Expert: Brandy - 2/25/2007

Question
my cat ,tigger, just rolled on his back for a tummy rub so I was stroking him on his tummy then he grabbed me bit me and then hissed at me.
what does this mean and what can I do?
Thanks
Katie

Answer
Teaching him to respond to 'No' is what's important, even more than his name - trust me, when I tell one of my cats 'No', it's usually not after saying his/her name, but something a little bit ruder ;-). Just remember that cats' don't respond well to the same level of physical 'pushing' as perhaps a medium-to-large dog. Simply lifting him up and tossing gently off the bed will suffice for starters. Cats CAN learn. They just take their time with it. And Tigger will learn his name if you say it consistently, too. My 4 each know their own names, and (if they feel like it) can come over if I call each one individually).

Good luck, be patient, and I hope all turns out well.


Well, he doesn't hate you, and he's not mad at you. Animal behaviorists label this a sort of overestimulating behavior, in that a certain threshold has been reached by the cat (in this case, the belly rubbing). We have these instances too. One of my cats loves to sit on my lap, but there are times when it becomes TOO MUCH, and she ends up booted to the floor.

In the case of Tigger, I suggest watching him whenever you rub his belly, and the second you notice the TAIL twitch, stop (Tails are amazing barometers of a cat's emotions, IMHO). If he continues to hiss at you, though, you should gain his attention with a 'Tigger...No', and if you need to push him away, so be it.

I know this isn't the most detailed advice, but I hope it helps.