Sunday, January 29, 2006

Cats Come in All Shapes and Personalities



Now, this is interesting. They have done a study showing that the shape of your cat can indicate its personality.

Long, lanky, athletic cats with triangular heads, such as Siamese cats, want to rule the roost. They are highly intelligent, constant talkers, problem solvers and trouble makers. Without enough stimulation, they may bite or suck on things.

Thicker, square-type silhouette cats, like the Maine Coon, are social butterflies who need quality time with their owners. Essentially doglike, they are very demonstrative, highly social and act like every day is a party. They also like to talk. If they don't get enough human contact, they can be destructive.

Round cats, such as Persians, like very calm households and are not very active. They are emotionally sensitive and affectionate but not as needy as squares. They are also less outgoing with strangers. Change makes them anxious, and they are the most likely to have litter box problems.

Mixed breed cats are tricky to categorize. Unless they obviously meet one of the body styles, they likely will be just what their name implies - a "mix."

Here are the two kinds living in my house: One is Meeko, an animal my roommate likes to consider a "cat," although we believe dog/horse/raccoon combo seems more likely. He definitely falls in to the "square" category. Then, there is Snickers, my cat, who is a mix of personality traits, very cuddly being the main one. Now, don't let these pictures fool you. Meeko is about twice the size of Snickers - literally!

3 comments:

El Jefe Maximo said...

My own cats MILO, FLINKY and SUNSHINE (they have to be in all caps b/c they are the High Patronesses of my blog) all have very distinct personalities. They are really our other children.

MILO, our orange tabby, would definitely fall into your "thicker" category, and needs lots of attention and quality time with us, and likes to talk, particularly late at night. She tends to follow the wife around. I tend to think MILO is the most intelligent...

MILO's sister FLINKY, (a calico), who tends to follow me around, and is, as I am writing this, about a foot away on my desk, avoids most other people, and is easily the most skittish of our cats. We call her "FLINKY" for her tail that flinks back and forth. I never said, BTW, that MILO was the most intelligent...

Our other calico, SUNSHINE, is just under a year old, adopted from Wife's office. Easily the most aggressive and bossy, and tends to bite and suck on things. "Jihad" would have been a better name, and is a frequent nick-name.

Used to date a girl who had a "Snickers."

Anonymous said...

I think "destructive" is the key word here, Caroline ;)

Candidly Caroline said...

Snickers insists - repeatedly until I wear down - that she be allowed to sit on my lap while I'm at my computer. Pretty much she is an extra attachment.