Cat Chat 2

[Thalassic]

i have been a “dog person” for forever as i always found dogs friendlier, but for some reason recently i’ve been finding myself loving cats. however, how are cats’ temperaments? I’m looking into adoption but I’m wondering how I could get a more “cuddly” sociable, “dog-like” cat. would it be beneficial to get a kitten to develop such a relationship? any tips, cat owners?

The first thing that you have to realize is that you will be getting a cat. While, yes, some owners will say their cats do things we typically expect of dogs, it doesn't change the fact that the vast majority of cats will never be like dogs, and if you go into this expecting a dog, you're just going to be disappointed.
Secondly, each cat is an individual and will have a personality of its own. There are cats out there who are complete sweethearts who love cuddles, but probably just as many cats who can be mean and not like physical contact. It has to do with their own personality as well as how they were raised/how they grew up. So the only way to really know what you will be getting, is to adopt an adult cat. Yeah, kittens are amazing and watching a little one grow up and become a beautiful adult is wonderful, but just like with any human child, you can never guess what they will be like as adults. So if there are specific characteristics you are looking for, I'd suggest going to shelters in your area, and asking them about the personalities of their adult cats to see if any match what you want.

[Kira Nightblade]

Honestly I think the reason why most dogs are more friendly then most cats, is because dogs sort of have an easier life? They get more attention, and a lot of cats have rough lives

[Sixx O'Clock]

i have been a “dog person” for forever as i always found dogs friendlier, but for some reason recently i’ve been finding myself loving cats. however, how are cats’ temperaments? I’m looking into adoption but I’m wondering how I could get a more “cuddly” sociable, “dog-like” cat. would it be beneficial to get a kitten to develop such a relationship? any tips, cat owners?

I would strongly recommend you go into a shelter and ask to do a "meet and greet" with some of the cats. All cats are individuals, and the only way you'll be able to tell what kind of temperament a cat has is to spend time with it. And I don't mean to just do one visit and base your choice off of that one interaction, it would really be better to visit multiple times, figure out which cats you think you like more, and spend time with them so you get an idea of their personality. Most shelters will have no problem with you visiting the same cats multiple times, and some of the staff might be able to give you an idea of what a certain cat is like because they spend a lot of time around them.

[blazesong]

i have been a “dog person” for forever as i always found dogs friendlier, but for some reason recently i’ve been finding myself loving cats. however, how are cats’ temperaments? I’m looking into adoption but I’m wondering how I could get a more “cuddly” sociable, “dog-like” cat. would it be beneficial to get a kitten to develop such a relationship? any tips, cat owners?

go to a rescue, even as kittens you can see hints of there adult personality but an adult will be easyer to find what you want.
staff and vollenteers should know wich cats like to have cuddles and wich don't some shelters even work on geting kittens use to being picked up (this is what i do). also remember that a cat hiding isnt also an unfriendley, two cats where i vollie are shy but love cuddles from people they know, theses cats will take time to get to know you when you frist take them home.

shy kittens (iv had 2 , one now 12 the other 11 months) can become social to owners/family members and love cuddles and pats from them but shy away from everyone els,this takes work to do and sometimes other animals can help (12 year old was shy till we got the dog)
if you want a cuddle monster ask a staff or vollie if any of the cats jump on to laps for cuddles, see if they will let you watch them interact with the cat so you can see them with someone who they know,

[Thalassic]

Honestly I think the reason why most dogs are more friendly then most cats, is because dogs sort of have an easier life? They get more attention, and a lot of cats have rough lives

It's probably more about our shared history with them. Dogs benefited from becoming out friends and companions, protecting us, being friendly, etc, since thats the kind of dog that would get bred and kept around. Cats, however, were used mostly to hunt rodents so they weren't required to have quite the same characteristics. That's probably why many cats are sometimes friendly but mostly independent - their ancestors didn't need to love of humans to ensure their next meal, they needed simply to be a good hunter and to not be completely hated by them.
Most of the vocalizations cats use towards humans are actually unique, and not sounds they would use to communicate with other cats. They have learned less to rely on physical attention but more that making noises at humans = getting human attention.
Obviously cats have been bred a lot by us as well, but more so for their physical traits (breeds and colors) than their personality.

So tl;dr they simply haven't needed to be our friends throughout history in the same way that dogs did. That doesn't mean they individual cats under good care and lots of love can't appreciate human attention, affection and return it, of course. Just that they will always be fundamentally different from dogs.

[Gizmutt]

i have been a “dog person” for forever as i always found dogs friendlier, but for some reason recently i’ve been finding myself loving cats. however, how are cats’ temperaments? I’m looking into adoption but I’m wondering how I could get a more “cuddly” sociable, “dog-like” cat. would it be beneficial to get a kitten to develop such a relationship? any tips, cat owners?

I would strongly recommend you go into a shelter and ask to do a "meet and greet" with some of the cats. All cats are individuals, and the only way you'll be able to tell what kind of temperament a cat has is to spend time with it. And I don't mean to just do one visit and base your choice off of that one interaction, it would really be better to visit multiple times, figure out which cats you think you like more, and spend time with them so you get an idea of their personality. Most shelters will have no problem with you visiting the same cats multiple times, and some of the staff might be able to give you an idea of what a certain cat is like because they spend a lot of time around them.

While meet and greets are good, shelters are odd, stressful environments for animals. It's nearly impossible to gauge an animals personality in a brief meet and greet, especially in a shelter.
I worked in a rescue for many, many years. We had several cats placed with us, because people went to a shelter, picked up a cat that started purring and it was like there was instant love between them. Except that wasn't the case. Cats also purr when they are afraid/uncomfortable trying to neutralize a stressful situation. These cats would be loving and purring in the shelter, and then be scared, unfriendly or especially aloof once set into their new home.

In short, you can not gauge an animals personality in a short meet and greet, especially in a setting like a shelter.
I know you stressed several visits , which is a good idea. Or perhaps ask about fosters- I know those animals tend to be more expensive .. but they have more opportunity to really gauge an animals real personality.

[plane]

thank you all for the helpful advice! yes, i had my eye on several cats at our local adoption center which has a very good reputation. i'm definitely looking for more of a cuddle monster kind of cat so i'll definitely keep that in mind when talking with staff. it's also my first pet (other than fish, bleurgh) so i think it'd be nice to get one that's more easy to work with.

[ShadowySun]

This is my kitty burrito and i love him to death
And this is my other kitty Pixie who is the cutest thing in the world![img]https://drive.google.com/a/isd12.org/file/d/1t5-vbHzyoDbKeAN3KAoLx_WpDy4Nl-Th/view?usp=drivesdk
[/img]

[Thalassic]

thank you all for the helpful advice! yes, i had my eye on several cats at our local adoption center which has a very good reputation. i'm definitely looking for more of a cuddle monster kind of cat so i'll definitely keep that in mind when talking with staff. it's also my first pet (other than fish, bleurgh) so i think it'd be nice to get one that's more easy to work with.

You could try asking your shelter if they might allow you to foster some of the cats that you like, maybe?
Which really only means that you could take the cat home with you and live with them for a while, but you wouldn't have officially adopted them yet. I know that not all shelters allow this, but if its a bigger one and often short on space, they might consider it as an option. That way you could really get to know a cats personality in the space of your home, while also learning the basics about caring for them.

[LafayetteIsBae]

Haha, I haven't been here in awhile lol


I have some bad news.. Does anybody remember Coco? Well you don't have to. He's dead.

I'm pretty sure he was hit by a car about 2 months ago and got inside injuries that we couldn't help with. And my bus was literally down the road so I couldn't help him.. and by the time I got home he was dead, and we buried him.