Do you have a cat that's "hard to know"?

That's how I describe Marshmallow. He's a very sweet little gentleman, but his purrsonality is difficult to read. With Daisy, for instance, I know what she's going to do before she even does it. A lot of times, I find myself saying "no, no" to her because I know she's thinking about something. And if you're wondering, she's never thinking about doing something good. Marshmallow keeps to himself, though he has taken to sleeping in my spot on the bed. I usually have to move him over, but lately he moves himself over when he sees me getting ready to crawl under the covers. He's also taken to grabbing me with both front paws (and waking me up) when he gets ready to move from the bed to the living room...usually around two in the morning. I couldn't figure out why he was doing this; then I realized that I always pet him when I come to bed. Maybe he is just letting me know he's leaving, just like I always wake him up to let him know I've arrived? I just never know what he's thinking. He was very reserved, but he has really taken to me since he became seriously ill and I carried him to bed with me every night.

I don't want to bore you with a long story, but I was wondering if you have any cats like this? Daisy, Speck, and Siamie all have very distinct purrsonalities...I can even identifiy which one of them is walking into a room without looking up. Maybe Marshmallow feels overshadowed as the last arrival in a house full of cats? (Cats that think they're lions, BTW.) I wish I could explain this situation better, but if you have a hard to know cat, you'll know exactly what I mean.

Did you get him as a kitten?

Originally Posted by c1atsite

Did you get him as a kitten?

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Yes, he was a stray that showed up at DH's office. He was an older kitten, maybe about 6 months old.

I wonder if that matters. Penny was about 7 weeks old when I got her. She's not the easiest to read. She comes to me to get massaged- sometimes she wants 3 minutes or more, sometimes less than a minute!

It sounds as if you have him figured out as best as anyone can figure out their cats.

I can't say any of mine are very secretive with their behavior. I can usually tell when one of them is going to do something, thinking about it, grumpy, etc. Mine have come to me at various ages and states of socialization.

Pearl is funny like that. I got her at 5 months, and she would come out and visit and watch tv with the other cats. Then she stopped coming out from under the bed except to eat and potty. This went on for years, alternating between the bed and the closet. Then she became cuddly and clingy for awhile, often begging for pets and head rubs. Then she lived on the top of the cat tree for awhile. Then it was back under the bed. She went outside one day, and now she seldom comes in except to eat and sleep in her favorite chair for a few hours. She does not leave the yard, and lives in the pump house from the old well that is attached to the house. She naps under the big bushes next to the house and plays with a possum and a fawn in the yard. She still lets me hold her and pet her a few times a week, and rubs against my legs sometimes when I let her out. She seems happier and healthier than she has been in her whole life. She will be 10 on July 4th, 2010.

My Oscar is bipolar, but has 2 basic personality types which are both predictable. The problem is that from day to day (or minute to minute), I don't know which side of his personality he will adopt. At times he is afraid of the world and lives on top of my bed, jumping off long enough to eat, drink and use the litter box, or to escape from fear under the bed. At other times he's out in the rest of the house, jumping into laps for snuggles, snuggling up with the other cats and being a "normal" cat. The problem is that some of these moods have lasted days, weeks, months and even years. Then a switch goes off in him and he takes on the opposite personality. I've never known a cat quite like this and I've not been able to discover what triggers him to switch personalities.

I thought all cats were like that.

I do have a kitty that is a little mysterious, Cronus. He is a beautiful boy, very sweet, but extremely reserved. I always feel like he is on guard for what might be next. He was found as a stray and has both FIV & FeLV, so the poor guy has been thru the ringer for sure. He does usually sleep with me, and everyone once in awhile he talks to me, but the vast majority of the time I feel like he's holding me at arm's length

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

I do have a kitty that is a little mysterious, Cronus. He is a beautiful boy, very sweet, but extremely reserved. I always feel like he is on guard for what might be next. He was found as a stray and has both FIV & FeLV, so the poor guy has been thru the ringer for sure. He does usually sleep with me, and everyone once in awhile he talks to me, but the vast majority of the time I feel like he's holding me at arm's length

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That's what I mean! Mysterious, reserved, and holding me at arm's length! He seems to like to be petted, but then again, I don't know. He doesn't often seek us out for attention. He doesn't want anyone to touch his nose, which is unfortunate, since I love me some kitten noses. I can't even tell if he's angry...sometimes he seems to get his little butt up on his little shoulders when I move him out of my place on the bed, but maybe he just doesn't want to be picked up. He doesn't bite or anything. If I try to pick up Daisy, I'm liable to draw back a nub. One thing's for sure, she always lets you know where she stands on a situation.