unusual purring--is this a bad thing?

My cat, aka Miss Kitty, is not a cuddler. She's not a lap cat, and
generally doesn't like being touched unless she's being brushed or
she's hungry. She also doesn't usually purr unless she's being brushed
or she's hungry. She was just at her "vacation home" for the past
three weeks and I picked her up this morning. Her stay at her
"vacation home" was uneventful, and she had a good time there, as
usual. Her problem with crystals did not flare up, and though she had
a wee bit of constipation, she peed and pooped as usual.

Since arriving home, though, she has been purring almost non-stop. She
has eaten, so I know she can't be hungry. But this is just so unusual
for her, that I wonder if something might be wrong. I read somewhere
that cats sometimes purr when they're sick or injured. She did throw
up in the car on the way home, but that's usual behaviour for her, too
(she gets car sick).

She is slightly more affectionate than usual, too. She still doesn't
want to be touched too much, but she's been hanging around me all day,
and is lying next to me right now.

Is there something I should be watching out for, in case something is
really wrong, or is her purring just a sign of her missing me? (not
likely, since I've been away before and she hasn't much cared)

Her purring just stopped, but she fell asleep and was purring until
then...

Amber has strange purring habits too. She won't tolerate being picked
up and won't sit on my lap. She does like to sit next to me and be
brushed or petted but still won't purr. In the morning however it's
different. I wake up early (around 4:45) and call her name. She jumps
up on the bed purring up a storm and wants to be petted.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')

I think she just missed you. They get more lovey the older they get.
Enjoy!

Rona Y. wrote:
My cat, aka Miss Kitty, is not a cuddler. She's not a lap cat, and
generally doesn't like being touched unless she's being brushed or
she's hungry. She also doesn't usually purr unless she's being brushed
or she's hungry. She was just at her "vacation home" for the past
three weeks and I picked her up this morning. Her stay at her
"vacation home" was uneventful, and she had a good time there, as
usual. Her problem with crystals did not flare up, and though she had
a wee bit of constipation, she peed and pooped as usual.

Since arriving home, though, she has been purring almost non-stop. She
has eaten, so I know she can't be hungry. But this is just so unusual
for her, that I wonder if something might be wrong. I read somewhere
that cats sometimes purr when they're sick or injured. She did throw
up in the car on the way home, but that's usual behaviour for her, too
(she gets car sick).

She is slightly more affectionate than usual, too. She still doesn't
want to be touched too much, but she's been hanging around me all day,
and is lying next to me right now.

Is there something I should be watching out for, in case something is
really wrong, or is her purring just a sign of her missing me? (not
likely, since I've been away before and she hasn't much cared)

Her purring just stopped, but she fell asleep and was purring until
then...

Yes, I think she just missed home, and you too, of course

Buddy wrote:
I think she just missed you. They get more lovey the older they get.
Enjoy!

Rona Y. wrote:
My cat, aka Miss Kitty, is not a cuddler. She's not a lap cat, and
generally doesn't like being touched unless she's being brushed or
she's hungry. She also doesn't usually purr unless she's being brushed
or she's hungry. She was just at her "vacation home" for the past
three weeks and I picked her up this morning. Her stay at her
"vacation home" was uneventful, and she had a good time there, as
usual. Her problem with crystals did not flare up, and though she had
a wee bit of constipation, she peed and pooped as usual.

Since arriving home, though, she has been purring almost non-stop. She
has eaten, so I know she can't be hungry. But this is just so unusual
for her, that I wonder if something might be wrong. I read somewhere
that cats sometimes purr when they're sick or injured. She did throw
up in the car on the way home, but that's usual behaviour for her, too
(she gets car sick).

She is slightly more affectionate than usual, too. She still doesn't
want to be touched too much, but she's been hanging around me all day,
and is lying next to me right now.

Is there something I should be watching out for, in case something is
really wrong, or is her purring just a sign of her missing me? (not
likely, since I've been away before and she hasn't much cared)

Her purring just stopped, but she fell asleep and was purring until
then...

Thanks, all, for the replies!

It's funny how clingy she's gotten. I arrived home in July after a
1-year absence and I got barely a flicker of recognition, but then I
left again for just 3 weeks and she's like glue! I was still a little
worried about her health, because I found no evidence of #2s in her
litter box, but then I discovered she's been doing her #2s in the
garden. Oops. Gotta find that second litter box (she prefers
single-purpose litter boxes).

I'm appreciating her newly re-found love for me for as long as I can!
I'm due to leave again in about 10 days, so it'll be another year at
least before I get some lovin' again!

She's snoring at the foot of my bed now...

Why do you have a cat if you are going to be away for a year? It seems
cruel to me to let a cat love and depend on you and then leave it for a
year.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')

---MIKE--- wrote:
Why do you have a cat if you are going to be away for a year? It seems
cruel to me to let a cat love and depend on you and then leave it for a
year.



It's crueler to me than to her. She lives with my mother, and has
always lived in my mother's house. It's far less cruel to leave her
where she's comfortable, than to drag her half way around the world in
the cargo hold of an airplane (twice, since there will eventually be a
return trip), and possibly have to subject her to an unknown period of
quarantine and sub-standard (by my standards) veterinary care, don't
you think?

Now I understand.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')