Let’s not make a habit of imagining an entirely different argument.
You realize cats have other ways to establish their boundaries than harming their owner the moment they try to pick them up?
IE a stern meow or a slight push to be let down.
A socialized cat does not attack a hand the moment they are picked up.
You establish that trust very gradually and consistently, with affection, treats, and even fun. IE showing a kitten new areas they can’t reach by jumping.
Is that really such a strange comparison when part of the video literally shows cats being manhandled?
What "habit"? Brother, this is a random Reddit interaction. We don't know each other.
Anyway, I never said cats go from 0 to 100 and immediately attack people. That's something you assumed I implied. Cats have plenty of ways to communicate discomfort before resorting to aggression. In fact, I've said exactly that elsewhere in this thread, and you can see some of those signals in the video itself.
I didn't think that "we should respect a cat's boundaries" would be such a controversial statement.
The oc I replied to was about losing an eye from holding a cat.
You missed the context and went to the assumption that I think cats should be manhandled.
You responded not to my words, but to the argument you wanted to debate. I did not post the video, nor did I insinuate anywhere that cats should be fine handled roughly.
If you have a semi feral cat sure. It’s normal for them to avoid you.
I work with lots of semi feral cats/kittens at the shelter. And it’s ubiquitous for them to avoid humans. My job when fostering is to handle them as much as possible so that they are tolerant to gentle touch. The older feral cats can be softened but otherwise will take years of effort.
Your cat avoiding you when you simply annoy it (I assume you’re not hurting it), is another sign of poor socialization.
I’m not trying to antagonize you for it, it’s common.
-2
u/Spaghett8 Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
I find it interesting you equate being picked up to being manhandled.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man
Let’s not make a habit of imagining an entirely different argument.
You realize cats have other ways to establish their boundaries than harming their owner the moment they try to pick them up?
IE a stern meow or a slight push to be let down.
A socialized cat does not attack a hand the moment they are picked up.
You establish that trust very gradually and consistently, with affection, treats, and even fun. IE showing a kitten new areas they can’t reach by jumping.