Not a lap cat?

Question

We have a ragdoll kitten (6 months old). She has most of the characteristics of a ragdoll ie. Follows me around the house, fetches toys, lays on her back with legs flopped on either side etc etc. She does not like to sit or lay on my lap. On the bed she will lay about 30 cm away from my body or near my feet. Does anybody have experience with this. All my previous cats would love to sit/sleep on my lap.

Answer 1

It depends on the cat. I have a ragdoll too and he doesn't like to be picked up, he has very few ragdoll characteristics. It happens and there are increasingly more ragdolls that don't like to be picked up and definately aren't lap cats. A lot of it comes down to the breeding.

Answer 2

My Ragdoll also is not a lap cat. He used to jump on my lap when he was a kitten, but he never does it anymore. He is now 2 years old. He's a sweet heart, but he just isn't a lap cat. The other ragdolls that I know are not either. I think it is just the breed. My ragdoll acts like a ragdoll otherwise, following me around, laying on his back, etc. I wouldn't worry about it. I've just found it's the breed.

Answer 3

I have cats that like to sit by me, but don't want to sit on my lap. I've got one now snuggled next to me sleeping away. If I were to pick him up and put him on my lap, he will get down. So I am happy that he is sitting by me. Some cats just don't like to sit on laps. Just enjoy your new kitten and give it lots of attention and love and maybe eventually she will like sitting on your lap.

Answer 4

My overdue cat of 15 years wasn't a lap cat. yet we saved attempting to make him one! He favored to sleep under the covers in somebody's room, many times ours. we'd could be careful to not sit down on him! a chum offered him an extremely intense-high quality cat scratcher with the mattress on the authentic and he under no circumstances used it. He substitute into already conscious of slumbering on the beds (or interior it.) we've 2 new kittens now and that i will not tell in the event that they're going to be lap cats yet. so some distance they only opt to sleep with each and each. in step with possibility it truly is the downside of having them on the comparable time. Oh nicely, desire a minimum of certainly one of them opt to "lap".

Answer 5

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Answer 6

My cats never liked it b/c I had a tendency to roll aroud, so they'd have to move once they got comfortable. And it just might be that that's just part of your cat's personality.

Answer 7

OKAY ACE!
I dont think anyone needs an Essay.

...My cats sleep at my feet on bed too...I think its mostly because they want to be aware of changes (if the house is burning down; they Gonna be the first to know ) and because they will get kicked instead of squished during human sleep ?

Answer 8

well they are all different I guess!
I have two ordinary moggies and they are from the same litter but they are like chalk and cheese - so different! On thrives on cuddles and affection, the other is out terrorising the neighbourhoods wildlife all day! collar and bell fitted!

Answer 9

All dogs and cats can sense evil and stay
away from it.

So you thing your cat is telling you something..????

lol lol lol

Answer 10

IT IS SELF-EVIDENT that cats do not all behave in the same way when confronted with a particular situation, such as meeting an unfamiliar person, and also that every cat has its own characteristic way of behaving that generally does not change much from one day to the next. Some of this variation can be accounted for by the breed of the cat, its age and its gender (male or female, neutered or entire), but much cannot, and hence it can he useful to think of cats as having `personalities' which are apparent in the way they behave.

The scientific study of animal `personalities' is still in its infancy, but several studies have been completed on individual differences between cats. Very few of these have considered pedigree breeds, and most of the information that will be presented in this paper has been derived from non-pedigree, so-called `mongrel' cats or moggies. Since there is less variation between breeds of cat than there is between breeds of dog, most of the conclusions reported here should apply to pedigree cats; where it is thought that there may be variations, for example in the timing of critical events, these will be pointed out.

DIMENSIONS OF CAT PERSONALITY

Several systems have been proposed for describing the various elements that go to make up a cat's personality; ideally, it should be possible for an individual cat to be described in terms of the extent to which it exhibits each element, without there being any combinations of elements that never occur in any cat. Among the elements that have been suggested are 'Friendly, 'Alert', Placid', 'Active', 'Vocal' and ' Inquisitive', each of which can be apparent to varying extents, as can their opposites, (eg, 'Unfriendly'). Most of the studies have focused on cats' behaviour towards people rather than towards other cats and for this reason, if for no other, there are undoubtedly aspects of cat personality which remain to be described. Behaviour that is typical of particular breeds could either be thought of as separate from personality, or as an integral part of it; under the latter system, most Siamese cats would be placed at the high end of the Vocal' tendency, and most Persians at the low end of the Alert tendency.

At present this study of cat personality is largely at the descriptive stage, and little attention has been paid to the precise origins of each trait, apart from friendliness towards people, which will be discussed in detail. Much breed-specific behaviour is presumably rooted in genetics, although breed-specific husbandry may also play a significant part. Other aspects of personality are influenced by genetics, but experiences, particularly those occurring early in life, are generally thought to be a more powerful influence when variations within a breed or type are being considered.

SOCIALISATION

The term 'socialisation' is not always used consistently, but to cat biologists it refers to the process whereby kittens learn the characteristics of animals (including humans) towards which they subsequently behave in an unfearful way. This is not the same as learning their species identity, which is probably acquired later and is then expressed as sexual behaviour in entire animals. Nor does it inevitably lead to the formation of specific attachments to particular people (or dogs, or whatever other species are encountered during the sensitive period).

It is now 15 years since it was established that the socialisation period of the cat begins at about two weeks of age and ends at about eight weeks, ie, earlier than that of the dog. There appears to be a certain amount of variability. For example, in a recent study of feral kittens carried out by the Anthrozoology Institute and Cats Protection, some of the kittens that had received no human contact up to eight weeks old were still difficult to handle at one year of age. However, others did become friendly, showing that in some cats at least, socialisation can be extended beyond eight weeks, even though it takes a great deal more time and effort on the part of the handler to achieve the same degree of friendliness.

It has been established that optimum socialisation can be achieved with about 30 to 60 minutes of human interaction per day during the two to eight weeks old period; no benefits have been detected for more than one hour per day. For most kittens, the optimum type of interaction is being stroked and talked to simultaneously, but this can vary depending on the personality of the kitten (see section on Interactions). It is essential that the kitten should interact with several people, since kittens which are handled by one person only during the socialisation period tend to be fearful of unfamiliar people when they are first homed. It is also preferable that a range of people should be encountered, children as well as adults of both sexes, since this will enable the kitten to build up a general image of the characteristics of the human race. Kittens that, for example, encounter only women up to eight weeks of age may then classify men and/o- children as members of a different species, and react fearfully.

The exact tinting of the socialisation period has only been established in mongrel cats, but is unlikely to be very different in pure breeds; there are unsubstantiated references in the literature indicating a slightly earlier tailing-off of the most sensitive period in Siamese and slightly later in Persians. However, whatever its breed, by the time any cat is homed at 12 weeks old, the optimum period for socialisation will have ended. The onus is therefore very much on the breeder to ensure that each kitten encounters the stimuli appropriate to the environment it is to be homed into, including other species such as dogs.

BEHAVIOURAL DEVELOPMENT AFTER 12 WEEKS

Very little research has focused on the changes in personality that undoubtedly take place after the socialisation period has ended. However, a study of mongrel cats carried out by the Anthrozoology Institute showed that three traits, 'Sociable', 'Interactive' and 'Inquisitive' were reasonably consistent when measured up to a year apart, but showed no consistency between the beginning and end of the study, four months and two years of age. In other words, cats' personalities are probably moulded by the interactions that they have with their new owners, over at least their first two years, albeit at a much slower rate than occurs during their first eight weeks. The precise factors responsible for the later changes have not been investigated, but general guidelines for the treatment of cats during their first year after homing can be derived from what literature does exist, the experiences of clinical behaviourists, and generalisation from other species. It has certainly been established that cats confined in unvarying surroundings have difficulty in adapting to unrestricted access to unpredictable environments, to the point where they can become so stressed that their welfare is impaired.

It is self-evident that cats do not stop learning about the world around them once they are two months old, and therefore it is important that they should continue to be introduced to new experiences in as gentle a way as possible, at least until they are six months old, ie, while they are still naturally inquisitive. In the majority of cats allowed ad lib access to the outdoors, (eg, through a cat-flap), this process appears to occur naturally, without any need for specific measures having to be taken by the owner. However, it is important that the cat should be able to withdraw to a safe place from stimuli which it initially finds threatening; cats which are denied access to their home base, for example those that are 'put out at night' in the traditional manner, may be unable to cope with enforced encounters with other neighbourhood cats.

Cats kept indoors or in pens may need a planned programme of introduction to the full range of stimuli they are likely to encounter (eg, people whose appearance is distinctly different from their owners'; other kinds of animals; being caged and transported in a car). This practise has become a recommended part of the husbandry of puppies and young dogs. Confusingly, it is often referred to as 'socialisation', but might be less confusingly termed 'social referencing ' to distinguish it from the (primary) socialisation described in the preceding section. At present there does not seem to be any widely-accepted set of guidelines for the optimum social referencing of' kittens, but it is unlikely that the best practice for dogs (eg, 'puppy parties') could be borrowed wholesale, quite apart from the increased risks of disease transmission. Cats are territorial animals and are likely to be stressed (and therefore less able to learn) when removed from familiar surroundings, whereas puppies' territories are usually centred on familiar people rather than specific places.

MATERNAL BEHAVIOUR

The queen influences her kittens' behaviour in two ways; through her genes (see below) and through her behaviour while the kittens are still dependent on her. Even as late as eight weeks of age, the presence the mother reduces anxiety in the litter and promotes exploratory behaviour and learning. Kittens also learn by imitating their mother's behaviour; the precise mechanism by which this occurs is still under debate - it could simply be that they pay most attention to things/animals/people that they have seen their mother interact with but there is certainly a possibility that they do directly imitate their mother's behaviour towards people, thereby affecting their socialisation, particularly if she is fearful. An unfriendly mother may also attempt to keep her kittens away from people, either by giving birth in an inaccessible place, or by transporting the kittens to such a place after they have been born. It has been demonstrated that it is possible to moderate a fearful queen's influence to a certain extent, for example by feeding her while the kittens are being handled, and by generally avoiding exposing her to fear-inducing stimuli while the kittens are dependent on her.

HAND-REARING

Maternal influence is obviously reduced or even absent for hand-reared kittens. It is common knowledge among zoo-keepers that hand-reared wildcats are difficult to breed from, apparently because they have not learned their species identity and therefore do not direct their courtship behaviour appropriately. This may be an important consideration for pedigree domestic cats destined for breeding. but less so for mongrel cats, which are likely to be neutered. Hand-rearing by a human 'foster mother' inevitably results in an abnormal degree of socialisation to that person, and it has been suggested that this process is not entirely reversible after weaning, resulting in 'clingy', timid cats; clinically, hand-reared cats are often referred for aggression towards their owner. However, a small sample (nine) of kittens hand-reared by CP members and studied by the AzI were indistinguishable in their behaviour from other rescued (queen-reared) cats by one year old, although they had been noticeably more attached at eight weeks old. It seems likely that it is even more important to give hand-reared kittens adequate social referencing than it is for queen-reared kittens.

GENETICS

Kittens reared identically can nevertheless have strikingly different personalities, and it is likely that many- such differences are caused by genetics. It should be remembered that genes cannot influence behaviour directly, only via the proteins that they code for, and therefore that the inheritance of behaviour is much more complex than the inheritance of, for example, coat or eye colour. A small number of controlled breeding experiments have been carried out in which the behaviour of the sire has been related to the behaviour of its offspring. This is not to say that kittens do not inherit behavioural traits equally from mother and father; it is simply experimentally expedient to examine paternal genetics, since the sire can be excluded from having any direct contact with his kittens, whereas the mother cannot.

The trait that has been examined is that of 'Boldness', which influences whether kittens are more or less ready to approach novel objects and people, depending upon the extent to which their father exhibits that trait; ie, all other factors being equal, bold fathers tend to produce bold kittens, timid fathers tend to produce timid kittens. However, the behaviour resulting from 'Boldness', in so far as it applies to people, is also influenced by socialisation, so that a kitten which is initially timid can become outgoing if it receives the correct treatment between two and eight weeks of age. That said, a genetically timid kitten is likely to require more persistence and patience to achieve socialisation than a bold kitten that actively seeks out human company.

Other effects of genetics on behaviour are less well understood; even breed-specific behaviour has not been studied systematically. Within breeds, there may be links between behaviour and other inherited characteristics; for example, in one study of British Shorthairs it was found that possession of the gene for red coat colour was associated with difficulties in handling by unfamiliar people.

INTERACTIONS BETWEEN FACTORS

In practice, it is often difficult to disentangle genetic, social and environmental influences, particularly when considering individual cats. Some of the ways that these factors can interact have already been mentioned. Maternal behaviour is particularly interactive, since a queen's personality and therefore maternal 'style' is a product of her genes and her experiences, which themselves are transmitted to her kittens both genetically and through her behaviour. It has been suggested that socialisation methods should be tailored to the (presumably inherited) personality of the young kitten, since some appear to prefer close physical contact with people, whereas others benefit more from playful interaction.

CONCLUSIONS

It is now well-established that the genetics of mother and father, the behaviour of the mother, and experiences during the socialisation period and later, all influence a cat's personality, particularly the way it behaves towards people. However, there is much less information on the relative importance of these factors at different stages, apart from the crucial role of the socialisation period. Even less is known about the origins of other aspects of personality, such as sociability towards cats. Moreover, almost all the systematic studies have been carried out on non-pedigree cats. Pedigree breeds differ genetically both from one another and from non-pedigree cats, and also their husbandry is usually different, particularly towards the end of and immediately after the socialisation period. With ever-increasing levels of neutering restricting breeding within the non-pedigree population in the UK and elsewhere, pedigree cats are likely to increase in popularity. Studies of the factors determining 'personality' within