It's a stereotype for a reason, though. I've had many cats, and at one point we had a mom with three of her children. Mom and one of the children were "affectionate" only when they wanted to eat, otherwise, they'd go hide somewhere to be left alone. They did like to sleep in the same bed as us for warmth, but that's about it. Only one of the 4 liked (likes) to cuddle and be pet and spend time with us. So out of these 4 cats from the same family, 2 didn't want much to do with us, one was okay and spent time around us, and one was/is very affectionate. We didn't treat them any differently, it was just their temperaments 🤷

[–] Sergio@piefed.social 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yeah, cats have personalities. But also it can be hard for humans to read them. Like: I think cats generally believe they're capable of feeding themselves, so if they hang out with a human and rely on it to feed them, then the cat is expressing their trust and affection. Likewise if the cat stands out in the open when the human is nearby, or if a cat remains relaxing when the human enters the room.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

i want to echo your sentiment. feeding the kittens out of my palm is so intimate and cute.

[–] mika_mika@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (2 children)

This is what's keeping me from getting a cat. I would love a cuddly, affectionate, screaming meows kitty, but I know I'm also rolling the dice on getting a little asshole who just wants me to feed it.

[–] Benaaasaaas@group.lt 12 points 2 days ago

If you're getting a cat (not a kitten) from the shelter, they can usually say pretty accurately if it's going to be cuddly or not and also there may be trial period for both you and the cat to check if you're compatible

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

orange or siamese cat. reliably affectionate and screamy