My cat is LAZY and not playful :(

bryce

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My cat is super lazy. She'll sleep during the day, maybe wake up for a rubbing or two, will not sit in your lap unless she wants to, and that's not often. She'll sometimes randomly dart off if you come near her, try and pounce on you if she's under the bed or something. I've had that happen, she was under the bed and I was just down there talking to her and all and she just jumped at me. Came about 4 inches from my face and then jumped out of the way. I don't know if she was being playful or not. She did claw at my brother, his leg was under the bed sheets, she saw it and went for it. Through the sheets that is.

At night is when she gets active, I've gotta put her in my room so my mom and brother and sleep for work and school the next day. And in my room she just sleeps until about 2-3am, then she'll jump up on my bed get some rubbing and jump down.
 

darlili

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Cats, by nature, are most active at dawn and dusk and tend to sleep a lot - although most of the sleeping is done in 'cat naps', when they're still extremely aware of what's going on around them, and will wake at the smallest non-routine, sound. They do get some deep, REM sleep, but not as much as you would think! They can adjust a bit to your schedule - for example, I get up around 4:30-5:00 am, and now they both think it's always time to get up (even on Sundays!). The funny thing is that they seem to adjust for daylight savings time all on their own! I think you said you're often active in the early hours - she's probably thrilled to wake up and have a friend active with her.

I think the pouncing may be more in play - do you have any interactive toys (hey, even a shoe string will work), or a laser pointer (do not shine in her eyes). A lot of cats enjoy these toys, but only in short bursts - cats do not have a lot of long-duration stamina. Just don't leave toys like shoe strings out - you do not want her to try swallowing it!

The under-the-sheet deal is classic cat - they think there's a mouse or other prey down there, and will pounce on the 'prey'...they do not realize it's you. She's trying to play - and that means she's feeling more and more comfortable in your house.

I would suggest, if you have a chance, getting a book on cat behavior, and a lot of libraries can get the books for you if you want to read before you invest in buying - cats do react differently than dogs do, which can be a real change for people used to dog behavior. I love Pam Johnson-Bennett's books - she's a certified cat behaviorist,, or the Cats for Dummies book was very helpful to me when I got my Dharma and didn't know what the heck she was doing. I actually called the vet when Dharma kept falling on her side in front of me - I thought she was sick, and was gently told that falling down and showing her tummy meant she trusted me.


I was so glad to see your posts as well - I was worried that the vet visit hadn't gone well, or that your family had wanted to send Maggie back. Believe me, it's a time of adjustment for all of you, but for so many people, once some time has gone by, it'll be hard to believe Maggie wasn't always part of the family.
 
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bryce

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Originally Posted by darlili

Cats, by nature, are most active at dawn and dusk and tend to sleep a lot - although most of the sleeping is done in 'cat naps', when they're still extremely aware of what's going on around them, and will wake at the smallest non-routine, sound. They do get some deep, REM sleep, but not as much as you would think! They can adjust a bit to your schedule - for example, I get up around 4:30-5:00 am, and now they both think it's always time to get up (even on Sundays!). The funny thing is that they seem to adjust for daylight savings time all on their own! I think you said you're often active in the early hours - she's probably thrilled to wake up and have a friend active with her.
That's going to be hard right there. My mom and brother go to sleep promptly VERY early, around 9pm on the weekdays to get up for work and school. I, on the other hand will go to sleep as late as 4am in the morning. I work at home, so I work at night and sleep days lol.

Originally Posted by darlili

I think the pouncing may be more in play - do you have any interactive toys (hey, even a shoe string will work), or a laser pointer (do not shine in her eyes). A lot of cats enjoy these toys, but only in short bursts - cats do not have a lot of long-duration stamina. Just don't leave toys like shoe strings out - you do not want her to try swallowing it!
That might be why she never plays with anything. She played with it the first few minutes I bought the toys and then left them. They've been sitting out in her corner in the living room since then.

Originally Posted by darlili

The under-the-sheet deal is classic cat - they think there's a mouse or other prey down there, and will pounce on the 'prey'...they do not realize it's you. She's trying to play - and that means she's feeling more and more comfortable in your house.
I'll be sure to let him know that. He was all mad and upset and thought she didn't like him and was being vicious.

Originally Posted by darlili

I would suggest, if you have a chance, getting a book on cat behavior, and a lot of libraries can get the books for you if you want to read before you invest in buying - cats do react differently than dogs do, which can be a real change for people used to dog behavior. I love Pam Johnson-Bennett's books - she's a certified cat behaviorist,, or the Cats for Dummies book was very helpful to me when I got my Dharma and didn't know what the heck she was doing. I actually called the vet when Dharma kept falling on her side in front of me - I thought she was sick, and was gently told that falling down and showing her tummy meant she trusted me.
I'll be sure to look for some cat books and all. I may even show my mom this forum as well. She's computer illiterate though, so I'm not sure how she'd take to reading a forum, posting on it lol.

Originally Posted by darlili

I was so glad to see your posts as well - I was worried that the vet visit hadn't gone well, or that your family had wanted to send Maggie back. Believe me, it's a time of adjustment for all of you, but for so many people, once some time has gone by, it'll be hard to believe Maggie wasn't always part of the family.
Don't worry, I may just seem to vanish once in a while, I'm still here, Maggie is staying here. If I move out soon and they don't want her, she's coming with me.
 

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Originally Posted by darlili

The under-the-sheet deal is classic cat - they think there's a mouse or other prey down there, and will pounce on the 'prey'...they do not realize it's you. She's trying to play - and that means she's feeling more and more comfortable in your house.
We call that Bed mice.
Even my too old to play 15 year old likes going after bed mice.

They learn to adjust to all schedules to get the most out of their humans.
All three of mine now sleep through most of the night with me, with a few trips to the food/water/litterbox.
And the occasional nighttime crazies from my two younger girls.
 
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bryce

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Does it matter much if she's on a free feeding schedule? She always has constant access to some dry food and water. Should we maybe get a automatic feeder or something?
 

darlili

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I tend to go to sleep at 9:00 pm too - and, both of mine figured that out and go to sleep either with me, or, if they're in a hurry, get to the bed ahead of me and wonder why I'm staying up finishing a movie some nights. But, if you're up, she may tend to come see you as she definitely will hear you. My girl tends to sleep through the night, or play quietly by herself - but, if I go to the bathroom around 2:00 am, she'll come running! In fact, if I go around the same time a few nights in a row, she'll be waiting for me by the bathroom door. My boy tends to sleep through the night with me - the lazy slug!

Cats do love consistency, though - if your house has a pretty consistent routine to the day and night, Maggie will definitely learn it.

With the toys, like mice or the round turbo thing, I have to get the ball rolling, literally, for them - then they get interested. I've read it's mostly kittens who'll will pounce on balls no matter what - slightly older cats enjoy interactive play more. The laser pointer is a huge hit, though, for some reason.

I really don't think she dislikes your brother at all - she was chasing the 'bed mice', as they said Tell him not to play with her with his hands (like dangling fingers in front of her) - she won't realize it's his hand, and may nip at the fingers. That's why they suggest using an old sock, or feather wand, or shoe string instead of fingers! Again, just don't leave toys out that she could swallow - just like having a baby around. Also, remember when we were talking about watching their tails and ears for signs if they're getting anxious or happy? Sometimes cats only want to be petted for just so long, and if you keep going you'll get hissed at, or scratched, or even nipped. But, you'll all learn.

If she doesn't start getting fat, I wouldn't worry about getting a timed feeder yet...my girl maintains a perfect weight just from free feeding. But, if she starts getting too round (and you can't see her waist anymore), it might be time to just give her measured amounts of food in the bowl, instead of just filling it up.

You're a good papa!
 

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Does the rest of the family want to interact with Maggie as well? It sounds like she is tuning in to your schedule just fine. What might help is if your brother would give her some play time of chasing lasers, teasers, etc. for about 10-15 in the day followed by a healthy snack (maybe canned food), to simulate the physical exertion followed by a feed, which occurs during hunting. Quite often cats settle down for a good sleep at that time. A morning play session shortly after dawn might help as well.
 
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