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Biting the hand that pets you — 66 Comments

  1. “Cat bites are notoriously dirty and can be extremely dangerous.”

    Yeah, it’s inadvisable to pet any random cat you see in the street. But a house cat is a different story. I’m less afraid of a house cat’s bite than a dog’s, because of the sheer strength of their jaws. No problem petting a dog whose owner I know to be a responsible person, though. (A bad dog usually means a bad master.)

  2. No offense to dog lovers but dogs are submissive, groveling slaves who’d do anything you tell them in exchange for your handouts. Cats are free, independent-minded creatures.

    Is the war now officially declared? 😉

  3. My now deceased cat used to play the purr around the feet and then attack bit with everyone who entered my house. I would warn them, but they rarely listened. Anyway, the first time my now husband visited me, there was no attack after the purr. I decided maybe my cat knew something about this guy. He was right. It’s been 27 years, and we are still together.

  4. BTW, have you heard the one about dogs having masters and cats having staff? It works for me.

  5. Five years ago I adopted a feral cat – well, I was feeding her, and she “adopted” me – after the local animal control had caught and taken away her mother and all her siblings. Very antisocial – if someone drops by, she vanishes.

    She tends to play rougher than I would expect of a typical house cat. But the only time she has bitten me hard enough to break the skin was during a visit to the vet that stressed her well beyond anything she’d experienced.

    She’s certainly not vet-friendly. But despite her feral background, she’s apparently less trouble for the veterinarian and his staff than most of the cats they treat, according to them.

  6. ziontruth: this was my neighbor’s cat. I had met and petted it many many times before without incident. It was ordinarily very friendly. Prior to the bite, it was on my short list of likable cats.

  7. Nothing will ever convince cat haters to change.

    I love dogs. Grew up with dogs, no cats. But, after we lost a loved dog, and met a friend’s Siamese, subsequently bought our first (and only bought) Siamese kitten, our family became a cat family. This sweetheart accompanied us from Texas to Florida, to California, to Hawaii, to California, to Florida, to California and finally to her final home in Virginia. . Across the country day after day in the back seat with her girls, or in the baggage hold of airliners. Ninety day quarantine in Hawaii. Never complained once. She only clawed me when she was frightened; such as when I was trying to retrieve her from the roof. A small price to pay. There have been a number of cats adopted since her; but she set the tone.

    You share their lives on their terms. I only wish that some folks who cannot do that, could refrain from the hate and abuse that mark the lives of many cats.

    There is little more soothing than the contented purr of a brushed or petted cat; and little more rewarding than gaining the trust of one that has known abuse.

  8. Kitty cats are typically wonderful, beautiful creatures. Bright and independent and always interesting. One of ours is very vocal. You speak to him across the room and he speaks back. A belly rub is not his favorite thing though. (This may be a ‘boy’ thing.) He’s annoyed quickly and will let you know by putting his teeth on your hand. It’s not a bite though. It’s a statement. Nor does he like being picked up and loved on whereas our female cat loves that.

  9. Cats don’t like me and I don’t like them. But did find a stray once that was nice – more like a dog than a cat. Claude de Furniture was also the biggest cat I’ve ever seen – stretched out from front paws to rear, he was 4 1/2 feet long.

  10. The danger from cat bites is mostly due to the chance of a puncture wound (all mouths are dirty).
    Pro tip: if a cat puts it’s teeth on you, keep your hand still and they release their grip. It’s the yanking your hand away that causes them to try to grip harder. Cats bite at each other when they play. When they are young or over excited they try that with their people friends. Let them know you don’t want to by “play” keeping your hand still if they latch on to it.

  11. Oh no, not the kitty thread again !
    Well just let me reiterate, I have a loving calico who often comes up to me when I m on the keyboard & puts her nose under the palm of my hand and insists I get off this device and do something useful with my hand & pet her!
    Purring is forth coming as reward for same !

  12. Olderandwheezier: good article. Cats show their belly when they’re feeling friendly but they don’t actually want a belly rub. It’s a vulnerable spot they protect. Rubbing up higher on their chest is fine.
    Our family had a life event that caused us to go from being dog owners to cat owners.
    Like them both but cats are definitely easier.

  13. Sigh – I have a scar on my left hand from a cat bite; the cat never really adjusted to domesticity, although her littermates all did, without exception. (Three of them fast asleep on very soft surfaces, all over my house.)
    And last week, my daughter was bitten/bruised on her forearm, trying to rescue a very stressed-out and unhappy cat – who had managed to get one rear leg caught between two fence palings. The poor thing was hanging by one leg; don’t know for how long, although it did have strength to yowl, and to struggle. Tee-shirt too thin to confine it in, had to wait for a neighbor to bring a heavy jacket. Once freed and calmed down, the cat did let my daughter pick it up.
    (Afterwards – peroxide on the outside, oral antibiotics for the inside, and now healing nicely.)
    We have both cats and dogs, but the cats are much lower-maintenance and not so emotionally needy.

  14. Extremely dangerous! Cat bites are extremely dangerous.? Yeah, if the cat is a lion or tiger. But Tabby? Snowball? Fluffy?

    That’s kind of funny.

  15. sharpie: not the actual bite, of course. The infection.

    Cat bites have a very high rate of infection, higher than dog bites, and the infection can spread (up the arm, for example) VERY quickly and be very dangerous. See this (this particular article, by the way, is appropriately entitled “Cat bites, infection risk ‘are no joke'”):

    “I know of several other people who have needed to be hospitalized and received IV antibiotics after getting a cat bite,” said the staff veterinarian at Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab. “Cat bites are no joke. I would strongly urge anyone who receives a cat bite to seek professional human medical attention quickly.”

    Every year, 3 million to 5 million Americans are bitten by animals. Cat bites account for 5-15 percent of the total animal bites. Although dog bites are a significant amount of the total injuries (approximately 80-90 percent), roughly half of all cat-bite wounds become infected and require medical assistance.

    “Cats have a high population of bacterial pathogens in their mouths, including Prevotella species, Actinomyces and Streptococcal species,” Maloney said. “They also have a very effective delivery system: sharp teeth. Getting bit by a cat is like getting an injection, but of bacteria.”

    Cats’ pointy teeth not only inflict painful bites but often inject bacteria into the bloodstream. And the puncture wounds are so small they are likely to seal up quickly.

    “People have to be concerned about the risks of a cat bite. The idea that cats don’t bite is a myth,” said Dr. Richard H. Polsky, a certified applied animal behaviorist based out of Los Angeles.

    Polsky also shares numerous dangerous cat-bite stories like Maloney’s, in which people have been badly injured by a cat’s canine teeth. But as an animal behavior expert, Polsky sees some of these cases go to court, where he provides his expert testimony.

    “Although it’s not as massive and visible as many dog maulings, they’re very serious,” he said, adding that cat bites are not discussed as readily as they should be. “Potentially, they’re very dangerous. I’ve seen people in the hospital, close to fatality.”

    When this cat bit me, the teeth went very deep. I didn’t go to the doctor until the next day, because it was only then that I had learned how dangerous cat bites can be (I can’t remember if someone told me or if I read it online). The doctor said I was very lucky, because mine was a deep bite and yet not infected. The doctor said it is routine to give antibiotics at the outset, and to tell victims of cat bites to watch for red streaks up the arm. I was told the infection can spread and become very serious in a matter of hours.

    Mine was fine by the way. I didn’t even have to take antibiotics.

  16. Ah, no, having two cats… and having had cats throughout life, I think you just don’t understand. That is part of the relationship with some cats. In human terms, we call it bad behavior. In animal terms, it is a different matter. It is a matter of… personal limits, setting up who is in charge, play, and even feline psycho-sexual stuff. I don’t claim to understand it all, on their terms. But I have come to understand, when petting my girls, which time is more likely to come to blows, or bites, and how to deal with it. You are just too domesticated in your thinking perhaps? Which is fine. Stick to animals behind bars or which have been trained by others then follow the routines, or creatures whose wild nature can be nearly completely mitigated through very precise means of other sorts.

    I suppose it’s about knowing your own limits, of acceptance and preferred behavior and interaction?

  17. I’m sorry, Neo. I did a bad thing. I knew that’s what you were referring to.

    It’s a good thing to remember that a cat bite may be minor trauma, but the infection could be horrendous. Filthy little Komodo dragons!

    I once rid my friends house of a semi-feral cat. He didn’t want to do it so I said, sure, no problems. I put on a pair of welder gloves, trapped it and grabbed it. The ensuing struggle was beyond all expectation, perhaps description, but I shall try.

    The thing twisted and writhed with incredible strength. It was like trying to hold onto a water balloon, but an intelligent water balloon. I put everything I had into the grip, but it got away. If I had not put on the welding gloves my arms would have been scratched to hell. It was this that caused my to let it go, in fact, I threw it away from me.

    I love cats by the way. Love watching them as much as petting them. I find they are beautiful creatures and I enjoy watching them navigate their amazing passages whatever that might be: from the ground to the roof jumping here to there; utilizing a chrome strip of a car to walk, balance beam like; disappearing from your view and you wonder, “where the hell did that thing go?

  18. Neo, in my experience there are a lot of cats who don’t completely trust anyone who’s not a permanent resident in their home. One poignant example is the way the behavior of my parent’s cat toward me changed about ten years ago when I moved to a hut (shed, cottage, whatevs) of my own and started visiting the old folks on a weekly basis. The cat treated me like she would any other stranger: Letting me pet her but only up to a certain point. Beforehand, she’d let me–and still lets my parents–pet her without limit, including the belly.

    Cats have basic demands to be aware of. As one cat-loving columnist on my local newspaper once wrote, they live in a cat-o-centric universe where they sit down and everything orders itself to fit their wishes. There’s no changing cat-nature. If you can’t accept this, then, by all means, I warmly recommend you get a dog.

    southpaw,

    “Claude de Furniture was also the biggest cat I’ve ever seen”

    Claude de Furniture? ROTFLOL! Best cat name EVAR!

  19. I had forgotten how much more frequently dogs bite compared to cats. Dramatically more. I wonder if the amount of bacteria in their mouths has any correlation to whether they are strictly indoor cats or not?
    Sorry about your attack Neo, glad you didn’t get an infected wound.

  20. As a lifelong cat owner and cat lover, I have learned to recognize when kitty might preparing to sink his teeth into my hand, and can almost always avoid getting bitten. It’s usually a matter of just not petting him anymore, and letting him get back to doing what he does best: relaxing. It amazes me how many people forget that even housecats are predators who can pull down prey their own size and sometimes larger, and play very roughly with each other (full-speed chases up and down the stairs, tackling and wrestling each other, pouncing on one another, etc.). The sheer athleticism involved is astounding. Biting is part of the arsenal, and picking up on the cues, whether the cat is purring contentedly or looking at your hand the way he would a mouse, is how you avoid owning stock in whoever makes Neosporin.

  21. ziontruth: I’ve always been surprised when my adult kids come for a visit, my two cats seem to remember them after a day or so.
    Sounds like the columnist was doing a bit of anthropomorphizing. Dogs are pack animals, cats are not – which accounts for most of their differences.

  22. Cat Scratch Fever

    Well I don’t know where they come from
    But they sure do come
    I hope they comin’ for me
    And I don’t know how they do it
    But they sure do it good
    I hope they doin’ it for free

    They give me cat scratch fever
    Cat scratch fever

    The first time that I got it
    I was just ten years old
    I got it from some kitty next door
    I went and see the Dr. and
    He gave me the cure
    I think I got it some more

    They give me cat scratch fever
    Cat scratch fever

    It’s nothin dangerous
    I feel no pain
    I’ve got to ch-ch-change
    You know you got it when you’re going insane
    It makes a grown man cryin’ cryin’
    Won’t you make my bed

    I make the pussy purr with
    The stroke of my hand
    They know they gettin’ it from me
    They know just where to go
    When they need their lovin man
    They know I do it for free

    They give me cat scratch fever
    Cat scratch fever

  23. The worst bite I got was from my cat the day we had to put him to sleep. One did NOT have to do with the other: He’d been sick and loosing weight for awhile. Finally was diagnosed as lymphoma. Tried chemotherapy on him. (It’s not as agressive with pets–it’s designed to improve quality of life, not bombard the heck out of them and hope for a cure, or at least remission.) But one night, he was just in so much pain–he was hiding under the bed, painting and drooling. I had to reach under there and grab him. He bit me HARD. I still have a little lump on my thumb from it, and I always think of him. He was the best cat I have ever had. I still miss him.

  24. ziontruth – yes, Claude de Furniture was named after his first or second time in an apartment I had years ago – first thing he did was go over to the arm of the sofa and rake it with the tiger claws. Giant that he was, he was still timid as a mouse, and a really beautiful animal. He was a very friendly cat and wouldn’t harm a fly.

  25. “I’ve always been surprised when my adult kids come for a visit, my two cats seem to remember them after a day or so.”

    My parent’s cat would often turn a lot more affectionate at the end of a day-long stay of mine on Shabbat. But, going back home just then, it was too short for things to go back to how they were when I’d been more than an occasional visitor.

    “Sounds like the columnist was doing a bit of anthropomorphizing.”

    No, it was a humor-laced column; the columnist also joked about the vengefulness, the lack of forgetfulness, that cats display when you’ve let their expectations low. As a bonus, the columnist wrote: “Revenge: A value sacred to Islam and to cats.” Yeah, that was in a mainstream Israeli newspaper–PC has tried but so far not had complete success in eradicating such blatant manifestations of “racism” in my country.

    southpaw,

    And I guess “southpaw” also has some cat connection, huh?

  26. Dear Neo,

    I can’t believe that, in all the foregoing verbiage, no one explained it to you.

    If you pet a cat and it starts getting into it, starts thrashing its tail back and forth or starts squirming, stop immediately and if the cat is on your lap try to get it off if that can be done without creating a commotion. The cat is over-excited. If you keep petting it may very likely turn around and bite your hand or grab it with both paws claws out.

    The cat may really like you; it doesn’t matter because it can’t help it.

  27. My cat does this. She doesn’t give off any warning signals at all — no flattened ears, no twitching tail, none of the usual cat-signs of irritation or stress. She just sits there purring blissfully and then out of nowhere reaches some sort of saturation switch and suddenly turns around and bites the hand that was petting her. (Apparently she is not familiar with proverbs.) It seems to happen most often if she is being stroked along her spine toward the rear, so I don’t do that any more. In fact, petting her has had unpleasant consequences often enough that I just don’t do it very often any more, and I warn others to be careful if they do.

    I previously had another cat — also female — who did just this same thing and before that, a male cat who did not. Based on this overwhelming scientific evidence I have concluded that it’s a girl-cat thing. 🙂

    I grew up with both dogs and cats and used to be fond of both, but then for 11 years we owned one of the world’s greatest dogs — sadly now departed from this earth — and he brought me firmly over into the I-like-dogs-better camp. Once this cranky unpredictable cat that I now have is gone, I don’t plan to keep a cat any more.

  28. I saw a cartoon just the other day in which 8 or 10 cats were lolling in various parts of a living room, each one with a thought balloon reading, “I am God.”

  29. My aunt’s cat liked my petting her so much that she walked along the back of the couch behind me and bit my head. My aunt said, “Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you. She likes to bite heads.”

    Thanks, Auntie.

  30. ziontruth — good one, but no – I’m just a left-hander. A lefty on the right, so to speak.

  31. I ditto nolanimrod….

    What’s happening is that the cat’s brain is shifting gears.

    At low levels of stimulation the fore-brain is dominant — being a cat — that’s not quite up to the logical dominance seen in man.

    With enough stimulation — it goes primal — even if you’re not touching any forbidden fur.

  32. Ah, the biblical dogs versus cats thread. 🙂 I’ve known, but never owned, a few cats like neo’s nemesis. I’ve also know a few vicious dogs. Most cat and dogs make wonderful companions. Sort of like humans.

  33. I’ve lived with cats all my life, usually with several at any one time. Just like people and dogs, cats have a variety of characteristics and habits.

    I’ve known a lot of dogs, and I love them. I figure that dogs are like children. Dogs are a responsibility, and need discipline, structure, friendship, and love. Cats are like friends, interacting with your life but it’s more of a shared existence in the same space than it is anything else. They have varying need for love, and they make their own structure. As with friends, it isn’t a matter of disciplining them, except the way your friends know, for instance, not to call during your favorite show, or how odd you are in the morning before your first coffee. Cats catch on pretty quickly, even if they randomly test your limits in a way you wouldn’t want your children or dog to emulate. You can freely and even carelessly spoil cats, which is a lot of fun.

    There are a great many breeds of cats that have known characteristics, so you can choose one the way you’d choose a club to belong to, in the expectation that you’ll find compatible companions. Cats run the gamut from being the “nearby and companionable” sort to being the kind that drives you wonderfully crazy with a lot of attention. Think of the kinds of friends you enjoy, and find a few furry buddies that can fill some of the same voids in your life in the same way. There are no guarantees, of course, but if you have two or three assorted cats you can enjoy their friendship, and they can enjoy each other when you’re busy or away from home, so it works out. Yes, some cats are incredibly self-satisfied; but, sometimes knowing a theatrical, narcissistic, silly, affectionate friend is a delight.

    Giving love to a living little creature that trusts you and responds with a purr, burbling, and an obvious happiness is a joy.

  34. I like to coat a cat in bacon grease and throw it in front of a dog.

    C’mon. Not really.

    How about playing “spin kitty.” Get the cat nice and purred up on a waxed floor. Then put it on its side and start spinning it. This really messes a cat up.

    On the dog side, dogs can be coughed. Merely put your leg up against its rib frame. Then smack it firmly on the other side. You should get a laugh inducing “harfff.”

    This is the kind of stuff you learn on a farm like cow tipping.

  35. Cats are Liberals. They do what they want, when they want, expect handouts, feed people BS (purring). They are recreational killers- the British ornithological society some years ago figured they killed something like >80 million wild songbirds per year in England.
    Dogs have faults too (as all species do, man included), but many breeds -pointers, retrievers, Border collies, etc.- have senses of tasks, duty, and loyalty, traits notably lacking in kitties. My GSP would literally quail-hunt herself to death in the AZ desert unless I made her stop for water. She retrieves the dead and wounded quail and brings them to my hand. I do not shoot many quail; the essence of the hunt is the man & dog partnership-teamwork. The hunter reads the country and directs the dogs; the dogs find the birds (point and hold, never attacking the covey). The hunter shoots; the dog retrieves, often out of human-proof cover.

    With feral kitty-cats so numerous-like the “homeless”, the only good cat in my book is a guaranteed housebound cat.

  36. GSP=German Shorthaired Pointer. sorry. One of the Versatile breeds, with land and water retrieves.

  37. “Cats are Liberals. They do what they want, when they want, expect handouts,…”

    Nope. Dogs are liberals. Give them dog food stamps and Obamaphone-bones regularly and you got their unswerving vote forever. Cats are self-reliant independent minds.

  38. Cat-lovers and dog-lovers: can’t we all just get along?

    We had a St. Bernard and a small black cat that used to sleep together. The St. Bernard barely noticed the cat and the cat loved the big mountain of warm fur to snuggle up in for a nap.

    The St. Bernard rarely barked (most don’t) and the cat never scratched or bit anyone. (I think he got his manners from the St. Bernard)

  39. I adopted two kittens from my neighbor’s cat 13 years ago. Both of them would occasionally bite me when I was petting them. Kira will sometimes bite me gently but firmly on my elbow. Her late brother Leo preferred the heel of my hand, and a couple of times he got so carried away that he actually broke the skin.

    But the thing is, this only happened when I was petting and stroking them and they were really getting into it. In no case did they ever seem angry or aggressive. They were “love bites”. Both cats are/were very affectionate.

    My dad hated cats, so I never had them growing up. By the time I reached adulthood, I didn’t think about them. I never had any cats until I was 42, and now I can’t imagine life without them.

  40. I suppose Sharpie is trying to be cute.

    I learned something here. Our current aging cat, which we have had for several years after she was somewhat traumatized in her previous home, has started the biting or lashing out in the middle of a brushing or petting session. I thought I was inadvertently hurting her; now I know that I just went on too long and got her too purred up. Most of the time, she just puts her teeth on my hand, and if I don’t react, that is it.

    One thing she demonstrates, or maybe it is one thing or the other. Either cats do not learn from experience, or they are just terribly stubborn. Every night she takes my place on the bed. If I move her to another spot she rushes back. When my feet come up, or the light goes out she jumps down. Later she will come back and find a spot; sometimes between our heads, sometimes on my wife’s hip or along her back. Every night I tell her that she could do that from the beginning, but she doesn’t learn. Like every cat before her, this one has her own personality and has woven herself into the fabric of our lives.

    Most every cat, since our first, was taken in from a more or less distressed situation. In every case they have eventually granted their trust after an effort of varying lengths on our part to earn it. It is very gratifying when they do.

    The dogs we have known and loved are much easier. Their affection is appreciated, but there is no sense of accomplishment either.

  41. Rickl, we were catless for a few months, (though we had a dog at the time) & I just said to my husband, “I miss having a cat”!
    I never thought I d actually articulate feeling that way, he said “You know so do I”
    Thank goodness newspapers still exist cause free kitties are in there almost constantly

  42. After reading a book on K9 dogs in Viet Nam and search dogs of 9-11, it occurred to me to wonder if anybody’s ever thought about depending on a cat.

  43. If the people of the middle ages had not succumbed to cat hating hysteria that caused felines to be hunted for being familiars of the devil perhaps they would not have had to endure the Black Death which was transmitted by fleas infecting the ever increasing, unchecked rat population.
    Also you may want to take a look back in history to the grain stores of the Ancient Egyptians, each village family was required to house a cat, each night they brought the cat to the store house, each morning they picked their feline up after a nights work, results no lost or vermin infested grain ! A win win for mankind !
    In the modern era the Hermitage museum in Russia keeps vermin down without relying on commercial pest services, again Tabby at work!

  44. As I mentioned earlier, our young male – Bootsie – is very vocal. He doesn’t howl. He meows and makes soft cat sounds. Plus, he greets everyone at the front door with lots of purring and good greeting behavior. Otherwise, he’s rambunctious and makes a lot of his own fun with almost thing, including strings on tennis shoes. Roxy our female is three – legged. She lost her left front leg in an accident before she came into our lives. She was at the local SPCA and we simply could not turn her down. She is 100% sweet and loves to be petted and loved and never ever turns down a meal. She has a purr that sounds like a motor. My question is – how can you not have such beautiful, smart, independent creatures in your life?

    By the way, both of our cats are ‘changers’, like our neo. They went from wild (within reason) and ungrounded to calm (within reason) and grounded in knowing what they are really about.

  45. I love animals and I would never hurt a cat or dog. In my youth I may have been a tad indiscreet and done a kitty spin or two and made a dog harrf. Not on my own but as what you might call team drunk sport. Just a couple times and then I realized it was very immature.

    But at the same time, I’ve always viewed with a sceptic eye the kiss kiss kitty over lover. To love a pet like a child or a human suggests an imbalance. I can understand it for very lonely and elderly people, but the hippy place with dog hair and cat piss smell suggests a lack of boundaries I’d better not comment on. Makes me mutter something unkind. But even at those places, I’d still like the animals, just not so much the people.

    My idea of a pet is a noble dog like a German Shephard, well cared for and well trained. And maybe some cats as well but they definitely wouldn’t run the place. I live in basically Mexico and Mexicans aren’t too keen on cats. Dogs, yes. Oh yes. They like the Alaskan Husky, a beautiful dog if ever there was one. And of course, Chihuahuas, the scourge of all ankles everywhere. The Chihuahua is a true infantry soldier: I will take charge of this post and all government property in view!

  46. Well, that sure stirred up a storm. Reminded me of this Internet piece that did the rounds:

    “Dogs & cats, living together… disaster of biblical proportions

    From Mighty Mo:
    EXCERPTS FROM A DOG’S DAILY DIARY:

    8:00 a.m. Oh, boy! Dog food! My favorite!
    9:30 a.m. Wow! A car ride! This is a blast!
    9:40 a.m. Got to go to the park! Rolled in some really nasty stuff, was so proud of myself. Humans were less than impressed.
    10:30 a.m. Got my tummy rubbed and petted — I’m in love!
    12:00 p.m. Lunch: yummy!
    1:00 p.m. Played in the yard: I loved it!
    3:00 p.m. Stared adoringly at my masters … they’re the best!
    4:00 p.m. Hooray! The kids got home! I was so happy I was bouncing off the walls!
    5:00 p.m. Milkbones — awesome!
    7:00 p.m. Got to play ball! What a day, this was too good to be true!
    8:00 p.m. Wow: watching TV with my master! Heavenly!

    EXCERPTS FROM A CAT’S DAILY DIARY:

    Day 683 of My Captivity:
    My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomited on the floor.

    Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a ”good little hunter” I am. The audacity!!

    There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to my power of “allergies.” I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

    Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow– but at the top of the stairs.
    I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released–and he seems more than willing to return! He is obviously retarded.

    The bird has got to be an informant– I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. The captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe– for now. But I can wait. It is only a matter of time…”

  47. One of my cats actually likes the “kitty spin” routine. She’ll flop on her side on the tile or hardwood floor and meow until I spin her. She’s a Himalayan, and Himmies are…different..anyway, but I’ve never before seen a cat of any breed that enjoyed this trick. My two “boys”, the Maine Coon and the alley cat, are more normal and want nothing to do with it.

  48. No discussion of cats as pets should leave out Toxoplasmosis.. This parasite “has been shown to alter the behavior of mice and rats in ways thought to increase the rodents’ chances of being preyed upon by cats”. It gets more interesting. Humans can also be infected. “Up to a third of the world’s human population is estimated to carry a Toxoplasma infection.” Moreover, ” Recent research has also linked toxoplasmosis with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia.[7] Numerous studies found a positive correlation between latent toxoplasmosis and suicidal behavior in humans.” So, we have a parasite with mind altering abilities sufficient to make rats and mice unafraid of cats and an ability to easily infect humans. Some have suggested that the different infection rates between countries explains some of their cultural differences. I don’t have the links at hand but it is searchable.

  49. As someone who has recently acquired 2 cats for the first time, I do have my own experiences with feline behavior. One cat (Penny) was a stray that I took in. She is frisky, playful, and very friendly, when she wants to be. However, like many other cats described in this list, she does have her limits when it comes to petting. Generally, if she is overly active in grooming herself or otherwise in her most playful mood, it is best to keep hands away from her mouth. She is just playing, but will nip, sometimes painfully. She has not yet broken skin, however. The other cat (Jazmine) is a pound kitty who has the complete opposite personality. She is shy, bashful, but still friendly in her own way. You can pet her all day with no problems whatsoever. Each cat has her own distinct personality. Learning to recognize those personality quirks and adjust our own behaviors to adapt to those quirks just seems like common sense when it comes to owning cats. I’ve never owned dogs (not a dog person), so I can’t really speak to that experience…

  50. Pat please !!!!
    anti cat propaganda
    myself & friends & family have lived with hundreds of cats over generations & years
    no one, no adult, no child, no infant
    has ever had a health issue caused by the cats
    & my grandparents had 7 kids & that was back in the day of no vet care
    You may be interested to know that all animals are suseptible to various kinds of parasites
    pet birds, pet dogs, pet hamsters
    and even pet humans

  51. As a kid, cats were not pets and dogs were working animals who earned their keep.

    My Grandma had a farm and feral cats living in the woodshed to keep the rodents down. Once, we made a rare winter visit to the hills of southwest Virginia back when getting snowed in meant getting snowed in for weeks. Anyway, this one time there was a deep snow and I decided to take some crumbled cornbread and milk to the kitties. My Grandma was pissed, with a capital P-I-S-S-E-D. She yelled at me not to feed the cats as they wouldn’t hunt. Only later did I become acquainted with cats. I never hated cats, pretty much just ignored them which, for some strange reason, they seemed to like and come running to me. I have never been bitten by a cat or a dog, and have played with many often. (Well, except the time I was roughhousing, shoving my hand in a large female shepherd mix’ mouth. She accidentally broke skin and was appalled, looking ready to slink away before getting beaten. I let the dog know it was okay, so she didn’t stay upset too long. But you could tell she had been abused.)

    I only had one ‘relationship’ with a cat: A friend with whom I moved in had an older ‘dumped’ cat. The parents of a college friend of his had a cat and a dog and a house. When they moved to a condo, only one pet was allowed. So the dog went with them while the cat just went. Belle was an older sweetheart, not overly talkative but what a snuggly lover. She really was the nicest cat and changed my vew of cats. She loved sitting on my chest, kneading gently, while I gently stroked and massaged her paws. Talk about hitting the C-Spot! Her purring could have awakened the dead.

    At 10, for my birthday, we bought an abused dog for like $10 or $20. She was a corgi/beagle Heinz 57 mutt. Another sweetheart. At first, being abused, she was wary of us. But rather quickly, she seemed to realize that where she was now compared to where she was then was a good gig. Spoiled rotten? I thought so, until I saw the ads for Spoiled Rotten Pets. I treated Trixie like a dog, and respected, loved and played with her as a dog. She’d go anywhere with us, into anybody’s house, and be the best houseguest you ever saw; she hardly barked at all and only bothered you to scam belly rubs or a handout. She’d find a good corner in which to lay down so she could be around us while being able to watch all the people in the room. Funny thing about her, she hated water and did not like to be picked up. I figured she liked her short 4 on the floor and didn’t press the issue. She loved the snow, though, and would go porpoising through snow drifts, disappearing from view. She was a lovable, gentle mutt who just enjoyed being around us, and I still miss her. {Wipes a tear away}

  52. Pat, know anyone who has ever been affected ?
    I have been a nurse for over 30 years & I have never ever ran across anyone who has ever been affected only once did I have a patient with a tapeworm. (None cat acquired) In all my nursing career, hospital, occupational health (the general working population as clients) a stint as a school nurse, the only parasite seen or heard about was that tapeworm.
    Cats provide more use as vermin control to mankind then as sources of illness, for heaven s sake !

  53. MollyNH Says:

    Cats provide more use as vermin control to mankind then as sources of illness, for heaven s sake !

    I recently heard theorized on some show that if Europe in the Middle Ages had not associated cats with witchcraft, often killing them on sight, The Bubonic Plague may not have been as severe.

  54. Clearly a subject that stirs opinions and comment.

    Wonder what it is about the human condition that compels us to share; opinions, conditions, everything.

    I thought of this as I heard about the NBA player that just announced that he was homosexual. My thought was, “why do you need to share this with us? How many of us really give a rat’s patootie, so long as you stick to consenting adults, and don’t pretend that your are somehow “entitled”?”. Of course, his sharing earned him a commendation from our President, who is so proud of his courage. Wish the Prez was as proud of our troops who are actually testing their courage in all of our names.

    Back to the subject of cats vs dogs. Actually, I think there is room for both. Often in the same house.

  55. @MollyNH: In humans, Toxoplasmosis has minimal side-effects. After the initial infection, it is barely detectable. There is some research suggesting an impact on personality. Zimmer is a great science writer at the NY Times, so I think his article is worth study. You would rarely encounter Toxoplasmosis in a medical setting unless the patient had a compromised immune system.

    Re: The cat vs dog internet skit. I thought the cat came out best: we own dogs but cats own us.

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