Expert: Ali - 9/16/2011

Question
We have a 3 yr. old all black cat we adopted when she was a few weeks old.  She ended up on a vet's doorstep.  She has never been abused, and we love our smart cat--very dog like--fetches, learned to shake hands, etc.  However, there is one disturbing thing about her behavior.  If anyone pets her a few times, she turns and bites them, and maybe even hisses.  However, she is very social in that she likes to be around people, but not touched. Is there any way to correct this with a cat?  We adopted her so young, and someone said she wasn't with her mother long enough--can this be right?  

Thanks!

Answer
Rose,

It sounds like what you are describing is petting induced aggression, meaning that your cat becomes over-stimulated when she's touched more than she can handle. For each cat this varies and a good way to help your kitty work through this is to watch her body language as you pet her - see what she does with her body posture, movement, etc just prior to striking out. Then all you need to do is sit quietly with her, give her pets until she shows signs of becoming uncomfortable, stop and simply be with her or change activities to help her burn off that excess energy - in your kitty's case a rousing game of fetch just might be the answer... If she's bored it never hurts to install boredom busters such as a floor to ceiling scratch post with platforms located near a window so that she can watch the world go by, bird feeders in the yard so that she can watch kitty tv... Ultimately you know your cat best, get creative, find ways to entertain and interact with her that don't always involve physical touch... Over time she'll become less sensitive to touch if you're patient with her and observe the cues she's giving you.

While your kitty's early separation from her mother may play some part in her current behaviour it is definitely not the sole cause. I for one am a big proponent of keeping kittens with their mothers until they're at least 12 weeks old because I do believe that kittens who have had that social and bonding time with their mom, weaned naturally and had time to learn social behaviours from their littermates tend to have fewer behavioural problems... That being said there are some situations where you just don't have control over how long a kitten stays with his/her mom and these kittens can certainly make perfectly wonderful companions if you are willing to work through the occasional issue with them... It sounds like your little girl has simply hit a stumbling block in the road, but with some time, patience, understanding and work she'll be back on track soon enough.

If you have any further cat related questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me again at any time - I'm more than happy to help in any way that I can.

Kind regards,

Ali