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ENTP · ISTP cat types The House Snoop and The Solo Player

They differ on 2 of 4 dimensions.

ENTPThe House Snoop

Joins in · Tries new things · Keeps some space · Goes with the moment

When guests come, it goes over to sniff their shoes and bags. Give it a new toy and it often finds a use you did not expect. It likes to wander around where people are, without always wanting to be touched. When it plays and where it sleeps change from day to day.

Read the type guide · ENTP

ISTPThe Solo Player

Prefers quiet · Likes the familiar · Keeps some space · Goes with the moment

It spends most of its time on its own and can bat an old toy around the familiar rug for ages. When you are in the room, it watches from a stool and rarely comes over. There is no set time for play or sleep.

Read the type guide · ISTP

Four dimensions, side by side

  • Social style

    Different
    ENTP
    Joins in
    ISTP
    Prefers quiet
  • New experiences

    Different
    ENTP
    Tries new things
    ISTP
    Likes the familiar
  • Closeness

    Same
    ENTP
    Keeps some space
    ISTP
    Keeps some space
  • Daily rhythm

    Same
    ENTP
    Goes with the moment
    ISTP
    Goes with the moment

Where their days may overlap

On these dimensions the two type descriptions lean the same way. Similar habits can mean easy company, and also wanting the same spot at the same time.

Closeness

The House Snoop · Hello from the other chair
ENTP · Keeps some space Hello from the other chair

At the table it takes the other chair: part of things, but on its own seat.

The Solo Player · Watching from the stool
ISTP · Keeps some space Watching from the stool

It sits on the stool by the sofa while you rest, looking out over the room, a comfortable gap in between.

Each may want a seat of its own instead of a shared one. Separate perches within sight of each other let them be in the same room without touching.

Daily rhythm

The House Snoop · The game can wait
ENTP · Goes with the moment The game can wait

Mid-afternoon it falls asleep on the cushion, the tunnel and ball left where the game stopped.

The Solo Player · A nap between games
ISTP · Goes with the moment A nap between games

Between games it stretches out on the floor cushion and sleeps, the tunnel still set up behind it.

Play may start at any hour, and one cat’s burst of energy may land in the middle of the other’s nap. Keep food, water, litter and resting places steady even when the day is not, and set up a nap spot away from where they play.

Where each may want its own space

On these dimensions the descriptions lean in opposite directions. A difference is not a problem; it shows where each cat may need a choice of its own.

Social style

The House Snoop · What’s in the new bag?
ENTP · Joins in What’s in the new bag?

Someone walks in with a paper bag and it comes over at once to see who came and what is inside.

The Solo Player · A quiet lap of the room
ISTP · Prefers quiet A quiet lap of the room

It makes a quiet lap of the empty living room and stops to inspect a patch of sun on the floor.

Their days may cross only now and then, and that is fine. Keep a resting place the quieter cat can reach without passing through the busy part of the home, and let the more social one come to you for company.

New experiences

The House Snoop · A second use for the box
ENTP · Tries new things A second use for the box

Two empty boxes become a passage, and it steps through to see where the game goes next.

The Solo Player · A solo game on the rug
ISTP · Likes the familiar A solo game on the rug

It crouches on the rug and bats the same old ball back and forth, with nobody watching.

A new toy may interest only one of them. Bring new things in without taking the old ones away, and let the more cautious cat watch from a distance for as long as it likes.

Introducing two cats

These steps are the same for any two cats, whatever their types. Go at the pace of the less comfortable cat.

  1. Give the newcomer a separate room with its own food, water, litter, hiding place and bed.
  2. When both cats are relaxed, swap bedding or other items that carry their scent.
  3. Let them see each other briefly through a secure barrier, then move on to short, supervised meetings.
  4. If either cat tenses up, go back a step and give them time apart.
Read the step-by-step introduction guide

More pairings

This compares type descriptions for fun. How two cats actually get along depends on each cat and their home. How it works