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Abuse? Anonymous
So I have always raised my indoor cats in an unusually way, which my girlfriend always argues is near abuse. From a kittens age I don't let the cat chose to leave while I am petting it. Basically I refuse to let the cat decide not to be held or played with. This includes rubbing their bellies and ruffing up their fur. While they obviously don't like it at first, my cats grow up to be very affectionate and accepting of touch, People say that they are like dogs when they come to visit. What do you guys think?
>> Bitter Anon !!WJLRQ1cwCyZ
I am a little confused here.
>I refuse to let the cat decide not to be held or played with
Do you mean that you randomly pick up your cat, give it a hug and play with it, then continue what you are doing.. or do you mean you hold a cat while it is flailing and trying to get away, while babytalking and rubbing its fur all weird?

If the former, then HELL YES, that is great. As you said, it results in very social, laid back cats. Cats that are used to that kind of thing are much less likely to be skittish. All of the cats that go through my house get this treatment. If I am walking through the living room, I say make eye contact with whatever cat is in the room, maybe pick them up for a moment, or knock them over with my foot (not kick, but just enough that they roll over or sit down). As a result, they don't freak out if someone bumps into them or sits by them on the couch, they don't run whenever someone new walks past, etc etc. Socialization is a good thing. A cat that actually WANTS to spend time with people is a cat that is likely to get a good home, so socialization is very important when raising kittens or fostering animals.

However, cats make it very very clear when they are finished being social. If your cat is hissing, clawing, yowling, and trying to get away, then you need to fucking stop whatever you are doing. Do not ever chase your cat to pick it up or grab it in a way that makes it cry out. Those things will make a cat see people as predators and they will either become very reclusive and skittish or they will be aggressive, and neither make very good pets.
>> Bitter Anon !!WJLRQ1cwCyZ
>>258734
Do you also think that animals shouldn't receive vaccinations, sterilization, or other vet care? Because those aren't exactly in a cat's nature either.

Domestic cats are not meant to be loners at any time. Either they are companions (so "dog like" socialization is a plus), they are farm/utility cats (so being tolerant of human contact is a plus when they need to be vetted or handled), or they are feral (in which case it doesn't matter what you do because they don't have human interactions anyway). Wild cat species are generally loners, yes, but Felis catus is not meant to be alone.
>> Anonymous
>>258735
Speaks truth.

Also, cats, though friendly, are not usually the kind that enjoys attention all the time. One of the draws to cats for most people is that cats are low up-keep, don't need constant attention and are usually content with you coming home from work and petting it while you do some other task (not fapping) or play with it.
>> Anonymous
My outdoor cats are barn cats, they keep rodent and bird populations in the 4 barns to a minimal.
>> Anonymous
>>258736

Obviously, I want to care for my cat as best as possible, as would anyone. I just meant that you shouldn't try to change an animal's personality just because it clashes with yours.
>> Anonymous
Anon it's called imprinting. Baby animals learn how to be behave and act from their parents. It's a well documented fact that kittens who are held often are more outgoing as adults and kittens who are ignored will ignore their owners when they grow up. This form of behavior training/modification is no more abusive than teaching your dog to sit or roll over. It just sounds unusual because not many people train their cats to do anything but lick their balls all day.
>> Anonymous
My cat meows when I pick her up.

Actually she meows whenever you look at her, say anything, pet her, or walk in the room. She tolerates Hugs Tiem but I can't say she enjoys it.
>> Anonymous
Cats are target practice.
>> Anonymous
>>258719
My cats also are very, very, Very vocal. I think this is becasue my girlfriend is always meowing at them, and has since they were kittens. You can sit there and carry on a conversation with the cats, its very amusing.
>> Anonymous
>>258786

HUR HUR INTERNET TOUGH GUY
>> Anonymous
>>258787

I have a barn cat that LOEVS me. He always wants me to pet him when I come to check on him and change out the food/water. He also meows at me like he's talking. He's not much to look at, just a plain old grey tabby, but his personality is teh win.

The reason I bring this up, is that he was pretty much ignored as a kitten, and is the only one out of a litter of 6 to have any desire to be anywhere near a human. The other cats won't come near me.
>> sage sage
>>258735
>>258736
whatever, you swap.avi watching bastard...
>> Anonymous
I really think it depends on the personality of the individual cat. I've lived with cats all my life, and I am very social with them. However, I've had cats that are extremely social with me (I have one currently that will carry on conversations with me and sit in my lap to be petted for hours), and I've had cats that are extremely anti-social and will only allow affections on their terms. So while it's good to socialize cats, it's not really good to go against their personality, since if you're socializing them when they don't want it, they will grow up to resent or fear you.
>> Bitter Anon !!WJLRQ1cwCyZ
>>259874
I TOLD YOU, THAT WAS FOR SCIENCE
>> Anonymous
i find that the smarter a cat is, the less friendly it tends to be
>> Anonymous
>>259887
i find that the smarter a friendly is, the less cat it tends to be
>> Anonymous
I love torturing cats.