My 7 month hold hates being held...but he's so nice and cute...

[plan]

My cat is somewhat similar:

He will absolutely not tolerate being held or being picked up. If I absolutely must pick him up, he WILL claw or bite after a few seconds. The vast majority of the time I use other methods to, say, get him out of a room where he shouldn't be. That's very easy -- bait him with treats or a wand toy, throw something shiny or interesting out of the room, or simply close the door and wait the 15 seconds or so it'll take for him to cry to be let out.

However...on his own terms, he will snuggle up with me on the couch, and he sleeps with my every night, like he has to be in physical contact with me or something. He will burrow into my side or into the "valley" between my legs, above the blanket. But he is a pretty reliable snuggler with the couch as well. If I'm watching a movie, he'll almost always jump up onto the couch with me.

I have noticed that he's been getting more snuggly the older he gets. He will be 2 years old in a couple weeks. So like others have said, your cat could mellow out. And you can help him along by putting treats on your lap, or next to you on the couch. That would be a good start.

 

[jenleeds]

Plan - that's interesting - I am noticing the same thing with him.  He comes over (on his own terms) to sit right up against me, between me and the laptop.  And, he did actually sleep with me once...next to me kinda... just walking all on top looking for a spot.  I woke up w/ him in the closet - but he was there for a while.  

How do you get a cat like this in the carrier?  Right now, he has another eye infection that lysine isn't helping ... I'm afriad it is off to the vet on sun or mon...  but picking him up to get him in the carrier is not gonna be easy, unless I get a suit of armor

Also, have you ever had to give a cat like this eye drops?  granted, they ALL hate that - but he will devour my arms and hands if I even can catch him to do it (and his eye aren't looking good at all right now).  Somehow my vet tech can do it like it's feeding candy to a baby... but if I do it - all hell breaks loose!

Oh for the breed question, he's VERY vocal - like my old cat... same 20 second long meows, and very dog -like when I wake up in the AM or come home. So, there's that.  I don't really "care" what breed he is - i was just interested in what he might look like grown up, but it's hard to tell even that if I knew the breed.  On another note, Royal Canin sells "siamese cat food" but I don't think there would be a  point to buy such expensive food for a cat that isn't even necessarily that breed.  He's so long haired, I might look into long haired / hairball prevention food if that is an issue - but I haven't really had to deal with it yet.  

 

[plan]

To be honest, I've never had a problem getting Bud into his carrier. He kinda likes it, and it was one of his napping spots when he was a kitten. I can't claim any credit for that, he's just a weird cat with his own unique personality quirks.

However, maybe you can keep the open carrier next to or behind your cat's food bowls, and put treats in there. You don't even have to do it while he's looking -- if he randomly finds treats in there fairly often, he'll want to check it out regularly. That is the one thing I did to reinforce that the carrier was okay.

As for the eye drops, I wish I had a good answer. In a way, it's like trimming claws. Bud hates that and will do his best to claw his way out of my grip, even though it's been 2 years and he KNOWS it's gonna last all of 3 minutes and be over with quickly, without any pain. He just doesn't like it.

So the best thing I can suggest is to wait until your cat is really relaxed and mellow, when he's been napping for a while, yawning and generally not inclined to expend energy. But yeah, that sounds like a tough one. I hope he's okay. Good luck.

 

[molly92]

If you can train him to go into the carrier on his own with treats and food, that'd be wonderful. Otherwise, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck is probably going to be the best way to handle this guy to drop him in a carrier. If you have a top loading one, it's much easier. Scruffing is not similar to the scooping up motion that he might be used to for eye drops, which is good, and it's how mothers carry their kittens as well.

I have not needed to use it myself, but from skimming through this thread http://www.thecatsite.com/t/267703/stubborn-herpes-infection-add-lactoferrin-in-addition-to-lysine, it seems maybe he'd do better with lactoferrin. A recent scientific review showed that lysine did not help herpes infections like we thought it did, so if you're not seeing any improvement there's probably not much point to keeping with it. But the lactoferrin seems to have helped some cats with weepy eyes.

The Siamese food sounds like a total marketing gimmick to me! I wouldn't waste any money on it. The ingredients are terrible, anyway-full of rice, corn, and wheat. For hairballs, the best prevention is regular brushing to get the excess fur off, if he'll let you! 

 

[Elfilou]

Oh speaking of the cat tree - yeah he likes to be pet on there, and he's really friendly when he's on there too - like yours.  Maybe it's something about being high up that makes them feel more secure?  I know cats get threatened by being picked up because that is what a predator would do.  

I read an atricle on how cats don't seem to have seperate "boxes" in their heads for us, humans. They behaviorally treat us like cats - unlike dogs, who change their behavior quite dramatically when humans enter the room.
But cat's aren't stupid, they know we're huge (and clumsy!) in comparison to them! That's why i think they feel more secure when theyre on 'our level'. When we lay down with them, let them on the desk, or stand by them as they sit on the cat tree.

I always make sure Elfie knows when I'm going to pick her up. I reach out my arms, then she can decide whether to leave or not. If she very clearly turns her head away from me, I won't pick her up. I try to have as much physical dialogue with her to let her know -I'll only do this under your terms-. Even when brushing (shes a Persian so needs to happen every day) she has an option to leave. She doesn't like it when I brush anywhere near her butt but she knows, if I sit through this I'll get a treat. I think, tbh, either cats will come to you on their own - or you need to trick them into thinking it was their own idea. Like putting treats in the carrier like someone suggested. Lol, I've done the same with my Elfie and leave the carrier open under a table in one of the bedrooms. She sleeps there every once in a while.

Still can't wait when til when she finally decides its okay to sit on top of me, instead of snuggle onto me. But if it never happens, I'm okay with that. I get enough cuddles through other ways!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Good luck to you with your little beauty.  There is this to think of, as well, there are cats, and cats, and cats, and everyone of them is different...and every one of them is perfectly able to change their likes and dislikes, almost on a whim.  Also, your boy is a teenager.  Now, I reared two teenaged humans.  One of them was interested in family life in general, and enjoyed spending time with me, but wasn't at all comfortable with Mom hugging him.  The other, just a year younger, held my hand in public until he moved away at the age of 22.  There's no accounding for it.

So far as cats go, my Hekitty was not a fan of cuddling or snuggling until she was almost four years old, and even now it has to be on her terms.  Just...go with the flow, Darlin.  It's all we can do!

 

[DreamerRose]

Mingo is just like your kitty. He is very active during the day and just plain doesn't have time to snuggle. He follows me everywhere and is always nearby. I discovered he is more affectionate in the evening when he's sleepy and will then climb in my lap for a while. He doesn't like me reading a book, however; turning the pages annoys him, and he will climb up on the back of the chair and sleep there. He used to like to arm wrestle, which I  discouraged because I got too scratched up. Lately, when I sit on the bed to dress or undress, he will hop on my arm as if to wrestle, then flip over and put my thumb in his mouth. He suckles a little and has a blissful look on his face, happily purring. He loves this if I keep moving a little. It must remind him of being a kitten. Anyway, I seize the opportunity to snuggle and hold him.

 

[donutte]

My boys are close to 9-1/2 months now (goodness, where has the time gone?) and they are not cuddlers at all during the day. At night though, when I'm in bed, they're all over me. Oliver likes to crawl between my arm and torso. He's the closest thing to a cuddler I've got. Penelopy is the closest thing to a lap cat that I have, but that's a recent phenomenon. Then there's Oscar. He's such a big sweetheart, but is neither a big cuddler nor a lap cat. But he will follow you around like nobody's business looking for you to pet him! As long as you don't grab him or pick him up, it's all good.

 

[jenleeds]

Thanks again for the posts.  It's an interesting topic, isn't  it?  He jumped on my bed the other night and was walking around to find a spot.  I think you're on to something about the night.  It's weird because technically that's when they would hunt (from what I understand of their natural circadian rhythm), but maybe they adjust to our schedules.  When I wake up in the AM, he is all over me and meowing loud and circling me - like he was sad I left him...or maybe he's hungry (but I leave a bit of dry food out and it's rarely finished).  So, that's cute.  My other cat would go crazy until I let him just sleep with me.  I have mild cat allergies, and it gets a little worse when they are in my bed.  (People think I am nuts for having cats with allergies, but I use the sinus rinse bottle and it's not that bad).  

I did take him to the vet for his goopy eye... and I got a vicious scratch or bite in the process - with a big black & blue welt under...god knows how he did that.  He turned satanic when I picked him up.  I just screwed up by letting him see the carrier and then he was completely nuts.   He got a long acting antibiotic shot from the vet, but she thinks it may just be viral - so the shot is sort of preventative of a double infection. If it is herpes, I really hope his immune system will keep it at bay as he ages.  He never gave it to my other cat...or at least, my other cat never had an outbreak.  His foster mom said the whole family had it, but his was a little worse. He's possibly has a strain of something resistant to doxycycline and tobradex altogether by now...if it is not just viral.  (The triple antibiotic drops worked well before, though). 

We tried a long acting antibiotic shot and she did the stain to make sure it wasn't scratched again.  fortunately, it is not.   It's sad he keeps getting these occurrences.  There's no way I can put the drops in...but he can go in for medical bording for a week (for about $150, a discount since the vet is someone i grew up with!).  Thanks Molly for the lactoferrin info.  I have to read that thread, but I haven't found much about it for cats (for sale).  I'll ask my vet.  

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Be sure to keep a close eye on that "scratch or bite."  If it's a scratch, you're probably ok with some antibiotic ointment, but bites are notorious for becoming infected.  At the first sign of it becoming red and puffy, or "weepy," scoot on the the doctor's office or ER, whichever you can best manage.  Don't take chances.

 

[Caspers Human]

Be sure to keep a close eye on that "scratch or bite."  If it's a scratch, you're probably ok with some antibiotic ointment, but bites are notorious for becoming infected.  At the first sign of it becoming red and puffy, or "weepy," scoot on the the doctor's office or ER, whichever you can best manage.  Don't take chances.

"Cat Scratch Fever" isn't just a song by Ted Nugent! It's a real disease called lymphoreticulosis!
If you ever get bitten or scratched by a cat, a dog or any other animal, wash it with soap and hot water, use a disinfectant like alcohol and bandage it up, right away. If it gets the least bit infected, get thee to a physician, post haste!

 

[catminionjess]

I'm sorry you got bit or scratched getting your little guy in the carrier! I suggest putting on a sweatshirt or something with long sleeves if you need to wrangle a difficult cat into the carrier. I do this with Boogie Bear sometimes. She hisses and grumbles, swats at me and runs off when she realizes I'm about to grab her and put her in the carrier. So I usually end up chasing her around the house until I can catch her. Then I'm able to scruff her by the back of her neck and put her in the carrier. I have a hard sided once that opens from the front and from the top. I can just drop her in from the top, shut the gate and latch it quickly. As many times as she's scratched me picking her up, she's never scratched the vet or vet techs. Grumbles the whole time though. Oddly she often hangs out in her carrier on her own.

Jumbo also hates the carrier. He was unfortunately de-clawed by someone before I found him. So he can't scratch me struggling to get him into the carrier. He actually hurts himself once in the carrier. He freaks out and bangs his face against the gate trying to get out. I had to get a soft sided carrier for him. It also opens from the front and top. With him, I scoop him up and load him in from the front and zip it up real quick. He still bangs his face against the sides, but he can't hurt himself in the soft one. I've tried treats to lure them, but it didn't really work with kitties. I do keep the 2 carriers out in the living room though. 

I don't have an experience with eye drops on cats or cat herpes. Ear drops and oral antibiotics were bad enough in the past. I have to pill Pepcid for Jumbo now twice a day and that's not fun. But I'm sure it's easier than eye drops. Good luck there! Hopefully the antibiotic he just got will help him.

 

[bobkater]

Putting a cat into a carrier is not a simple thing that you just do as the need arises. You’ve got to get him used to it beforehand gradually and patiently, making him associate it with agreeable experiences, lie treats, rather than visits to the vet.

 

[plan]

 
Be sure to keep a close eye on that "scratch or bite."  If it's a scratch, you're probably ok with some antibiotic ointment, but bites are notorious for becoming infected.  At the first sign of it becoming red and puffy, or "weepy," scoot on the the doctor's office or ER, whichever you can best manage.  Don't take chances.

What's the worst that can happen? I'm asking seriously, because my cat treats me like a scratching post and a buffet.

I know he doesn't mean it, and he never really learned his limits in terms of play, but regardless I almost always have scratch and bite marks from him. I just looked now and was surprised to see only two small scratch marks, because sometimes it looks like I've been in a fight with someone who had a knife.

 

[DreamerRose]

Bites and scratches can become infected, as said, or give you cat scratch fever if you're never had it. Frankly, most people have had the fever if they been around cats before, so they are immune to further exposures. My cat is very similar to yours, and my arms were covered with scratches and bites for over a year when I first got him, and I never had a single infection and presumably had scratch fever as a child. Mingo has learned not to be so rough, so I rarely get a scratch now. The chances of any infections are slim.

 

[Caspers Human]

 
Frankly, most people have had the fever if they been around cats before, so they are immune to further exposures.

It's a low-grade infection that, most often, resolves on its own.  The only times when it becomes a problem is for the very young, very old, those who are already sick with something else or people with compromised/suppressed immune systems.

Most people who have cats have had the fever and probably don't even know it. 

 

[molly92]

 
What's the worst that can happen? I'm asking seriously, because my cat treats me like a scratching post and a buffet.

I know he doesn't mean it, and he never really learned his limits in terms of play, but regardless I almost always have scratch and bite marks from him. I just looked now and was surprised to see only two small scratch marks, because sometimes it looks like I've been in a fight with someone who had a knife.

If you ever get a deep, puncture bite, that's what you want to be really careful to clean well and keep a very good eye on, because that is the most likely to get infected. If it did get infected, you'd need to go to the ER and they'd put you on antibiotics. But you'd know if a wound wasn't healing right. It would get red and swollen and might have pus and feel warm. If untreated you could develop a fever and then, worst case scenario, sepsis, septic shock, and death. Not at all likely to happen and easily preventable if you seek treatment for an infected wound, and your body does a pretty good job of keeping infections at bay to begin with. But that would be, since you asked, the worst that could happen.

 

[anmllvr]

This is a comment more to the original post than some of the ones that follow.  Does your cat like to be brushed?  I have a cat who detests being picked up and petted, but LOVES to be brushed-go figure.  But it is a great way for us to bond and gave me the feel good vibes of cuddling, without the cuddling. 

 

[Mamanyt1953]

 
What's the worst that can happen? I'm asking seriously, because my cat treats me like a scratching post and a buffet.

I know he doesn't mean it, and he never really learned his limits in terms of play, but regardless I almost always have scratch and bite marks from him. I just looked now and was surprised to see only two small scratch marks, because sometimes it looks like I've been in a fight with someone who had a knife.

As has been stated, with a scratch, probably nothing.  In healthy adults even cat scratch fever is generally a mild, flu like infection, and then you are immune.  The issue is really with deep bites, which can, and fairly frequently do, become infected.  These infections can be extremely serious.  If your cat bites you, squeeze the wounds to make them bleed freely, wash and disinfect, and watch for pussy (as in puss-filled, not cat-shaped, lol) swelling and redness.  If this occurs, go to the ER for treatment.  MOST OFTEN it does not, but best to be watchful and safe.

 

[neve]

i, too, am heartbroken cuz I can't pick up my cat. She's a red-point Siamese that I got from a Siamese Rescue center 1-1/2 years ago when she was about a year old. It was several months before she let me pet her but now she's addicted to being petted - as long as I'm sitting or lying down. Recently, she started sleeping with me - or rather she hops on the bed when I turn out the light and plops down next to me for a  petting session. She so loves to be petted that i can't sit and knit cuz she's demanding that I pet her. She runs out of a room when I enter; in fact, any time i'm standing/walking, she takes off like a rocket. When I get on the floor with her, she takes off (leaving me, at 80, struggling to get up again

2015 Apr Neve on windowsill.JPG

• neve
• May 31, 2015