Duncan missed me. You know I love him, but ever since I got back he has been annoying as hell. I don’t mind when a cat meows, but Duncan’s been whining. A lot.
Check out this video. It’s Duncan whining in a whiny little voice. Whoever heard of a twenty pound cat with a squeaky little whine? He’s never had a really robust meow, but his voice changed over the last week and it’s kind of pathetic now. If I had a meow like that, I think I’d stick to purring.
Last night he was desperate for bedtime, and then when we went to bed he was like a mosquito in a tent. He whined and clung to me. He lay on my face. Not the nice way, when he sleeps with his face on my face, but the annoying way when he lays his whole 20 pound body on my face. I pushed him off. Then he wanted to knead my neck with his sharp pointy claws. Somebody really ought to trim those things, they’re getting dangerous. I covered my neck with blankets to protect it. He stuck his paws in my mouth and licked my eye sockets.
I turned over with my back towards him. He followed me. I flipped on my stomach and buried my face in my arms. He bit my head and shoved his nose in my ear. When I pulled away again, he raked the ear with his not-fully-retracted claws. I pulled the blankets over my head and under my body. He repeatedly rammed my head with his head. Then he used his paws to poke along the perimeter, looking for a weakness in my fortress. Next thing I knew, he had muscled his way in and he was all claws and tongue and drooling weirdness.
Eventually we went to sleep, but he made a point of waking me up approximately hourly throughout the night.
I don’t think he liked being left alone. Emilie and Jacob the Scary Baby dropped by every day to feed him and scoop litter and give him a little cuddle, but they didn’t sleep with him. As we know, Duncan is a cat who lives for his bedtime cuddles; he gets a little psychotic without them.
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That’s no meow! That’s a chirp. This is Duncan the bird-cat.
Hey! Are you making fun of my cat?
Even Bazel gets crazy and clingy when we’ve been away and he’s been home on his own for a while. The meow thing is really weird, though. Sounds like he might be hoarse or something.
Sounds like he cried for you for the whole five days and lost his voice. Rob thinks he sounds like he is going through puberty.
Fergus does the head butt thing too when he wants attention but we tend to lock him and the dogs out of our bedroom
Actually, the squeaky voice started a couple of days before I left, so it’s not a result of him crying his big old pussycat heart out while I was gone.
Duncan knows I’m just teasing.
Bazel just watched the video with rapt attention. He seems quite taken with Duncan (aren’t we all?) Now he’s busy exploring all sides of the monitor to see where Duncan went
Oooooh, Duncan’s a little sucky-baby! What a pathetic and endearing… squeak. Can’t call that a purr.
Love the description of Duncan’s assault on Fort Zoom. Consider yourself conquered…
Hahahahaaa! The description of bedtime had with shaking with laughter. Poor you. And poor, determined, clingy Duncan.
Also, Emmy Lou says to tell Duncan that the whining doesn’t work. Once the DentaStix is gone, it’s gone and no earthly force can bring it back. Until tomorrow, when a new one magically appears and the dance begins anew.
Zoom! Clearly, you must leave Duncan with the Dwarf from now on, when you go away. Bonus: Duncan got the amount of attention he rightfully deserves, while with Dwarfie, AND his claws got clipped.
Zoom, your cat has lost his voice. So, this means that you’ve been away too long and during this last “absence” he cried until there was no voice left. Monet, the Burmese, does that, but in an ANGRY way. Duncan seems to have done it in a mellow way. And I laughed myself silly when you said that Duncan licked your eye sockets, I could soooo relate. Yup, typical cat behaviour. He wants to be at home with SOMEONE. Welcome to the “owned by cats club”….
Did you say squeak? Oh, oh, maybe it’s Dwarfie he is missing…
Poor Duncan, you better devote a whole day just to him
Needy lovey kitties are so funny… when they’re bothering someone else! Your description had me laughing out loud. I second the vote to leave him with someone next time, as it sounds like he has abandonment issues. Le pauvre!
Zoom, Duncan didn’t know you were just going away for a few days of R&R. I was just reminiscing with the early photos (in Jan’08) when he originally arrived at your house. His first mousie toy picture and the nice lady vet holding Duncan in ALL of his Glorious and Majestic Furriness. He just needs a bit more time to get to know you and your habits.
Just be patient and give him extra hugs and playtime with you and he will be fine. BTW, I’m sure 4D would be very obliging to hang out with 2D again.
that’s the most appealing squeak I’ve ever heard, pablo’s meown sounds like he’s about to barf
I just read that there is a cat whisperer who deals with feline behavioural problems.
http://www.catcoach.com
I used to have a male cat who squeaked like that. Once after I’d been away he did the same bed time thing with sitting on my face etc. I pushed him off(my face)and the little snot went and pissed on my duvet right in front of me. Laundry at midnight with jet leg is not a fun thing.
I hope he gets over the clingyness soon for both your sakes.
My husband was in the next room and said he swore we were being attacked by birds!
I love the squeak. My boy has always squeaked like that and every time I go away he pulls the same crap for the first and sometimes the 2nd night, then he’s back to normal.
Good luck!
I laughed myself silly reading the rest of your post while Duncan turned circles and squeaked. Poor Duncan. Poor You!
XUP – After I read your comment I played the video for Duncan, and he was quite taken with himself too.
Roro – I think Duncan’s previous people must have caved in to the whining because he’s relentless and I never give in!
Harmony – I know, I know. It was perfect. But I do believe 4D has other cats hanging out at his cave these days, and according to the Humane Society, Duncan must be kept away from other cats at all times. Besides, I didn’t want to inflict him on anybody’s house while he was taking off his knickers.
Carmen, his voice changed *before* I left. Which is good, because otherwise I would be feeling just awful, believing your theory to be true.
Oma – Duncan doesn’t have behavioural problems. He’s just way too happy to have me home.
Nursemyra – did you mean appalling?
Melinda – I notice you said you USED to have a cat who pissed on your bed. That’s the surest way to become a former cat.
You’ll all be pleased to know that while the squeak continues, much like fingernails on a blackboard, Duncan was more civilized in bed last night than the night before.
We gotta love our cats! My biggest cat (a Maine coon) also has the squeakiest meow. I always think of Tom Selleck, that big man, and his high pitched laugh. I hope that Duncan’s squeak eases off for your sake. I’ve been known to yell, “Shut the *&#@ up!” at Bailey. Poor goober always feels like he has to respond with another squeak.
Sheila, that’s the thing – I feel bad about finding the squeak so irritating. I know it’s not Duncan’s fault, but jesus, it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard. (I too have been verbally rude to Duncan about his squeak, and like Bailey, he has responded with yet another squeak. Poor things.)
My pet rats make the same noise as Duncan
Usually when one of them has a foot in the other ones ear….