A Few Questions For “cat People”?
Posted by: Alan in Cat Health Problem, tags: Cat., People, Questions
**Sorry this is a little long**
Ok- I’m not the biggest fan of cats- I’ve had a few bad experiences with cats/kittens (I’ve been bitten a lot, scratched, jumped on etc.) and frankly they scare the hell out of me. So my boyfriend and his roomate recently adopted one- her name is Tila, and shes 1 year old. She’s very sweet and affectionate, but the problem is I can’t sleep with her in the same room. She jumps on the bed and paces around my head and face and walks over my body and it scares me to death, despite the fact that she’s purring like a motor boat and I know I should have no reason to fear her. It’s been causing me to wake up whenever she decides to come in- and stay up for the rest of the day. So instead of getting up at 8ish, I’ve now been “forced” to get up at 4 or 5.
So my questions are:
1) am I honestly being a big baby? My boyfriend is not taking this seriously at all, he calls me a cry baby, tells me that my fear of cats is stupid and that even if she did hurt me it wouldnt be a big deal. He also refused to keep her outside of his room because she spends most of the night clawing and meowing at his door to get in. He says I’m selfish for wanting to leave her alone in the rest of the house.
2) Is there something effective I can do to keep her away from my head while sleeping? I wouldn’t mind so much if she could curl up and go to sleep, but it’s the pacing and walking all over me that I hate. My boyfriend pushes her (gently) away from me but she always comes back.
And also I had a few health questions-
I noticed Tila has a few semi-bald patches over her eyes, and one on her back. She seems to shed a lot, but since I’ve never had a cat I don’t know if this is normal.
Also, one time she curled up and started stretching, but it turned more into shaking and her eyes rolled back a little and I really thought she was having a stroke. My boyfriend started petting her and she stopped shaking and then seemed fine. Is that normal?
When do cats become full grown? She’s seems really small for a year old.
Thank you in advance. I know nothing about cats and my boyfriend and his roomate are, well, a little immature 
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December 2nd, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Ha, My cat does the same this, she will walk all over me. I think Tila senses that you may not like her so by coming around purring, she is trying to show you affection. Give her lots of attention. Cat’s are nothing to be feared. I love having Cats, I have 2 and they mean the world to me. It takes a special person for a cat to love, they don’t just show affection to anyone, (well mine don’t, they hate people, but not us). Cat’s don’t like citrus smell, so if you really can’t stand her, get some like orange or lemon scented spray and spray your pillow and your side of the bed and maybe she will not bother you as much.
The bald patches could be ringworm, but it may just be her shedding one of my cats gets bald spots on the back of his head and the vet said that he doesn’t have any diseases, so i don’t know what it is.
I have never seen my cats shake, but the stretch and their eyes will roll back, I do not think it is too much of a problem, but if she begins to act weird after, you may want to get her checked just in case…it could just be a alittle tick she has.
My female cat is 2 years old and 5 pounds and she is teeny tiny. Then my male is 3 years and he is 17 pounds and 36 inches long. So it really just depend son a cat. Cats are usually full grown by a year so she could just be a little runt.
Good luck and I hope you get over your fear…cats are the best pets to have!
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:59 pm
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December 2nd, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Fear is not something that you can control. So you boy friend is being a bit in sensible himself.
Cats are attracted to people that ignore them or try to stay away from them. It seems to be a big cat joke. The best thing you can do is pay attention to her, lots of attention. Try to pick her up all the time. She may decided that you aren’t that fun.
Hair loss is never a good thing. She could have some sort of health issue, so get her to a vet ASAP.
An adult cat can rang from 6-12 pounds. Again seek a vets advice.
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Hmm! Interesting question! Well, when I’ve lived next to my neighbors for ten years, who have seven cats, I’m aware of these habits they have.
Shedding in cats is very normal. However, here’s some advice on how to prevent it: Brush your cats hair constantly, this removes it’s dead hairs from it’s good hairs. After you do that, train it and give it a bath every one or two weeks.
As for the cat sleeping next to you, is some of my knock-dead advice:
1.) Keep your door shut when you go to bed.
2.) Get it a bed that it likes more than yours.
3.) Let it sleep with you. Scratch it, rub it, cat’s will fall asleep easy. And, well, it feels nice to have a warm lump of fur on top of you or next to you. It gives you a good sense of security, and the cat will love you.
So, your choice. Cats can be great companions.
P.S: New cats should always been trained early on were their beds and and litter box is, and how to take a bath. Good Luck!
December 3rd, 2009 at 3:06 am
I don’t think you’re being a big baby! I *like* cats, and I still don’t let our housecat into the bedroom at night – it drives me crazy to have her walking all over the bed, curling up to sleep so that her fur is up my nose, and jumping back and forth from the mattress to the headboard all night long! I don’t know of any good ways to keep her away from you while you’re sleeping – cats will be cats, and they aren’t exactly as trainable as dogs.
Shedding a lot is pretty common, depending on the type of cat and the length of her fur. Baldish patches above the eyes aren’t unusual, and don’t necessarily mean anything bad. However, she really shouldn’t have a bald patch on her back. If she was malnourished before your boyfriend got her, and is now getting fed well, the bald patch might resolve on it’s own – if not, she might have a fungus or skin condition that should probably be treated by a vet.
I’m not sure what’s up with the stretching and shaking – either it’s a normal thing for her, or it’s a cause for concern, and that depends on the cat, and also exactly what the shaking looked like.
She should be pretty close to full grown now – but, like with people, some cats are smaller, and some are larger. If she was malnourished before your boyfriend got her, that could also affect her size.
Has your boyfriend had her checked out by a vet since getting her? It’s always a good idea to take a new pet in for a thorough checkup, particularly if he got her as a stray or from a humane society or rescue group, as pets from those places didn’t always have the happiest start in life.
I hope you guys are able to resolve the issue peacefully, and good luck!
December 3rd, 2009 at 7:44 am
Cats will try and wake you up as soon as it’s light outside, or earlier, if they want breakfast. Try feeding her later in the day. Moggies mature at different rates and queens are always smaller than toms. They usually get as big as they are going to get when they are 2-3 yrs old sometimes 4. She obviously thinks you’re a soft touch but she likes you.
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:36 am
there is no reason to be scared of the cat as they cant possibly hurt you and the reason she wants to sleep with you is because she likes you.
Try keeping the bedroom door open and leave a bowl of dry food out in case she is waking up as shes hungry or bored.
When a cat stretches sometimes and really goes for it they can shake and it looks weird but as long as you can bring her out of it shes fine.
One of my cats was really small until she was about 18 months old then suddenly she was the same size as the others.
I have 5 cats and they’re all different.
December 3rd, 2009 at 2:14 pm
It’s a phobia and yes, phobias are irrational. You just need to work through it and understand that she’s not a threat to you. To be fully grown.. I think it’s like 2 years. But don’t quote me on that.
Hmm… I’m curious as to why she’s not going to sleep.
I guess just get used to her walking around then. I know it sounds impossible. But the purring is soothing isn’t it?
The “bald” patches are normal.
Yes the slight shaking is normal.
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Hey.. I love cats to death, especially my kitty storie.. but I STILL don’t like her pacing around my bed or snuggling up to my head while I am trying to sleep.. My cats know they have to take the end of the bed, or somewhere not too close to my body.. I toss and turn alot and can’t get comfortable if there’s a cat in the way…
HEr and my other cat Moses would sometimes decide to have a wrestling match on my bed at 2 am…I would just kick randomly and very quickly they’d jump off the bed.
I suggest just using your arms to shoo her away from your head while you’re in bed. If you keep it up enough, eventually she’ll get the message, and will find elsewhere to sleep.
Cats are full grown at 1 year generally.. this doesn’ t mean it’s IMPOSSIBLe she’ll get a tiny bit bigger.. but generally at 1 year (except for certain breeds.. usually the really big breeds) they are as big as they are gonna get.
no.. the shaking ane eye rolling doesn’t sound normal.> COULD be a seisure.. siesures are temporary and afterward the person/animal is normal.. if it happens again.. s he could have epilepsy..
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Hey sorry for your dilema but I would sneak a spray bottle under the bed on my side, and I would spray a little water, or get some clear finger nail polish and put a coat on your nails before you go to bed when she smells it she will run and won’t come back! I know!! And as for the shedding, and seizures I would take her to the vet.
December 4th, 2009 at 5:14 am
Never mind being scared, cats can be annoying as hell when they want you to get up! Maybe you should suggest your boyf goes sleep with her in another room if he’s worried about her being alone…
My old girl (sadly passed on) was a champion pacer. With her it was up and down the bookshelves (managing to sound like a cat 10x her size), threatening to start pulling books off.
I had some success teaching her she had to do a ‘down stay’ before I’d get up. She knew what ’settle down’ meant anyway (never taught, just one of those phrases she’d aquired, though I taught her other ‘commands’). I would not get up until she was lying down calmly. If she went to jump on the bookshelves as I got up, then I’d get back into bed. Of course there was one day when she realised what was going on and thought it was very funny to jump on the bookshelves every time I tried to get up, and I didn’t manage to get up until I’d done a flying tackle and stopped her… But it really did sort of work on the whole!
An idea I had, but have never actually tried, would be to do the morning feed with an electronic feeder on a timer. Maybe that way she’d be pacing around the feeder not you?
Bare patches on the head, between eyes and ears, could be natural: the scent marking areas there can be sparsly furred (in fact they were on the cat I’m talking about). However a patch on her back is definitely not normal… I think it might be a good idea to have her checked at the vet.