the meaning of manja

Being manja when it is used to describe cats, means being affectionate. In our family, Sayang is the most manja of all. She exhibits this by doing a few things: wanting to talk to us, sitting on our laps when she misses us (she cannot go a day without sitting on both our laps), purring, kissing, rubbing against us, biting, and kneading. Right now, she is lying on top of my stomach as I am lying in bed typing this.

Today she has been kneady, pun intended. When she sat on my lap, she pressed down her paws on my body in a left-right repetition. Manja cats often do this, especially kittens.

Kneading is a behaviour learned from kittenhood. They knead their mother when they are nursing. Placing paws on us also means she is claiming superiority over us, a cat-on-top mentality. They also are trying to tell us that they need us for something - attention, food. Some people might think that the cat is trying to scratch them as when they knead, their claws might accidentally snag clothes, but the cat is not being aggressive when he is kneading. It is actually a sign of affection. So, when a cat does that to you, you know he likes you and wants to be yours!

Sayang is so manja that sometimes Andy says that she cannot live without me. I feel the same way. She is so attached to me she gets jealous and wary when she smells other cats (not from the family) on our clothes. Which is why another manja cat of the same age will not be able to get along with her in the same family. Squirrel is one such case. Being the same age as Sayang, and loving us a lot, she sat on my lap and purred when she was at our house. When Sayang came to me after, she smelled Squirrel's scent on my sarong and got upset. If you have a cat like that, she will be more open to manja younger cats than those of her own age, a good thing to note if you are looking to add to your cat family.

Sayang needs a lot of attention, a classic trait of Oriental cats. Before Scooter came into our lives I had to dedicate one hour of play time to her a day. Scooter became her playmate when he arrived. Now, when she is bored, she will meow to us for attention if none of us are playing with her or cuddling her. Yes, Scooter does cuddle up to Sayang too.

I reckon most of you cat owners actually like having a manja cat. For me, I think one manja cat is enough. Scooter and Slinky are not as manja; Scooter only comes purring to me in when he wants to sleep with me, or when he needs food. Slinky's idea of being manja is limited to rubbing her head against us and wanting a head-scratch. She doesn't purr.

I don't know about you, but Andy and I find that orange cats are all very manja! We realise this from the strays that we meet. Although other cats can exhibit manja behaviour as well, of course. I don't know whether this is an actual trait that happens to dominate in red-coloured cats. So, if you would like, take part in our poll! (See right side bar, top). If our observation is true by popular opinion, and you are looking for a manja cat to love, orange might just be the colour for you! Poll closes on Christmas Eve.