Posted on 10/08/2013 10:23:25 AM PDT by Slings and Arrows
If you really love your cat, don’t stroke it.
Researchers say that the pets become stressed if they’re constantly petted.
Animal behaviour experts discovered that cats released hormones linked to anxiety when they were handled by humans.
In fact, the tests appeared to show that no cats enjoyed being stroked.
Some were prepared to tolerate it – but they were the individuals that showed the highest levels of distress.
The researchers concluded that genuine cat lovers should avoid constantly petting their feline friends to spare their feelings.
-snip-
The research also dispelled the popular belief that cats are solitary creatures who struggle to live happily together in groups.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
“It isn’t about whether I want to show the cat affection. It’s whether the cat wants me to. In which case, I’d better.”
Yup. I have three of the furry little darlings, and when they want affection you will not have a moment’s peace until they get it.
My little tortie baby just loves it to death when I scratch her in that spot. Some times she will even crouch a bit, as if she’s presenting herself for mating (she’s spayed, but she’s also had enough litters that the behavior is probably burned into her little brain).
“What the article is talking about seems to be handling, e.g. picking the cat up, or holding them while stroking their fur (e.g. back, belly). As the article points out, many cats will tolerate this, some are not happy. Very few that I’ve seen actively seek this out... and some respond by either trying to escape, or clawing/biting.”
I have three cats (all three are spayed females, btw) with different attitudes towards being picked up. The orange tabby LOVES to be cuddled. The tortie doesn’t care for being picked up, but will tolerate it for a minute or two before she jumps out of your arms. The torbie will try to escape as soon as she’s off the ground!
The latter two, however, will occasionally climb into your lap and doze off if they find you sitting down.
My orange tabby does the same thing - her tail starts twitching and she scrunches down. Purrs like a demon.
All the cats I served, they were all quite comfortable in letting me know when they felt like being petted. . .or not (and I have the scars to prove it).
Cats are like women: They like to be stroked the way they *like* to be stroked ... not just any old way. (If you get my drift!) If the researchers were not “friends” in the cats’ mind, or if they were just not stroking them the way the cats like it (and every cat is different!) then I can believe the cats would be stressed. But all of us have seen cats going out of their way to be stroked and petted by the people they’ve chosen for that job! I can’t believe the cats would purposely seek to be stressed. Pretty silly. Bad research, methinks.
Some people will do anything for a CV line.
Must be Obama U. researchers.
My cats, Ace and Missy, lick my hand when they insist on jumping on my lap, and lick my hand when I pet them.
They're really really stressed!
Apparently biologists haven’t heard of the GIGO Law.
I think this needs to be filed in James Taranto’s “lonely lives of scientists” file.
Bull, we have one that will run ahead of you and jump up on anything begging to be petted.
I suspect a measurement bias in the experiment.
Don’t they, though?
Hello fellow cat lovers.
I had the most traumatizing morning but will try to sum it up. I live in a neighborhood that has some stray cats. Three siblings to be exact. I have named them Josephine, Pita and Whiskers. Our family adopted Whiskers who is an incredibly friendly and awesome cat. Whiskers has a twin who is almost identical.
I went outside this morning and found a cat that had been either hit by a car, poisoned or sick. Whiskers has a collar and this cat did not. I did not know if this cat was mine because the collar was missing. For about an hour I was distraught not knowing if it was Whiskers or Pita.
I called the SPCA to come out, and just started balling as I was talking to them.
Not knowing if the cat injured cat was mine or Pita (because they are indentical) I started walking down the street calling my own cat and after an hour Whiskers emerged. I just about fainted.
Pita got taken away to be looked at by the SPCA Vet and I told them to contact me when there is a prognosis.
So much for my shortened story.
I have cat allergies and cannot keep a cat inside. The SPCA told me that (when I mentioned that I was scared MY cat WOULD eventually be hit by a car) it was not a matter of “if” but “when”.
I have two options, find a loving home for my beloved Tabby, or build a cat home in my very very small backyard.
I don’t know what to do.
I suck my cats face and give them plenty of kisses!!!!!
Build a kitty house even though the yard is tiny.
Maybe you should change this cat’s name to Quandary.
I had a mild allergy to cats and was fortunate to adopt a cat that cured me.
For your case finding a home for the kitty is probably best.
These days outdoor cats only survive half the years of indoor ones.
Cats are awesome in my book.
Obviously, the cats who “like” it are masochists....;)
They're just marking you as their property.
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