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- Nov 16, 2015
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I have a semi-feral cat (Nero, my avatar cat) living in my bedroom, and I have gotten to where I can pet him, especially if I'm laying in bed (much less intimidating for him than if I'm standing). This morning, I was laying on my right side with my right arm extended across the bed (not trying to be tedious--just giving the picture), and he was standing and I was petting him with my left hand. He was walking back and forth, purring as I pet him, and at one point he started sniffing my right hand as it rested on the bed. Then I felt four fangs lifting the skin on the side of my right hand.
I instantly reacted with a loud, startled "NO!!!", which caused him to spin his head 180 degrees around like The Exorcist and hiss at me because I scared him too.
Immediately, I realized that this "bite" didn't hurt at all--there was only enough pressure to hold the skin, so I *think* he was giving me a "love bite", the first ever he has given me (or maybe anyone). Then I felt bad for giving him such a negative reaction for his first attempt at something that may have been an affectionate thing. It's just that he has formidable fangs than can sometimes be seen even when his mouth is closed and feeling all four distinctly on my skin unsettled me, especially since our "relationship" is still a work-in-progress and things can be a little unpredictable at times.
He did "bite" me once before, when I was first starting to be able to touch him. He didn't seem to like a certain relative position, and I wonder if he had been scruffed at the clinic to pull him out of the trap, and he was having a "flashback". On that occasion he swatted me with no claws, bit me with no pressure, and sat down and hissed. He was just communicating, and thankfully did it with really no harm. Other times I have received minor scratches, but no bites.
So my question is, given this morning's behavior, are gentle "love bites" okay, or should they be discouraged because the line could get fuzzy on acceptable and unacceptable "teeth on skin" behavior? I know with horses, it should be discouraged 100%, because it can lead to bigger problems. Is the same true for cats?
My guess is that the answer is--depends on the cat. I don't know if Nero has had any experience with human interaction before. I thought he probably did, but the spay/neuter clinic is adamant that he's 100% feral and fractious. I have no idea. But you would think if you were teaching a "feral" cat "manners" in human/cat interaction, "teeth on skin" should be discouraged.
Yet, the first time he "bit" me about a month ago, he clearly exercised restraint. I felt the flash of fangs and a paw, but no pain or marks--just a follow up hiss. So it seems like he already knows how to regulate his responses. So this is not like teaching a kitten.
So if I'm petting him and he does this again, can I allow it if he's not hurting me? Or is that a bad idea? (Heck, maybe after this morning he won't try again, so it might be a moot question...)
We did, by the way, get past that fairly quickly. He didn't immediately jump off the bed like he would have in the past, but he did lay down flat, facing away from me, head hanging over the side of the bed, like he was upset or felt dejected (at least that was my interpretation of it).
Anyone's thoughts on "love bites" would be appreciated.
I instantly reacted with a loud, startled "NO!!!", which caused him to spin his head 180 degrees around like The Exorcist and hiss at me because I scared him too.
Immediately, I realized that this "bite" didn't hurt at all--there was only enough pressure to hold the skin, so I *think* he was giving me a "love bite", the first ever he has given me (or maybe anyone). Then I felt bad for giving him such a negative reaction for his first attempt at something that may have been an affectionate thing. It's just that he has formidable fangs than can sometimes be seen even when his mouth is closed and feeling all four distinctly on my skin unsettled me, especially since our "relationship" is still a work-in-progress and things can be a little unpredictable at times.
He did "bite" me once before, when I was first starting to be able to touch him. He didn't seem to like a certain relative position, and I wonder if he had been scruffed at the clinic to pull him out of the trap, and he was having a "flashback". On that occasion he swatted me with no claws, bit me with no pressure, and sat down and hissed. He was just communicating, and thankfully did it with really no harm. Other times I have received minor scratches, but no bites.
So my question is, given this morning's behavior, are gentle "love bites" okay, or should they be discouraged because the line could get fuzzy on acceptable and unacceptable "teeth on skin" behavior? I know with horses, it should be discouraged 100%, because it can lead to bigger problems. Is the same true for cats?
My guess is that the answer is--depends on the cat. I don't know if Nero has had any experience with human interaction before. I thought he probably did, but the spay/neuter clinic is adamant that he's 100% feral and fractious. I have no idea. But you would think if you were teaching a "feral" cat "manners" in human/cat interaction, "teeth on skin" should be discouraged.
Yet, the first time he "bit" me about a month ago, he clearly exercised restraint. I felt the flash of fangs and a paw, but no pain or marks--just a follow up hiss. So it seems like he already knows how to regulate his responses. So this is not like teaching a kitten.
So if I'm petting him and he does this again, can I allow it if he's not hurting me? Or is that a bad idea? (Heck, maybe after this morning he won't try again, so it might be a moot question...)
We did, by the way, get past that fairly quickly. He didn't immediately jump off the bed like he would have in the past, but he did lay down flat, facing away from me, head hanging over the side of the bed, like he was upset or felt dejected (at least that was my interpretation of it).
Anyone's thoughts on "love bites" would be appreciated.
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