What do these cat behaviours mean please?

username123

Hi,

We have a cat visitor who comes to see us and lately she seems to be getting more and more relaxed in our home so we would like to be sure we are reading her behaviours correctly and learn a bit more about how to interact properly with her (she is a lovely cat).

Mostly we are nervous about handling her (we dont want to scare her) as neither of us are familiar with cats at all and we dont know if her body language is saying touch me or dont touch me!

So she comes in, slinks about our feet and if you dangle a hand makes a short run at it and she pushes her face quite hard into you then rubs the rest of her body along the hand or foot she is touching, she would usually have her back arched while doing this. I think this means 'hi, i like you'.

She will miaow at us for food and we give her small bits like chopped up pieces of chicken or cat treats that we got in for her. She is like a junkie for the cat treats - so we only give small amounts. Sometimes she seems quite frantic for something to eat and miaows very loudly and almost sounds distressed - when she is like that she doesnt settle into the slinky behaviour so much.

After some food she will equally divide her time between us both, and comes over and throws her body down next to one of us, rolls over, stretches her paws out and kneads with claws out the side of the couch or cushion or just thin air. She will roll over and show her belly but if you put a hand near her she will swipe with the claws out. We'd really like to know what this behaviour means as it almost seems to say 'oh I love it here - but dont touch me!'. But I dont know if the swiping is playful or 'go away' - she almost seems to want you to touch her as she will push against you then fling herself down, but once down, the claws are waving about.

Sometimes she just slinks about and walks on us and around us on the furniture, usually she will be purring and she will then settle on a low soft pouffe we have and groom herself or snooze or just go into kind of egg shape and look comfy. Other times she will wander about the room and look behind things or under things and generally sort of nose about until she settles somewhere to groom herself.

We have not even tried to pick her up - I wouldnt have a clue how to handle a cat.

Id most like to understand the flinging herself down behaviour - and also any tips on how to make her comfortable.

She does have an owner but he seems to leave her out 24/7 and she sits outside her own front door but is out in all weathers and at night and it seems clear to me that she loves a bit of comfort and to be in, so I dont know why that is.

Papillon!

it sounds like shes in love with you, haha

Heroditas

Cats love comfort and attention, albeit attention on their own terms!
She's definitely got a soft spot for you guys. She's showing that she's extremely comfortable in your home by flopping on the ground and rolling on her back. Our own cats do that all the time.
Quite a lot of cats don't like their bellies being rubbed, hence why she makes a swipe at you. Two of ours hate that but the third absolutely loves us rubbing her belly.
Different, eh, strokes for different folks!

To be honest, if her owner is leaving her out all the time, it's no wonder she's coming to you guys. She's allowed in out of the cold and gets treats and attention from you.
I can't understand why people bother getting a cat if they leave it out all the time. They're missing out on all the affection a cat can give them.

fishy fishy

she loves you. she might see your hand going to her belly as you swiping at her so she might be swiping back playing with you. I don't think she would hurt you if you picked her up - she seems very comfortable with you.

username123

Thanks a lot.

Its not even if you touch her belly she makes a swipe, when she is rolling about, if you go to touch any part of her there is a bit of a swipe, but its a slow swipe if you know what I mean, kind of lazy.

Yeah I dont understand why her owner leaves her out either - I dont see the point of getting a pet to leave it out all the time.

GAAman

It sounds like she is mad about you and given her owner doesn't care about her, the fact that she has a safe haven in your home is a fantastic thing. Her behaviour sounds a lot like my own cat and I have had her for a few years so your relationship is there already.

username123

Aw - I feel even more protective towards her now!!

I forgot to mention, she will recognise my car and come running towards me when I come home and sometimes fling herself down in front of me on the pavement.

She also sits on our window ledge looking in and if one of us goes to the window she squashes herself against it like she is trying to push against us.

How do you pick up a cat?

Papillon!

username123 wrote: »

Aw - I feel even more protective towards her now!!

I forgot to mention, she will recognise my car and come running towards me when I come home and sometimes fling herself down in front of me on the pavement.

She also sits on our window ledge looking in and if one of us goes to the window she squashes herself against it like she is trying to push against us.

How do you pick up a cat?

sounds just like my cat, she knows the car and will always roll over at the door when im going into the house.

when picking her up i rub her head and behind her ears for a bit so she's not startled, then put my right hand underneath her(between her two front legs) and then put her sitting on my left arm.

Red Hand

Yeah, she's exposing the belly to show she's comfortable with ye, but it's not an invitation to rub it. The cat at our home is the same, but a friend's cat loves having his belly rubbed.

I would pick her up if I were you, onto your lap when sitting down-they will make it clear quickly it they don't like being picked up.

Madam

Seems you have a buddy for life:) As for picking her up, I think I'd wait a while until she knows you a bit more - try getting her to come up onto your lap first maybe(I'm sure then it will seem natural to you to pick her up when you and she is ready)?

fishy fishy

put your two hands under her belly and life her up and rest her two paws on your shoulder like a baby - she will let you know if she doesn't like it - just do it gently for the first few times show she will know your feel. After a while you will be able to swing her around more roughly - they love to play - I reckon that swipe, if it is slow and lazy is harmless. You would know if she did not want it - her claw would be out. My cat swipes all the time with her paw claw hidden - its like a boxing match and she loves it. I think by the sounds of it that she has just adopted you.

username123

Madam wrote: »

try getting her to come up onto your lap first maybe(I'm sure then it will seem natural to you to pick her up when you and she is ready)?

Yeah, this is what I was thinking. We are both getting used to each other.

She has come onto my lap while walking across me, or she has sat next to me on the couch and kneaded (with claws but gently) my leg, but she doesnt settle into a comfy position on or beside me but walks over me and then to a spot on the floor or the pouffe.

What might she like to play with, I tried her with a laser light but she was scared of it and I tried her with a small fluffy toy but she wasnt that interested in it. She ran away from a lace dangling from a door handle too!

I might add here that I befriended a feral cat in the past and it took months before I could touch her but we never progressed to more than petting on the head and a small bit of slinkiness. But she liked to play with a lace dangling off the back door handle or a tennis ball. But this cat is totally different, she is a pet, compared to the wild creature the feral cat was.

fishy fishy

when she sees you first and is slinking past your leg she is actually putting her oils on you for scent to let everyone know that you are her property now.

thegreatiam

As a long time cat owner i think youve made a real friend here, thats all positive affection behavior.
should think about getting some toys for her to play with.

But I also think you should limit it to that.
while this is true:

fishy fishy wrote: »

that you are her property now.

the inverse is not, that cat still has an owner. and the relationship (affectionate or otherwise) between them and their pet is up to them. They remain responsible for the welfare of the cat, its diet and shelter, medical bills etc.

Id still be friendly towards the cat, but i would be careful of feeding it without permission.

Try to form some relationship with the cats owner, you may get along, then you can asses if you want to considering adopting the cat yourself or remaining a good buddy.

If you think the current owner is neglecting the cat then by all means approach them with a friendly offer to take it from them.

if not, then try to keep the relationship 'casual' ;-) last thing you want to do is poach some families kitty from them.

Chuck Stone

Get a little stick/wand thingy with a feather on the end and use it for play and stroking her. Distract her with little treats while stroking her with it.

She'll probably end up associating stroking with play and food and eventually allow you to do it with your hand

Heroditas

Scrunch up some tinfoil into a ball.
Great toy for cats!

username123

Thanks for the ideas everyone.

thegreatiam - yes, I am fully aware she is not our cat. I try to limit the visits to 15 or 20 minutes at a time and just giving small treats. I have spoken to the owner, its not a family, its just a guy. He isnt forthcoming or easy to talk to tbh. I know he has children who visit occasionally and it may be that the cat is given more attention at those times but left out a lot otherwise.

If the cat is getting left out a lot when the weather gets colder I am going to say it to him.

Other than that we are just happy to have a little visitor.

Pumpkinseeds

A house is not a home without at least 1 cat. I'd be lost without our 2. You are well and truly under the paw now:D. You aren't doing any harm, the cat enjoys the company at your house and a cat will only stay where it is happy. My cats are both spoiled rotten but one of them still likes to visit the neighbours for extra fuss and treats. I think cats like to have a back up home in case of emergencies.:)

angeline

This cat really really likes you and trusts you. A cat will never lie on its back leaving its tummy exposed unless he/she trusts you. Even at that, most cats are very sensitive about being touched near their stomach. Sounds like a really affectionate cat. I think he/she may want to adopt ye!!

anniehoo

She sounds like a fab cat OP. The slow paw swiping isnt an agressive action at all, its more shes just making you aware that there are boundaries. The belly area for most animals is the most vulnerable so not all cats like their bellys being rubbed.

As for picking her up, i put my left hand under the chest and scoop up the back legs with my right, holding them confidently and securely but not too tight. Pretty much exactly like this video except i dont tuck the front legs in.If you pick her up and she doesnt like it, dont restrain her or panic, just release her and let her down.

Lawrence1895

Heroditas wrote: »

Scrunch up some tinfoil into a ball.
Great toy for cats!

A ball made of of sticky tape comes even better. My two Toms love playing with it :cool:

farreJ

Her behaviour sounds v.similar to our cat. She will roll to expose her belly when she wants attention but doesn't actually like having her belly rubbed. Think I read somewhere that the kneading action is another affectionate sign, apparently it mimics the action of grooming their own kittens so it's a big indicator that she likes you. In terms of toys, ours loves chasing a rolling battery along the floor. Might be better to try on carpet at first as the noise on wooden floors might scare her.

Thinkingaboutit

I see my cat flopping down and rolling about, if he sees a cat he dislikes and cannot get at him. If he can he swipes at him. It looks to me like some sort of gesture to show they own a space or situation.