I demand to be petted -- cat "prays"
194 views · Published 9 December 2014 · 0:43 · Indexed 8 October 2026
Channel: D5 Family · 2014 · People & Blogs
This is Annyeong, named after the adopted Korean character on Arrested Development who is always saying "annyeong" (which means "hello" in English) so that the adoptive family thinks that is his name. We didn't teach him this trick! He came to us as a stray cat a few years ago; he showed up at our patio every night at around the same time and would "pray" through the screen door. When we tried to open the door and pet him, he would hiss and run away... and then immediately come back and pray again. Every time we reached for him he cowered and hissed, and we eventually determined he had been beaten and abandoned :( He was desperate for attention and food, but also terrified of being touched. We tried to find his owners for several months and then we tried to find a cat rescue organization to take him. We already had four cats and didn't want a fifth! Cat rescues were full, and it was October and getting much colder in Minnesota. At this point, he had been coming all summer and trusted us more, so when we opened the door he walked in. And that was how we ended up with five cats :) He was terrified of us for several weeks and never came out of hiding. Eventually, he would let us touch him, but only on his face where he could see us coming at him. Years later he will still not let us touch him with our feet and hisses and runs away (even though he is very loving and sweet to us any other time). He still "prays" when he wants attention or treats, and he also uses his paw to rub the side of his face, as if he's trying to show us where he wants to be touched. If you don't listen the first few times, he reaches out with his paw - claws extended - and pats you until you pay attention :)
