how does your cat get your attention?

[thissismyusername]

my cat has a method of waking me which drives me mad/is extremely effective. First, he licks my face gently, if this doesn't work then he jumps onto the chest of drawers next my bed and shuffles things such as jewellery or other bits and pieces around. The next stage is to find a piece of newspaper, a book, or his 'piece de resistance' a plastic bag, and pats it repeatedly until I give in. If i really want a lie in i have to clear the room of potential resources the night before.

he's so lovely though, i can't hold it against him.

anyone else care to share?

98% of the time he just wants to blink at me so that's easily done. He plonks himself beside me and blinks and purrs
1% of the time he wants out so he sits by the window with a questioning face and pats the catch until I open it

The remaining 1% is when he sings his song which I don't know what it means. It can be anywhere and anytime and goes a bit like "owwwweeeee hallllllioooooo owwweeee helloooooooo"
Not a clue

I find it really touching, this cross-species communication. They do their best w what they've got

Tiny tabby girl cat is a 'rustler' snuffling about noisy but never approaching the bed.

Tux boy cat is a delightful licker and will come and lick your hand for attention. I like that.

Our old Siamese used to yowl so loudly and scratch the floor. Annoying.

Oh and I've clicker trained mine because I'm an idiot. So if he wants dreamies he does sit and waves his paw in the air

Ours are all different:
Our biggest cat miaows like a formula 1 car.
The soppy boy cat puts his paw round your arm and touches you with his teeth.
Our elderly cat is a silent starer - she will sit and look at you, and you WILL recognise that she wants your attention, know exactly what she wants and sort it for her.
Beastie cat either bites, or weaves round your leg making bird noises.
And our smallest ditzy cat sort of twitches each muscle in her body one by one until the tiniest little miaow comes out - the other cats all give her pitying looks.

Tap me repeatedly with her paw. She the gently scrapes her teeth across my toes or fingers then I get meowing along with MEEEEOOWWYYYOOOUUUUUUUU sort of noise that goes on for fucking ever. I love her but seriously

If she wants me in the night she'll scratch at the bedroom door. She's realised that whilst I can ignore her vocal summons the scratching drives me up the wall and I'll jump to attention immediately.

Otherwise she meows, loudly, as she knows I'll come running. Though occassionally she'll just sit, silently, in front of her empty bowl and look pathetic.

She's part siamese, and I swear the whole part is in her vocal box. If she's really unhappy (usually at the hoover, washing machine, or being in the car) she'll scream incredibly loudly.

When my cat wants attention, she takes 1 claw and repeatedly claw at the bottom of my jeans. Just one claw. Nip, nip, nip. It's really annoying!

My youngest kisses me with a little purr

Fatty Cat marches up and down squawking for fuss. Looking at me with her huge green eyes. Snorgmaiden has also taken to marching around the bed at bedtime quacking loudly. Showing her little pink younger. It's adorable!

Tongue**

To wake us up this morning he pushed a full water bottle off my bedside cabinet. The huge thud woke up DP & I with a start and he looked very pleased! Also likes to wake us up with gentle head butts or by attacking DP's feet.

General attention seeking is all about the vocals - if he's being cute it's a little "meop" as he peers around the corner. If he's being annoying its YOWEEEEEEE from the hall. And repeat.

Little M reaches up to my knee with a paw and stares imploringly at me. Or races around the house making noises that I didn't know a cat could make - sort of Errr, ungYA, which I have to repeat back to him, and he goes ung, ung, ung, ung, whilst bouncing up or down the stairs whilst 'finding' me. Or he throws himself on the floor in front of me and wriggles about, showing off his baldy pink belly, which he has a tuft of 'man hair' on, just above his belly button.

MCat just assumes I have his attention at all times. If I'm doing work on the lappy, he strolls across the keyboard, thus changing all the settings. Or yowls loudly into corners. He does the flop 'n' roll thing too, which makes me wonder if he has some Ragdoll in his heritage.

To get me up in the morning, Dcat:

1. licks my eyelids gently
2. tugs my hair with her teeth
3. scrapes a claw along my top lip

Then I stagger, zombie-like to get her breakfast ready. Tis like having a newborn.

She climbs on my shoulder and screetches "mowoooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww" directly in to my ear.

If that doesn't work she then sits on my head and if that doesn't work then the glass of water on my bedside table takes a little trip to the floor.

She has food and water available and unless it is actually snowing a window open to get in and out.

Other ways of getting attention include loud noses and a vertical jump to my chest or back.

Mine walks up the bed, looking very cute, then sniffs me, walks over my head, sits on my head, then bites my face, painful but very effective!
Other 2, 1 meows very loudly in my face and the other runs around like a mad thing, skittering about on wooden floor!

Wah wah wah wah wah nee-naw nee-naw nee-naw

"Eh? Burglars? Oh God. Good Morning my darling, Mummy getting up for The Breakfast. Why is there so much blood on the sheets. Someone a little bit nibbly already?"

Kwah!

" Is a little bit early, darling, I know you're excited. Don't bite me on way to kitchen."

Meh

"Fresh water for the Special Pumpkin. Cat milk for your lovely fur. Want biscuits for your fangs? Here they are. Red felix for my Special Little Prince?"

Nah

"Yellow felix for my Special Little Prince?"

Nah

"I'm not sure what you're saying, you better have both"

Yah! Ykah!

"Mummy make coffee now, going to sit on sofa."

Christ it's 5am. Might get a moment's kip here

"Ooh! It's Captain Cuddly! Want a little snuggle?"

PRRRR - concrete drill stuck on high - PRRRR

"Deliberately noisy purring to keep Mummy awake! Gifted."

"Not cuddle? I got love or I got snack. Which one?"

PRRRUTTTT PRRRUTTTTT PRUUTTTT

"I get snackie"

PRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH PRRRRRRRRRRR

"Who wants Tickly Tummy? Ow"

Both: PRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Why do they never walk over your legs? I mean I have a huge bed, he could walk around me or over my feet or legs but no. Chest or head. Every single time

Scampers around my feet, jumps up onto shoulders, knocks things over - basically everything

She's just knocked over a mug of hot chocolate I made for bedtime reading
But I luffs her and she knows she can get away with anything

Boops me in the face gently if I'm asleep. Starts to sing the song of his people if I try to ignore him and clamber over my chest/head ouch.

Slides down into the bed between DH and me, shoves us both hard until she has enough room then vigorously kneads my bare tummy until I give in and shower her with love. Then she rolls onto her back (still under the duvet), claims more space and goes to sleep.

Usually, there are 2 cats + 2.5 humans in our bed.

“A hungry cat resorts to increasingly desperate measures to wake its sleeping owner.”
simonscat.com/blog/catmando/