Affectionate

Dave2006

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I have a 10 month old female (spayed) Tabby, she is really affectionate constantly looking for attention, she cries and calls when I leave the room, cries for me to let her in the bedroom each morning, then 'talks' to me until I get out of bed.
She calls for me to play with her which involves pretty rough play fighting, non of this I mind.

My question, is this because of her age, will she calm down.

Also is her behaviour perhaps due to her having being removed from her mother to early.
 

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Azazel

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She sounds like a regular cat.

Yep, they can be affectionate and require lots of attention. :)
 

ArtNJ

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I've found that this level of affectionate can correlate with you having a lot of time for the cat when its a kitten. Cats are so adaptable that if don't spend a ton of time with them, maybe they don't develop this or it fades quicker.

I haven't had the static-cling level last forever, but I'm sure some are more encouraging of static cling cats than I am, and I think that matters. The more you take them off the lap or put them on the ground when they want the keyboard, the less they come around to you. If you want to keep this super high level of affection, find ways to keep them near you even if you dont want them exactly where they are. So have a basket on the desk for when they want the keyboard, and a scratching post with a cup top near your chair if you don't want the lap for some reason (eating, whatever). That way, they still get reinforced for coming to you -- as opposed to just putting them on the ground, which doesn't reinforce the affection.
 

sivyaleah

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Hi Dave.

A 10 month old kitten is still a baby so yes, very active, and sometimes very naughty and prone to looking for trouble! Your job is to keep her as occupied with appropriate activities so that she doesn't develop poor behaviors such as the overly aggressive play you seem to be describing.

Play fighting with humans, is a no-no. You certainly can use a kicker type toy with her, but should never use your own hands if that is something you're doing. This is a confusing signal to a cat; teaching them human hands are for attacking and they have a hard time differentiating when the hand is being used for dispensing of food, pets, play or for picking them up when there is harm approaching. And you certainly don't want them to do this to visitors.

Anytime a cat starts to act aggressive with any part of your body, even in play, stop what you are doing immediately, disengage the activity. Walk away calmly to teach them that this behavior will not get the desired response they want from you. If by some chance they manage to grab hold of you, push towards the cat, not away from them. I know this sounds counter - intuitive, but if you pull away you are acting like prey and that will make their instinct to pounce on you even stronger. If you push towards them, they will release you; in fact this is what a mom cat would do with them. We do this with our kitten (9 months) when she gets a bit too worked up - she might clamp down and do a small nibble on our hand, but once we push back she starts to lick instead and releases.

As for her talking, I think this is a lovely quality and it's to be encouraged!

It also occurs to me that you should make sure she's getting enough to eat, perhaps this might be why she's being rambunctious. Kittens need a lot more food than some people think they do - although I have to say, she looks pretty well fed in your photo :p

How old was she when removed from her mother? This too, could potentially be part of the problem. Kittens ideally should remain with their family until a minimum of 12 weeks to learn their kitten manners. When removed earlier, they do tend to be a bit less well socialized to even poorly socialized at times.
 
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Dave2006

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Thanks all for your answers, she eats really well and drinks a load of water.

She is a little terror with play fighting but it's at her request, she doesn't bite or show aggression any other time.

I don't know at what age she was taken from mum but I suspect early, I have had her for about 4 months.

She has loads of toys, scratch posts and perches.

What she really likes is running water, everytime the kitchen tap is turned on she is over and plays with the water in the sink or the running tap, she makes washing up quite pleasant.

Just want things to be OK it's been a while since I had a cat.

Thanks all for the advice, much appreciated.
 

maggie101

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Coco was like that when I first rescued her 2 yrs old now 5. She is still affectionate but not as much. Maggie is a year older, now 6. She cries for me if she doesn't see me or wants me to sit with her
 

Kieka

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Just be careful with the play fighting when you are the toy. It is a really hard habit to break and can end up impacting friends or family who visit if she expects everyone to play rough. It's best to use a kicker toy or even a puppet so she doesn't see the human flesh as a toy option.

As to the demanding, some grow out of it and some don't. My guys have really needy periods at age 5 and 6. Rocket gets really anxious and paces around me until she can get on my lap or I am petting her.... sometimes. She will stand on her hind legs on paw at my leg (with claws out if I don'tacknowledge her) until I do what she wants. Just last night Link to as walking from room to room yelling as loud as he could. I'd call him, he'd come, settle for a moment then go back to yelling. Luckily, I know my boy so when I was done with dinner I went to my bedroom and read a little in bed. He wanted me to "go to bed" so he could also go to bed. Once he was settled on his cat tree and sound asleep I was able to go do things in the rest of the house. He goes through moods where he is extra needy for a few days and then he isn't. Fuzzy indecisive children.
 

susanm9006

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As long as she isn’t biting you hard or scratching you, some rough play is just fine. Some cats are just more gentle that others and you can both play rough without injury. She sounds happy and you sound happy so that is great. She may calm down some after a year or so but she may also not change a bit. Every cat is different.
 

maggie101

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This is Coco now. It's hard to watch TV with her rubbing all over my face! I use baby blankets for when she kneads on me or crawls up and chews
20190503_210352.jpg
on my necklace. I trim her claws but every time I try she licks my hand
 
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Dave2006

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As long as she isn’t biting you hard or scratching you, some rough play is just fine. Some cats are just more gentle that others and you can both play rough without injury. She sounds happy and you sound happy so that is great. She may calm down some after a year or so but she may also not change a bit. Every cat is different.
I should have said so earlier, she doesn't draw blood, barely a mark if any, it's a game she only plays with me.
 

maggie101

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Coco was born on my porch then taken 5 weeks old. Her mom was very upset. Her brother, runt of the litter, was still nursed and mom kept him hidden in the bushes. Coco and her mom were very close. I would play with the brother then the mom would come back and walk towards him back in the bushes. Coco showed up on my porch a year later. Coco scared, brother not. He was easy to adopt out.
 
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