Anyone else with a cat who jumps on your shoulders?

Our cat Festus seems to have this compulsive need to jump on shoulders (me and my husband - not our daughter, fortunately). When the mood strikes him, he will literally follow us around the house until we let him jump up (or he'll just surprise us at times). He'll sit up there for a minute - sometimes content, but sometimes he'll just spring off our shoulders and run like a bat out of hell around the house. Why does he do this? It's one of his endearing quirks, but of course it's been painful at times (esp. in the summer when we're wearing light clothing and his claws dig in).

Just curious if anyone else has a kitty who does this and if you have any insight re: why they do it?

Noelle

My cat does this with my boyfriend because he taught her to! We keep her claws trimmed, so it's not really painful. It's kind of cute to see them walking around the house like this.

If it's something he's started doing on it's own, it's probably because of a cat's compulsive need to get up high to keep an eye on things. Tak ocassionally uses us as a springboard to interesting things we keep up high!

I would suggest trimming his claws (not declawing, though!), or just putting him down when he tries to get up there if it is bothering you!

Originally Posted by Malakaiii

My cat does this with my boyfriend because he taught her to! We keep her claws trimmed, so it's not really painful. It's kind of cute to see them walking around the house like this.

If it's something he's started doing on it's own, it's probably because of a cat's compulsive need to get up high to keep an eye on things. Tak ocassionally uses us as a springboard to interesting things we keep up high!

I would suggest trimming his claws (not declawing, though!), or just putting him down when he tries to get up there if it is bothering you!

Click to expand...

Yes I wold agree with Malakaiii, It makes good sense that he would want to high-up to keep an eye on things around him! Jackson also does the same thing, But he only does this when my boyfriend and I kneel down or bend over to do something...LOL scared the crap outta be the 1st couple of times, now it is kinda cute. I totally agree, keep the nails tripped of your precious kitty if you are going to let him continue his shoulder snuggles! LOL good luck!
J&J

Prue does that too! she does that when i get home from work, when i get on the computer. she likes to perch there and lick my ears,lol.

My black boy, Loomis, does this and it can scare you to death. It is just as if a black hairball has fallen out of the sky- it is so random and unexpected.
That's why we named him Loomis- he LOOMS up on you out of nowhere.

Ahhhhh You have a shoulder rider!!! I had an abyssinian who was a shoulder rider! He also used to walk the tops of doors! Tommy crossed the bridge 2 years and we miss him dearly.

Jamie has been doing it since he was little. He's not a lap cat, he's a "shoulder cat". He loves to drape himself across our shoulders and lick our ears/heads. Cats like to be in high places, so it's not surprising that many prefer to ride around on shoulders.

Yes. Pudge has loved riding on my shoulders since she was a tiny squeaky kitten. She will purr in my ears, walk from one to the other, and stretch out across them for a nap. She's gotten very good at jumping up there from the floor without using her claws.

Kanoe is a shoulder cat. She especially loves ridng with my fh as he's got broad shoulders and a coat that offers good grip. It's only in the last couple months that I've been able to pick her up without her going immediately for my shoulder, and then only if I pick her up ONE special way! I have to sort of scoop her up with both arms around her legs rather than under from the tummy and supporting her hinny. Funny girl.

Our OTB cat Max was the ultimate shoulder rider - after being gone for about 8 years now, my husband still has permanent scratch marks on his shoulder from where he would hang on for the ride.

Muddy does this to us now, but likes the left shoulder better than the right. He will also jump into your arms unexpectedly if he wants up and you don't pick him up right away. Gotta love these guys!