All I did was pet another cat

musicteacher · Dec 3, 2005

Sheesh, my Alex just hissed at my hand and gave me a mean look before walking away. I was petting my sister-in-laws cat earlier this evening, so I guess he smells her but I've come home from their house after petting that cat before and he's been completely normal. He jumped up on the couch with me as though he was going to cuddle and was sniffing my hand and then he hissed at either my hand or me. Scared the daylights out of me. He never hisses. Is there really that much of that cat's smell on me that he doesn't recognize me? Maybe I should shower after every time I pet strange cats. Let me go wash my hands AND change my clothes and see if he realizes its me. It's silly but my feelings are a little hurt. lol.

missymotus · Dec 3, 2005

Sorry I have no advice but I would be hurt too

carolpetunia · Dec 3, 2005

Well, how would YOU feel if HE came home with some other woman's lipstick on his flea collar, hmmmm?

:-)

kai bengals · Dec 4, 2005

Originally Posted by MusicTeacher

Sheesh, my Alex just hissed at my hand and gave me a mean look before walking away. I was petting my sister-in-laws cat earlier this evening, so I guess he smells her but I've come home from their house after petting that cat before and he's been completely normal. He jumped up on the couch with me as though he was going to cuddle and was sniffing my hand and then he hissed at either my hand or me. Scared the daylights out of me. He never hisses. Is there really that much of that cat's smell on me that he doesn't recognize me? Maybe I should shower after every time I pet strange cats. Let me go wash my hands AND change my clothes and see if he realizes its me. It's silly but my feelings are a little hurt. lol.

In all seriousness, if you ever pet someone elses cat or a cat that is unknown to you, you must wash your hands before touching your own animals.
Cats lick their fur and diseases can be transmitted by cat saliva. You pet the cat, you now have the potential to carry a virus back to your own cats.
I know this may sound over-protective, but this sort of thing does happen. It is one of the main reasons that exhibitors at cats shows won't let spectators touch any of their cats.
And.......... on the bright side.....Alex won't have a reason to hiss at ya!

tnr1 · Dec 4, 2005

I always wash my hands after coming back from the adoption event.

Katie

carolpetunia · Dec 4, 2005

I couldn't resist my little joke above, but Kai Bengals is right. When I come home from volunteering at the shelter, I have to go straight to the laundry room and throw my clothes in the washer, then go shower before I touch my little ones... they just don't understand why I won't return their welcome-home hugs! :-)

lunasmom · Dec 4, 2005

oh yes...even at home, Luna doesn't like Beauty...she'll hiss at Beauty's comb or anything that has a fresh Beauty scent. It's comical, but kind of old now. So I'm constantly washing my hands after I pet Beauty, so that Luna doesn't hiss at me.

sweetiecat3 · Dec 4, 2005

Cats tend to be very jealous.

It's almost like an engagement or something: they hate to be 'cheated' on!! In their minds, you must be dedicated to THEM, and only them, otherwise they think you don't love them anymore.

musicteacher · Dec 4, 2005

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

Well, how would YOU feel if HE came home with some other woman's lipstick on his flea collar, hmmmm?

:-)

musicteacher · Dec 4, 2005

Originally Posted by Kai Bengals

In all seriousness, if you ever pet someone elses cat or a cat that is unknown to you, you must wash your hands before touching your own animals.
Cats lick their fur and diseases can be transmitted by cat saliva. You pet the cat, you now have the potential to carry a virus back to your own cats.
I know this may sound over-protective, but this sort of thing does happen. It is one of the main reasons that exhibitors at cats shows won't let spectators touch any of their cats.
And.......... on the bright side.....Alex won't have a reason to hiss at ya!

Certainly, but my SIL's cat is an indoor cat with a clean bill of health, so that's not a concern. This behavior is unusual for Alex. I've come home with this particular cat's scent on me dozens of times. I've even come home with dog scent on me taking care of a friend's dog and Alex didn't care. It's weird that now all of a sudden he has to fuss about it. Of course he's over it by now, since I smell like myself again, but it's just out of character for him.

wellingtoncats · Dec 4, 2005

My Persians and Exotics don't get jelous. They are just so laidback and chilled about life!

cyberkitten · Dec 4, 2005

I am kinda picky about this too -if I pet another kitty, I wash my hands and use anti bacterial soap (and yeah, I do know about all those experiemnets -0 having judged a few of them in science fairs but I still use the antibac stiff after washing my hands - we have it in our surgical suites). I do not want to be responsible for transmitting any diseases to my baby!!!!

ahem · Dec 4, 2005

You are with other cat's pheromones on your hand, which he feels and interprets as a threat. And he dislikes it.

All I did was pet another cat

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