Hi I'm new to the forum and I've just got a black long haired kitten and he's gorgeous. Anyway there were just a couple of things I'd like to get cleared up. My kitten has a problem with being held. When I pick him up he will try to get away but he'll come openly and sit on me he just doesn't like being held. Also his name is Jax but he doesn't respond to it If I call him he won't come but if I call and give him a hand gesture he'll then come. How long does it tke for kittens to respond to their names. I've been calling him jax for a couple of weeks now. Anyway other than that he's an excellent kitten and is good as gold and he loves playing. He's sprawled out on my couch at the minute cute buger.
My new kitty
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I have never seen a cat that likes being held. They dont like being moved from where they are, and kittens are afraid of high places.
Most of my cats dont respond to their name, but they all respond to "pretty kitty", because thats the majority of the time. I will be walking through the hall way and bend down to pet a cat passing by and say "hello pretty kitty". And then "hello other pretty kitty", i cant help but pet every cat i see :lol: .
It could take a few months for the cat to get their name. I only have 1 or 2 cats that actually respond to it. Try call'ing him, and when he comes give him a treat, and keep doing that. He will then associate the word "Jax" with the treat. Keep giving him treats untill he responds eatch and every time. Then sometimes dont give im treats when he comes, and then none.
One time i was trying to get my cat's attention, i would say "kitty" fast, but that didnt do it. But when i said his name "TopHat", he eimediatly turned around and ran up to me. But so far he seems to be the only one.. I dont get it =/.
Cats ONLY do things if there is something in it for them, thats why some people think dogs are smarter then cats.
Most of my cats dont respond to their name, but they all respond to "pretty kitty", because thats the majority of the time. I will be walking through the hall way and bend down to pet a cat passing by and say "hello pretty kitty". And then "hello other pretty kitty", i cant help but pet every cat i see :lol: .
It could take a few months for the cat to get their name. I only have 1 or 2 cats that actually respond to it. Try call'ing him, and when he comes give him a treat, and keep doing that. He will then associate the word "Jax" with the treat. Keep giving him treats untill he responds eatch and every time. Then sometimes dont give im treats when he comes, and then none.
One time i was trying to get my cat's attention, i would say "kitty" fast, but that didnt do it. But when i said his name "TopHat", he eimediatly turned around and ran up to me. But so far he seems to be the only one.. I dont get it =/.
Cats ONLY do things if there is something in it for them, thats why some people think dogs are smarter then cats.
the cat being held depends how it was braught up
my oldest cat hates being picked up, you pick her up and its a bit meow, load of fuss and she runs away.
Vienna and her 3 kittens we kept i can do anything with them. coz obviously we had the kittens from birth we have had a LOT of contact with them as they grew up, constantly being held and done alsorts with them. Now nearly 6 months old i can hold any of them in any position and they dont care, when butch was small and light enough i could hold him by his lower waste so he was looking down, hes just stay like that looking around, now he is too big for that and it will hurt him! but with them all i can pick them up, hold them like a baby in my arms, hold them upside down, allsorts!
anyways back to the point, it depends on the cat and both how they were braught up.
my oldest cat hates being picked up, you pick her up and its a bit meow, load of fuss and she runs away.
Vienna and her 3 kittens we kept i can do anything with them. coz obviously we had the kittens from birth we have had a LOT of contact with them as they grew up, constantly being held and done alsorts with them. Now nearly 6 months old i can hold any of them in any position and they dont care, when butch was small and light enough i could hold him by his lower waste so he was looking down, hes just stay like that looking around, now he is too big for that and it will hurt him! but with them all i can pick them up, hold them like a baby in my arms, hold them upside down, allsorts!
anyways back to the point, it depends on the cat and both how they were braught up.
We would always hold are kitten, and now they dont like being held..Zalensia said:
I have never had a kitten that likes being held. I meen sure they are the best cats i have ever had, they get along great and know their place in the house. But they still dont like being held... Weird. Maybe i should hold them more now before they become full adults.*goes to pickup his cats*
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Out of all my cats I've ever had, only three have ever enjoyed being held. One was a kitten who I'd been holding since he was very tiny (met him when he was 3 days old), Sierra was affectionate when we adopted her (as a kitten), and the other is my new kitten, Phoenix, who just loves to be held and petted and adores everyone. Only after years of using a name ever seems to work for getting a cat to respond to me, lol, and normally it's the wrong name because I rarely use a full name. Eventualy, tho, he'll probably get it down
I think with getting a cat to be fine with being held, that has to be imbedded in their personality REALLY early on. I've always believed if you want naffectionate cat, adopt an already affectionate one. That seems to work
Best wishes on the new kitty!
I think with getting a cat to be fine with being held, that has to be imbedded in their personality REALLY early on. I've always believed if you want naffectionate cat, adopt an already affectionate one. That seems to work
Best wishes on the new kitty!
My cats don't usually respond to the name just the command, cuz you know cats are their own kind and do as they please. They don't like you telling them what to do!!
One of my cats Twinkie used to hate being held and would squirm right away and such but after I kept holding him everyday for a little bit, he got used to it and now loves to held but not for long. Some cats just don't like being held and some do. At least your cat even sits on your lap, Twinkie will never do that..... :roll:
One of my cats Twinkie used to hate being held and would squirm right away and such but after I kept holding him everyday for a little bit, he got used to it and now loves to held but not for long. Some cats just don't like being held and some do. At least your cat even sits on your lap, Twinkie will never do that..... :roll:
Well he's only young so I'll just keep holding him and calling him jax every time I want him come or to feed him. By the time he's 6 months old and ready to go out in the big bad world he should know his name. Also people have told me that I should get him neutered well I personally don't want to do this what are the advantages to that of a tom cat to that of a neutered male? Anyway thanks again for your opinions.
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There are lots of advantages to neutering your pet. Above all, your cat won't be contributing to the huge number of unwanted cats that don't have homes. Many good animals have to be put down every day because of the overpopulation. Also, fixed toms are less prone to disease, don't get in as many fights and are less likely to wander from home. Neutering usually also makes them more affectionate. Neutered pets live longer because they wander less and get in less fights. The surgery is very easy and most boys are up and playing as soon as they get home. There is really no risk in the operation, because they only have to make a tiny incision. I really hope you get your boy neutered, it really is the best for everybody involved.
Also, have you considered making him an indoor cat? Indoor cats won't get run over, stolen, get in fights or get diseases from other cats. A lot of members here have sad stories about these things happening to their pets. Personally, I have had one cat stolen and another run over, so now my babies are completely indoor. Since Jaxx is young, he would not even know the difference. Just something to consider. The best to you and Jaxx!
Also, have you considered making him an indoor cat? Indoor cats won't get run over, stolen, get in fights or get diseases from other cats. A lot of members here have sad stories about these things happening to their pets. Personally, I have had one cat stolen and another run over, so now my babies are completely indoor. Since Jaxx is young, he would not even know the difference. Just something to consider. The best to you and Jaxx!
@rayofash when i said since they were little i meant that they were viennas babies and i handled them from the day they were born. From what i have read this is the best thing to do to get loving cats- they are not afraid of human contact because they have had it since birth. But even at that i had 1 kitten called honey who got all the handling since she was born, but she would run away from us and not want us to touch her or anything. I beleive a large part is based on thier upbringing from birth, but of course like people some just dont want anything to do with us, they are happy snoozing on yer fave sofa spot
All together i have 5 cats, and only 1 will not let us pick her up, this is where my strong belief comes from in being handled from birth. Pebbles we got a from a couple with no children whos cat got pregnant, i dont think she had much handling from birth. Vienna we got from a lovely family who had 2 children who i expect didnt leave the kittens alone! And then screech, butch and smeagle are viennas babies who i braught up (she had 6 but we kept 3) and they had daily handling, when we were home we would bring them into the front room with us. (obviously it depends on the queen if she will let you do this, vienna was very trusting with us, she let us watch her, and stroke her WHILE she was having her kittens, i have to say it was the most amazing this to witness!) some queens wont want you anywhere near her or the kittens.
anyway back to my point mostly it comes down to what the cat wants!
@jaxx get him fixed for all the above reasons!
All together i have 5 cats, and only 1 will not let us pick her up, this is where my strong belief comes from in being handled from birth. Pebbles we got a from a couple with no children whos cat got pregnant, i dont think she had much handling from birth. Vienna we got from a lovely family who had 2 children who i expect didnt leave the kittens alone! And then screech, butch and smeagle are viennas babies who i braught up (she had 6 but we kept 3) and they had daily handling, when we were home we would bring them into the front room with us. (obviously it depends on the queen if she will let you do this, vienna was very trusting with us, she let us watch her, and stroke her WHILE she was having her kittens, i have to say it was the most amazing this to witness!) some queens wont want you anywhere near her or the kittens.
anyway back to my point mostly it comes down to what the cat wants!
@jaxx get him fixed for all the above reasons!
Don't worry about the holding problem! He is probably still getting used to you. Give him some more time.
As for the name thing, my cat is 2yrs. old and only sometimes does he turn when I call his name! Don't worry..I thought the same thing too at first...but cats, sometimes (ok alot of times) they just don't want to listen to you! But that's ok cause a cat is much more than that!LOL! :wink:
As for the name thing, my cat is 2yrs. old and only sometimes does he turn when I call his name! Don't worry..I thought the same thing too at first...but cats, sometimes (ok alot of times) they just don't want to listen to you! But that's ok cause a cat is much more than that!LOL! :wink:
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I forgot about one of the most important advantages to neutering ! Intact toms usually spray whereas fixed males rarely do.
! Intact toms usually spray whereas fixed males rarely do.I think that with most cats liking to be held comes with age. As kittens, they rarely like to be held; they're frisky and do not like to be stopped from exploring. as they get older, though, I think most come around.
The older my cat Stephen has gotten (almost 5 now), the more she likes to cuddle and be held...all within her own rules and time, though.
The older my cat Stephen has gotten (almost 5 now), the more she likes to cuddle and be held...all within her own rules and time, though.
from what i read in a book about bringing up kittens is that most dont like to be held because they wernt when they were growing up (from birth) and so when they reach new homes, never mind a new scary owner, they also have to learnto be held, and thats scary!
Your cat can be taught to tolerate being held -- my cat Jack is already much better and I've only had him for 3 weeks. What I did was try to pick him up when he was relaxed, not playing. And I picked him up while supporting his back feet just to make sure he didn't feel like he was getting clotheslined. And the second he started to struggle to get down, I let him down gently. He started tolerating it for longer and longer periods of time. Don't worry -- your cat can come around if you do it right. Don't restrain him -- that's the most important thing. Plus -- your kitty is still young. Did you want to sit down and snuggle when you were a little kid full of energy? Heh -- you probably still don't like to be held down. Just like you'd do with a child, try to make the holding enjoyable. Give him a treat afterwards -- whatever works. Show him that you're not trying to smother him or keep him from his mission of killing that toy mouse.
Just like you'd do with a child, try to make the holding enjoyable. Give him a treat afterwards -- whatever works. Show him that you're not trying to smother him or keep him from his mission of killing that toy mouse.
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I think it can depend on why and how you hold him. Jimmy doesn't like being held with his face towards you - unfortunately, he's not really into snuggles. But he likes being held up in front of you to look out of the window. That's to his advantage because he can get a good view.
On the subject of names, he always responds to it. We have a friend called Jim who is a bit deaf. If you call out 'Jim! Do you want a cuppa?' from the kitchen, both Jim the cat and Jim the bloke will look up :lol:
On the subject of names, he always responds to it. We have a friend called Jim who is a bit deaf. If you call out 'Jim! Do you want a cuppa?' from the kitchen, both Jim the cat and Jim the bloke will look up :lol:
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