What Does It Mean If A Kitty Is Excessively Meowing, Kneading And Rubbing?

[Thecurlygirl]

Ok, so I live in the country. 45 min away from my job and last night while I was on my way back home, I spotted a little black cat in the road. he was in the middle of nowhere. I got out and he meowed at me. I had no choice but to bring him home. I mean, there are literally no houses or anything where he was at. He definitely would die either by being hit by a car or eaten by a wild animal. Soooo, I got home a little worried since my husband and I already have taken in 4 dogs and 2 cats that people have just abandoned in the woods, all except one dog who we actually adopted. I am blessed to live in a ranch, so I have plenty of space and my husband and I have no kids, so we have been able to feed our animals. Obviously that doesn't mean we are wanting any more or that we can keep this up hahaha. Any ways, I brought in the kitty and he is VERY VERY VERY sweet! I named him Salem and love him! the only thing I notice is he is EXTREMELY needy. I wonder if there is a reason to this. I'm not saying I see a problem to it, It's just odd. I had never had a cat who wanted me to be on him 24/7! he will jump to the sink while im brushing my teeth and climb my shirt! he runs to my hand when I reach out to get something so that I can pet him more! he wants to rub his face against mine and it is NEVER ENOUGH! hahaha I find this behavior to be extremely sweet and despite me sounding like I'm complaining, I'm not! I am just curious to know if anybody knows why he would act this way!? I'm not sure how old he is yet. We will take him to the vet this weekend. My hubs and I have been so busy that we have not been able to.
Thanks a lot!

 

[rubysmama]

Awww... poor baby. He is obviously not feral, so must be a housecat someone dumped. Maybe he's just so happy that you rescued him, he can't leave you alone. Thanks for stopping and rescuing him. He will be forever grateful.

When I first adopted my Ruby from the shelter, she used to follow me around all the time too. Not quite as "in your face" as your little guy, but I never had to wonder where she was. Eventually she settled down and stopping sticking to me like glue.

Good luck with your guy. Hope he gets a good vet checkup.

 

[Sarthur2]

He sounds like a kitten who was dumped and is very needy and grateful to be rescued.

Thank you! We would love to see his picture!

 

[tabbytom]

Hello Thecurlygirl, welcome to TCS

Thank you for stopping and getting Salem home and giving him a warm and loving purr-feet home

He sure is one love bug

Yes, please show us his photos

 

[jpatootie]

Do younhave any idea howmold he might be? Neutered?

 

[catlover73]

Thank you for rescuing Salem and welcome to TCS. Some of the neediness could be that he misses his mom and siblings. He now views you as his mom and just wants to make sure you do not leave him. When I adopted my Starbuck at 6 weeks old she was very needy with us. Some jerk threw her out a car window when she was only 4 weeks old. She needed time to understand that she was safe and we love her. One thing that helped her settle in was when one of my 7 year old boys stepped up and became her surrogate parent after her health was cleared by the vet. I hope one of your cats takes him under their care. This really helped my Starbuck. She is now 10 years old and is content to hang out with us and does not need 24/7 attention. She still cuddles but is not needy 24/7. I also thought her needy stage was adorable.

 

[jpatootie]

I just saw my mess of a message. Sorry. I'm wondering how old the small cat, Salem, might be, and if he is neutered.

 

[Thecurlygirl]

Hello ladies, not sure how to use the site yet. I don't know how to do it so that all of you see the picture or get a notification of it, but here he is...(The cat on my profile pic is Laredo. We rescued him from the streets in a parking lot in a trip to Laredo, Tx) The black one here is Salem, our new baby.
I have no clue how old he is, but he is still very young.

 

[tabbytom]

Hello ladies, not sure how to use the site yet. I don't know how to do it so that all of you see the picture or get a notification of it..........

You can either click on quote or reply as what I did or type Thecurlygirl and we'll get a notification. Some have activated to get email notifications when subscribed to a thread

 

[Sarthur2]

He looks very young. Are his baby teeth in yet? If so, he's at least 4 weeks old.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Thank you for taking him in! Glad he is getting a vet visit this weekend.

He is doing his best to "scent mark" you, you now belong to HIM

One thing you could do is make at least one comfy bed for him of worn t-shirts or clothing of yours and your husband's, stuff that smells like his new humans, and it might give him a sense of calm being surrounded by your scents.

 

[kittychick]

It's funny - I couldn't get the photo to enlarge on your little one (I'm a graphic designer - you'd think I'd be good at it!) so I couldn't really see his size/age - - but if everyone else feels he's really young, and I'd trust the voices you're hearing above My original first guess was going to be - are you sure it's a boy and that he's actually that young? Just because what you described are very, very much like the actions of a female cat in heat. And they can go into heat very young (although more like 4 months, not the two months it sounds like suggested above). A good way to judge age of a kitten that I still refer to at times is this link on Alley Cat Allies site (it explains in detail - both visually and in text - what you can see at lots of milestones in a kitten's age):

How Old Is That Kitten? Kitten Guide

We just TNR'd a momma kitty (and are currently fostering her three kittens - who've become adorable sweethearts that we hope find homes soon) - - and she'd been dumped in a neighbor's yard, having gotten pregnant at just about exactly only four months old. So it happens very, very young.

But it's also VERY likely - especially if he is really small - that he really misses his mamma and siblings - and you're now his new mamma! He's rubbing against you to rub his scent (pheromones that you can't smell but other cats can) on you so that everyone knows it - and so that he can find you even if he can't see you. He's obviously VERY happy he's found someone who He's a lucky kitty to be rescued by someone who obviously cares this much Sounds like you obviously know many aren't that lucky.

Definitely keep coming to this site with questions, photos and stories -- - -this forum is amazing. It's filled with lots of knowledgable, compassionate people who are happy to help as much as possible (even if it's just to lend a shoulder or offer an "awwww"). Keep us updated on the sweetie!

And I REALLY envy your ranch - - - as my husband points out often - - -if we had the space like that, they'd find us buried under a pile of foster kittens, feral kitties and strays.