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ESFP · ISFJ cat types The Sunny Sidekick and The Blanket Buddy

They differ on 2 of 4 dimensions.

ESFPThe Sunny Sidekick

Joins in · Likes the familiar · Stays close · Goes with the moment

Whoever is home, it heads for them, rubs against them and rolls onto its side. Any time is a good time for a familiar toy, and when it tires it sleeps in the sun next to someone. There is no telling when it will come looking for you.

Read the type guide · ESFP

ISFJThe Blanket Buddy

Prefers quiet · Likes the familiar · Stays close · Regular hours

In the evening, when you sit in your usual seat, it comes over and lies down against you. It hangs back when there are many people but likes to stay close to the ones it knows. Where and when it rests hardly changes.

Read the type guide · ISFJ

Four dimensions, side by side

  • Social style

    Different
    ESFP
    Joins in
    ISFJ
    Prefers quiet
  • New experiences

    Same
    ESFP
    Likes the familiar
    ISFJ
    Likes the familiar
  • Closeness

    Same
    ESFP
    Stays close
    ISFJ
    Stays close
  • Daily rhythm

    Different
    ESFP
    Goes with the moment
    ISFJ
    Regular hours

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.

New experiences

The Sunny Sidekick · Play now?
ESFP · Likes the familiar Play now?

The familiar ball is all it needs: it stretches out a paw and the game has started.

The Blanket Buddy · The game you always play
ISFJ · Likes the familiar The game you always play

The cloth ball it has always played with still wins, all the more with your hand nearby.

A new cat, new furniture or a new smell is a big change for either of them. Change one thing at a time, and keep each cat’s own bed, blanket and favorite toy where they have always been.

Closeness

The Sunny Sidekick · A cheerful nudge
ESFP · Stays close A cheerful nudge

It brushes its whole side along your leg in passing, then turns back to do it again.

The Blanket Buddy · A cheek against a familiar hand
ISFJ · Stays close A cheek against a familiar hand

It leans its cheek into your hand and keeps it there for as long as you stay still.

They may want the same lap. Sit where there is room on both sides, give each cat some time with you on its own, and pause the petting now and then so either one can leave.

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 Sunny Sidekick · Joining in
ESFP · Joins in Joining in

It sees you sit down on the floor and comes straight over, tail up.

The Blanket Buddy · Watching the evening from the usual spot
ISFJ · Prefers quiet Watching the evening from the usual spot

It skips the busy rooms and sits beside you on the sofa while you fold the blanket.

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.

Daily rhythm

The Sunny Sidekick · A sunny nap next to someone
ESFP · Goes with the moment A sunny nap next to someone

It falls asleep on the big cushion next to whoever is on the sofa, at no particular time of day.

The Blanket Buddy · The blanket beside your chair
ISFJ · Regular hours The blanket beside your chair

It sleeps on the folded blanket beside your reading chair, in the same place each night.

One cat’s playtime may be the other’s nap. Keep the routine steady for the cat that relies on it, and offer the other a short game somewhere else when it gets going at an odd hour.

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