Cat Owner - Tumblr Posts
omg cat person thing
*reblogs*
Have you never spent a lot of time around cats but want to be friends with one? Some cat communication basics. Because I feel like it.
A cat approaching you doesn’t necessarily mean they want pets. They may just be inspecting you or hanging out.
If you want to pet a cat you need to ask permission first. The way you do this is you offer a finger or the back of your hand for them to smell. If the cat wants to be pet they’ll generally push their face or head and neck into your hand. If they don’t want to be pet they’ll generally walk away or just sit down.
Cats will usually ask for pets by rubbing up against you or possibly standing at your feet and meowing. When you think a cat is asking for pets hold your hand out and see if they rub up against you. That means they want pets. If they start walking away with purpose instead that means they want to show you something. If they meander off that just means they’re hanging out. No pets needed.
If a cat likes the way you’re petting them they’ll probably lean into it. If they like it a lot and you stop they might try to pull you back over with a paw. They might also squint close their eyes. If they don’t like it they’ll lean away or swipe at you a bit or show their teeth if they really don’t like it.
When they’re done being pet or sitting in your lap they’ll probably just peacefully walk away. This is good. They trust you but they’re done hanging out now. If their ears flatten or they start bristling and hissing you’ve done something very wrong or they’re afraid of you and it’s probably best to leave them be.
A relaxed cat’s ears usually point forward and are upright. If their ears flatten or point back they’re angry or scared and they’re serious.
Cats can purr for any number of reasons. If they’re sitting on your lap with completely relaxed posture (in a loaf with tail curled up, eyes happily squinted closed, maybe actively looking for pets from you and giving little cat hugs in the form of rubbing their face on you) that’s probably a sign of contentment. They can also purr to calm themselves down or try to heal themselves or others. Purring is one of those things that needs the surrounding context to be understood.
When a cat shows their stomach they’re comfortable around you but not looking for pets. Most cats don’t like belly scratches. Some do, but if you try to scratch a cat’s belly and they start acting angry it’s because from their perspective you’re the one violating personal boundaries here.
If a cat doesn’t like being picked up they’ll probably start struggling. If they’re very stressed out they may get violent but if they know you that probably won’t be their first choice unless said cat has a short temper. If the cat is neutral to happy about being held they probably won’t do anything at all. You can carefully drop cats when you’re done holding them. In fact they may prefer that to being carefully set down depending on the cat. Angle them down just a little when you drop them so they can land on their front paws first. This also gives them a bit of warning that they’re about to be dropped.
Most cats won’t lick you but if they do they’re trying to groom you. This means they see you as part of the family. This is fine. A bit weird but they’re trying to help.
If you try to act like you’re small and out of the way and avoid eye contact with a cat, the cat will see this as an invitation to hang out. This is why if you don’t understand or like cats and try to avoid them at parties or at friends houses they might try to hang out with you a lot. Lots of eye contact and making a lot of noise and making yourself bigger is the way to scare a cat off. Slow blinking and not acting excited is an open invitation.
Some cats have been trained a little bit by their owners. They aren’t obedient 100% of the time like dogs but they can be trained to know what some things mean and get accustomed to certain situations. Cats can be trained to like a certain noise like kissy noises or tongue clicking by making those noises when you feed or pet them when they’re young. It can also be demonstrated to them that patting the couch or other surface next to you is an invitation to come over. These are the most common things most house cats that grew up with humans know about. You can also ask their owner if there’s a noise they come to but if you don’t know, kissy noises, tongue clicking, or the cat’s name or saying something like “here kitty kitty” are the most common things a cat might understand as a request to come over.
When playing with a cat, moving your hand around on the ground for them to pounce on, waving a feather toy around, rolling a ball towards them, etc. they generally won’t use their claws. If they want to play they’ll start playing. This can look like their eyes going wide and them paying attention to the plaything, doing the prey butt wiggle, and swiping at the toy. If they don’t want to play they usually just won’t react to what you’re doing or watch you with disinterest and neutral eyes.
I’ve been around my cat enough that she now has a distinct smell to me…. And that smell is her breath I can smell it right after she cleans herself and it’s now the smell I’ve associated with her specifically
“Home Is Where The Meow Is”
Feline Lovers Saying, Short Cat Quotes, Cat Lover and owner Quotes, Cat Aesthetic Wallpaper Quotes
"a cat is a puzzle for which there is no solution" Hazel Nicholson's Quote.
Summer vibes wallpaper for your phone! These wallpapers feature the purrfect combination of cute Pink cat and refreshing summer fruit watermelon
A Siamese kitten amidst a vibrant field of sunflowers.
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Be Kind To Your Mind Affirmation
We're getting kinda close to October so a little upsetting remember - if you have a black cat keep them inside on and around halloween
The reason is pretty bad and kinda gory so I put it under the cut
Since black cats are associated with evil and witches, people will kill them, abuse them and/or perform rituals on them in October
Some people have kidnapped cats and killed them, or tied fireworks to them, some people have done rituals and 'sacrificed' them
Most pet shops/animal rescues won't let people adopt cats around halloween because of the sick things people do to them (and because the ones that live usually get sent back right after halloween)
It's sick and so wrong, I keep my cat in for most of the month because I don't want him in danger and I should not have to do that. So protect your cats, don't be a dick and happy halloween
This is different from my usual content, but the cat distribution system is a strange concept because even when I adopted my cat from a pet store, it was under somewhat strange circumstances. When I was 9 years old (oh jesus, we've had this cat for ten years now), my mom and I just decided to look at the cats the petsmart had available. We weren't prepared to adopt at all, not even planning to, and then we saw our cat and it was over. We had to wrestle a little bit with the manager and then next thing we knew we were taking a cat home. It feels like the laws of the universe or whatever deemed it necessary that we be bestowed a cat.
Here's the asshole in question:
ID: two pictures of a fluffy tuxedo cat. On the left, the cat in question has her white belly exposed, her head upturned and her front paws curled. The second image captures the cat mid-yawn, creating the visual of a 'screaming' cat, and she's laying on a three toned rug. End ID
Her name is Diamond and she's a dipshit and an absolute menace. Yes she still has all four legs even though it doesn't look like it in the first photo lol
You know that thing where protestors chain themselves to a tree so it can’t get chopped down? That’s what my cats do with the boxes in the recycling
I hope my cats are happy. I learned a new skill just for them!
When sleeping, I keep myself just conscious enough to hear what's going on around me. I'm also able to keep a bit of control over movement like that. (It came in very handy while in school)
Because I can still move a bit like that, I can now pet my cats while I'm asleep.
As anyone ever actually written out Cat Rules™ or are they just a thing that all cat owners know instinctually??
I need to pee.
My cat laid next to me.
I thought I could get away with moving, but she got more comfortable and laid on my leg.
...
