Material Preference To Be Comfortable

[Lucifigus]

There is a behavior in my cat, Lucy that I wonder if people have any observations or knowledge to comment. I think of Lucy as being very tactile. She likes to knead a bit before settling down. Lucy seems to love a new blanket or throw, and sometimes it will become a new favourite for a while. She loves to lay a folded sheet of a turned down bed. She has a distinct preference to soft, fluffy comforters. Lucy exhibits shy behavior, but much of it is conditioned responses from earlier treatment. As a result, she prefers very few places in the house that are not exclusively hers: the bed and two window seats. It seems as though her material preference can get her out of her limited routine, and get her to other places in the flat. I am curious to explore this.

My question is, to what degree do most cats like different items or materials to settle on? Is it tactile, or smell, or some other sensory input or reason?

 

[dustydiamond1]

Hmmm, Gypsy likes soft and fuzzy to knead on however she likes to lay on newspapers, window sills and old cloth purses.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, a large degree I think.
The Big Guy likes clean sheets, chair cushions, laps, beds, wool blankets, window sills, other chairs, carpet, his special little bed, his synthetic pillow... probably how it feels, smells, if it's warm or cool, what his mood is, it's a lot of things
If you put a fluffy blanket on the floor will she go for it?

 

[Hellenww]

Our shy boy, Sqeeker, loves soft blankets. He screams and runs if looked at too long but will come to bed if I have the comforter to the side and he can lay on the soft blanket. Yoshi just likes clean, he'll even roll around in the tub after I wash it.

 

[danteshuman]

I have had cats claim a blanket before

 

[mightyboosh]

Oliver likes lying plastic on bags, laptops and sometimes lumpy things. He has access to the comfiest things but prefers the more uncomfortable ones.

 

[prairiepanda]

Cats seem to have very strong tactile preferences. Jonesy likes a surface that is either very smooth or fuzzy, and mostly flat. PJ liked lumpy, puffy surfaces like messy comforters (if I folded and stacked some blankets nicely, she would spend a significant amount of time pulling it apart to make it comfy). Kalie loved smooth paper. Fat Cat loves laying on coarse gravel more than anything else, for some reason. I've seen cats go to great lengths to find a spot that suits their tactile preference, even if the spot is too small to lay on comfortably or if it's located in an environment they don't like (noisy, dog presence, etc.)

So yes, in my experience, tactile feel is very important to cats. I think strategic placement of materials she likes will be a very effective way to get her comfortable with new areas of the home!

 

[susanm9006]

Soft fuzzy things like fleece, knits and fake fur seem to attract most cats and my Willow is no exception. But what makes her go utterly crazy is blue jeans. She of course prefers them fresh and warm from the dryer but she will claim as hers any pair left lying and will need to be pried off of them. We do a tug of war over them every single morning as I am dressing.

 

[sargon]

Fleece tends to be very popular with cats, so is cardboard and sisal. Many like carpet, and leather has its feline fans.

 

[Furballsmom]

she will claim as hers any pair left lying and will need to be pried off of them. We do a tug of war over them every single morning

 

[mama africa]

Missy likes to touch leather objects. She doesn't scratch them… she just seems to like the touch.

 

[DreamerRose]

Mine love soft things like fleece or velvet. I have two throws that have a velvet-like side, and they both love them. I thought all cats did.

 

[Etarre]

Gwen had two fake fur throw pillows that she adored. Every night she would give them a good kneading and groom them. We used to call them her boyfriend and her girlfriend.

Juniper seems more interested in finding tall or enclosed places to sleep than in any particular texture. She is completely uninterested in Gwen's former paramours.