Momo

Description

Momo is a neutered 1 year old male cat up to date on vaccinations WHO MUST BE ADOPTED WITH HIS SISTED BEAN. Here’s what his foster volunteers say about him:   How would you describe the cat's general personality? Momo is the shyer of the pair, but he’s somehow more rambunctious and playful. Momo’s ideal day is sleeping on the couch just out of reach, snuggled next to the other cats or maybe a foot away. Some wrestling, catching a toy or two, and then getting rewarded with lots of greenies. He’s a bit skittish around humans still, but he’s getting more comfortable as we work with him.   Does the cat enjoy being pet? Momo has only recently accepted pets not under duress. That's very literal: if he gets super freaked out, by a loud noise or multiple strangers or (horror) the vacuum, he has always hunkered down and allowed pets without reaction. But for a long time, he would either run away or swat if a hand approached him, and only very recently he's allowed one or two brushes down his body while near another cat.   If yes, on what parts of its body does the cat like to be pet? We mostly pet Momo on the back of his head and down his back. He seems to enjoy head/eyebrow scrittches most but often merely tolerates the pets.   Does the cat come on your lap? He will happily crawl all over you for a greenie or to lick a Churu, but has not sat on a lap without such a bribe, and leaves pretty quickly after they stop. He once was super tired and fell asleep on a leg after a very tiring day of treats, but left quickly after waking up.   Does the cat sleep in your bed? Momo is young enough that he has many, loud, late-night zoomies, so we generally keep him and Bean in a separate room overnight. On the weekends, he has occasionally ventured onto the bed, seemingly when he thought everyone else on the bed was completely asleep - and fled when that was not the case.   Does the cat seek your attention? In a funny way, sometimes! We started doing a treat session on the couch in the evening, and now he'll run over and look up at someone on the couch if he thinks he hasn't gotten enough treats yet. And despite being shy and scared, he often sleeps on the couch even if a human is using it (out of reach, of course). He's not so shy that he hides completely away.   Does the cat like to play? He loves to play! His favorite game is surprising his little sister and chasing her or being chased around the house, but he also enjoys catching a fake rodent on a stick, catching a little eclectic feather, catching an electric ball, chasing springs, lasers, and anything else that can roll.   How vocal is the cat? He’s not very vocal but will occasionally make sad noises if we’ve had to lock him up by himself, or if he's bored and all the other cats are sleeping.   What kinds of sounds does the cat make? He hasn’t purred with us or meowed but will occasionally give a few sad whines if he’s locked up alone. He also can make plenty of noise with the environment.   Does the cat scratch a scratcher? Yes, he likes a coir scratcher and will use it on his own or as part of a play session. He's also used cardboard.   Does the cat always use the litter box? Yes, although like Bean he can be very enthusiastic with flinging litter about.   Is the cat picky about food? Not at all. We were trying a few different wet foods for our own cat, and Mr. Momo was happy with all of them.   What is the cat's favorite treat? Churu, greenies of all flavors. He likes cooked chicken so much that we actually don't give it to him anymore - he'd grab it, run under the coffee table, and eat it while growling angrily at the world to stay away!    Does the cat ever swat (claws in) at you? If so, under what circumstances? Momo was very, very swatty when he first came to us - it's the main thing we've been working on with him, getting him comfortable enough with humans to accept our presence non-violently. He would react so much at first that we actually wore long gloves for a few weeks, as part of training him that swatting didn't actually cause humans to react at all (hard!). While not comparable to a hand-raised cat, he's doing much better. He hisses a bit more but swats a lot less, generally only if he's cornered in a cat tree and we're being pushy about socializing him. And he keeps trying to see if he could just smack the churu or treat out of a hand, then maybe he wouldn't have to accept the indignity of pets while getting treats….. oddly, putting the treat closer to him initially usually decreases that impulse. He normally now swats with claws retracted, sometimes when hands move towards him, but once or twice he's also run up and seemingly swatted just because he wanted to play and doesn't quite know how to communicate that yet.   Has the cat ever scratched (claws out) you? He’s a nervous cat and will swat readily whenever cornered, always pre-empted by ears all the way back and usually hissing. He’ll also swat occasionally when hands move towards him, even if they’re not particularly threatening.    Does the cat ever nip (teeth without breaking skin) you? Although he swats and hisses, Momo hasn’t bitten us at all, including when we’ve used a glove to feed him. That said, we haven't shoved our hands near his face when he's at his most swatty, nor tried to pick him up, so it's possible someone could rile him up to nipping. He does sometimes try to grab the tube of churu with his teeth, so keep a hold on that! He'll also progress to licking your fingers if you get them close to his feast.   Has the cat ever bitten you (breaking skin)? No   To the best of your knowledge, how does the cat react to new people? Social? Fearful? Momo is a mix of confident and shy with us and the confidence evaporates with new people. Instead of claiming space and lounging just out of reach, when new people are around he’s usually hiding somewhere hard to find.   If you have observed the cat with other animals, please describe how they get on? Momo loves other cats. He wrestles frequently with his sister and will chase and be chased around the house. With our 15 year old orange tabby, he’s 90% a gentleman and will rub happily and participate in nap piles and only occasionally try to play. With our 11 year old spicy lady, he knows his place, admires from a distance, and will cede any treats that land in disputed territory.   Does that cat have any cute/quirky traits that aren’t covered by the previous questions? He's very, very cute - we love his tiny little dusting of white on his chest and unclipped ear. And it was incredible how quickly he learned that evening couch meant possible treats. Momo’s confidence and shyness are in a constant battle. He’ll often approach, even crawling on our laps to get treats, and then remember he’s supposed to be scared and dart off in the middle of a thought. He's very much also still learning what a house is, and is a bit more adventurous than his sister: We've caught him sniffing on top of the stove multiple times, so we're super careful to make sure any hot stove is covered! He also will run away with any uncovered butter…    In your opinion, what is the best thing about the cat? Why should an adopter choose THIS cat to adopt? Momo is extremely cute and playful and working through his shyness has been a rewarding challenge.   What are the cat's challenges and how have you found to best manage them? Although Momo likes being around people and flops and plays, he’s still quite shy when approached and turns swatty quickly. We’ve learned to anticipate these behaviors and reward him for being gentle (grabbing treats with his mouth instead of swatting them out of our hands) but to an inexperienced family, he could come off as a little scary.