Gifted a cat for xmas

[Naer]

Question, It's the opposite of how you're supposed to act towards a dog right?

With a dog, you're supposed to be the alpha

But with a cat, it's better to make him feel like the alpha

Is that correct?

Pics of said cat. His name is Cloud

 

[BurnItDwn]

Cloud is a handsome fellow!

They are very different from dogs. I don't really think there is an "alpha" concept like with dogs. (if you try to bark commands at them all the time, they will never bond with you and likely will be scared of you).

You can have rules and teach them more or less to follow house rules, for example. We dont let ours go on the kitchen table, if we catch them on the table then its a "get down" command followed by picking them up gently and placing them on the floor. We used to catch them on the table like 10 times per day, now, its like, a couple times per week.

They are not as easy to train as dogs, but, they learn the rules eventually. They dont always care about the rules though. They have a much more rebellious nature vs dogs.

Also, cats don't always come to you if you call them, even if they are attached and have a bond with you. Sometimes that random bird or squirrel they are watching is more interesting to them. (Or, they are sleeping and comfy and dont wanna move.)

 

[Naer]

Do cats like or dislike eye contact?

 

[Paperdoc]

They like eye contact. Often they will stare at you, hoping for direct contact and a friendly face. That is a cue to hop onto your lap for petting. Even across a room eye contact bay be seen as an invitation.

 

[lxskllr]

Talk to him lots. They like to be acknowledged, and they like hearing their name.

 

[brianmanahan]

your cat looks right at home on those keyboards!

 

[sdifox]

Don't worry, it will soon compose better than you.

 

[Geekbabe]

The cat is always in charge…they remember being worshipped as Gods…never forget this 😂

 

[Naer]

The cat isn't mine. My half brother lied to me. They will be leaving with the cat after holidays. They told me they will get me my own cat in the near future though.

 

[BurnItDwn]

The cat isn't mine. My half brother lied to me. They will be leaving with the cat after holidays. They told me they will get me my own cat in the near future though.

Im sorry man, I hope it was more of a misunderstanding than an intentional outright lie. That's not a nice thing for your brother to do to you.

 

[Indus]

your cat looks right at home on those keyboards!

Don't worry, it will soon compose better than you.

Van Halen cat!

 

[Indus]

The cat isn't mine. My half brother lied to me. They will be leaving with the cat after holidays. They told me they will get me my own cat in the near future though.

With cats.. remember you're the cats's pet! Not the other way around!

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Do cats like or dislike eye contact?

Both.

If a cat stares at you unblinking it wants to kill you or is very, very scared.

If a cat stares at you, blinks slowly a few times, then turns its head away, it’s saying it trusts you and considers you family. (You are safe enough to ignore. Being ignored by a cat is honestly their best compliment.)

Alpha theory w/r/t dogs is debunked BS. Dogs see you as the “boss” because it reliably gets them fed, and we teach them fun games. That earns us the benefit of the doubt (they’ll do what we tell them without an immediate obvious reward) and there’s a heavy dose of operant conditioning with most highly trained dogs. Plus they live very in the moment and forgive/forget very easily. But, if you violate the social contract often enough they will either run away or attack you.

Cats have a flat social hierarchy. In places where food is plentiful, they congregate into colonies, and share work like finding food for each other, raising kittens, etc. everybody coparents, everybody helps everyone else. They’re basically anarcho-communists.

Because they are both predatory and prey animals in the wild, they learn very quickly what is dangerous or unpleasant and stay the fuck away from it, so any kind of “punishment” will very quickly teach a cat to stay away from you, and that relationship can take years to repair.

 

[Geekbabe]

The cat isn't mine. My half brother lied to me. They will be leaving with the cat after holidays. They told me they will get me my own cat in the near future though.

Gasp.. what a miserable thing to do 😱 I am so 😞 sorry. Go out & adopt a cat as soon as you can ❤️

 

[balloonshark]

My sister has 4 cats and each of them have their own personalities. She has one very shy and anxious cat. It has taken 8 years but it will walk up to me, stretch out one paw, and when I reach for her she will turn around so I can scratch her back. She is still very skittish so no sudden moves or she bolts. Her sister started doing the same thing last week lol. Now all of the cats are cool with me. The small "alpha" can even insists on napping in my small duffel bag when I visit.

 

[Red Squirrel]

That's a crappy thing for them to have done to you, but there are lot of cats at the shelter looking for a home, so might be a good time to go check. If you think you can afford it (extra vet bills, more food etc) get two of them, so they keep each other company.

 

[Naer]

Just a misunderstanding I guess. Kinda wished I didn't make multiple threads on this all over the internet though(saying it was staying with me)

 

[dave_the_nerd]

If you want a cat they’re pretty easy to get.

 

[lxskllr]

 

[Naer]

I actually don't want one badely or anything like that. My father has cats and he was telling me what great pets they are. I was also told that it's a great pet for introverts, while dogs are great for extroverts.

Also they're pretty cheap to attain(the actual cat) easier to care for than an aquarium, and they are abundant in the world. I was told they euthanize them because they're too many of them. I was also told that they could stay indoors, never have to walk them. I was also told they go to the bathroom in a litter box and not on the floor

Here's Cloud getting my attention while I'm on the computer. Walking all over my gaming mousepad

https://imgur.com/s4EENUO

https://imgur.com/EdV17Ht

 

[Naer]

It won't be a big deal if I don't get a cat.

I was worried about a cat breaking or damaging something in the place while I'm out

But now that I think about it, I live like a hermit most of the time these days so I can take care of those issues.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I have eight cats. Feel free to ask questions.

The staring thing is accurate, if they stare unblinking they're paying very close attention which is usually not great unless you're doing something new (which is scary). Don't stare at them either, blink to show you're cool and they'll relax.

If you need to train behaviors, stop them from doing a thing and make them do something they don't like. Example: I have a cat that jumps on the counter, to train her I always stop what I'm doing when I see it and put her on a specific chair she has no interest being on. Every. Single. Time. She learning not to do it because it always results in the same thing.

If you ever have need to integrate more cats I highly recommend getting actual 6wk old freshly weaned kittens. You can integrate adults/adolescents but you never know when you'll end up with that one that just flatly refuses to integrate with other cats (I got one of those, it sucks).

 

[Indus]

I have eight cats. Feel free to ask questions.

The staring thing is accurate, if they stare unblinking they're paying very close attention which is usually not great unless you're doing something new (which is scary). Don't stare at them either, blink to show you're cool and they'll relax.

If you need to train behaviors, stop them from doing a thing and make them do something they don't like. Example: I have a cat that jumps on the counter, to train her I always stop what I'm doing when I see it and put her on a specific chair she has no interest being on. Every. Single. Time. She learning not to do it because it always results in the same thing.

If you ever have need to integrate more cats I highly recommend getting actual 6wk old freshly weaned kittens. You can integrate adults/adolescents but you never know when you'll end up with that one that just flatly refuses to integrate with other cats (I got one of those, it sucks).

Do those cheetahs, pumas, jaguars, panthers, tigers, leopards, lions and bobcats get along??

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Do those cheetahs, pumas, jaguars, panthers, tigers, leopards, lions and bobcats get along??

Most of them, yes. One of them, no. He's closer to a bobcat than anything else, very territorial and does not permit other animals. If the situation came up he'd probably be one of those cats that fought a bear off the property.

 

[Naer]

Is it ok just to get one kitten? Are they really necessarily happier if their paired with 2 or more?

Cloud is just resting on a bed rite now. He knocked something over last night climbing on things. I really have to cat proof the place if I go threw with taking in a cat.