The cats' ability to absorb affection always amazes me. Let's be clear; cats are wild animals. As all the feral bubbas out there demonstrate, surviving without direct human contact works for them, although their life-span and health suffer. (Word is that the average feral cat only lives three to five years.)
Socialized and cared-for pets like yours and mine are a world apart from that. My two were handled lovingly from the time they came home, and have never been mistreated. So when they have the urge for some affection, they don't hesitate.
Moneypenny in particular can spend an hour at a time being the object of my attention. Her favourite position is when I lie on the bed, and she lies down next to me, back to my side, head at my thigh, hind q's at my ribs. She wraps her body around my arm, so that my hand can rub and scruff around her head and chest, but my forearm has contact with her belly. She rubs her nose and whisker pads, and head and ears on my hands, with true and obvious pleasure.
If we don't do this once a day, she's not happy. Neither am I.
4 comments:
Sweet image of you and Moneypenny!
PHA (Pussycat-Human Affection) looks different in our household.
I got Samson at the Humane Society when he was older. Don't know much about his history.
Affection is very much on Samson's terms. If you don't observe those terms, and/or he gets overstimulated by rubbing, he might nip at you a bit.
The choreography of affection takes a lot of finesse with him.
But when he and I are (anxiously) waiting for the vet to come into the examination room, Samson lets me hold, stroke, and comfort him the whole time.
A bit more feral as indoor cats go, but ultimately, still...my baby.
From what I've figured out over the years, the early socialization of cats is super important to their affection levels. Lots of touching and gentle care makes for relaxed adults...no different from us I imagine.
Those nips are fun though! Samson is just giving you a wee love bite to show you how much he cares for you. (Laughs).
And yet it's funny how they totally give up the bravado at times of stress, like the vets. Now, if there was a way to make vet visits unhappiness-free, we'd make a fortch.
How I miss having a puss cat about. Tiggy just doesn't cut it.
Poor Tiggster! I wonder how - if ever - he was socialized, and what the nipping business is about.
He does his best.
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