Cat Fancy

Help! I have a fabulous cat and a fabulous boyfriend but they just don't seem to get along too fabulously. Any ideas on how I can get them to like each other or at least co-exist?

In our experience, it is easier to reason with a human than a cat, so we suggest you start by trying to convince your boyfriend to warm up to the cat. We think it will naturally follow that the cat will then warm up to him.

We have two cats: one who will immediately jump into the lap of anyone he meets, and another who is shy with people he doesn't know. When we asked a friend to cat-sit for a few days, we made her come over first to spend some quality time with Shy Cat. We showed her how to rub his ears just the way he likes, we demonstrated how the Cat Dancer would turn him into a pile of cat-joy, we explained not to touch his paws because he doesn't like it. She did all the right moves while cat-sitting Shy Cat, and now he loves her and purrs like crazy when he sees her, running right up to her when she comes over and rubbing his head on her. You might want to try a similar approach with your boyfriend/cat. Tell him about your cat's unique qualities - is she great at snuggling, or wonderful at playing, or has an extra-loud purr that makes you giggle? Show your boyfriend how your cat reacts when you feed her treats or give her catnip, and start encouraging him to do the same. Buy your cat a new toy and let the boyfriend give it to her.

Go slowly - don't try to force a connection. Just let them get to know each other and subtly encourage some human-cat bonding. We're sure as the boyfriend feeds kitty more treats and gives her new toys and catnip that she'll warm right up to him. Before long, you'll probably find the two of them curled up together in perfect human-feline bliss.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Janine Annett in Miscellaneous on November 11, 2004 7:17 AM

Comments [rss]

Captain Midnight

My mistake. Apologies to Rose.

katy

Instead of getting rid of the cat, you may want to consider dumping the boyfriend. If your cat is usually one that gets along with people, I would be concerned that your cat is turned off. What is it about this guy that your cat instinctively dislikes? Your cat might recognize/sense something you don’t. I advise to keep one eye open…

Dirk

It wasn't Rose who made those comments, it was 212.

Peter

If the boyfriend doesn't come around on the issue, get a new boyfriend. Anyone who doesn't like cats is probably not a good soul.

Captain Midnight

It seems, Rose, that you have an axe to grind with cats. But you're doing so with ignorance and hopeless generalizations. My cats have never scratched or bitten me. "Piles and clumps" of cat hair tells me you don't clean often enough.

If boyfriend and cat don't ever gel, I wouldn't lay good odds on the relationship. There are cat people and cat haters (see above), and never the twain shall meet.

Michael

Cat = Dealbreaker. He must really love you to put up with it.

212

Three easy way to get them to behave together.

1) Lose the cats.

2) See #1.

3) See #2

See, when you're cat "plays", it has claws, and sometimes draws blood. NO, it's NOT cute like you think.

You're animal craps and pisses inside your apartment. You're used to the smell, because you live there, but trust me dear ... to the nose that's trained not to ignore animal feces and urine, it smells just like that.

He/she doesn't just shed ... it leaves piles and clumps of hair which sticks to our next morning unshaven face like two pieces of velcro, not to mention the fact we have to keep lint brushes at work and at home.

And lastly, NO, it doesn't act "just like a dog" ... it's a cat. A dog acts like a dog.

Remember, kittens are ALWAYS cute. Cats ... well, that's just another story about a single manhattan woman and her cats.