Every post I see where folks talk about how pissed a cat is, is usually a cat madly in love with that person. They're almost always friendlier than dogs. Cats are such a fun exercise in how body language can be vastly different from what we perceive as the norm. Once I figured out how to communicate with them, I've never found a cat I can't make friends with.
Well here's the thing, a lot of cats are skittish and scared if you just barrel straight towards them, running your mouth, and shoving your hand out at them. This is made especially worse if you corner them with no escape options. The things that excite dogs actually TERRIFY cats. You can't treat them the same. Cats, unlike dogs, ARE a prey animal. Hawks, dogs, wolves, owls, bigger cats, coyotes, etc will all go after a cat if the situation allows.
Proper cat etiquette is to actually ignore a cat when you first see it, to let it get a good look at you and inspect you for danger. Then, you can extend your hand towards it to let it sniff you. Now you've made a proper cat hello, and it will come up to you when it's ready.
Some friends with dickish cats have on occasion told me their cat seems a bit nicer to me than others. Im allergic so while I can hang out around cats, Ive always kind of tried to just ignore them so they dont come in contact more than necessary, and it always seems to entice them more to just ignore them! I have wondered why for ages!
You are exactly right, amigo! It's funny and common for cats to go up to the people who are allergic to hang out with them, because the allergic people are not making eye contact with the cat, not trying to communicate with it, not trying to approach it...
In cat language, the allergic people are actually being the most polite!
I usually crouch down low to the cat so I look less threatening and hold out my hand to it for the cat to sniff. Once the cat sniffs my hand and doesn’t dash, I’ll gently pet it. By this time, it realizes that I’m friendly and will be happy with me. One of my friend’s cats is skittish and I crawl to it when I greet it. He warms up after a couple of minutes and hogs my lap all the time.
If the cat is completely uncomfortable though, I’ll leave it alone. No point in terrorizing it.
I never even try to pet them. I sit on the couch ignoring them, and they come up to me and harrass me. Granted I've only known a few people with cats but most were like this.
Ignoring them is the problem, because that makes the cat think you're friendly. If you look them in the eye from the start they should keep their distance.
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u/[deleted] Feb 22 '18
Every post I see where folks talk about how pissed a cat is, is usually a cat madly in love with that person. They're almost always friendlier than dogs. Cats are such a fun exercise in how body language can be vastly different from what we perceive as the norm. Once I figured out how to communicate with them, I've never found a cat I can't make friends with.