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Question
QUESTION: could you please solve my problem .I have 9 cats all diffrent sexes
and ages one a 5 year old domestic ginger longhair .When i go to let him out side he sometimes spits and hisses why does he do this .
ANSWER: Steph,
Cats hiss and spit ae a warning to other cats and potential predators. It says keep away from me and/or my territory!!!!!
Why he feels he must do this when he goes outside is anyone's guess. Is he the alpha cat? Could he be smelling markers from other cats he does not know? (Cats mark their territory with urine and with the scent glands in their forheads and lips.)
Best regards... Norm.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: sorry I should of stated that he's actually spitting at my self before I open the door to let him out sorry to take up your time
Steph,
OK Is he growling when he spits at you? Is he the alpha cat in the house?
The only thing I can think of is that he gets a whiff of another cat who may have marked your household or yard and is showing his displeasure with the other cat's scent.
Best regards... Norm
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Answers by Expert:
Norman Auspitz
Expertise
I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.
Experience
I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.
Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.
Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook
Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.
Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.
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