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Baby/dog/cat sitter. Cat has blown my mind

post #1 of 6
2/22/11 at 9:53pm
Thread Starter 
Babies.....2 and 5 y/o. Down pat, easy but lotsa work. Stick to basics, head above water, feed when whiny and observe closely. DONE

Dogs. Easier than pie. I'm a German Shepherd guy, watching collies. They love me.

Cat. OH MY GOD. What the Christ is this thing attached to my arm?! The cat, as far as I can tell likes me. Or my warm chest and belly. HOWEVER, if I rub said kitties head for oh say 5 milliseconds too long the cat sinks teeth into the meat of my hand and does this leg kick thing. It's not pleasant in the least, but not enough to be destructive, I'd still rather not have it happen.

The cat digs me, no question there. She chills out on my legs/chest/belly and purrs like a high-end chainsaw. I'm cool with that, then out of nowhere my hand becomes a target for shredding. Huh? I know dogs, I know dogs like crazy. I do not know cats, I like cats....a great deal in fact. However where I live cats are pretty much "exciting targets" for the locals. So, cats are not an option for my wee little farm and I do not have a decent working knowledge of the critters.

TLDR version: Why is kitty tenderizing my hands when she so obviously enjoys hanging out on/with me?
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post #2 of 6
2/22/11 at 10:32pm
Cats get overstimulated from petting pretty quickly, and they will usually lash out "gently" (i.e. no blood) to let you know they've had enough. You have to watch for some signs that the cat is going to pounce. Watch out for airplane ears, when the ears are pinned back agaist the head aggressively. Watch the tail as well, cats will start to swish and flick their tails as they get more peeved off.

The leg kicking thing is how cats attack prey in the wild, and it's how they play with toys. The cat is basically working off some energy built up from the petting.
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post #3 of 6
2/22/11 at 10:51pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rad65 View Post
Cats get overstimulated from petting pretty quickly, and they will usually lash out "gently" (i.e. no blood) to let you know they've had enough. You have to watch for some signs that the cat is going to pounce. Watch out for airplane ears, when the ears are pinned back agaist the head aggressively. Watch the tail as well, cats will start to swish and flick their tails as they get more peeved off.

The leg kicking thing is how cats attack prey in the wild, and it's how they play with toys. The cat is basically working off some energy built up from the petting.
Okay, so kitty LIKES being rubbed to an extent. Watch the tail and keep her stimulation under "XX" line as to spare my hands. Makes sense I suppose.

My German will gently massage the ligaments in my hand (bite me) when he's tired of whatever torture I've cooked up. It's much more clear in doggie language than kitty language.

I'd have a cat around here in a damn heartbeat if the area wasn't crawling with people that see cats as challenging targets for sighting in rifles. Adaptive, intelligent, not-quite-climax predators, and just generally interesting animals, if I could ENSURE a closed house I'd have one. Doggie door kinda eliminates that however.

*Goes to bed watching tail closely*
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post #4 of 6
2/23/11 at 1:04pm
^You can fix a backyard to be cat proof. It simply means that you need to extend the fencing up higher and make it where it can't be climbed. Depending on the type of existing fence you have there's a couple of different options should you be interested.

Added bonus of cat proofing at fence, you're likely to further dog proof it, too.


Likely the issue with kitty is that she also wasn't taught proper manners when younger. Kitties like that will get rough even though they don't really intend any harm. It's really not that different in say, a dog not knowing to be more gentle with a child for lack of ever being around them.
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post #5 of 6
2/23/11 at 1:40pm
It could be that the cat is trying to play. Midnight will attack my hands in play. Or some cats, if you pat them to much at once they get over stimulated that's why they bite. Lynxx would bite for that reason, also he'd bite if we patted him, but our attention was on something/someone else. Because he wanted our full attention on him.
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post #6 of 6
2/23/11 at 4:02pm
Biting and kicking with the feet is how many cats simply play fight.

Play fighting can be instigated just from getting happy and aroused, not a negative reaction.

If the cat is inexperienced or did not grow up with another cat, it may not know the amount of pressure and force it can supply and so is unintentionally hurting you. My cats also had to be taught that my hand is not a toy, and so they no longer attempt it.

When I first got em though, it was simply too fun not to use my hand and arm as a playtoy, and so it looked like this most of the time until I noticed it was starting to feel itchy and could be a health issue:
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