How Cats Choose their Favorite Person | The Cat Butler

[@subdermalfusion]

‘Over time I have gotten good at anticipating his needs’ = Your cat has trained you properly

[@BasegDosira]

Thanks for the new video! Until recently, I thought that my cat did not have a favourite human. He finds time to pay attention to all family members during the day. But recently I needed to go on a journey for 5 days, leaving the cat at home with the rest of the family. This wasn't the first time someone in the family was away, we never leave our cat alone. And I knew that, even if not the whole family was together, then the cat will be feeling well, his behavior will not change in any way. But not at this time. This was the first time that I left home. And he refused to eat, he refused to go outside (we go for a walk with him every day), he stopped playing, and experienced great anxiety. I think now I know who my cat chose as his human. Love your cats as much as they love you🫶🐱

[@TheCatButler]

Thank you for sharing your story. I guess you are your cats favorite :)

[@karens8633]

I was my Cat’s favorite person, she chose me! ❤Sadly she passed away in February at eleven years old! 😿 I miss her terribly!

[@chantellebrizzee]

So sorry for your loss, Karen. I lost my 13yo kitty a couple weeks ago and I miss him terribly too. I hope her love and memory is still offering you comfort. ❤

[@joecastanon2479]

I'm so sorry for your loss 🙏

[@user-pe8uk4do5j]

Sorry😢

[@Talia.777]

😭😖

[@mfar3016]

I’m so sorry. I know the pain you’re in. 😢 I wish I had the words to help you feel better.

[@evamerrill8829]

Teaching them to ring that bell is adorable!

[@raeoverhere923]

I've been our cat's favorite person since day one, and I think it makes my husband a little jealous, haha. He's home with her all day, soothes her when she has bad dreams (sometimes she'll start growling or whining in her sleep), and gives her her favorite treats, but I'm the one she begs for meals, plays with, and who she curls up with at night for bed. She's almost two, and we adopted her a year ago. When we were "interviewing" shelter cats, we didn't even see her at first. She was curled up way in the back of her kennel, hiding behind a partition as far away from the door as she could get, so we thought that one was empty. My husband wasn't quite finding anyone he bonded with, and that was my chief concern, since he'd be the one at home, but he took one last look and noticed her, and asked if we could sit with her in the little visiting area. I was on the floor in there, waiting for them to coax her out, and she managed to wiggle away from the volunteer, and hid under the big rack of kennels. With three different volunteers, they were able to get her to run out, and she dashed into my lap and buried herself in my arms. The whole 20 minutes we sat with her, she wouldn't leave my lap! She's still wary of strangers, but she's super friendly and relaxed for a tortie. Not very into the idea of cuddling directly in either of our laps, but she likes to lay on the leg rest of the recliner when I'm in it, or between me and my husband (with some buffer space) on the bed. I learned early on that her love language is biting my fingers and arms gently, and she's very keen to use her paws to bring my hands down to her face so she can do just that.

[@TheCatButler]

Thanks for sharing your story of your cat. Haha I feel for your husband. He noticed her too in the shelter!

[@dip-tree]

I grew up with many cats at my home (sometimes 10-15 of them at once). What I noticed over the several decades of experience is that the usual connection with providing food is less relevant (although not nil) for cats. So in my home, each cat had their own minds to choose the favorite human in our family (from around 7-8 people). It typically had to do with how much one played with them, or did nice things to them, and less with who provided them with food. Once a cat decided who their favorite human is, it is a long term decision for them, and they would behave far more like command obeying dogs with respect to their favorite human. We also had many dogs, and unlike cats their choice was more dictated by the food provider.

[@avocado3748]

I just adopted 2 bonded medium length flame point kittens. They’re so adorable and yours are gorgeous

[@TheCatButler]

Thank you and congratulations!

[@HaleyEby]

There are 7 in my family and I’m both my cats favorite person. I call them their mama. Lol They follow me everywhere and slow blink at me constantly. My one always cuddles on the bed with me and makes biscuits and purrs. It’s so sweet. She will let me hold her like a baby. While the other one doesn’t want to be held, she will always want to be with me. They both wait for me outside the bathroom too.😂 My one comes to me every time I call her! She’s like a little dog. I just love them so much!

[@TheCatButler]

Awww thanks for sharing your beautiful family. They sound amazing!

[@watchmethriving]

I adopted Norman a little over 4 months ago from the shelter. He picked me out within 2 min of entering his condo. I thought for sure with how fast he warmed up to me he'd be a social kitty. but nope! He runs and hides whenever he sees someone else. He's becoming a very cuddly kitty who asks to be picked up.

[@hallaloth3112]

My cats defy norms. Our Tawny Tabby is my shadow all day, but the person he actively chooses to cuddle with is my husband. Our orange tabby harasses me for attention all day but then regularly sleeps on my husband's side of the bed or sleeps by him when I go to bed. They both scuffle over his side of the bed even though he tosses and turns more than I do. Its funny, and I've stopped caring. They're happy, comfortable and safe.

[@TheCatButler]

hahah your husband is a cat magnet

[@professormeow3399]

They probably prefer his body warmth. If your cats follows you all day but prefer to sleep by your husbands side they surely love both of you, but you have different "purposes" so to say :)

[@hallaloth3112]

@@professormeow3399 Lol, the funny thing is, they've shifted. Now they hog my side of the bed all night

[@Jan-bella]

Pretty cats.😊 Your home is very clean with 2 cats.

[@TheCatButler]

Thank you! 😊

[@tina_smt]

I’m so blessed that I’m the fave for my three kitties ❤ This video is so cute 🥰

[@TheCatButler]

:)

[@consistencyiskey_]

This video made me smile. I love watching Teemo and Arya running around and playing and meowing 💗 Plus also the fact that your channel is so informative and helpful! I remember how I discovered your channel on your video on how to bathe cats and make them less afraid of water. I know more about how to care for my beloved kitten, and it's so funny and true how I've figured out his needs! Like how he likes to have his fur brushed first thing in the morning and get pets before I feed him lol. Thank you, Cat Butler! Really enjoy your vidoes and looking forward to seeing more of Teemo and Arya! ❤

[@TheCatButler]

Awww thanks for sharing! Love how you can understand him :). Give your cat pets for me

[@Sang15Mitang]

I'm my cat's favorite person! When he was a kitten he was afraid of everyone and everything except for me because I was the one who cared for him and kept him safe in my room until he felt comfortable to come out. :)

[@TheCatButler]

Awww

[@donnabraden3126]

OMG I am so happy to see what you are feeding to your cats! Please let us know how long they live, and how healthy they live. I think a lot of cat illnesses, and short lives, are due to too much processed foods.

[@TheCatButler]

Yes agree! diet is so important to a cat's well being

[@rikkaw2244]

I love your floors and the tree like cat tree. Do you know what type of wood the floor is made of? Also where is the cat tree from? Thank you

[@TheCatButler]

Thanks! the cat tree was unfortunately custom made. the wood I am not too sure. I think it maybe oak

[@juliesheard2122]

I LOVE that huge cat-tree you have. Is it custom made or where can I get one please?

[@TheCatButler]

It was custom made

[@pawsitivevibesonly]

You are a very caring cat dad ❤

[@TheCatButler]

Thank you :D

[@theknightswhosay]

One cat was a few years old, and he just loved me right away. Maybe he just likes males and had always primarily been with females, but I also took a huge interest in getting to know him. The other cat we started to babysit at a couple of months old before adopting him. He’s happiest when my partner and I are both home, but I think I’m also his favorite. I try not to push affection on them, but I’m also more receptive when they are in the mood. I also can usually figure out what they want faster, and I’m nicer when they get restless.

[@TheCatButler]

you are a cat whisperer :D

[@theknightswhosay]

@@TheCatButler it’s funny because before about 6 years ago I had rarely interacted with any cats since I was a child.

[@secretagent86]

Between my wife and i …i am always the favourite over several cats. She feed them more often than i did also

[@secretagent86]

I am the one who cleans litter

[@jeschr3462]

very cute kitties

[@TheCatButler]

Thank you very much!

[@madokaor3611]

May I ask where u got that scratcher? 8:20 8:21

[@TheCatButler]

hmm are you referring to this one? thecatbutler.co/products/torre-cat-tower

[@madokaor3611]

Hi it’s this one at 5:27 both cats sitting on. I’ve been looking for something like this for my two cats. Thanks

[@TheCatButler]

@@madokaor3611 I see that cat tree was custom made.

[@thankyoudearjesus1]

WHAT ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS FELINES !!! I just love Ragdolls! They are very blessed to have someone who is "part cat" to love them. 😁 P. S. I read in the comments here that that INCREDIBLE cat tree was custom made. Oh, how I want one! Does whomever made it accept orders?

[@TheCatButler]

Hey! unfortunately the person who helped make it went out of business :(

[@acir7501]

I have a rag doll 2:17 I was wondering what are you feeding him.looks like it raw food.I’m thinking about incorporating raw food to my cat.

[@TheCatButler]

Yes its raw food! Chicken, beef heart and beef liver

[@Weise1001]

2:35 what did you feed them ?

[@TheCatButler]

It’s a home made raw meat diet. Chicken and beef

[@openeyes50]

I get up early; my wife sleeps in. I'm the food person. I've always been the favorite.

[@meekomocha]

Omg i love these cuties

[@StevenBanks123]

Your Rag Doll “kiddens” as you call them, are charming.

[@Klassen223]

Hello @TheCatButler , My wife and I are thinking of getting a Ragdoll kitten in the future and I came across your channel while doing research on them, great videos BTW!!! Question about this... So I work from home and will be around the kitten basically from the time we wake up until we go to bed. Whereas my wife, who works in an office will only see the kitten for about 5 hours in the evening from the time she get home from work until we go to sleep. Being as I will be spending significantly more time with the kitten, will it start to favor me more than my wife? If so what are some things we can do to ensure my wife and our kitten will be equally as bonded. In a purrrfect world we would like the kitten to favor us both equally the same and not necessarily have a "favorite" - Thanks so much! :)

[@TheCatButler]

Hey good question! So it can depend on the personality of the cat. Like Teemo probably be friends with everyone in the house. Whereas Arya may grow attached to one person. But from what I have seen with many cats at a young age, they do form strong attachments to the human that spends the most time around them. At that age they probably see that person as their parent. So yes the kitten may slightly lean in favor of you. Hope that helps!

[@Klassen223]

@@TheCatButler Thanks so much for the reply, that makes sense! I suppose we can do other things to form an attachment such as wand playing, feeding, and just generally being around/petting/talking to them lol

[@zane4402]

I have a question for all who have or had ragdollkitten. I have taken 2 kittens which are 3 1/2 months old to me. However, I have noticed that they do not like to be petted. They lie next to me but do not like to be touched. one accepts it but never comes by itself and is quickly gone. The other one does not like to be touched at all. Everything else, no problem. I have the two not long but find it strange in this breed. Has anyone experience with this and has it changed? Or do I just have bad luck and have to get along without cuddling. and I know that cats have different characters and I accept this. but with ragdolls unusual. The little ones have grown up well and were socialized by the old owner

[@TheCatButler]

Some have different characters, or some take a while to break out their shell. My two cats, Teemo was very friendly from the start and love pets and everything. Arya didn't get comfortable till 3 to 4 months in. Letting me pet here. She was a more shy cat. But now even more ragdoll like now. Hope that helps!

[@zane4402]

@@TheCatButler thank you for your fast response and your answer! Of course i get them the time they need. And if they never be real cuddlers, it is okay. I dont buy the cats for my own needs. But at least your answer give me hope that it chan change over time and i get some cuddles from time to time👀 Keep it up man, your videos are great

[@DCFunBud]

Those bells must ring all day long.

[@TheCatButler]

hahah, I only bring it out during treat time :D

[@Mosi_O]

6:06 omg...........

[@TheScottishDemolitionist]

Your cats are beautiful ❤

[@TheCatButler]

Thank you! 😊

[@clairedsc5807]

Our 2 5mo. old females only meows when they are hungry or want a pet/cuddle 😛 Birmans are SO QUIET as they would wait at our bedroom door without any noise for an hour or so in the morning 🙂 Our babies are almost as big as Teemo and Aria LOL

[@TheCatButler]

Awww so patient. I just filmed some birmans today :)

[@clairedsc5807]

@@TheCatButler Cool, wish we can exchange pics/videos 🙂Well, as of on your topic, my husband complains that he doesn't get "TLCs" from them...But today one of them did demanded a pet haha, he was surprised...Of course he worked all day / if at home he's at the desk or even watching Netflix drama etc. at his desk...So, he isn't on a couch where they lounge around vs. me I don't work, so I am here to FEED them = their essential lifeline LOL....Next month is sterilization month, ouch, see if they will change... Funny that Birmans' maturity is not until 3-4YEARS! They are not showing (YET) any signs that they are "in heat" yet vs. our late Turkish angora was yowling so bad at 5mo.

[@BikushPaul]

Your cats are very beautiful and cute 🥰❤🎉

[@TheCatButler]

Thank you!

[@AlittleHamsterKM]

They looks cute today 💕💕

[@AnayahRehman]

I love ur vids i'm gonna get a ragdoll soon!!!

[@TheCatButler]

Thanks! Congrats on the new Ragdolls :)

[@mjc63]

The real key is to live alone and be their only human so there isn’t a choice heheheh! A family I know had a senior cat on her last leg and they added a kitten “they just couldn’t pass up!” Seriously? I thought that was a terrible way to say goodbye to an 18 year old cat. Fast forward a year and they adopted two more cats from a rescue. The one they “couldn’t pass up” instantly dropped all the humans for his new cat buddies. The female constantly urinated on their owners’ bed (for nearly four years!) and was bullied by the middle cat. Three people in the family and each cat picked the person that didn’t choose, feed or name them!!! The people-dropper eventually warmed up somewhat when the bed-urinator was eventually surrendered, but remained basically aloof. I will take my two very people-oriented Siamese any day! Thousands of years of breeding to be….the ultimate companions! I am their sole human, but they also socialize, welcome and enjoy any people and creatures who visit us. Their Dachshund baby sister is loved by all of us. It works pretty well! So stay single and your cats will adore you! Hugs, Michael Albuquerque NM USA

[@TheCatButler]

Love your input as always :). That indeed is a terrible way to say good bye to an 18 year old cat :(

[@mjc63]

@@TheCatButler yes well it is a close friend from 2nd grade but they moved to Colorado and I suspect all hope is lost!!! I thought Madison WI did a number on them but Colorado….OMG! Democrats who make you wanna hate Democrats heheheheh

[@TheCatButler]

oh hahah. I have never lived in Colorado. Is it bad there haha? Nature looks beautiful tho.

[@mjc63]

@@TheCatButler Well CB, my nickname among my close friends is “urban mutant” i.e I enjoy “Nature”….on PBS along with NOVA and Newshour heheheh!!! Colorado is indeed beautiful…and? My friends moved to Weld County about 8 years ago, which is actually Boulder “adjacent”, to build a mere $565,000 simple ranch home with an HOA! Now the area is overbuilt, overpriced and overpopulated! All the Californians who moved there complain it has gotten too much like um….yep…California! There was also a 7 hour line to get into a new In’nOut when one opened there! I really love New Mexico, and I am so glad I have Aussie, Jasper and Hildy for my nature fix! Hugs to Temo and Arya! Michael Albuquerque NM USA

[@TheCatButler]

hahahah love the nickname! feels like everywhere is overpopulated nowadays :(. Love to one day give Teemo and Arya a backyard to play in. Have so many ideas to get them excited! Well thanks for educating me on Colorado. Did not know it had that many people! 7 hours for an in n out! Jeez. Hugs to Aussie, Jasper, and Hildy too!

[@amluckymess]

I want to train my new kitty to ring a bell lol

[@EmmaVB82]

About your first point… kittens shouldn’t really be taken from their mother and littermates at the age of 8 weeks - it’s much better for a variety of reasons (health, developmental, social, etc) to wait until the kitten is 12-14 weeks old before being rehomed with their new family! Even though it might sound like a nice idea for you to come into their lives as their “new parent” while they’re still in that sensitive period for development, it will generally be much better for the cat (and also your relationship with them!) long term for them to spend that foundational time learning from their mother and littermates to give them the best start in life. I met my kittens for the first time on their 12 week birthday (coincidentally!), and while the breeder was ready for them to come home with me at 13 weeks, for a couple of reasons not important here (mostly logistical) I ended up not getting them home until they were 14 weeks old. I was desperate to get them home as soon as physically possible tbh, and I had a terrible sense of FOMO for that extra week I missed out on with them when they were little (and it was amazing just how much they had grown just in that 2 week period!), but I was at least consoled by the fact that them spending that extra time with their mum and most of their littermates would be no bad thing (though I do wonder what they must have been thinking and feeling as about half of their littermates were leaving one by one that week to go off to their new families, and their kitten-family was steadily shrinking 🥺), and maybe give them an extra boost to their development 😊 Definitely wasn’t foolproof in ironing out problematic behaviours early though! Harvey is a very boisterous bitey boy (despite being a massive scaredy-cat when it comes to new people or situations, while his sister Nikita is much more outgoing and adventurous! Very funny to me considering part of my self-justification for also getting her bolder brother was to give her a brave role model and buddy in life to help boost her confidence because she was a lot more focused on her littermates than us humans when we visited! 😹). He’s not bitey in a nasty way (and is very affectionate and sweet - almost every night I find him curled up sleeping next to my pillow or near my feet, and he doesn’t let me go to the bathroom on my own or be far away from him at all 😸), and it’s mostly when he’s overexcited or impatient, e.g. when it’s food time and I’m getting the food into their bowls, or when he thinks I’ve been working too long and need to go play with him or feed him, and he’ll nip at my ankles or around my legs (sometimes hard! Those teeth are sharp! 🙀). He’s got a very high hunting drive (not necessarily just a high food drive, though his favourite game does happen to be hunting biscuits that I throw for him…) and often if I don’t immediately give him what he wants he’ll redirect that energy to pouncing on his sister. She’s not a fan of it either! Though sometimes she’s still the chase instigator, and definitely used to be the chaser rather than the chase-ee about half the time when they were little (and more or less the same size, instead of 8kg vs 5kg now they’re 1.5 years old!) Harvey always wins now he’s so much bigger and stronger, and she squeaks and yips at him, and will often have to get to all out hissing before he gets the idea and retreats… he gets very carried away! Lord only knows what a terror he’d be if I got him at a younger age! 😬 (I’m going to stop typing and go back to actually watching the rest of this now!)

[@EmmaVB82]

The whole rest of the video put a massive smile on my face, and filled me with the love you have for your cats and vice versa, the love they have for each other 🥰 As well as reminding me of the relationship I have with my cats (and them with each other, when they’re not chasing and fighting anyway 😼 I catch them grooming each other very often - my favourite is when they’re both grooming the other at the same time, like yesterday when they were both washing the other’s face 😻) It’s funny - when I first went to meet them, I took my friend/former partner and his teenage daughter (actually, more accurate would be to say they took me - it was kind of difficult to get there on the train/public transport, so he drove me… and they got to spend a couple of hours with a bunch of adorable kittens, so it wasn’t a terrible chore for them 😸), and Harvey seemed to really gravitate towards him - spent a bunch of time sitting in his lap, including trying to eat him/chewing on his fingers (he was bitey trouble from the start! 😹), and fell asleep there too 😻 Whereas I was mostly popular with a few of the kittens who were already reserved (maybe those kittens got reserved first specifically because they were so friendly and outgoing? 🤔). My Nikita is the sweetest cat and I’m so glad she’s my cat after I fell in love with her from the photos before I even met them, but she wasn’t that into me when we first met, and had important play business to take care of with her littermates instead 😹 I’m possibly cheating because I’m the only person around at home regularly, but I’m definitely their favourite person! Probably because I live on my own and they don’t have access to go outside from my 4th floor flat (5th floor in American) they’re super wary of people in general (even the friend Harvey formerly tried to devour when he visits!), but they both show lots of signs of loving me like the ones you mentioned - purring, biscuits (Nika does air-biscuits a lot, Harvey will sometimes give me a sharp massage 😂), head butts - both of them don’t sit on my lap anymore though, which makes me sad! I think because they’ve got so big and maybe aren’t as comfortable there physically anymore? Harvey has literally got up on my lap only twice this whole year, but he’s very happy and purry when he does - my lap will always be open to him, even if it’s only used 2-3 times a year 🥹

[@doctordonnanoble]

We took our kitten home at 15 weeks and definitely noticed how well socialized she was as a result of the extra weeks spent with her family. She was so well adjusted and automatically self-soothes when anxious, and was in perfect health. 8 weeks (the standard in North America) is definitely too young!

[@AdrienneMint]

I have a cat I adopted 5 years ago and one I Got a month ago, a ten month old kitten. She doesn’t like me, the new kitten. I’m so good to her. I’m doing everything for her and taking very good care of her but she will not let me touch her or pet her. I haven’t touched her since she arrived here. Any suggestions to get her to let me pet her?

[@hallaloth3112]

Just give her space. At that age in particular theyyre 'too cool' to interact with people. Even cats go through the whole teenage thing. Try clicker training so she gets one on one time with you and experiences good things in a focused setting.

[@AdrienneMint]

@@hallaloth3112 thanks very much

[@jojoanggono3229]

Perhaps try play time without actually trying to pet him/her? It might be an ice breaker. If he/she play then reward with yummy treat. I believe cat would come to you asking for chin scratch when they are ready.

[@AdrienneMint]

@@jojoanggono3229 thank you

[@jonathanperry4189]

Hi... This made me laugh as I've said I'm my adopted cats butler 😅. You know what?. I'd have it no other way.

[@TheCatButler]

Hahahah same!

[@sarnaicoral]

I miss my cattt

[@KenMabie]

I'm all my cats favorite person lol

[@ShermanMR2]

Wow, they’re so beautiful. Are they littermates?

[@TheCatButler]

Yes they are!

[@toxicredeye2697]

Plz make video on how to treat hairball 😢 and how to call you cat with name training 😅

[@TheCatButler]

I will add it to the list of videos!

[@hy930807]

idk, im confused. i respect my cat's personal space, i dont make loud noise or be anooying to him. i ask for his permission when picking him up. i feed play and brush him the most. as a kitten he sleped above my head on my pillow, on my bed, on me on my lap. now his 2 he rarely sleep on my bed or room, if i pick him up want a cuddle in bed he jump off straight way. he now prefers to sleep on my mum's bed instead, sometimes he even go sleep on my sisters bed for a hour. and they both really loud and do anooying things to the cat. :( sometimes i think maybe im still his favourite, since he stay close by my where i go. but he wont sleep and cuddle with me on my bed like when he was little

[@vernabryant2894]

Ihave 4 indoor cats and I'm their favorite person over my husband.

[@TheCatButler]

haha :D

[@mauzi.desertcat]

this is so funny

[@مطبخمنى-ر6ط]

جميل للغايه اتمنى لك يوم سعيد أنا صديقي جديده في انتظارك احلى لايك تحياتي لحضرتك 🙏

[@siljecolobongbang123]

All the cats I have had have choose me

[@TheCatButler]

you are a cat whisperer :D

[@jessicaharvey7446]

How to pick an older ragdoll and know they pick you

[@AnnabelleKing-Bryant]

*me watching this even though I don’t have a cat

[@ihaveacutecat]

cat

[@jaymecowan2645]

😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😻😻😻😻😻😻

[@wilted9]

have 6 cats and nobody loves me 😢😢

[@googleislame]

It's funny that you think you are their favorite person. Clearly you have never had a person with cat allergies over. If I went to your house I would be their favorite.

[@TheCatButler]

Hahaha I’m actually allergic to cats

[@wap9137]

Chuckle.

[@sarnaicoral]

1min

[@jimhanty8149]

Sounds like your talking about a pretty GF…