Curious About My Cats Behavior

[bodisha]

Hello... and thanks in advance for anyone willing to reply to my question

I took a cat in about 3 years ago... I consider him a rescue because he had a rough history and I took him from some people rather than a shelter... But when I first got him he was pretty stand offish (He didn't like being pet'ed or held) and could be extremely aggressive (To the point he'd draw blood with his attacks)

Now I've worked with him to the point he doesn't resemble the cat I first took in... He's curious with new people and enjoys to cuddle... But he only enjoys cuddling at odd times & places... He only wants to cuddle with me during the day and only when I'm working in my chair at my desk

After a couple years he reached a point when it was obvious he wanted attention & affection during the day while I worked... But still seemed insecure about how to get what he wanted... So I started encouraging him to hop up on me... And after a while he's gained the confidence to hop up on me whenever he wants to be pet'ed and cuddle

At night he doesn't seem to have much interest in cuddling at all... If he comes near me when I'm on the couch and I pick him up... He'll entertain it for a second but then just hops off and moves on to something else

The problem is I sort of let the cuddle monster out of it's cage... lol... But only during the day for some reason.... he'll hop up on me 4-5 times a day and want to cuddle and be pet'ed up to 20 minutes at a time... Which I love! But it can add up and really eat into the time I spend working

So my issue is... I don't want to say I want to discourage him from hopping up on me during the day while I work... Because I don't want him to feel rejected.... But I kinda do... What I'd love is if I could figure out how to get him to show a stronger interest in me at night... Sort of spread out his "neediness" over the course of an entire day... So I can work with out as many interruptions

I'm hoping this makes sense... and I'm not just being unrealistic... I love my cat it's just that I love being able to make money to feed him and myself

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Feline Overlords (and Overladies), all of whom want what they want, and when they want it! I do have one suggestion that will help you get more work done...maybe. It worked (quite accidentlally) for me. Can you arrange a comfy cat bed next to your work space, about at desk level? That would give him a place to be besides your lap, where you can reach out for pets and snuggles, without utterly disrupting what you are doing? I fell onto this solution when I ended up with a daybed next to my desk, and Hekitty immediately took that over, rather than insisting on my lap. As for the night thing...no help there. They pretty much do what they want, when they want, but that can change without notice!

 

[neely]

When we adopted Neely she would headbutt me during the day, it was her way of giving affection. But at night she turned into an olympic athlete and only wanted to play. Once she reached kitty middle age she calmed down at night and would cuddle with me on the sofa while I read or watched tv. Just out of curiosity how old is your cat? Mamanyt1953 had a great idea about making a comfy cat bed next to your work space. Does he like catnip? If so, you might want to put a catnip toy on the floor to distract or occupy him while you're working.