' Greetings! ' from Stefane & Riley in Chicago. :)

Hello, I'm Stefanie and I live in Chicago, IL. I'm 31.  I have a (domestic shorthair? tabby?) cat and her name is Riley ( formerly " Snookie"). i'm a first time cat owner!  I got Riley through my boyfriend's cousin ( she saves cats and gives them homes) from a woman who was going to throw her out into the streets...she and her husband had kids and she didn't have time to take care of a cat anymore. I don't drive and couldn't get a ride so Riley's previous owners agreed to  meet me at gas station and that's where I picked her up. She was 1.5 y/o when I got her. Her previous owners were going to give me her paperwork  but we lost contact and the woman that gave Riley to me even said that if I couldn't handle her to give her back which was weird when I told her i was having a little trouble handling her.  Riley is mean sometimes and like most cats doesn't want to or like being picked up. She spends most of her time sleeping during the day and active at night. Because she was loved mostly by her "dad", she's sexist and only likes guys. 

I leave her alone most of the time...sometimes she'll let me pet her. She hides under our roommate's bed. I get mad because I think she likes him. Our room mate went away for a week so lately Riley's been "around". Hanging on the couch and claiming my boyfriend's chair. I've yet to take her to a vet for checkup and get her like, a cat tower thing? I have toys but she doesn't play and got tired of this dynamite stick that smells like catnip after I gave it to her and didn't take it away.  

I'm trying to give her time to adjust her even though she's been with me for ten months. So, yeah. HI!
 

Pictures of my pudgy buttface <3 : 


^ That smug look, though!

     

Hello and welcome to TCS!

I love that face so adorable, smug pic is too cute 

She is a beauty!

Beautiful pics! Welcome!

Macha 143 said:

Hello and welcome to TCS!
I love that face so adorable, smug pic is too cute 

She is a beauty!

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Thank you!

junglecat said:

Beautiful pics! Welcome!

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Thank you!

Hi and welcome.  Riley is beautiful and is lucky to have found a new home with you!.

You didn't say you were seeking advice, but this is a great place to get some... please don't take it personal when I offer some right now!

First bit of unsolicited advice is to start playing with Riley.  At cat tower is nice... and when you have money, or transportation or whatever, I am sure Riley will apprecitae it... but in the meantime,  a good thing to remember about toys is that they are not much fun to play with alone.  Do you have a wand toy or a toy on a string?  do you have a laser pointer?  Cats like different things, but most of them like to play... hunting is a cats instinct... if something is moving in front of them, its just not normal for them NOT to chase it, and interactive play is a great way to bond with Riley - and the exercise will do her good. Please do not hesitate to ask if you would like some tips on how to play with your kitty...

MollyBlue said:

 
Hi and welcome.  Riley is beautiful and is lucky to have found a new home with you!.

You didn't say you were seeking advice, but this is a great place to get some... please don't take it personal when I offer some right now!

First bit of unsolicited advice is to start playing with Riley.  At cat tower is nice... and when you have money, or transportation or whatever, I am sure Riley will apprecitae it... but in the meantime,  a good thing to remember about toys is that they are not much fun to play with alone.  Do you have a wand toy or a toy on a string?  do you have a laser pointer?  Cats like different things, but most of them like to play... hunting is a cats instinct... if something is moving in front of them, its just not normal for them NOT to chase it, and interactive play is a great way to bond with Riley - and the exercise will do her good. Please do not hesitate to ask if you would like some tips on how to play with your kitty...

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Thanks and much appreciated for your advice. I do play with Riley, I have a " Cat Dancer" toy, a toy on a string and a laser thingy. I'm gonna get a wand toy. I have definitely noticed that she will not play with the round plastic donut toy with the chase ball in it and if I put treats in it or spray the donut with cat nip, she's only interested in the treat. XD even if I put actual cat nip, she's just not interested. cat nip alone, she..likes to get high. I used to get cat nip from the dollar tree but I can never find em' anymore.  

I read that you are supposed to play with your cat for 30 minutes at a time? I will play with Riley but she will go back under my room mate's bed. ( any toy ) So I wil heed attention and wait for her to come out to play with her w/ the laser toy but she'll still back under. 

I also have a question. I don't know if you're an expert ( no offense ) but is Riley a domestic shorthair or tabby? Aren't they the same thing? I'm confused and would just like some clarity. 

P.S: You're a very cool person!

 - Stefanie 

I am no expert, just  cat lover.  Riley can be both a domestic short hair, and a tabby.  and Tabbys can be stripped, spotted, macrel, .  Descriptions can get very complex!

Currently I have 4 cats, and all of their play needs are different so you are smart to just follow Riley's lead.  Of course all cats are different too about how much social time they want with us too.  So this all might be very normal for her.  My one cat Snowy, in the summer, she hardly even comes in my room.  In the fall she starts creeping up on my bed, and in the winter, she will want under the covers.  Shes no dummy... When Snowy was our only cat, she would also take turns with my daughter and I on who was her pick of the week, and if it wasn't your week, too bad for you...you got NO lovin.  But the next week she would make up for it.  Now that we have the other cats, she doesn't like to be babied ifthe other cats are watching, but if they are otherwise occupied, she still likes it.

Anyway, I am glad you are playing with Riley.  the catnip thing is funny... My cats like a little, but when it is readily available they start ignoring so its just a treat.  I like to watch them get goofy... but they get rough too... so I have to be careful playing with them after!

Hey Stefanie,

What I like to do with my kitten, is run through the rooms with the wand toy and let him chase me. I hold it loosely in my hand so he can grab and tackle it and feel like he caught something.  I know your Riley is an older cat but what I would do, when you get a wand toy, is walk by the bed a few times with it dragging behind you. Or lay on the bed and dangle it so she can see it.


I have bought a lot of toys and a few of them my kitten will not even give a second look, lol.  It might take some time but I feel that if you keep on trying you will find something that gets her attention.

@LoveMyZeus  I can just see you running through your rooms with the toy and the cat forming a parade behind you!  I like the photo of the cat tackling the toy.  When we first got our Snowy, she was so timid and standoffish we didn't play "rough" with her, we barely wiggled the toy in front of her trying to get her interested, and we didn't even really catch her eye.  Then my son came home for Christmas and he had her bouncing off the walls chasing her laser light, and doing flips through the air trying to get her wand toys... the first day we kept telling him "don't be so mean to her"... but then we realized how much she loved that sort of play and now she plays with all of us.  The thrill is in the chase!

YES, I am sure I look quite ridiculous, but it is fun!  I think my 18 year old is a little jealous of Zeus, lol.  

I am always amazed at how much he loves play time, it keeps me active too 

LoveMyZeus said:

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• lovemyzeus
• Oct 28, 2015

I have bought a lot of toys and a few of them my kitten will not even give a second look, lol.  It might take some time but I feel that if you keep on trying you will find something that gets her attention.

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Yes. I have a mouse on a string. Riley will bite it, though if she catches it while I'm playin' with her. I want one of those sticks w/ the feathers on it that the sell at Petco / Petsmart. But are you crazy?! They're like $5-6. There are things I want to get for my cat ( cat tree / tower thing ) but I really don't have the money. But I'm not willing to give up my cat.I don't want her in a shelter, put down or runnin' the streets. I know it' selfish but I really care more about animals than human beings. Haha.  

I'm gonna get her some more toys, anyway....even if I don't have the money for it.  Otherwise I'll just have to resort to making her toys ( which I have already been doing ) 

Your cat is SOOOO CUUUUTTTEEE.

MollyBlue said:

 
I am no expert, just  cat lover.  Riley can be both a domestic short hair, and a tabby.  and Tabbys can be stripped, spotted, macrel, .  Descriptions can get very complex!

Currently I have 4 cats, and all of their play needs are different so you are smart to just follow Riley's lead.  Of course all cats are different too about how much social time they want with us too.  So this all might be very normal for her.  My one cat Snowy, in the summer, she hardly even comes in my room.  In the fall she starts creeping up on my bed, and in the winter, she will want under the covers.  Shes no dummy... When Snowy was our only cat, she would also take turns with my daughter and I on who was her pick of the week, and if it wasn't your week, too bad for you...you got NO lovin.  But the next week she would make up for it.  Now that we have the other cats, she doesn't like to be babied ifthe other cats are watching, but if they are otherwise occupied, she still likes it.

Anyway, I am glad you are playing with Riley.  the catnip thing is funny... My cats like a little, but when it is readily available they start ignoring so its just a treat.  I like to watch them get goofy... but they get rough too... so I have to be careful playing with them after!

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Four cats is a lot! How do you manage? I'd love four cats. I'm trying to follow RIley's lead but it's hard to read her sometimes and I'm figuring her out, though. Lol. Thank you for your very much appreciated advice. I did some googling.. yeah. It really is complicated! 

I live with my boyfriend & his family and we currently " inherited" two more dogs. Pomeranians. We have a JRT who is elderly now at nine. Trying to keep them away from Riley and I love dogs but I'm very protective of her. After all, SHE'S MY FUR CHILD. <3

MollyBlue said:

 
Hi and welcome.  Riley is beautiful and is lucky to have found a new home with you!.

You didn't say you were seeking advice, but this is a great place to get some... please don't take it personal when I offer some right now!

First bit of unsolicited advice is to start playing with Riley.  At cat tower is nice... and when you have money, or transportation or whatever, I am sure Riley will apprecitae it... but in the meantime,  a good thing to remember about toys is that they are not much fun to play with alone.  Do you have a wand toy or a toy on a string?  do you have a laser pointer?  Cats like different things, but most of them like to play... hunting is a cats instinct... if something is moving in front of them, its just not normal for them NOT to chase it, and interactive play is a great way to bond with Riley - and the exercise will do her good. Please do not hesitate to ask if you would like some tips on how to play with your kitty...

Click to expand...

Thanks for your welcome & advice. I have a mouse on a string that I play with and a laser pointer for her. I have made her toys but she won't play with them. I've learned that she won't play if alone. But she was playing with the dynamite catnip toy until and kept biting / rubbing against it until she got bored. I shouldn't have just let her have it because she got bored and now she's not really touching it. 

Thank you...

Thanks Stefanie, Zeus also likes a ball made of aluminum foil! If I roll it across the floor he loses his mind and it usually use a piece I have used already that does not have food on it (like if I save pizza slices in the **** and wrap them in aluminum).

@Stefanie

Welcome to the site. Riley is bautiful

I know you can't afford a cat tree but could you put up some shelves she can jump up to (just buy some cheap brackets and cover a board with some carpet)?  Most cats like to be able to get to a high spot so they can see what is going on below but know they are safe up above.  Especially if you have dogs.  She can jump up onto the shelf and that can be her safe zone.  Right now under the bed is her safe zone but for her to become more social,  you need some place that she can get up to that she thinks is safe out in the open.   Jackson Galaxy has some great videos on certification.

She is a beautiful (and big) cat!  And she looks like she has Catitude!