It's Beyond Me

[katkuddler]

I've had cats for the last 40+ years. Out of the three now, two of them we got as kittens. Casper was cuddled and lapped from day one. He just doesn't like the lap. He was petted and cooed from day one. He could take petting or leave it. Besides, he is an incessant licker of your hand when being petted.

We got Mandy as a kitten, and she is a skiddish miss. She too was cuddled from day one and can be petted, but loves her face rubbed.

Now...Sam we got from our daughter, when the Air Force moved her family to England. That cat escaped young children that were rowdy and rough. With us, she gets the lovey dovey. She has become a people cat. She'll lay on her back for as long as you rub her belly.

So, my question is this. I can understand getting a young adult cat that has previous experiences that mold their character. But to get a kitten and the exposure is one way, and the cat turns out another...well, it's just beyond me. Any ideas?

 

[turks rule!]

I have just been reading that the genes a kitten inherits from his father will determine how friendly he will become.(What is my cat thinking? Gwen bailey).Of course how a kitten is handled when young also plays a part as you know. However i really do think that it is a personality thing as long as they have been treated kindly - i love how each cat is totally different

My current cat follows me everywhere, likes to sleep beside me, but has never sat/slept on my lap. I have had an eight year gap between cats as i was so heartbroken when my last one was killed. He was pretty wild (came from a feral colony aged seven weeks) but was a total baby when it came to nap time. He suckled clothes and HAD to be as near to my neck as possible - so he could hear my pulse?

 

[Willowy]

I'm starting to wonder if any environmental influences (barring severe abuse) really have any impact on a cat's personality. I'm not even sure it's genetic (to be fair, I have never known any of my cats' fathers, but those whose mothers I know do not seem to have many of the same personality chacteristics as their mothers. Although siblings do tend to have some similarities). I guess each cat has his/her own personality and there's not much that can be done about that. Although certain behaviors can be conditioned/trained, basic personality seems set. It would be interesting to see some studies, but I'm not really sure how it could be done. . .