3 replies to this topic

[Iszie]

Hi all! 
 

So I go horse riding, and at the place I do it at, there are lots of affectionate feral cats which I pet afterwards. 
 

Today, I ended up leaving with a lot of small scratches. A cat sprung into my lap (pushing off a cat who was on my lap before), and kept digging it’s claws into my legs, then moving around, then doing the same thing. At first I thought it was kneading, an affectionate cat behaviour, as it was also head-butting my hand which I know is affectionate. It kept repeating it, but not in a bread-kneading motion. It didn’t seem very scared or aggressive, but I could be wrong. It started to become quite painful so I lifted it off. Unfortunately I didn’t do it as gently as I could, it was attached to my clothing so it was a bit of a struggle. It proceeded to try and bite (gently?), but it still didn’t look aggressive or scared. As soon as I put it down it moved away from me. A few minutes later though, it followed me and did the same head-butting thing as before. 
 

Once I got home, I cleaned the scratches with soap and water. 
 

To wrap the story up, do you think this was a friendly behaviour (kneading) or an aggressive behaviour?

 

Thanks! 

 

Edited by ~Crumble~, 02 April 2021 - 08:44 PM.

[Kikya]

Hi all! 
 

So I go horse riding, and at the place I do it at, there are lots of affectionate feral cats which I pet afterwards. 
 

Today, I ended up leaving with a lot of small scratches. A cat sprung into my lap (pushing off a cat who was on my lap before), and kept digging it’s claws into my legs, then moving around, then doing the same thing. At first I thought it was kneading, an affectionate cat behaviour, as it was also head-butting my hand which I know is affectionate. It kept repeating it, but not in a bread-kneading motion. It didn’t seem very scared or aggressive, but I could be wrong. It started to become quite painful so I lifted it off. Unfortunately I didn’t do it as gently as I could, it was attached to my clothing so it was a bit of a struggle. It proceeded to try and bite (gently?), but it still didn’t look aggressive or scared. As soon as I put it down it moved away from me. A few minutes later though, it followed me and did the same head-butting thing as before. 
 

Once I got home, I cleaned the scratches with soap and water. 
 

To wrap the story up, do you think this was a friendly behaviour (kneading) or an aggressive behaviour?

 

Thanks! 

He could have been scent marking you which is a good thing. Kitties rub their cheeks into people they want to "mark". sounds like he was being friendly, in a pointy claw sort of way. XD Sounds like he was over stimulated by something, thats usually what those soft bites are. Like I'm playing with you but my prey instincts are on. Too much petting can have that effect. Also, he might have been saying give me food, I've had some cats bite me when they were hungry.

 

Was his tail flicking in an irritated sort of way? You'll know when a cat is being aggressive when they give you the death stare and their tail is flicking back and forth sharply. Sometimes you can calm them by looking at them and blinking very slowly. I was cat sitting a cat one time and she stopped, stared at me, then pounced and bite my leg. Right before that she was very still and her tail was flicking around. Like what the heck are you doing here lady, this is mah house.

Edited by Kikya, 02 April 2021 - 09:22 PM.

[Iszie]

He could have been scent marking you which is a good thing. Kitties rub their cheeks into people they want to "mark". sounds like he was being friendly, in a pointy claw sort of way. XD Sounds like he was over stimulated by something, thats usually what those soft bites are. Like I'm playing with you but my prey instincts are on. Too much petting can have that effect.

 

Was his tail flicking in an irritated sort of way? You'll know when a cat is being aggressive when they give you the death stare and their tail is flicking back and forth sharply. Sometimes you can calm them by looking at them and blinking very slowly. I was cat sitting a cat one time and she stopped, stared at me, then pounced and bite my leg. Right before that she was very still and her tail was flicking around. Like what the heck are you doing her lady, this is mah house.

Nope, it wasn’t flicking it’s tail (at least, I didn’t see it). 
 

Good to know that you think it wasn’t scared or irritated! 
 

Thanks!

[4 Hamsters]

Kneading is an affectionate behavior. It probably hurts because the feral cat's claws weren't trimmed. When I was a rookie stray cat provider, a stray cat sat on my lap. It hurt! Today, I wear a thick blanket and put it on my lap before I let my stray cat friend sit on it!