8 thoughts on “Open Thread

  1. http://nyccats.urgentpodr.org/apollo-a1057889/

    I love tabby and white cats. This NYCACC cat is labeled “rescue only”. If you read the notes, the concern is that he *really* likes being petted. Which is an undesirable trait ???? and appears to conflict w/this entry in his records:

    At the time of the assessment Apollo was displaying friendly behavior, comes to the front of the kennel, interacts with the Assessor, solicits attention, is easy to handle and tolerates all petting. Apollo is displaying behavior appropriate for a beginner cat owner.

    Anyway, please share him.

    1. What’s described is a common behavior. Some cats are very sensitive to petting, and when they hit their limit they’ll push, swat, or grab your hand in their mouth to make it stop. In Apollo’s case he sounds to me like he’s scared & desperate for reassurance, which can trigger hypersensitivity too, especially if the environment itself is loud & stressful, & worse, the second assessor basically teased him, whether intentionally or not, what with all the nonsense with the cage door.

      In my experience, cats who are sensitive like this will calm down once you stop petting them, and very often they’ll tag along or cuddle up on their own. Or not. Sometimes they want a pet now, and not, and now, and not, which can be frustrating. But it’s not what I’d consider an actual *issue,* any more than it is when, say, a toddler whines & shoves when he doesn’t want to get hugged.

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