't get me wrong, they are all friendly, they like lots of petting. My Joey he friendly towards me and he would follow me all over like a dog. Sabrina was foster care as a kitten, it is very strange for her not too lay on my lap. She was well socialize so I thought she would be more of a lap kittie. I was figured she wasn't treated well in her foster care and they had too many cats to look after. At what age would they be more loving and settle down. Do you think they will become lap kitties when they get older? My Toby doesn't sleep much at night, he start is meowing around 5:00 am and sometimes he start at 5:30 am, is there any reason for his meowing. Do you think they would sleep at night when they get older? I have three cats, i guess thats why they won't sleep. Please reply. Thanks!!

[FloppsyLadySally89]

Well, I'm so sure that cats like the night better than the day, but I cannot speak for all cats. They like to prowl in the night, and sleep whenever they want. I wouldn't worry, because as they get older they will get more tired and go to sleep more. My cat, Sally sleeps usually during the day, and will not sleep if
I am near her and not intending to sleep. She is fine when I am in my bed, and she comes in and sleeps next to me, but if she is sleeping when I get home from school and go on the computer, and she is sleeping on the chair, if I go to sit down, she will run away. And by the way, sorry, but maybe you'd get more replies on Cat General or something ;) .

[kingrattus]

It took my sisters cat a good year to settle down & allow us to pick her up & pet her on our laps. The cat use to chase us around the house trying to attack our feet... heheh... luckly she grew out of that. Feeding the cat treats helped us bond with her better & we were able to hold her.

But personaly, I find a majorty of cats to be very unsoicable animals, they like to be patted, but the second u try to pick them up they tear u to shreds, thats why I'm a dog lover, they don't claw u 24/7 hehehe
Its just a pain in the butt when my dog want to be a lap dog, hes 80 pounds & he's long, tall & boney, his elbows r a killer...

Anywho.. I hope this helps somewhat

[All Creatures Great And Small]

Most of my kitties have been lap kitties, but it usually did start when they got older and more settled down. I have to laugh, though, because my current kitty (whose "given" name is Dudley but we call him any number of other names depending on our mood) has become the mother of all lap kitties. It sometimes is a problem when I am trying to type, like right now, or if I don't plan to be sitting/lying down for long. Without fail, I will get comfy on the couch to watch TV and the kitty is instantly there on my lap. Then my daughter will call for me to come in her room, or my husband will need something, and I have to unseat the kitty and get up, which makes the kitty quite mad/disappointed. (I have tried appealing to my family not to disturb me when the kitty gets comfy, but they don't care - they aren't as "cat nutty" as I am.) Or I will hop on the computer to quickly check something, and there he is, hopping up on my lap and falling asleep in 10 seconds like a narcoleptic. And I HATE disturbing him! If I could, I would just sit all day and gaze at his beautiful face while he's sleeping, but I have a full-time job and a helpless family.:p

I've also noticed that mine is the only lap he will get onto, because my daughter is too hyper and my husband is very loud, so the cat shies away from them. When I first got this kitty, whom I inherited from my mother-in-law when he was 2, he wanted nothing to do with any of us. I just did my usual job of loving him to a ridiculous extent, talking to him all the time in a silly kitty voice, and petting him in the rare moments that he sat still. He's now 4 years old and we adore each other.

The girl kitty I had before him, Leticia Ratt, who lived to the ripe old age of 15, was also a VERY snuggly kitty, but she started almost immediately. I adopted her when she was barely old enough to be weaned - she was found out back of the Target store where I work, trapped in a stack of old car tires! So I think we bonded right away because she needed a mama so much. I was devastated when she passed in February of 2000, but then in March that same year my mother-in-law passed away, and then I learned the meaning of REAL grief and devastation. That's when we took in her beautiful kitty. I had vowed not to get another cat because I love them too much, and then a month later this wonderful kitty comes to me. God works in mysterious ways. That's why one of my nicknames for the kitty is (this is so pathetic) My Little Striped Angel Sent Directly From Heaven To Be My Special Boy. (Sickening, isn't it?) And I'm not even a particularly religious person, but there is something spiritual in loving a pet.

[Chinadoll]

I also have 3 kitties, all very young ranging in ages from 2 1/2 months to 6 months. Scout the oldest was part feral, I think. I found him at 11 weeks old dehydrated outside my apartment. It took working with him a few weeks before he really trusted me. He would then lay in my lap and sleep. Funny thing is, now that he's older he never lays in my lap anymore and he's much more socialized now then before. He'll still come for pets and lays by me occasionally, I think part of it is the other kittens that were introduced. I guess he doesn't need me as much anymore. My other babies are total lap kitties..but only when I'm laying on the sofa. I didn't need to buy a cat bed for Gigi...she uses me for one!

As far as kitty meowing at 5:30 am...do you get up and try to stop the meowing or do you ignore it? Do you get up and give attention and/or food to kitty?...because that just reinforces the meowing. I've read that to try to get cats to sleep all night, there's a few things you can do right before bed. First play with them. Tire them out with one of those fishing pole toys or mouse on a string. Make it challenging, let them pounce, but at the end let them finally catch the mousie...that way they feel the thrill of the hunt and victory of capture at then end. When that's done feed kitty. That way when you go to bed you have a tired well fed kitty that should sleep for hours.

For making them lap kitties, that will probably come with age. But, you could try to coax them onto your lap for treats. That way they associate your lap with something yummy and plesant. There's a great website on cat behaviour that I have bookmarked on my home computer. If I can find it at work I'll post it or I'll post it when I get home. Good Luck. Sorry so long and hope that helps you a little.

[All Creatures Great And Small]

This is my beautiful kitty:http://www.geocities.com/myerssh61@sbcglobal.net/StripedAngel.jpg

[Chinadoll]

Awwww! So cute. What's his/her name?

[All Creatures Great And Small]

Well, the name my mother-in-law gave him was Dudley, but we call him Herman, Frankie, Gorgeous George, and a lot of other goofy nicknames. Today I'm calling him Herman. (Since cats don't answer to a name anyway, why settle on just one?)

[kingrattus]

Thata's not 100% true. U can train a cat just like a dog, it just takes more work. My sister's car knows her name & if we say her name she come over, even if we don't want her to. Right now my sister is trying to teach the cat to bring the dead mice into the kitchen & not on the rug... shes getting close.

The cat also walkes on a leash just like a dog.

[Chinadoll]

Thata's not 100% true. U can train a cat just like a dog, it just takes more work. My sister's car knows her name & if we say her name she come over, even if we don't want her to. Right now my sister is trying to teach the cat to bring the dead mice into the kitchen & not on the rug... shes getting close.

True...My kittens don't know their names yet, but they do know my tone of voice. They know I can be talking sweetly to one of them and scold the other for getting on the table. I can call one of their names and all will come running because I used a ceratin tone of voice. And no matter what if they hear the can opener they will be meowing by your side thinking it's can food time.

I'm trying to harness train the kittens. I 've been putting it off...but I guess that will be this weekends project. Harness training is a must as I don't have a house, but live in an apartment complex. I can't just let the kittens outside to roam, so they must go on a harness with me. I don't expect them to walk like a dog on a leash(lord knows the ferrets don't) but I do believe they will eventually accept the harness and leash with no problem. You can train just about any animal as long as you have the patience to keep plugging away at it.