Adopted cat attitude

rigwifelife

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So , we adopted a cat , he's 5. He was rescued from the spca . When we brought him him he was lovey, purred all the time, let us pet him often. It's been a month now and he seems a bit annoyed by us at times. My husband was up north working when we brought him home and he was all over him when he came back for his 10 days off. Now that he's gone again the cat seems like he's unimpressed. When you walk by him he paws at you , gently but still. When you randomly pet him he will try and bite and scratch sometimes It's strange. I am a first time cat owner so I'm unsure of the way they are !

Sorry for the long post [emoji]128529[/emoji]
 

moorspede

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Is your cat neutered? So much of un-neutered cats behaviour stems from hormones. 

I apologise if what I say is obvious. A gentle paw often means I want to play, some affection, or food. If you've fed him and patted him and he's still pawing you, you need to play with him. 

Playing  with Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To  Know

Each cat is unique and has it's own body language but there are some universals. When a cat is swishing it's tail back and forth furiously it means he or she is overstimulated and may lash out at any moment. You don't want to get to that point. One of my cats likes to be petted just about anywhere including her belly, the other likes only a few soft strokes to the place above her eyes, and rarely, to her chin and a cheek. She also seems to like me talking to her as I do this. She shows her love for me by following me from room to room and lying close by me.

As you pet your cat notice his body language, when he looks like he's getting agitated stop short of that amount of petting next time.  

 
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rigwifelife

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Yup! He's defiantly neutered. We do play with him but maybe now that he's comfortable here in his new home he's beginning to be himself ? Maybe he just needs more play than he was interested in when we first brought him home :). Thank you !
 

IndyJones

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Where do you think?
Have you ever heard of petting induced agression? I've never seen it first hand but some cats can get over excited about being pet and will turn around and bite. Is it possible that this might be happening?
 

mepsenhart

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I agree with IndyJones. I started watching the Jackson Galaxy cat videos on YouTube and he talked about this. You can literally see the cat tail casually sway from side to side and curl at the end (like a question mark) and then, it quickly changes to wagging. In a dog wagging is good, not so much for a cat. He says it causes an overload of electrical activity in their body and then they attack. I watch Lola very carefully when I see her skin flinch and/or the tail wag, I back off. She stopped batting my hand or worse, biting it. I wish I knew if she does this because she was a stray or if this is just part of her normal kitty behavior.
 

DreamerRose

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I agree too. Both my kitties will act as if they are going to bite me if I pet them more than they want. They don't really want to bite, but it's their clear signal they've had enough. They will also roll over so I can't reach their backs.

A wand-type toy will work off some of your cat's energy; most cats love Da Bird. They will bond with you faster if you play more with them.
 
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