Odd behaviour

Tiddles has been allowed out of the bathroom for the first time today. As she has sounded like she has been bouncing off the bathroom door, i decided to try and give her some really good play to wear her out. Unfortunately, i think i went too far. She was really really chasing the laser toy, and just as i was about to stop, she laid down and started panting. This is only the second time i have seen a cat pant, so i was puzzled at first. Then i tried to pick her up to take her back to the bathroom so i could go and get Ginger, and she was quite nasty and tried to bite me. I ignored her and got her into the bathroom, where she continued to pant. She also got a bit aggressive with me, but she was like that with the woman who was feeding her before my mum, so she does have an aggressive streak in her. Eventually got her out of the way to get out of the bathroom, went to get Ginger, came back and she seems to be fine. Do you think i would be OK to just monitor her till i can speak to the vet/rescue on Mon? I am going to sit with her in a mo so i can have the bathroom window open in case it is warm for her in there. Dont think i will let her play too much tomorrow. the other thing concerning me is that she did have a cough the week before i took her on, although she hasnt done it since, i would have thought the antibiotics would have helped that though.

Well she is back to her usual mad active self, so i am not too worried. However, the aggressiveness seems to only occur when you touch a nipple. Is this normal, or something major?

Most likely the panting was due to overexertion. And the bite due to overstimulation. And many cats give a warning bite when you touch their underside. Don't really see any odd behavior here. Just needs time for new cat and human to get to know each other. Do continue to accustom Tiddles to being handled, but go slower and stop short of the biting.

i completely agree. My cats will bite at us if we stop playing and try to touch them.

This is a stray cat you rescued less than a week ago?

The bite is explained by the cat not being terribly familiar with you as its caretaker or by simple over-stimulation, take your pick.

The exhaustion is explained by the poor health of the cat was when you rescued him. The hard life on the streets can rob a cat of its stamina and overall athleticism, and it can take weeks or months for the cat to recover their "wind" and get back in shape.

(Nano's stamina has improved a lot in six months, but she will still lay down and pant from exertion if we play Cat Dancer for too long without a break.)

I think i am just concerned cos i have had two cats that cried/attacked when you touched their belly/picked them up, one had FIP, one had mammary cancer, so i assume the worse.

Nano, yes this is the same stray, but as i foster, she is only with me till we can find a home for her, so i do need to know her temperament. I hope it is just down to over-stimulation, but i have tried again this morning and there is just one spot on her belly that she will attack you if you try and touch it. Am still going to ring the vet, as she is also off her food, but that could just be due to being fed up with the same flavour.

Coaster - the reason i found it odd is that she is fine with being handled - I caught her by stroking her, picking her up and getting her into a cat carrier, and i was a complete stranger to her.

If she has a swollen spot where she bites or gets mad if you touch it, then that would be a medical problem and please check with a vet.

That said, I don't know many female cats who won't warn you to back off if you start stroking their stomach or rubbing their nipples. I might get in a single rub or a light stroke of a Zoom Groom on Nano's stomach, but anything more she either gives me a warning nip or simply gets up to leave.

not sure about a swollen spot, but there is only one part where she will immediately attack, the rest you can touch for a few seconds. She has barely touched wet food for two days, although will happily eat dry. When i first got her, she would eat wet 3 times a day plus biscuits, so i think i will have a chat with my vet tomorrow.