They combine a sweet and trusting nature with an uncertainty about how to manipulate our mutual environment.
see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!
The key to happy Gammas is support. If we can provide enough understanding, attention, and adoration for our Gammas, they will be devoted, and delightful, “children.”
There are great advantages to Gammas:
Leaving our stuff alone. They are the best cat for not messing with our things.
They stay kittens longer. Gammas are the most dependent cat types. They also stay mentally dependent for longer. It can seem that Gammas are slow to grasp something, when that’s not true. They have a slower thinking style. They “get it” but don’t want to commit right away.
Very focused on relationship. This is wonderful for us if we can match that level of interest. Gammas need that coming back, too.
This is why I think of them as the “rabbit cat,” since they are so low-key and cuddly. Gentle Gammas are easily provided for, yet require our small attentions more, than other cat types.
Because there are cautions regarding Gammas:
Need maintenance. We cannot rely on them to let us know they are hungry or thirsty or have an upset; not quickly. Gammas prefer to suffer in silence. We can’t let that happen.
Must have routine. Least flexible with environmental stress, especially since they will leave things alone and don’t even have the stress relief of trying to fix it.
Least of the greeters. They will meet friends; not strangers. Getting from one to the other takes some hanging around and being open, but not pushy. Still, anyone who comes by often can be friends with our cat.
If we want a “living doll” these lovely and loving cats are a wonderful experience.
Look for these breeds & breed characteristics:
Look for the short nose, broadset ears, thicker paws, and stocky bone structure that indicates Gamma traits. A wide-eyed expression, a quiet acceptance of the situation, and a close interest in details of their environment can point to Gamma mental traits in any cat. They come from colder climates and are the least active cat type.
Persians, and their combinations, are the core Gamma heritage.
Read more about the Gamma cat type.
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There can also be mixes of the types. For the longest time, I was sure that my kitteh Penny was a Gamma. However, she will tell me when she’s hungry and initiate play; however, she tends to leave my ‘things’ alone. So I think she has some Beta tendencies in there as well.
We have 2 cats on the cusp, so to speak. Tristan is Alpha, but with big Beta social tendencies, while James Bond was our Supervisor before retirement, when his Gamma side really became dominant.
So it’s true, cat types are not boxes. It’s more of a sliding scale, with midpoints where cats have a mix of qualities.
Thanks for this wonderful post! Our most recent rescue kitty has a touch of Maine Coon in her and she exhibits many of the Gamma traits you mention. In particular, the thinking things through and the kitten behavior. She also needs reassurance if there is an upset in the routine; once we figured that out she really relaxed in her new home. She is quite a joy.
For some things, it’s almost like you were in my house, describing my cat.
There’s a few points where she’s not pure gamma. She’ll ‘tell’ us she hungry by silently sitting by her bowl. While she has a shortish nose and wide set ears and is generally what I think of as a big, heavy set cat, her paws seem like delicate little things.
But she is very much stressed by environmental changes. Even just me cleaning the house is enough to send her hiding all day under the covers, even if I don’t get out the dreaded vacuum cleaner. She also gets stressed if the suitcases come out and she can see we’re planning to be away for the weekend. What are the best ways to help her cope with these kinds of stresses? It just kills me to see her cowering under the blanket because I’ve been cleaning, but I can’t not clean. I can’t always avoid travel, though we do have the same cat sitter every time and haven’t had anyone else cat sit in her whole life.
The other thing I worry about with her is play. I’ve never had a cat less inclined to play. I try and engage her a few times a day, but only get a moment or two of interest. My previous cats would be like maniacs if I got out the laser pointer or the mouse on a string toy. She does have, as you say, a close interest in the details of her environment, and she’ll go on what I think of as her patrol, where she’ll walk from window to another window, then check out this one crack in the floor, then this other in the wall. I just would like to encourage her to more active play because she has this tendency to be chunky
Yep, that’s my little girl cat, to a T!
Is part of the Gamma type a tendency to bond strongly with one person? My old cat, Colette, was the sweetest and most perfect Gamma and she DEFINITELY was a one-person cat. Even old dear friends and family members were just barely tolerlated — and others less well known never SAW her because she hid! — but she and I were very, very close. I was wondering if that was just our relationship or if that’s a Gamma trait.
Gammas are not necessarily one person cats by nature, but their shyness makes it difficult for them to extend friendship to anyone new.
However, early in our dating, Mr WayofCats would come over to my place and walk the dogs and feed the kitties when I had to go out of town a couple of times. Once we moved in together, my Gamma, Smokepuff, remembered The Food Bringer and glued himself to Mr WayofCat’s feet right away. He had proved himself worthy!
Thank you, I had been curious about that. I’m single so my old Gamma might have just had that type of one-person bond with me, because there weren’t any others living with us.