For the past couple of weeks, Neville and I have been working on a little act.
Whenever I pick him up, he automatically scrambles up to my left shoulder. He'll walk around my neck, then position himself on my right shoulder. He LOVES sitting up there.
If I start to move, he'll flop his belly over my shoulder and push his weight against my neck to secure himself.
He'll stay put while I walk around, do my chores, work on crafts, whatever. He is completely happy to be perched on my shoulder and he'll stay there for quite some time. It's really quite remarkable.
Yesterday while we were waiting our turn in the foster room, Neville sat patiently on my shoulder while the other Lovejoys napped in the carrier.
It was a little chaotic in there. Lots of people were coming and going, kitties and cats were crying, and the phone was ringing. Neville just sat there, taking it all in. Of course everyone who came in the room had to give him some love and comment on how adorable he is.
We're still refining our act, but as soon as we're ready to take our show on the road, we'll let you know.
adorable! my cat once walked on my shoulder and fell around my neck. it looked like i wore a kitty scarf!
ReplyDeleteOk, see now I am jealous because I have tried with 3 of my cats to teach them to do that - and they had pretty much no interest at all. The closest was Kirzon who will tolerate it a little while - I tell him "be a parrot" and he sort of humors me. I wish they would just naturally do that.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great picture by the way - mirror pics can be tough.
Oh, I can just imagine you phoning his new parents telling them you can't possibly let him go. After all he has claimed your shoulders and shoulders really need to stay put.
ReplyDeleteThat's just a wonderful picture!
I wish either of my two were shoulder cats. Oh well. Lovely picture!
ReplyDeleteso cute! i've recently found that my cat likes to sit around my neck like a mink stole. it's might not be so bad if she were still kitten sized...
ReplyDelete<3 my typos! not.
ReplyDeleteMore pictures of Circus Kitten please! This must be seen by the world!
ReplyDeleteWHY?!?!?!?!?!?? Why did you have to tell us this? I'm so jealous it hurts. I don't have a shoulder kitten ... I don't even have a shoulder cat. That is unbearably cute, adorable, and snuggle-worthy.
ReplyDeleteHe's a handsome kitten to begin with, but that's just way too cute.
ReplyDeleteShouldn't Neville stay with you and the Bean?
ReplyDeleteNot to be a nuffer... but I had a shoulder rider kitten and it was ever so endearing. Now she is a shoulder-rider cat, and it is pretty awkward for both of us.
What a talented boy! People who don't have cats often say, "They're not like dogs. They have no personalities." Hah!
ReplyDeleteOne of our Spenser's nicknames is Circus Boy, due to his ability to climb anything, including my wooden clothes drying rack.
That little Neville is so talented. Every litter gets cuter and cuter, I don't know how you let them go...I'd be in tears! Especially with a little shoulder kitty!! Neither of mine did that trick but now I'm glad because my tuxedo would cripple me, he's a big boy!!
ReplyDeleteAwww, shoulder cats! Neville's been my favorite right from the beginning, and this just cemented it. I agree with the others, you need to keep this one.
ReplyDeleteSmokey was a shoulder kitten, born most likely of her constant urge to be at the highest possible point in the room. She's outgrown it now (though she's petite enough that she could still almost fit), but if she gets stressed--say, by a visit to the vet--she climbs right up.
his new folks better know that this is how this kitten rolls.
ReplyDeletechristine
SQUEEEEE! A shoulder kitteh!!
ReplyDeleteI take it he's no longer a butt biter? Good luck in your new home little one. Show your new family your trick!
ReplyDeleteoh, that is adorable! when he gets bigger though, it won't be as comfy! Enjoy it now. :)>
ReplyDeleteOur Joon is the same way--even at nearly 8 years old and 9 pounds. You cannot pick her up without her scrabbling for your shoulders. Adorable, but it can make for a neck-ache later!
ReplyDeleteI want tickets, ringside!!!
ReplyDeleteMaybe he's actually a parrot... ;-)
ReplyDeleteMy 8.5 month old torbie Tessa loves sitting on my left shoulder. Usually facing backwards, so that means I get kitten butt in my face. Cute when they're tiny but a bit of a shock to have a bigger cat leaping for your shoulder!
ReplyDeleteThe Lovejoys are not allowed to leave yet! They're not! *stamps feet*
My dear departed Steve used to do that. She'd have been just as happy to ride around up there 24/7. She even let me tap dance with her on my shoulder sometimes. And when she'd get tired, she would lie with her front legs dangling down in fromt and her back legs dangling down in the back. I don;t know how she kept from falling off.
ReplyDeleteLAURIE'S GOT A CRUSH! LAURIE'S GOT A CRUSH! LAURIE'S GOT A CRUSH!
ReplyDeleteMaddie rides on my shoulders daily. Whenever I make a little kiss noise, she gives me a side-long buddy bump while she's up there. It's the IBKC way!
ReplyDeleteMy Leah was a shoulder rider as a kitten....and still is, alas, at 14 pounds. When I pick her up, that's where she goes. I've been well trained :)
ReplyDeleteMy second ever cat, Katt, used to curl over my shoulder while I rode my bike to our little corner shop (about 2 blocks), wait for me outside and then hop again for the ride home.
ReplyDeleteWe can sign up right?
I am sooo jealous! I have tried and tried, but my four are determined NOT to ride on my shoulder. Probably a good thing, since none of them weigh less than 10 pounds and I only weigh 100!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to miss these little Lovejoys, so much!
Yeah, I was lucky Steve was small-boned.
ReplyDeleteAh, Scout used to do that when he was a tinykitten. Every so often he still tries, but now he's about a 16-pound tank with razor-sharp claws.
ReplyDeleteAs you'd guess, it's not as endearing as it used to be.
Some cats are more monkey-like. We had a cat, Sylvia, who HAD to be held everyday for more than an hour or she'd cry. Her best place was on my dad's shoulder for 2 hrs while he was on the phone. Had a dead arm but a happy cat! Neville is adorable!
ReplyDeleteMy Tortoise-shell Tonk did that right from the day we got her. Now, 15 years later, she still sits at my feet staring up at me, waiting to be picked up to ride on my shoulders. Of course, she's not as little as she once was, so she goes all floppy and dangles her legs on either side of my shoulders, purring intently. It's so sweet.
ReplyDeleteHopefully little Neville will always keep that little trait, too! :-)
I don't think shoulder kitteh is taught. It happens if the cat is indoor, highly social to humans, athletic, and lightweight. The cat needs a tolerant human and will prefer one particular human for the circus tricks. Being indoor allows for periodic nail clipping and blunt claws.
ReplyDeleteMy 6.75 pound Tonkinese (champagne mink) is 10 year old shoulder rider and circus kitteh. If she finds me bending over she sometimes jumps on my back. She will stand on your shoulders as I walk around. She tends to keep her feet soft and not poke me with the claws very much. Her favorite carrying or snuggling position is with her front legs over your shoulder, crouching on your chest, with her hindquarters in your hand to support her. This position is for serious purring.
She also once jumped from the floor on to the shoulder of a total stranger to her. Fortunately, he "took it like a man" and froze. We then performed the kitteh-ectomy. ;-)
That's adorable!! I love how he wasn't even phased by the chaos of the waiting room :)
ReplyDelete