marley is a very complex little guy. he is 10 months. he is full of personality. but, lately he is becoming more grouchy and wants attention on his terms. if i am watching tv, he wants to be a lap cat, purring, wanting attention, just being a sweet kitty. now, if he is sitting by himself and i go to pet him, sometimes i get bit instantly!!! what the heck, maybe he is bipolar!! he doesn't ever bite hard, just enough to let me know he doesn't want to be bothered. is this normal?? he is my first cat so this is all new to me. i can tell when he doesn't want to be bothered, ears and tail are a dead give away...but i have little kids at my house quite a bit and he does the same with them, and i don't want the kids getting hurt. any advice as how to control it? i assume it will get worse with age?? why is he so craby sometimes??
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so moody
- Thread starter marleyandme
- Start Date
It sounds like Marley has quite a personality. My cat Seti is exactly the same way. If he wants attention he's full of snuggles. If not, he'll let me know! This just sounds like a case of individual personality. There's probably little you can do to change him and I wouldn't even try. (I like my personal space too!
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You're right to watch out for the kids. Sometimes they don't see what we see with the tails and ears and all. How old are the kids? If they're old enough it's a great opportunity to teach them about cats and what signs to look for before they go to pet Marley. If they're very little, you might consider putting him in a separate room unless you can keep a close eye on the kids.
My two year old niece comes over from time to time. She has cats at her house but they mostly avoid her! Hemmy, my mostly-Maine Coon, is the most tolerant of her but I still have to keep watch on them. Mostly to protect Hemmy. He's more than capable of protecting himself but I'd rather my niece not suffer that!
He did scratch her arm lightly last time she was here. (Usually, Hemmy goes for the eyes and holds nothing back with adults but he's very patient with her. God love him!) Her mom (my sister) wasn't too sympathetic to her. She'd told her several times to stay out of his face!
You're right to watch out for the kids. Sometimes they don't see what we see with the tails and ears and all. How old are the kids? If they're old enough it's a great opportunity to teach them about cats and what signs to look for before they go to pet Marley. If they're very little, you might consider putting him in a separate room unless you can keep a close eye on the kids.
My two year old niece comes over from time to time. She has cats at her house but they mostly avoid her! Hemmy, my mostly-Maine Coon, is the most tolerant of her but I still have to keep watch on them. Mostly to protect Hemmy. He's more than capable of protecting himself but I'd rather my niece not suffer that!
Mizzy was like that when she was younger, and still is, but not as bad as she was. I just leave her now, and when she wants fuss she comes to me, then when she had a enough she goes, if i try and keep her she will bite. Mizzy is like it becuase she is part feral, and everything has to be on her terms, else you know about it.
I am allways wary with mizzy around kids, normally she is fine, but you never know, just have to see how it goes.
I am allways wary with mizzy around kids, normally she is fine, but you never know, just have to see how it goes.
Assuming he is neutered, some kitties are simply as you put it "moody" by nature! One minute they are the sweetest, loving, cuddle bunny, and the next they are lashing out in protest! I had a kitty, Pandora, who was very hyper sensitive to her surroundings. She absolutely hated any strangers and would full out hiss and stand her ground like she was going to attack! Everyone was terrified of her, she was my guard cat! I wouldn't even let anything challenge the situation, if people were coming over, I would shew her into another part of the home and let her be. Best to take precaution and heed any signs of aggression.......
i agree this is a great oppurtunity to teach kids, of any age, how to handle cats/animals.
we have a friends daughter that is 10 and doesnt know how to handle our cats! she screams and runs at them and then cant figure out why theyre hiding from her
we have a friends daughter that is 10 and doesnt know how to handle our cats! she screams and runs at them and then cant figure out why theyre hiding from her
Sterling is that way, too. When he wants attention, he's a true lover. If he doesn't, he'll run away, or whatever.
Ella will come to us for attention, but if she doesn't, she may actually hide from us.
Who can tell what goes on in these little peanut brains?
Ella will come to us for attention, but if she doesn't, she may actually hide from us.
Who can tell what goes on in these little peanut brains?
Harley's very moody, too. One minute she'll be crying to get into in my lap, and when she does, she'll be purring as loud as she can, eyes squeezed shut in happiness. She rubs her head all over me in abject glee, and she sits and tells me all her "problems" (she's very talkative). She can be very affectionate when she wants to. On the other hand, she can also be very crabby! For example, if she's on the floor and I go to pet her, there are times when I'm asking to get bitten if I touch her. Not hard, but enough to let me know that she doesn't want to be bothered. Other times, she's fine with me petting her on the floor; even to the point where I can rest my head on her and cuddle her. It all depends what sort of mood she's in.
I have a 4-year-old son, and Harley hasn't been all that sure about him since we got her in October. The past month I've had a lot of breakthroughs with the two of them becoming friends. But I've been very good about telling my son that when the cat is getting angry or doesn't like what he's doing, that she'll turn her head towards him, or she'll "wag" her tail. I've explained that her teeth and claws are sharp, and since she can't talk to tell us that she doesn't like something, or that something doesn't feel good, she could bite him or scratch him. He's gotten pretty good about leaving her alone when she starts acting like she's had enough. Usually, she just gets up and walks away from him, though.
I have a 4-year-old son, and Harley hasn't been all that sure about him since we got her in October. The past month I've had a lot of breakthroughs with the two of them becoming friends. But I've been very good about telling my son that when the cat is getting angry or doesn't like what he's doing, that she'll turn her head towards him, or she'll "wag" her tail. I've explained that her teeth and claws are sharp, and since she can't talk to tell us that she doesn't like something, or that something doesn't feel good, she could bite him or scratch him. He's gotten pretty good about leaving her alone when she starts acting like she's had enough. Usually, she just gets up and walks away from him, though.
