# Kneading & meowing



## Tonka (Jul 1, 2009)

I'm NEW to cats, having grown up around DOGS my whole life -- and I'm quickly learning how DIFFERENT these two animals are!!! 

My cat Tonka is very affectionate. He loves to climb into my lap and "massage" me. My boyfriend (who lives with me) is also unfamiliar with cats and was at first frightened at this and claimed the cat was trying to "scratch" him. Apparently, what I was calling "massaging" is actually called "kneading" and is accepted as a loving behavior. My cat LOVES to do this. He'll knead us, the bed, our clothes, anything that we're around. 

I'm also just surprised at how **** SMART Tonka is. When I brought him home, he found his litter box right away, scratched in it, and hasn't missed or "forgotten" yet. Even though he's 4, I expected a few mistakes, since I understand how stressful moving to a new place can be. But he's really adapted very well. He's also just so clean. About everything. I love it. All the dogs I ever lived with were pigs.

He likes to try to get outside, but living in apartment, he can't do that. Yesterday I accidently squoze him in the door as he was trying to sneak out and I felt really bad, but he wasn't harmed at all. I've learned to let down a treat to occupy him before leaving now so I don't accidentally get him in the door again.  One of my neighbors isn't very responsible and frequently (and without warning) lets his unneutered cat out to roam and spray all over the apartment building, and even if this was okay, my cat doesn't get along with other cats and I wouldn't want them to get in a fight. (Tonka IS neutered, by the way.)

Sometimes he'll just sit and meow, though. (Especially if I go near the door!) He is relatively quiet otherwise, but sometimes I wonder if he's bored or looking for attention or if he's hungry. He's not sick. Even if all his needs are met, sometimes he'll just sit and meow. I hope a little meowing is normal.

The shelter called Tonka a "personal assistant" feline-ality. He just likes to be at your feet, following you around or in your lap when you're trying to read or be at the computer. He's pretty awesome.


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## WhiteKitties (Dec 22, 2008)

The meowing is different for every cat, and even between sisters. Fern meows when she's hungry and paces in circles in front of the pantry. Fergie, her sister, meows when she wants attention, and will run up to me, meow loudly, then flop over on the floor for scritches. Pay close attention to exactly when your cat meows, and you should be able to figure out what he wants. If it's when you go by the door, he may want to go outside. Your idea of giving him a treat when you leave is a good way to distract him, and if you're not going anywhere, pull out a toy to play with him and distract him. As you noticed already, cats are very smart, and it seems that if they want something specific they're going to go meow by what they want.

Fern is like a personal assistant as well - she follows me everywhere, and probably gets kicked/stepped on about once a week because she gets underfoot so much. It was quite an adjustment for me to learn to look down every time I turn around, because I never had cats before I got these two last year and I wasn't used to having things suddenly appear directly behind me as I'm rooting around in the pantry! It's delightful to have your kitty follow you around, and you'll probably notice that as you adjust to each other he'll be even more attentive if you're having a bad day. Fern will sense when I'm stressed and shed for me as she paces back and forth in front of me, purring and rubbing herself all over me, when she normally isn't at all interested in having physical contact with me once she's had her breakfast. If I laugh or cry hard, Fergie will jump up on my lap and stare very intently at me, trying to figure out what's wrong with me.

The kneading is totally typical of a cat, although not every cat does it. I have to keep Fergie's claws trimmed because she's really big into kneading and she'll rip up my pants and legs if I let her go too long in between trimmings. 

You'll find tons of great information about cats and their care and habits on this forum, so spend some time browsing. Take a look in the Health and Nutrition section and read up on food if you haven't already, because there are some common misconceptions about what cats should be eating and you will find the correct information here.

Welcome, and I hope you enjoy yourself here!


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