What he's like

[desperance]

Mac may be young, but he already has basic cat traits nailed: like, spending as much time as possible asleep on my bed, and definitely not coming when he's called.

Oddly, these both work to Barry's advantage. First, he gets to spend much of the day unharassed, being an odd cat who doesn't want to sleep on my bed except when I'm in it, and then not so much; second, he gets what kitchen treats are going, being an odd cat who does indeed come when he's called. (Today I am making pork scratchings and Chaz'z Chinese pork, both of which engender yummy scraps for cats in need of treating...)

Also:

- I wonder if Tiggers like chocolate-coated espresso beans? Nom-nom-nom. Pftui! Nasty!

(ten minutes later)

- I wonder if Tiggers like chocolate-coated espresso beans? Nom-nom-nom. Pftui! Nasty!

(and repeat, possibly ad nauseam, except that Chaz took the hint and put 'em in a covered container. Sigh...)

Also:

Are all male cats bitey, or is it just me, do I smell of victimhood? Mac is much more kittenlike than Barry was even at first, when he was roughly the same age, for values of 'kittenlike' that cover wriggly purry snuggliness among other traits - but he has exactly the same habit of turning in a moment from happy affection to fangs&claws. I'm sure that too is purely affectionate, but ouchie. His jaws aren't as strong as Barry's by a country mile, or else he's more temperate in using 'em, but ouchie all the same.

Also:

I confess. I made a macro.

Comments

[affreca.livejournal.com]

I suspect young male cats are more bitey. Sunny (kitten in this icon) was the bitiest cat I've ever known. He spent an entire night when I was visiting chewing on my watch strap. Thankfully he is growing out of it, and only nibbled a bit my last visit. He rarely drew blood, but he managed to take off all dead skin on the hands.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm mind-killed. That is cute...

You give me hope, that they may both grow out of it (I forgot to mention, Mac also chews things other than human flesh, just as Barry does, just as the girls never did). And yup, what astonishes me most is that in a year of deep-down biting me, Barry has never once broken the skin. He's a predator with seriously good teeth, and he causes me serious ouchie - and yet he never makes me bleed. How does he do that?

[affreca.livejournal.com]

I understand. I've mostly had girl kitties (I think because I gravitate towards torties and calicos). I feel terribly sexist saying so, but I can admit now that boy kitties are different in attitude, even if neutered young. Sunny is still chewing cords, but less so than he was (and he's still only 9 months old).

Lju and Barry were terrors on cords. I respliced several power cords that they managed to chew to unusability. I'm so happy they're past that now.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

My own Barry? Death to power cords. I live in dread of death by power cords (tho' the Bitter Apple spray that devonellington kindly sent me seems to have discouraged him considerably).

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

Remind me not to eat any chocolate covered coffee bean that is less than completely covered...

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

Sid bites, but he's getting less bitey (as a result of being smacked, I might add). He bit Trevor once and was clouted, so he didn't do it again. Otherwise he doesn't chew things, unlike former cat Sappho, who gnawed my hard drive until she made a little hole in it.

[pennski.livejournal.com]

I think you've found your icon for next Xmas.

V cute indeed.

Bob bites without causing pain or breaking the skin - I think he was weaned too early (he was a rescue cat).

[esmeraldus-neo.livejournal.com]

1. I has stoled ur pixur

2. I played roughly with Sagwa when he was a babycat. I sort of trained him to know when was enough. We sort of had a "safe word." If he got to scratchy bitey, I'd just freeze, say NO, and take my hand away, repeating as necessary. After a while, he learned to stop when told. Mal is learning, but Mal has always taken play more seriously than Sagwa, so I don't know how it'll turn out.

[synedrian.livejournal.com]

I'm convinced bitey-ness is a personality trait, rather than a kitty gender thing. Sabine goes from purr to claw-chomp in a blink.

(Then again, gender roles in our household are all screwed up anyway; she may think she's a boy cat.)

[jemck.livejournal.com]

Buzz (adult-neutered male) and Sable (female) both will do non-skin-breaking biting of belly-tickling hands for happy play. The trick is to get out before they shift into the gear that includes raking with hind claws - because Sable in particular has claws like razors. Or to be wearing the ancient crocodile oven-mitt that's been appropriated for cat-play.

Younger son, aged 11, had an interesting encounter with chocolate covered espresso beans last week. He saw me eating some and immediately said 'oooh, can I have one?' So I handed one over and it went straight in his mouth. A moment later, with an expression you had to be there to see, he asked, 'um, what is this?' So I told him, and recommended asking that question first in future.