Far Too Friendly Feline

I'm pretty sure my neighbor's cat is the most obnoxiously friendly cat I've ever met. Sounds like an oxymoron, right?  Yeah, that's what I would have thought before meeting him, but it's true.

Though I married into a family of "cat people," I myself am not a cat person. I'm neither a cat lover nor a cat hater; they just don't do anything for me. My husband's family are cat people; we're talking mega cats. But that's a topic for another day...

My neighbor's cat -- we can call him Morris, since he looks like Morris the Cat - big and orange -- is an aggressively friendly cat. He's really starting to annoy me. He's an outdoor cat, and by that I mean I think he strictly lives outside, or at least it seems that way. We pull in to the driveway, and there's Morris to greet us -- it's like he's a dog! It's like he's our dog! He's always been very friendly and affectionate, but lately he's just gotten too aggressive for my taste.

Today I was trying to make a quick run to the grocery store with my little boy. While I strapped my son into his car seat, Morris slipped by me and jumped into the car! I yelled at him, as I always do. He jumped on top of the back seat & looked like he was heading for the trunk of my wagon. I opened the back & he flew out the side door, hopping across my son. When we returned from the grocery store, I didn't see Morris anywhere. Phew. I could bring the groceries into the house in peace for once. Or so I thought. I opened my car door and dinged Morris's head. I tell you, he appears out of nowhere.

He's been known to hop into my trunk while I'm unloading groceries, but I didn't want to deal with that today. I took a few bags out, closed the trunk, brought them into the house, opened the trunk again... All the while, Morris paced, following my every move.

Why does he pester me & follow me?  I am not a cat person!  I yell at him and tell him to go away!  Why does he keep coming back for more?

Last summer, I spent a lot of time walking my newborn baby in my arms up & down the driveway. I was holding the baby close to me, so I couldn't see my feet. I stepped on Morris more than once last summer.

But he continues to come back. Why? I thought cats were supposed to be smart.

Comments

[caltechgirl]

get a dog :)

Honestly, i don't know what else to tell you.

Funny, though, a friend of mine was adopted by the neighbors' cat, and ended up keeping him when the neighbors moved away, there wasn't much they could do about it either.

[Tammy]

LOL...clearly he just likes you!

I'm not an animal person in general....but the girls talked me into a cat...who looks like Morris....only she's female. She's actually pretty cool....but this is the first cat in like 15 years that I've felt this way about!

[rory]

Others would find his following you around adorable, but I find it annoying too! I'm not a cat person. I'm not a dog person. I'm a people person, that's it!

[Kitty]

They sense it you know and make a bee-line for the one person who doesn't like them.

I have read that the reason this happens is thus:
In the cat world staring at another cat is a challenge, the other cat will either fight or concede and leave, looking away is an invitation to be friends. People who are not cat people look away from cats, whereas people who are cat people tend to look at them to try and attract them, all this behaviour usually has the opposite effect :)

You could try some agressive staring. A water pistol also works wonders ;) Oh and before anyone accuses me of cruelty, I have four cats of my own. A gentle squirt from a water pistol (not a supersquirter or somesuch) never harmed a cat yet.

[shish]

awww..Marie. I think Morris is trying to tell you to adopt a kitty of your own! I'm going to turn you into a "cat person" yet! Poor little kitty is probably starved for attention. His "people" should bring him indoors.
:)

[Marie]

Caltechgirl,
Oh boy. I don't want him adopting us!

Tammy and Rory,
I'm not an animal person either... definitely more of a people person. I thought I had found a cat that I could actually like with Morris, but he has crossed the line with me & is now a nuisance!

Kitty,
You know, I've pretended to like him :-) but haven't tried the stare-down yet. I will try that. And a water gun... now you're talking!

Shish,
Ha! You're funny. The weird thing is that everyone in the neighborhood knows this cat. He's just so obnoxiously friendly (kind of a Dennis the Menace-like cat, really), he seems to greet a lot of people when they come out of their houses/cars. To talk to the neighbors, you'd think there were a bunch of Morrises, but there's only 1! And he has a home with a little boy... I don't get it. I don't know if he ever goes inside!

[caltechgirl]

my husband recommends hissing.

[vw bug]

I think they are right in the stare down. I am allergic to cats so have a tendency to stay away from them. But most cats (even ones known 'not to like people') seem to head for me after about 20 minutes. I like the water pistol idea. Best of luck. Can't wait to see what happens when the water pistol falls out of your purse one day. GRIN.

[Marie]

Caltechgirl,
Ha ha! That's what my mother did when I was a kid (to cats, not us kids)... probably part of the reason I grew up as not an animal person!

Thanks VWBug,
I'll let you know how it goes. My sisters are both allergic too... somehow I'm not.

So, will y'all come visit me when the men in white suits come to take me away? I figure the neighbors will report me when I start staring, hissing, and dousing the world's friendliest cat!