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Cat Forum / General Topics / June 2006Something my cats do
Sometimes my cats grab onto things and bat them with their hind legs. I'm curious, why do they do this? Sometimes I stroke my cat's tummy and he grabs my hand, kind of bites it, and bats my arm in the way I described, yet he still purrs. Do you think he likes it, or dislikes it? mine too, I think they like it, but someone should have a good explanation! After or during a good ear/neck rub, my female often bites gently at my hand that is petting her! It doesn't hurt, it's just a nip - it seems that she is in such heaven, how can I resist?! > Sometimes my cats grab onto things and bat them with > their hind legs. I'm curious, why do they do this? [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > yet he still purrs. Do you think he likes it, or dislikes > it? Ah, you mean the front-paw-grab-rear-paw-killer-shred reaction..! I get that too, got the scars to prove it as well..!! Ivor > Sometimes my cats grab onto things and bat them with their hind legs. > I'm curious, why do they do this? If I'm understanding you correctly... this is a cat's way of slashing open the belly of prey they take down. While their jaws are locked onto the head or neck, they'll slash their hind legs into the prey's stomach area to disembowel them. > Sometimes I stroke my cat's tummy and he grabs my hand, kind of bites > it, and bats my arm in the way I described, yet he still purrs. Do you > think he likes it, or dislikes it? Cat's generally don't like their belly touched, this is why he's grabbing on to you with biting and slashing your arm (he knows to bite or slash too hard though). Cat's purr for different reasons, in this case it's a 'nervous' purr attempting to calm you down. They also have distinctive meows that let you know if they want to be petted or not. Correction: > to you with biting and slashing your arm (he knows to bite or slash too > hard though). Should read; "he knows NOT to bite or slash too hard. I should say at least I hope he knows that, and that you don't think scratched up arms are a good thing. Your cat is playing......and cats play by pretending to catch prey.!!! My cats LOVE it when I play the "killer cat" game with them. I pull the sleeve of a wind-cheater or a similar thick fabric down over my hand and let them attack it! That way they can have a good play and I don't get all scratched up. It's good exercise for your cat to play like this. I've found that if their nails accidentally penetrate the fabric and reach my skin they stop immediately once I say loudly "ouch!" They realize it's only a game. Cheers Roberta~ > Sometimes my cats grab onto things and bat them with their hind legs. > I'm curious, why do they do this? > > Sometimes I stroke my cat's tummy and he grabs my hand, kind of bites > it, and bats my arm in the way I described, yet he still purrs. Do you > think he likes it, or dislikes it? > Sometimes my cats grab onto things and bat them with their hind legs. > I'm curious, why do they do this? > > Sometimes I stroke my cat's tummy and he grabs my hand, kind of bites > it, and bats my arm in the way I described, yet he still purrs. Do you > think he likes it, or dislikes it? As another poster pointed out some felines use their hind paws to slash open the belly on its' prey. The leopard is one feline that uses this technique to kill its' prey. With cats it's a defense maneuver when they get into a fight with another cat or another animal. During the fight if a cat is forced on to its' back it will use both of its' front and back paws to strike out at its' opponent. Cats instinctively know that their belly is vulnerable to attack. Fred Ellis  SignatureWho do you serve. . . . And who do you trust? (To e-mail me, remove the X from my address) > Sometimes my cats grab onto things and bat them with their hind legs. > I'm curious, why do they do this? > > Sometimes I stroke my cat's tummy and he grabs my hand, kind of bites > it, and bats my arm in the way I described, yet he still purrs. Do you > think he likes it, or dislikes it? The arm-batting is instinctive as mentioned before. If your cat is rolling over so you can stroke his belly, that's a signal that they trust you completely. The subsequent behavior may be reflexive / instinctive, since it is the Soft White Underbelly. Mine also grab my hand in their mouth very lightly and it seems like a "love bite". "El Marko" <spam@no.spam> wrote in message news:smTlg.46968 > > Sometimes I stroke my cat's tummy and he grabs my hand, kind of bites > > it, and bats my arm in the way I described, yet he still purrs. My Deetoo does that. Half laying on her back with her neck turned another 90° so she's looking at me sideways. She bites me lightly and then starts licking my hand with her sandpaper rough tongue. If I go to pull my hand away, she grabs it in a bear hug with her two front paws so she can keep licking. Ornery does this,too...Although he sometimes forgets he is biting the hand that feeds him and gets a little carried away. SignatureWhere will you spend eternity? In the Smoking or Non-Smoking Section? > > "El Marko" <spam@no.spam> wrote in message news:smTlg.46968 [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > away, she grabs it in a bear hug with her two front paws so she can keep > licking. > Ornery does this,too...Although he sometimes forgets he is biting the hand > that feeds him and gets a little carried away. The only thing I watch for is my fingers getting into her rear back teeth because then she can exert real crushing power unintentionally. I know she's only playing with me and when it gets into a real wrestling match and she's all teeth everywhere, I let her try to bite the back of my hand. It's too flat a surface for her to really sink her teeth in and all she can do is scratch her teeth across the back of my hand. I'm usually laughing hysterically by this time so any minor pain is ignored. I always know when she wants to wrestle. He eyes get wide and glaze over, her ears flatten and I see an open mouthful of teeth. He might like it but understand that you are playing a very very dangerous game. You are two seconds away from having bloody ribbons of flesh where your hand once was. <-: Once they get cooking on the slash 'n grab maneuver, and it kicks into high gear, you'll have no one to blame but yourself when you end up with a see through hand. <-: Mike in Illinois > Sometimes my cats grab onto things and bat them with their hind legs. > I'm curious, why do they do this? > > Sometimes I stroke my cat's tummy and he grabs my hand, kind of bites > it, and bats my arm in the way I described, yet he still purrs. Do you > think he likes it, or dislikes it? |
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