Sometimes, your cute little kitty will sit in your lap for long periods of time, enjoying the calming petting session.  Other times, you reach down for a pet and the cute little kitty turns into an aggressive monster, biting your hand the instant you touch her fur.  You may have trouble understanding your cat’s mood swings.  Why is she so sweet one minute and almost evil the next?  Cat behavior is complicated and not completely understood.  However, there is a little insight into why your cat acts the way she does.

If your cat is less than two years old, then her playful behavior may be mistaken for aggressive behavior.  Kittens are like children:  they love to play and figure things out for themselves.  A kitten, however, is programmed with “prey” in mind.  That’s why you can watch your cat go crazy over the tiniest piece of aluminum foil; to her, it’s like she is dealing with prey.  She is exploring her survival skills which include predatory, investigatory, and exploratory skills.  During this stage, she is likely to pounce on anything that moves.  You may see this as a problem when you step off of your bed or wiggle your toes at night.  She is hiding, waiting to attack your feet.  Remember, this is not her way of being mean to you.  Normally, then attack is not severe; she probably doesn’t even break the skin. 

If needed, there are ways to handle your kitten’s rough play, but they are not covered here.  Most of the time, her playfulness can be overlooked, since it isn’t causing anyone harm.  But, there are some things you can do to discourage or redirect her behavior.  First of all, if you do not want her play biting your hand, then don’t offer it to her.  Many cat owners make the mistake of using their hand as the target when playing only encouraging the cat to attack the hand.  It may be cute, but the kitten will not understand that your hand is not always a play object.  Secondly, you can redirect her behavior with playtime.  Your kitten can be amused by the simplest items, such as a piece of rope or ball of aluminum foil.  Instead of letting her play alone, play with her.

If your cat is older, then her aggression is less easily understood.  Most owners claim that their cats bite them for no reason at all.  When, in fact, there is a reason; the owner just failed to notice the warning signs.  Sometimes, we expect our cats to sit in our laps without a fuss for as long as we want them there.  At times, this may be acceptable; but other times your cat may just not want to be there.  Petting passed the cat’s threshold is considered overstimulation.  She may snap at your hand or try to scratch you.  If you get angry or violent with her when this happens, then she will begin to view petting as a bad thing.  The best thing you can do is watch for signs of an oncoming bite.  If your cat gets restless, starts twitching her tail, or flicking her ears, then you need to stop petting her, and allow her to do what she wants to do.  If she starts to bite you, then keep the bitten hand still and smack the other hand on a hard surface.  The sound will startle her.

It is okay to want your cat to be a lap cat; it’s calming to pet her.  Getting angry with her will not encourage her to remain in your lap.  However, you can get her slowly accustomed to longer sessions with treats.  If she starts to get antsy, then give her a small piece of food, while continuing to gently pet her.  You can do this a couple of times before she wants to leave regardless of the food.  If you do this often, then she will associate petting with a treat.  It may take awhile, but she will begin to let you pet her for longer periods of time.

An aggressive cat can sometimes be a problem, especially when the aggression is not understood.  A kitten’s aggression is normally a component of her playtime, and is not necessarily a bad thing.  An adult cat may resort to aggression out of overstimulation, which is also easily handled.  It’s up to you to figure out if your cat’s behavior needs to be reformed.

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This article was provided by Pet Super Store an online pet site featuring electronic dog doors, pet doors and pet crates