Posted on 08/29/2005 6:12:11 AM PDT by billorites
Researchers at the University of Lincoln say petting aggression is a common problem, with more than 20% of household cats showing it.
They are looking for cat owners who have experienced aggressive behaviour from their pets to video their experiences for the study.
Theories for aggression include boredom or the need to reassert control.
We want to see occasions when it does as well as when it does not happen Professor Daniel Mills |
"There are many theories as to why so-called 'petting aggression' occurs.
"It could be a sign that the cat is simply getting fed up with the owner, or it could be a response to the ecstasy of being stroked, or it could be the cat trying to assert control.
"The truth is that we simply don't know the reason for this behaviour.
"The aim of this study is to look more closely at exactly when such aggression occurs so that we can help prevent it and treat it more effectively."
He said his team wanted to gather video evidence of cats attacking owners.
"We want to see occasions when it does as well as when it does not happen," he said.
Anything we try to get cats to do "brainy" things winds up in the toilet. We get down on our knees and beg for some reaction. The only thing a cat can comprehend is that they can make their claws do something "brilliant"....like clawing up the furniture, the drapes, the doors and their master.....and of course....pinning a mouse. Cats are just plain dumb.
Yeah. They're dumb all right. But they're so dern CUTE!
Lying in bed, waking up. Looking over to see my Wife and staring right into the eyes of the cat who's been sleeping on top of her face.
She says she doesn't mind, but my snoring annoys her. Go figure!
I currently have four cats. All but one are rescues.
One is completely docile and will not show any aggression toward people under any provocation.
The daughter of this one was handled from the first day of life. She will make playful bites, mostly when you stop petting her. She has never hurt anyone.
A third cat will play rough, but keeps his claws tucked in. He doesn't hurt anyone.
The fourth is the devil himself. He went through four owners before landing on our doorstep. After three years he is almost safe, most of the time.
What made the most difference in his training was the appearance of the third cat, as a kittem. The dangerous one had simply never learned to play. After a few months of playing with another cat, he learned not to bite and scratch hard enough to hurt.
When my cat bit me once, I bit her back, hard enough to hurt a bit.
She was, well, shocked, and has never bit me again.
Yep. I've bitten a few cats. It DOES work.
Snap their nose with your fingers. They'll not only never forget it....they'll step aside when you come into a room.
The One Hundred Pound Rule applies here: If your dog becomes 100 lb. larger, it will still be your best friend. If your cat becomes 100 lb. larger, it will eat you.
Ummm, 'cause we think it's cute and tolerate it? Cause we "play rough" with kitty, letting her bat and bite at us?
Either that, or the third cat made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Never underestimate the power of the Godfather cat! :-)
My neighbors cat put his owner in the hospital twice with a horrible infection before they decided to put him (the cat) down. My cat would have been put down after the first time, that is if flying in the air and hitting the wall didn't kill him first.
"Biting is another.....my cats know biting me is a no-no and would leave them trying to pull their head out of a hole in the nearest wall.
My neighbors cat put his owner in the hospital twice with a horrible infection before they decided to put him (the cat) down. My cat would have been put down after the first time, that is if flying in the air and hitting the wall didn't kill him first."
I agree. Any animal that I feed will not be biting or scratching me. That's why I'm at the top of the food chain. They will be civilized or they won't be around.
I'm afraid the third cat never had a chance in the fights. He was too small. But he nevertheless taught the big bully the cost of winning.
Now they are rather odd friends. They don't play together, but they seem to wind up in the same room. If the small one doesn't come home for supper, Dr. Evil goes out looking for him. They are both neutered.
I demanded respect out of my children and my animals, and never felt unloved by any of them.
"I demanded respect out of my children and my animals, and never felt unloved by any of them."
Agreed! You're my kind of lady.
....husbands are a different story! LOL
It does frame the realitiy of their situation is terms that they can really understand.
People are a lot bigger than kitties, and we have teeth, too.
Dogs eat grass when they have an upset stomach. Kind of like the human equivalent of drinking ginger ale or taking an alka seltzer.
That sounds about right.
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