Norwegian Forest Cat goes limp like a Ragdoll when held?

[shiningwizard255]

I’ve wondered this about my cat before and never really researched it, so I figured why not start a thread to see if someone has experienced this as well before I hit up Google

My cat is supposedly a Norwegian Forest Cat. He’s from a shelter and I don’t have his papers (if any) but he has a lot of the breed characteristics so I just call him one. So he very well could not be one, or be a NFC mix. Anyway, this is one thing I’ve always wondered about my boy - when you pick him up, he goes completely limp. I imagine holding him is what it’s like to hold a Ragdoll cat. Is the going limp phenomena present in other breeds of cats besides the Ragdoll? Or does that mean my boy has some Ragdoll in him?

[Over_the_Hill]

I had a Manx mix that would do that. We promptly named her “No Bones Kitty”

[mvp]

It’s SOP for cats.

And the large ones use their “go gelatinous and heavy” as a deterrent to being picked up. Or they really dig it and are maximizing their pleasure by relaxing completely.

Enjoy your Mongo Cat and be sure to lift with your knees if you aren’t already wearing lower back support.

[VaqueroToro]

I have two mutt cats. The old lady cat will turn into a pile of goo if you pick her up like a baby so she’s belly up in your arms – purrs and purrs, hyperflexes her toes and kneads the air, allows me to give her belly kisses, etc. It’s the only time she likes “mom cooties”, aka heavy-duty affection. The little man cat goes all poleaxed and stiff and generally does not like to be upside down, however, he loves “mom cooties” any other time when he’s right side up.

I think it’s just dependent on the cat unless specifically bred to have the trait.

ETA: My old lady cat might have some Norwegian in her too – has the fluffy coat and furry toes.

[IronwoodFarm]

I have a “weegee” that I adopted from a shelter. He’s a definitely purebred class Norwegian Forest Cat. He doesn’t go limp when held, he likes to ball up. After a bit of scratching on the face. he decides I’m a good person. He loves to sit on the sofa right behind my head and purr. I think this is a neat breed of cat and when the time comes for this lovely fellow to cross the bridge, I would have another one.

[JumpQH]

[QUOTE=mvp;6784126]
It’s SOP for cats.

And the large ones use their “go gelatinous and heavy” as a deterrent to being picked up. Or they really dig it and are maximizing their pleasure by relaxing completely.

Enjoy your Mongo Cat and be sure to lift with your knees if you aren’t already wearing lower back support.[/QUOTE]

THIS!!!

[mvp]

[QUOTE=VaqueroToro;6784302]
The little man cat goes all poleaxed and stiff and generally does not like to be upside down, however, he loves “mom cooties” any other time when he’s right side up.[/QUOTE]

Most cats don’t like being “belly up” with all the soft, important parts exposed.

But! They can be trained. You hold them there until they Give The F Up. Then hold them a little longer. A relaxed cat gets released and put back down.

Rinse and repeat. But be prepared for a silent filibuster. If you don’t have time to out wait the cat, don’t attempt: Giving up before the cat does effectively teaches them that if they are tense long enough, or worse, start to complain or even threaten, they’ll get what they want. Then you have a hardened criminal on your hands.

[Jackie_amp_Starlette]

My rescue Persian goes limp…but when you put in on the ground, watch out…he walks a few steps, then turns and attacks you with a pissed off glint in his eyes, tail slashing…payback!

[shiningwizard255]

[QUOTE=mvp;6784126]
Enjoy your Mongo Cat and be sure to lift with your knees if you aren’t already wearing lower back support.[/QUOTE]

:lol:

Isn’t that the truth!

[MunchingonHay]

My …what I think is a Korat does this.

I call him Jello Cat!! He does this mostly when I am asking him to move, as in move over in the bed, make room for me on the couch, …etc. Its when a 12 lbs cat and instantly become a 120lbs cat in a blink of an eye. :lol:

[Chall]

How are you picking him up? Most cats picked up by children are picked up by grabbing in the middle and pulling up ( ouch ) and it seems they go limp when done that way. I scoop mine up with my left arm encircling their 4 legs and my right arm scoots under their 4 feet so they can “stand” on my right arm and I lean them against my body for stability. They don’t go limp that way and have the option of jumping down if they don’t like it.

[Chall]

MVP, “a hardened criminal”? I was going to say you should write a book, but I think you should just transcribe for your cats. You seem to know them very very well. Might I add I think they are winning the battle:D

[sk_pacer]

Boneless cats are not breed specific; it seems more related to a combination of personality and how they were raised. One timid female here will tense up when moved to my lap but will sit beside me when I am at the computer and sometimes put her front feet on my shoulder but ony on her terms. Her brother will sit on me and knead and drool when I watch TV and her daugter is still a dingbat kitten in behaviour. Her father, a very large neutered tom, loves to sit on me, cuddle and finally become a limp, crushing weight as he goes to sleep. Louie sometimes becomes boneless when picked up, sometimes not, depends on the old man’s mood. The Spotted Wonder, spoilt rotten and hand reared is the worst for boneless and gets to the point she cannot be moved. All but Louie have a good dash of oriental blood and it shows strongly in their faces and in the case of Blue, her colour, so there is no real connection between blood and boneless cats in my opinion.

[shiningwizard255]

[QUOTE=Chall;6785785]
How are you picking him up? Most cats picked up by children are picked up by grabbing in the middle and pulling up ( ouch ) and it seems they go limp when done that way. I scoop mine up with my left arm encircling their 4 legs and my right arm scoots under their 4 feet so they can “stand” on my right arm and I lean them against my body for stability. They don’t go limp that way and have the option of jumping down if they don’t like it.[/QUOTE]

I’m not positive, but I think by saying the cat goes “limp” we may be talking about two different things. I picked up cats the wrong way for a long time and never felt a cat go relaxed like mine does. It was not until I owned this particular cat I experienced something like this. With my cat it’s like you are holding a cooked noodle, he becomes hyper-relaxed and fluid, like he has no bones.

[carasmom]

I could wear my Maine Coon cat as a scarf. He’s just one big bundle of love and will just drape himself on me, however, if a stranger comes in the house, he’s no where to be found.

[2tempe]

our Maine Coon girl is a boneless one when picked up - she does the one-shouldered scarf maneuver. Our Persian sort HATES being held and wiggles like a fool until you let her down…

[mvp]

[QUOTE=2tempe;6787249]
Our Persian sort HATES being held and wiggles like a fool until you let her down…[/QUOTE]

I really hate an unbroke cat. So unneccessary. This is the equivalent of pawing the stall door for breakfast.

Quit your job, stock up on your sports drinks and hold that recalcitrant cat for as long as it takes!

[dressagetraks]

@mvp;6784985

Most cats don’t like being “belly up” with all the soft, important parts exposed.

Shhh!! Don’t tell anybody, but HRH Rosalind, her imperial and pedigreed blue point majesty who has a dignity the size of Queen Victoria’s, loves to get in my lap as I type and flip herself upside down. She will lie there on her back with paws curled and belly up and go to sleep that way. If there is a sound or a hint of someone else in the house, or even if another cat enters the room, she immediately reverts herself as if she’s embarrassed to be caught. Now I cannot make her do this, but she decides on her own timing to do it at least 1-2 times daily on average.

If I attempt to pick her up, which she hates, she becomes a wrestling cat. In my experience of dozens of lifetime cats, cats picked up who don’t like it are divided into two main categories, the flop cats like in the OP and the wrestling cats who immediately acquire at least two more legs with claws attached to use in their struggle toward freedom. Picking up flop cats is safer, although the cats still dislike it.

[mvp]

Well, Rosalind knows her British history and monarchs well, I’d say.

Look, if the sun never sets on your flag, you certainly can sleep belly up. From what corner of the colonized Earth will come a threat? But even that kind of ruler knows that she must have a ready military… or the ability to flip over pronto and save her personal bacon.

[vxf111]

In my family we have 5 ragdolls and 3 mutt cats. Guess which is the ONLY cat that goes limp? One of the mutt cats

I know they say the going limp thing is a ragdoll trait and maybe sometimes it is, but it’s not exclusive nor guaranteed. My one ragdoll squirms and fights like a maniac… and at 25 limbs he is STRONG and can put up a FIGHT.