Friendly Cat?????

[Pam]

My daughter has a Ragdoll cat that I have written about in a previous post. He is not terribly friendly. She got him because of the reputation that Ragdolls have for being super affectionate and let's just say he does not fit the mold. She has now decided to look for a "buddy" for him because maybe that will help him to mellow out. She saw a cat at Pet Smart last night and was really drawn to him but is hoping he will be affectionate. I know there is no real way to tell, but I have heard that Maine Coon cats are super affectionate. Is that true? Does anyone else have any other thoughts on this? The cat at Pet Smart is not a Maine Coon. He is just a solid black male, but really caught her eye.

[Karen]

I really think the only way you can tell if a particular cat will be friendly is to interact with him/her. After all, Maine Coons are usually very friendly, but so are Ragdolls. You have your Ragdoll who doesn't fit the stereotype, and my brother has a Maine Coon mix (giant guy, lovely, etc.) whom I have never seen in person. He's friendly to my brother and his wife, but no one else. You might think there was no big yellow cat living there were it not for the tell-tale long yellow cat fur lying about - their other two cats, whom I HAVE met, are black, and black and white, so I know Pippin exists! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

Back to the subject, play with the kitten, see how he reacts to other cats, how he reacts to you, your daughter, etc. It's the only real way to tell, I think.

[Pam]

Thanks for your note Karen. My daughter went back to Pet Smart tonight to get the little black guy and he wasn't there. He had been adopted. Oh well, somewhere out there is another little cutie that will melt her heart. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

[4 feline house]

Karen is most definitely on target, in my opinion. Go to any shelter, and the friendlier cats are the ones talking to everyone who goes by, pushing their paws through the bars trying to touch the visitors. My son broke curfew and was sentenced to 20 hours volunteering at the city shelter. During the day the healthy, well-adjusted cats are allowed to roam instead of being confined in their cages. One day when I went to pick him up, he begged me to adopt a four month old yellow fluffy tabby. The little guy followed my son around his entire shift, talking to him the whole time. We brought him home, and Cosmo ended up being the friendliest, cuddliest, most lovable cat I have ever owned. He was a true "companion" animal. However, I'm not sure that adopting a friendly cat will make another withdrawn cat less aloof.

[Pam]

Spencer the post is under Cat Breeds.....July 11th. You have to go back a little in the archives. In fact I was just reading the post and you had responded with some of your thoughts. The post from that day goes into more detail of the problems she is having with him. This summer I went to her house when she was on vacation to feed him and take care of his litter box. Since she was not in the house, he mostly hid behind the rocker. I tried to play with him each time I went over, and after a while he did eventually come out and sort of play. He seems fearful of strangers and takes on an aggressive attitude when around them because I guess he is worried and nervous. He is more relaxed when she is on the premises, although he still won't play much with anyone other than her and if I try to pick him up he freaks. She can pick him up and hug him but he won't stay on her lap for long at all. It's sad because she went out of her way to find a cat with a reputation for being a lap cat. He is just not a cuddler. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/frown.gif

[Pam]

Oops it was July 15th!