Have You Ever Not Liked A Cat?

[jefferd18]

I will say it, Figaro unnerves me. He is one of those cats who is devoid of emotions and empathy.

History:
I got Figgy two years ago right after I lost my black and white cat, Bugs, to a brain tumor. He was a energetic 3 month old kitten when I first discovered him over at my vets. He sported the same black and white pattern as Bugs did and at that time he was aptly named Moo Moo by the receptionist's 8 year old daughter. I remember thinking that this kitten has the ugliest brown eyes that I have ever seen. He displayed his affection to me on the first visit by ramming his head hard into my face.

The cat from Hell:
Since Fig's induction into my home, I have lost the following: my watch, two antique oil lamps, two parakeets, most of the mice in my home, three lamps, and one phone. I can't have any paintings on my wall, trash cans, or Christmas decorations up. Forget about putting the food in a container or cupboard because he has figured out how to open both- without the use of OPPOSING THUMBS. He fights with two of my cats, one being an old gal of twelve. The other night in bed he jumped on me with a mouse in his mouth. No the poor thing wasn't being held by his neck or tail- Fig had stuffed the whole mouse in his mouth, leaving only the back feet dangling out. I pulled on his ruff which automatically made his mouth open and the poor thing slowly slid out. Amazingly it was still alive and I watched with horror as it scurried off into the closet.

Never have I given up on any animal, but I am at my wits end with this cat. He is so badly behaved! And unfortunately, he seems to be crazy about me.

 

[susanm9006]

Do you really, really dislike this cat? Honestly, he doesn’t sound like a bad cat as much as a very active and smart one. And unfortunately active and smart can result in them being a bit of a pain, especially when they are young. But doesn’t he make you smile as well? Just reading about his mouse exploit did that for me. And who will catch the mice if you didn’t have him. And, while you say he is devoid of emotion, you also say he is crazy about you. That doesn’t sound emotionless to me.

He will slow and mellow down as he gets older. In the meantime he will keep your mouse population down.

But if the truth is you feel like you can’t live with him then better to rehome him while he is young.

 

[danteshuman]

No but I did think my stepsister’s mom had a bratty cat because it got on the sofa next to me & nipped me! Later I found out it was declawed!

Your cat is not bad, just active & intelligent. When my bud Dante was a kitten & young cat I called him punk & wee terrorist of doom!!! I miss him & his naughty antics daily! My new kitten is calm compared to how Dante was. In fact this ‘hyper’ kitten is like how Dante was after he started to calm down at 7.5 yrs old & started to get old after 10 yrs old!

If you can’t handle him, rehome him for his sake!(Just to someone who knows how to deal with hyper & intelligent cat.) My suggestion? Buy bird feeders and hang them in view of a comfy window perch for him. Also he needs at least an hour a day, every day of outside time in a harness (I put my guy on a 26ft leader leash and read a book, stopping to untangle every 10-30 minutes.) Outside time for hyper kitties is like Ritalin for kids with ADD.... I think it is why I think my kitten is so calm; I know how to handle him. That plus 1-2 daily play sessions (& a rainy day/sick toy kit) & you should be golden.

Cherish the time you have with your sweet clever baby!

 

[will2002]

I felt this way about a cat or two many, many years ago. As the years passed I came to realize it was usually not the cats fault, it was me. I expected way to much from cats back then. I expected them to do exactly what I wanted them to do...all of the time. Many cat's do not work that way.

As susan posted, better you give the cat up to rehome than both of you be unhappy. Figgy might be exactly the kitty someone else is looking for right now.

 

[Purr-fect]

Things to consider.

Figaro is still young. Give him time, he will likely mellow.

He likes you. As you know a head butt is one of the most loving, trusting gestures a cat can make.

Empathy.....? Cats are still wild at heart. They havent been domesticated as long as dogs. They are solitary creatures by nature. Catching and playing with a mouse is figaro's natural instinct. And he was so pleased he wanted to show (or share ) it with you.

I have only meet 2 cats that I can think of that I actually disliked. Neither were mine. These cats literally would follow me around the owners home and try to attack me! Im over 6 feet tall and over 200lbs. I had never seen these cats before, never threatened or mistreated them. They were just nasty evil creatures.

Figaro isnt like one of those cats.

Cats are blunt and practical by nature. I think im becoming more like my cats every day.

So indulge me please and allow me to also be to the point.

Figaro wont be with you forever. One day he will be gone. Go to the "crossing the bridge" forum on the site and read a few threads from heartbroken owners. Then go and look figaro in his "ugly brown eyes" and give him a big hug and a kiss and enjoy him for who he is.

But his fighting with the two other cats, especially the 12 year old female has to stop.

 

[Azazel]

I will say it, Figaro unnerves me. He is one of those cats who is devoid of emotions and empathy.

As opposed to cats who have emotions and empathy?.... They’re cats, not humans.

Your cat sounds like a normal cat. It would be unfair to expect it to act or be like a human. He’s acting the way he is with your other cats because he probably doesn’t feel secure in his environment, as cats are very territorial creatures. You need to introduce them to each other properly.

Rarely do cats act on emotion - that’s a human concept. Your cat isn’t doing anything to you. It’s acting as a normal cat would. And it’s just as unfair to expect a cat to act as a human as it would be to expect a human to act as a cat.

 

[She's a witch]

He’s just full of life and energy, and lots of people actually appreciate cats like that (me included ). You can cat proof your house more to protect your objects. You can also secure the cupboards with baby proof latches. Does he actually fight with the other cats or is it play fight? If so, maybe it’s worth reintroducing them.

 

[Azazel]

I remember thinking that this kitten has the ugliest brown eyes that I have ever seen.

Really? You’re insulting a kitten’s eyes? C’mon now...

He displayed his affection to me on the first visit by ramming his head hard into my face.

Let me get this straight... a cute kitten head butted you... and it wasn’t the highlight of your day?

Since Fig's induction into my home, I have lost the following: my watch, two antique oil lamps, two parakeets, most of the mice in my home, three lamps, and one phone. I can't have any paintings on my wall, trash cans, or Christmas decorations up. Forget about putting the food in a container or cupboard because he has figured out how to open both- without the use of OPPOSING THUMBS.

Yep, sounds like a normal cat. My question is why you brought cats into your home with parakeets and mice and thought they would all live happily ever after? I suppose the plan was to have them all empathize with each other.

The other night in bed he jumped on me with a mouse in his mouth. No the poor thing wasn't being held by his neck or tail- Fig had stuffed the whole mouse in his mouth, leaving only the back feet dangling out. I pulled on his ruff which automatically made his mouth open and the poor thing slowly slid out. Amazingly it was still alive and I watched with horror as it scurried off into the closet.

That’s about as normal as it gets for a cat. You should really take it as a complement though, he brought you a gift.

I think if you want to keep him it’s going to take some deeper understanding of cats on your part. Otherwise the best thing to do for him would be to find him a loving home where he will have the care he needs.

 

[danteshuman]

From the other side, recently Nick had part of his tail devolved by the next door neighbors Husky! Since Nick went into their tree (the husky’s yard)and we don’t blame the husky. It was being a hunting dog and wanted to play/hunt with Nick. (though I did tell the neighbor that their dog is cat aggressive, our cat lost half his tail & the dog should never be trusted around a cat again.)

As the owner Figgy killing your mouse & parakeets is YOUR problem. You put a bird & mouse & lizard & bug & fish predator in a house with insecure cages for your bird and mouse, what did you think would happen? Some cats have a higher prey drive then others. My mom got a mini hamster and my hyper punk Dante (R.I.P. .... god I miss my bud!) and we saw him eying the hamster. Guess what, the hamster was locked in a room and the cat was never allowed near it’s cage without supervision. That didn’t make Dante a bad cat, he was just being a cat.


So keeps your birds and mice in a separate room and never let cats in that room unless you are there (& awake) to supervise.

Like I said please rehome poor Figgy if you honestly do not want/like him! I would give just about anything to have my beloved ‘punk’ Dante back!!!! If you regime him look for people you have had siamese cats, they should understand/love Figgy as is!

P.S. although my cats love me only one ever head butted me and gave me kisses by touching his nose to mine! You are lucky!

 

[danteshuman]

Degloved (yes it is a real thing autocorrect does not acknowledge!) Look it up if you have a strong stomach. Nick is only allowed out in a harness now. He is fine & all healed up after the vet removed half his tail.

 

[Uncled]

Can you get some dispensing tr eat balls for him or maybe a food puzzle to keep his mind occupied? At least he is a great mouser,mice can do a lot more damage than a cat

 

[miagi's_mommy]

There has never been a cat I didn’t like. Please rehome him if you don’t like him or want him. He deserves to be loved for who he is!

 

[fionasmom]

I used a harness and lead for three of my cats, Fiona being one of them, while I sat outside with them. We all enjoyed ourselves. As for the husky, the entire spitz family of dogs is not that reliable around cats...from akitas to pomeranians...and you did the right thing to remind the neighbors that they do have a cat aggressive dog.

My cat Loki was a huge sprayer and it was everywhere. His crowning achievement was to jump up on my desk as I was writing and to back up and spray me in the face. That was irritating, but he was a charming little cat when he was not playing fireman. He died fairly young of a kidney condition and I always suspected that the out of control spraying might have had a connection to that.

 

[Azazel]

I think the issue here is that cats aren't in the business of doing things so that we like them... they're cats. They don't abide by the same social rules and norms as humans. Of course they're going to drop a half dead mouse on your bed. Why the heck wouldn't they?? It's silly not to like a cat for being a cat. That's like a cat saying, "hmmm.. I don't like that human, he only walks on 2 legs."

We take cats in as part of our family because we appreciate and fall in love with their quirks and their different way of being. We can't expect them to become something they are not... especially not an entirely different species!

 

[susanm9006]

I am dying of curiosity - what did the cat do to your watch?

 

[czygyny]

I had a cat that finally had to go.
He was a stray that we took in as a young cat.
We had him neutered at a young age, and he had lots of personality, but he started spraying everywhere, which is bad enough, but he was a terrible bully...and built like a 15 lb brick.
He kept attacking and injuring my other cats, even the much smaller females and elderly cats.
He's the only one I had to do this to, since I am tolerant of kitty misbehavior...but beating up the others was a deal breaker for me.

 

[jefferd18]

I felt this way about a cat or two many, many years ago. As the years passed I came to realize it was usually not the cats fault, it was me. I expected way to much from cats back then. I expected them to do exactly what I wanted them to do...all of the time. Many cat's do not work that way.

As susan posted, better you give the cat up to rehome than both of you be unhappy. Figgy might be exactly the kitty someone else is looking for right now.

I have many cats over the years, most of them rescues. I realize that they all come with their unique personalities and I never expected them to be perfect- we certainly aren't. But I have had Figaro for two years and he is not getting any better.

Figaro needs to be in a home where he can be let outdoors to burn off his high level of energy. I would let him out where I live but my street is way too busy.

 

[jefferd18]

I had a cat that finally had to go.
He was a stray that we took in as a young cat.
We had him neutered at a young age, and he had lots of personality, but he started spraying everywhere, which is bad enough, but he was a terrible bully...and built like a 15 lb brick.
He kept attacking and injuring my other cats, even the much smaller females and elderly cats.
He's the only one I had to do this to, since I am tolerant of kitty misbehavior...but beating up the others was a deal breaker for me.

I don't blame you, Figaro's antagonistic behavior toward my two female cats is also weighing heavily in my decision. It sounds like your kitty would do better in a home with no other cats.

 

[jefferd18]

I think the issue here is that cats aren't in the business of doing things so that we like them... they're cats. They don't abide by the same social rules and norms as humans. Of course they're going to drop a half dead mouse on your bed. Why the heck wouldn't they?? It's silly not to like a cat for being a cat. That's like a cat saying, "hmmm.. I don't like that human, he only walks on 2 legs."

We take cats in as part of our family because we appreciate and fall in love with their quirks and their different way of being. We can't expect them to become something they are not... especially not an entirely different species!

I have never held any expectations for any animal, dog, cat, horse, parrot, etc.... I know they all have their unique personalities. And I am not being unreasonable with Figaro when I complain of his constant habit of breaking everything in my house along with his bullying tendencies towards cat who are way older than he is.

I love anything cat, if you happen to be a cat than you have already won me over, but just like with the people I encounter I don't have to like their personalities.

 

[jefferd18]

I am dying of curiosity - what did the cat do to your watch?

He got it down from my dresser carried it over to his water bowl and proceeded to drop it in.