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Cat bites when upper back is touched by me

post #1 of 9
9/10/11 at 3:14pm
Thread Starter 
My cat is almost two years old, and is extremely well behaved. She never uses her claws on humans and never bites. But when I touch or kiss her on her upper back, she will hiss at and/or bite me. Otherwise she never shows any sign of aggression towards me, even if im carrying her around the house. When my girlfriend holds her for extended periods of time our cat will sometimes get ornery, but will always be extremely calm for any amount of time when I hold her.

Why does she show aggression when I touch her on her upper back, just below the shoulderblades, and why is this aggression only shown towards me?
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post #2 of 9
9/10/11 at 3:42pm
Some cats don't like to be touched in certain areas of their body like the stomach, the tail, the paws. Maybe yours gets upset when you pet her on the back. This is of course if she has no health issues or did not get injured in that area.
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post #3 of 9
9/10/11 at 4:13pm
Check for injury; if there's no injury, think back and figure out whether you ever had to do anything painful to the area (removing a tick, maybe? accidentally poking a recent vaccination site?); and if you never did, then assume you have a quirky cat.
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post #4 of 9
9/10/11 at 4:31pm
Hi and welcome to TCS. I am sorry to bombard you with a bunch of questions, but this is the best way for us to help advise you in any way. Is she spayed? If so at what age was she? How long have you had her? Has she had all her shots and when was her last vet exam? Has she always been like this or has there been a change in her behavior towards handling her?
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post #5 of 9
9/10/11 at 4:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by yayi View Post
Some cats don't like to be touched in certain areas of their body like the stomach, the tail, the paws. Maybe yours gets upset when you pet her on the back. This is of course if she has no health issues or did not get injured in that area.
! I think you read my mind .
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post #6 of 9
9/10/11 at 4:54pm
Thread Starter 
She isn't spayed. We've had her since she was 3 months old, so roughly a year and a half. She doesn't have any shots, and she hasn't been outside our house since we got her.

I don't remember her ever acting this way, but I can't specifically remember touching this specific area other than brief brushings while petting. She doesn't mind being pet over this area, but a poke, kiss, or any maintained contact is cause for a reaction.

The strangest thing is that she only reacts this way to me, while in every other manner she is more docile with me than with anyone else.
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post #7 of 9
9/10/11 at 5:24pm
Her upper back/neck is where a male tom would bite her during mating. It may have something to do with that. She is way overdue for spaying, once you have that done and she is no longer suffering those endless heat cycles, the problem may resolve itself.

If it doesn't...well you'll know to just not touch her there.
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post #8 of 9
9/10/11 at 6:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by otto View Post
Her upper back/neck is where a male tom would bite her during mating. It may have something to do with that. She is way overdue for spaying, once you have that done and she is no longer suffering those endless heat cycles, the problem may resolve itself.

Her not being spayed can also cause her to think it's a dominating/territorial 'fighting' gesture you're doing to her, as that is also the place where other cats will bite when showing dominance. If that is the case, she doesn't seem to think you're above her in the hierarchy..
This kind of behavior usually stops when the cat is spayed/neutered as they calm down a bit, but can continue (like spray marking) if the cat isn't fixed early and the habit is deeply stuck.
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post #9 of 9
9/12/11 at 10:48pm
I'd like to re-iterate that getting her spayed is a good idea, even though she's indoor only. Indoor cats can escape, and if there's a male outside while she's in heat, she will try anything and everything to get to him.

So, can your girlfriend replicate the exact same touches that provoke a reaction from you, without provoking a reaction herself?
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