Petting aggression

Sometimes though, cats seem to groom humans. They lick their owner's skin with a ticklish intensity that may make us squirm. It often occurs when we are lying down or resting. What is happening, does the cat feel or sense that we the owners are dirty and in need of a good cleaning? Actually this type of behaviour has nothing to do with grooming. It is comforting behaviour that is usually found in cats that were separated from their mothers before 12 weeks. This behavior is linked with the cat kneading its paws (paw pressing) on its owner. This is the same behaviour it used to exhibit when it used to suckle at its mother's teats.

In general and to avoid other possible socialization problems a kitten should remain with its mother and littermates until at least 12 weeks of age. Any breeder willing to sell a kitten before that age is probably not a reputable one.

What if cat bites during petting? This scenario has happened hundreds of thousands of times. You're petting a cat on its head and back and the cat seems to be in ecstasy. It's purring like a little motorcycle, looking absolutely content, when all of a sudden the cat pounces on your hand and takes a bite. It may even throw in a few paw swipes as well.

Usually the biting and/or scratching isn't too hard and it rarely breaks the skin but it still hurts and the recipient feels betrayed. What is going on? What's wrong with the cat? Is it Demonic? Psychotic? Dumb?

None of the above. Petting aggression in cats is absolutely normal. The reasons to petting aggression are not fully understood but research suggests that it has to do with the fact that the cat has mixed emotions about the whole petting phenomenon.

Most adult cats that aren't related don't touch each other much except for fighting and sexual episodes. So even though the cats seems content, it may realize that this is not normal and an instinctive predatory response is elicited which results in biting.

Don't take it personally and don't punish or hit the cat. Understand and OBSERVE the cat's warning signs. Keep the petting sessions fairly short and end the session the second the cat exhibits warning signs.

The best way to deal with this situation is to be aware of the cat's body language. The cat will always give you signals that it has had enough of of your petting. The key signal to watch for is a twitching tail and a body that starts to tense up. Ears may turn or flicker and the cat's head may also turn toward your hand. This is a classic predatory response and the cat's way of telling you to IMMEDIATELY stop petting and end the session.

If you have a multi cat household or your outdoor cats hang out with other cats, chances are you will encounter cat play. Cat play usually involves chasing, swatting, hissing and nipping.

To a human though, cat play can often look rough, so how can you tell the difference? First off if you know that the two cats in question have never been friendly to each other then chances are what you are witnessing is fighting. Cat fighting is something that should be stopped through distraction, since it can lead to disease transmission and/or wounds and wound infections.

If you are unsure if the cats are playing or fighting rely on your ears and eyes:

Screaming is a sure sign that the cats are fighting.

One cat being overly dominant is another sign of fighting, usually in cat play the roles shift.

Hissing a few times from either cat is normal but continued hissing suggests a cat fight is underway or about to get underway.

Finally and perhaps most importantly in cat play, except for accidents, neither of the two cats gets hurt.

The best way to separate fighting cats is through distraction. Making a loud noise or drop something heavy on the floor. That will usually startle the cats and send them running in opposite directions. Shaking a can of food treats (if they are used to that sound) is another great distraction that will stop the fighting.

Remember cat play like any type of animal play is normal and you shouldn't get involved. Cat fighting is also fairly common but due to the potential that your cat may get harmed or injured, you should try to stop it through distraction. Do not actually try to physically remove one cat from another or you too may get harmed.

Cat scratch disease (CSD) affects humans.

Cat scratch disease is also known as Cat Scratch Fever and benign lymphoreticulosis. Cat scratch disease is a rare disease that occurs when you are scratched (or in rare cases bitten) by a cat (but usually a kitten) that has a specific bacteria on its paws or teeth. The bacteria originates in the cat's saliva.

At the site of the scratch you develop a sore or a lesion and the sore may only develop 3-30 days after you have been bitten/scratched. The sore may continue to get larger, take a long time to heal and the lymph glands will get infected usually in the glands closest to where you were scratched (most commonly under the armpit). You may get a fever that lasts for a few days after having being scratched or bitten. As a preventative measure always clean the area where the scratch or bite took place with a disinfectant.

In healthy people, cat scratch disease is normally not serious and it will usually clear up on its own without treatment. If you have really painful lymph nodes that won't heal after a couple of weeks or a fever that is taking too long to break, antibiotics can help.

Cat scratch disease is extremely dangerous to people with compromised immune systems.

If you get cat scratch disease from a particular cat, it does not mean that the cat is sick or will be sick, it only means that the cat is a carrier of the disease. It is usually only able to transmit the disease for a few weeks. The cat does not need to be treated.