Rannie is all chatterbox-y and affectionate right now. If I don't keep my chair pulled in so that my belly button touches the edge of the desk, she hops up in my lap with a "Mrowrr!" and reaches up with a paw to pat me on the cheek while chirping and chortling and buzzing away.
I'm sure this has something to do with food, but I pretend it's because she likes me. It doesn't make writing any easier, I can tell you.
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LOL, when she starts with the claws, that will be the 'hint'... :-)
ReplyDeleteIs this a normal way for her to try to communicate? I ask, because a cat using paws to communicate is unusual enough to warrant closer observation.
ReplyDeleteI recommend watching her carefully to see how she walks, or to see if there are any changes in her litter box routine (like not using it, i.e. going somewhere private), or increased usage of the litter box, or for any other changes in behavior that seem odd, including becoming more vocal than normal. If any of her other behavior changes, or has changed (even subtly), it might be time to take her to a vet to see if she really was trying to tell you something was wrong. Her actions are the only way you'll be able to tell.
BSR
She is attempting mind control.
ReplyDeleteBeware.
YO, human WHERE'S MY FOOD?!?!
ReplyDeleteFood would be my first choice.
ReplyDeleteBSR: Ours pat us all the time when they want attention. The 6-year-old jumps up on my desk and sits there bumping my hand and head if I ignore him. His predecessor did the same thing. There was nothing wrong with either of them.
ReplyDeleteAnd the 14-year-old poops anywhere he wants, and just lost about 6 pounds in the past year (don't worry, he started out at 19#, so he's still fairly bulky). Regardless, the vet says he's fine -- and he's been there twice in the last six months. He's just ornery. As long as he pees in the box (which thank goodness he does), I'm not going to worry about having to pick up the odd turd off the floor.
After nearly 50 years of herding cats, I think I'd know if there was something wrong that required a vet's touch. And the 14-year-old is watched very carefully, since he had major abdominal surgery at 3 (he got at and ate a bobbin-full of my wife's sewing machine thread) and has had a "delicate" stomach ever since.
So I kinda doubt that Rannie is being anything more than just a nudge :)
"Rannie is all chatterbox-y and affectionate right now ...I'm sure this has something to do with [something she wants], but I pretend it's because she likes me."
ReplyDeleteHeh. Human-cat relationships aside, there're plenty of human-human relationships that work that way as well. For values of "work" that is.
FWIW I've played occasional valet to a number of cats who would pat you with a paddy paw when they wanted something. One of them was notorious for emitting a meow and holding up the same paw, with claws extended, if she felt she was being ignored for too long. But she generally bit rather than scratched if she was truly pissed off.
Yeah, sounds pretty normal to me. (I've got a tortie too.)
ReplyDeleteFuzzy:
ReplyDeleteFor the one pooping all over the place except the litter box- it's a sign of painful bowel movement due to constipation or hard stools, and is common in older cats. There's a great product out there called Petromalt, a flavored hairball remedy, which lubricates the colon, and is available at just about any pet store. Trust me, your cat will thank you. There shouldn't be any difficulty getting the cat to take it either, as most cats think it tastes really good - they'll usually lick it right off you fingers. Occasional use of this type of lubricant will have your cat using the litter box again in no time.
BSR