Bring your cat to work day

"smobgirl" (smobgirl) 09/05/2018 at 21:01 • Filed to: None

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I’m trying to make sure at least one of my cats is sociable with humans besides me, so Ellie comes to work sometimes.

It’s exhausting playing with a bunch of strangers.

E90M3 > smobgirl 09/05/2018 at 21:09

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I could use some companionship , I think I might need a cat.

smobgirl > E90M3 09/05/2018 at 21:17

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Everyone needs a cat.

E90M3 > smobgirl 09/05/2018 at 21:18

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I’m a cat person, I think I really need to get one soon. I think it’ll do a lot for me. 

smobgirl > E90M3 09/05/2018 at 21:31

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I wasn’t planning on getting a kitten. My super friendly very chill lap cat passed away unexpectedly in June and I found this munchkin two weeks later. It’s been crazy to see her transform from a malnourished and terrified baby to now.

They’re good companions though. And not judgmental if I go somewhere for the weeke nd without them like the  dog is.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > E90M3 09/05/2018 at 21:35

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+1 - we never had a pet when I was growing up...not that we didn’t love cats and dogs, but we were all gone all the time and felt it wouldn’t be fair to have one that nobody was ever home with.

We ended up rescuing some feral cats about 3 years ago and one had kittens. Sadly, all but one of the kittens didn’t make it but we tamed the one that did with the intent of giving it to the local animal shelter (once it was safe around humans) to rehome....

Taming and bonding with that little cat was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. We kept her (I still live at home at the moment) and she is more ‘my’ cat than mom’s or my brother’s. She’s not really a cuddly lap cat due to her originally feral nature, but despite the fact she’s pretty much like any domesticated cat now, she has such a strange and quirky personality from her first-wild-than-socialized upbringing. I don’t know how I ever got along with her!

We think she was about 12 weeks old when we trapped her, so she’s about 2.5 now.

If you can give a home to a cat at a local shelter, I can guarantee it’ll brighten your life , and you’ll be giving a new chance to a little critter that could use some companionship just as much as you could. :)

E90M3 > smobgirl 09/05/2018 at 21:39

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Cats seem to know I like them, and seem to be nice to me. This is me and my friend’s cat:

I really think it would be good for me.  I think I’m going to look into getting one soon.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > smobgirl 09/05/2018 at 21:43

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I am now convinced that this is you.

smobgirl > E90M3 09/05/2018 at 21:48

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OH MY GOD CAT PAJAMAS

E90M3 > smobgirl 09/05/2018 at 21:54

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He hates them, but looks super cute in them.

If I get a cat, probably going to be a girl. 

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > smobgirl 09/05/2018 at 22:07

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If I wasn't horribly allergic to them I would have one as a creepy roommate. I am also convinced that cats know who is allergic to them because if there's one around they will be hell-bent upon rubbing on my legs.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > smobgirl 09/05/2018 at 22:12

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Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 09/05/2018 at 22:13

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They always jump in my lap. They know. Cats are dicks. 

smobgirl > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 09/05/2018 at 22:47

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All the shitpost cats get Macs, where did I go wrong?

shop-teacher > smobgirl 09/05/2018 at 22:50

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Daaawwwwww! Kittay!

Here's one of Hammer helping with the kitchen remodel.

AestheticsInMotion > smobgirl 09/05/2018 at 23:10

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Where do you work and how do I join? 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 09/05/2018 at 23:12

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Fun fact, I’ve always been allergic to cats - sniffles, runny nose and watery eyes, sneezing.....BUT, I love them anyway, and awesomely, your body adjusts after awhile! It’s possible if you ever did get one you would actually get over your allergies after a few weeks to a month! I can shove my face in her fur and take a deep huff now and no allergic reaction whatsoever! :P

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 09/05/2018 at 23:22

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I was reading an interesting article the other day that says they actually approach people who are allergic or who aren’t ‘cat people’ because those people exhibit the behaviors cats most associate with being non-aggressive. Makes perfect sense if you think about it.

Cats aren’t really social creatures by instinct (they can be, obviously, but by nature they aren’t). For one of the examples from the article, the people who love cats are the ones putting their hands near or trying to pet the cat and looking directly at the cat or talking loudly at it (“Awww, you’re SOOO cute!”, etc). Cats see staring eye to eye as a sign of aggression, unfamiliar hands coming towards them would be scary and loud sounds can be scary and aggressive. Opposite to that - allergic people or people who dislike cats are the ones who try to pay no attention to the cat (so no staring eye to eye), aren’t going to run up and try to pet it and are less likely to speak loudly at them, so cats approach them because in little cat brains, aloofness is a sign of non-aggression.

When we were taming ours, we did a lot of research and staring ‘past’ cats or looking not directly at them was one way to help gain their trust because to them it’s a “Oh, that creature is paying me no mind and is therefore not going to hurt me” situation. If you are going to look towards them or at them, you can also blink slowly - they see it as a sign of trust (try it with a cat you know well that you get along with sometime, people often call them ‘cat kisses’ because if you do it to a cat and a cat does it back to you , you know that cat likes you or trusts you). ‘Kitty kiss’ blinks are pretty unique looking from normal blinks, so it’s obvious when they are doing them.

Feigning ‘cleaning your paws’ as a human (i.e. faking licking your hands as a cat would) is another way to make them feel less nervous around you because in cat world, another cat isn’t going to feel comfortable enough to clean themselves around you if they were trying to be threatening. Feigning yawning around cats is similar - they see it as non-threatening because something aggressive towards them is going to be wired and on-edge, not sleepy. Talking in a quiet voice helps as well because their ears are very sensitive and even if you’re being friendly and talking in a cutesy voice towards them, it could still come off as loud and booming on their end, despite the tone.

Just a few examples....we learned a LOT about cat body language, behavior and social cues when we were researching cats while taming her, haha!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > smobgirl 09/05/2018 at 23:29

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With cats?

Actually, the black one is named after a cat... Binx on “Hocus Pocus.”

smobgirl > shop-teacher 09/05/2018 at 23:40

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He looks very motivated to assist.

smobgirl > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 09/05/2018 at 23:41

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I mean the dog comes to work more often than she does.

smobgirl > AestheticsInMotion 09/05/2018 at 23:50

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Hah. Technically we’re just dog- friendly but she uses a litter box instead of going all over the office (*AHEM* coworker’s puppy) so no one is complaining.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 09/05/2018 at 23:59

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So you are saying I should go death metal  on a cat while making eye contact, got it.

MarquetteLa > smobgirl 09/06/2018 at 00:20

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Ellie is adorable! I wish kitties would come to my office.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 09/06/2018 at 06:32

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I get rashes, hives, swelling and my skin itches from the inside. I'm not taking any chances.

shop-teacher > smobgirl 09/06/2018 at 07:07

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I’m not sure how I could’ve gotten all this work done, without  his valuable help.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 09/06/2018 at 18:25

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Sure, that’ll definitely work! :P

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 09/06/2018 at 18:25

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Yup, your allergies to them sound far worse than mine were (mine we re incredibly unpleasant as my nose wa s like a faucet...but at least no hives or swelling!)