Cat All Of A Sudden Really Cuddly?

[Moonlight_wolf]

Hi, I've had my cat since around February, and she's always been an affectionate cat. She would occasionally cuddle with me, but often just would lay somewhere in the same room. And she pretty much never slept on my bed with me, much to my dismay.

However all of a sudden she's taken a liking to cuddling between my legs every time
I'm laying on my bed. And don't get me wrong, I am loving it!

However, I read somewhere that if your cat becomes randomly more affectionate then it could be a sign that they are in pain or distress.

Though her behavoir has been the same otherwise.

But it could also just be that she is growing out of kittenhood? When I got her this past February, the shelter said that she was around 1 year old. So could it be that? Or could it be that she's finally becoming even more comfortable with me now that I've had her for 6 months, even though she seemed pretty comfortable at the beginning?

I just want to know if I should
be worried, or if I can just enjoy this change.

 

[susanm9006]

I wouldn't worry about her being ill or in pain. It may be that the temps are cooler and she has found a nice warm place to snuggle or it could be that as time as passed she has become more comfortable with you. Hard to say, but cats do change their preferred sleeping spaces from time to time throughout their lives. My semi feral slept at the foot of my bed for the first six years she has lived with me and in the last few months has switched to sleeping near my head. For her it is part of her very slow progress at accepting and trusting me.

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

Thanks for your reply! And good I'm glad that I shouldn't be worried about something being wrong with her, because I am really enjoying the extra cuddles. Even if it makes it harder to get up in the morning because I don't want to disturb her. I've been just laying in bed for 40 minutes now because I don't want to disturb her as she sleeps between my legs.

 

[Kieka]

I'd second the not to worry. I know the more affectionate can be a sign of illness but, in my experience, there are usually other subtle signs and the affection has a different feel. More of an exhausted "protect me while I rest" feeling then a "I like you" feel.

My boy did the same thing but I have had him since he was 5 weeks old. As a kitten until about 6 months he rarely left my side. But at 6 months old he started being more independent and off exploring other parts of the world. Then at around 2.5 years old he started being more affectionate. I fully admit that his injury and long recovery plus a curfew starting probably had something to do with it in my case. But he started with little things at a time; suddenly sleeping on my bed, then waiting for me to get home each evening, seeking me out in the mornings, getting more demanding about knowing where all his humans are, it all slowly was building over the past 6 months. In the last few weeks he has started jumping on my Mom's lap in the evening and falling asleep on her. A behavior that in the 3 years prior we could count on one hand the number of times it happened. I was positively shocked when he did it two nights in a row (so was my Moms cat who is normally on her lap, he sat on my cat with his butt on Links head).

My conclusion?

Cats are weird.

 

[DreamerRose]

I agree it's not something to worry about. Mingo was very stand-offish for the first year I had him, and then he slowly became more and more affectionate. For a long time, he wouldn't sleep with me, but now he's in bed with me every night. It just took him a long time to warm up and trust me.

 

[dahli6]

Is she spayed?
Not all shelters do it that is why I ask. Getting extra cuddly can indicate going into heat. It might happen occasionally anyway even in spayed females because of a spaying practice that leaves a small portion of ovary.
She could be just loving the heck out of you too.

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

She's definitely spayed, the shelter that I got her from spays and neuters all their animals before they adopt them out. And she had a silly shaved belly with an incision when I first got her. So I don't think she would be going into heat. And I've had her for six months and I think if they left part of her ovary in there then she would have gone into heat before now. Lol.

 

[dahli6]

It doesn't hurt to ask.
It's sweet to feel loved

 

[sargon]

my cat also became much sweeter and cuddlier recently, but I attribute it not to illness, but to her being happy. I recently got a toy she loves (a da' rat on a rod. She'll often shout "rat!" (her newest word), when she wants me to play with it. ) and added a cat tunnel that she also loves to death to a narrow hallways that always seemed o scare her. between the new fun play and the old fear going away my cat is just much calmer and happier, and I believe that is why she's more affectionate.

Perhaps your cat is just happier ( specially with you), and thus wants to be closer.

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Yeah it is nice to feel loved. And I'm glad about the possibility that she might be happier now. She does certainly seem like a happy cat I'm also glad to hear that I shouldn't worry about her being sick or anything