Content
- are not small dogs
- But my cat is like a stuffed animal...
- the wrong time
- Prohibited and allowed zones
- a marked character
- How can you change a cat's character?
- And the hormones...
- the pain
The question "why does my cat run away from me?" must be one of the most frequently asked questions among tutors who have a cat for the first time. The tendency to see the animal as a small dog, or some beginner mistakes that we tend to make, even when we are veterans, can cause the our pet rejects us every time we try to show our affection with affection.
This article by PeritoAnimal will try to explain something more about the peculiar character of cats and the consequences that this can have on interaction between humans and felines.
are not small dogs
We know that they are carnivores, that they are the second most frequent pet in our homes, that they welcome us when we get home, making us feel special and that, each one in their own way, enjoys our company. But cats are not small dogs of reduced size, an obvious issue that we often forget. In the same way that we urge children not to disturb the animals, manipulating them without warning or in an insistent way, we must understand that having a cat is like having a demanding boss: he will decide pretty much everything that concerns the interaction between him and his human.
For cats, our home is their home, and they allow us to live with them. They mark people as their territory on a daily basis, rubbing against our legs, which we understand as a sign of affection, and in their world it is... but a particular affection that makes it clear who's boss. For him, and with regard to affection, we must understand that it will be the cat who decides how and when he will allow himself to be petted and/or manipulated, showing his disagreement or compliance with multiple signs of feline body language (ear position, tail movements, pupils, sounds...) that tell us when to end or continue the session.
But my cat is like a stuffed animal...
Absolutely, but that doesn't mean there are many cats that are real furry petting bags that behave like the calmer of the dogs. The character varies a lot depending on the predominant type of cat and there are already many studies that differentiate the European cat from the American cat in this regard.
Years of selection have produced pet felines that are smaller in size and with a character more similar to that of a dog in some parts of the world. However, the call roman cat (the most common in Europe) is not all that different from the ones that hopped in the barns a few centuries ago, and its personality is not similar to that of the gentle and huge North American cats.
the wrong time
We have a great tendency to try to soothe our cat with pets when we see him in a stressful situation, but this can cause even more anxiety, make him avoid us and, therefore, we make our cat run away from us.
We all have the image of our cat looking out the window, chewing the air while staring at a dove. At that moment, you can see his tail moving anxiously. Our attempt at cuddling can possibly end up in a bite, since in this transitory situation (or similar ones), the poor kitten is a little frustrated as well as focused and the last thing he needs is a hand to support his back or head.
The news they are difficult to assimilate by cats, so in the face of visits, changes in decoration, or changes, it is normal for them to avoid us when we strive to caress them to calm them down, without giving them space and time to get used to.
If you have just gone through a very traumatic situation (a visit to the veterinarian, for example), it is logical that it takes a few hours to forgive this betrayal of ours, avoid or ignore us, just as when we have to give you several medications days, you'll end up moving to another place whenever you see us enter.
Prohibited and allowed zones
Cats are very receptive to petting in certain areas and quite reluctant in other parts of the body. The most accepted areas are:
- The neck.
- Behind the ears.
- Jaw and part of the nape.
- Back of loin, exactly where tail begins.
As a general rule, cats they hate that we rub their stomachs, it's a helpless posture, which doesn't give them much peace of mind. So, if you try and wonder why your cat won't let you, here's the answer.
The sides are also delicate areas and it is not usual for cats to like affection in these areas. So, in order for our feline to let us share its space, we must calmly start to identify the zones that annoy you during touch.
There are sure to be lucky tutors with cats who let them pet them without letting them purr for a single minute, and we're all so jealous of them! But almost all of us ordinary mortals have had or have a "normal" cat, who left us several bite-shaped messages on the day or week that I wasn't in the mood for petting.
a marked character
Just like every dog, every human or every animal in general, every cat has a character of its own, defined by genetics and the environment in which he was raised (son of a fearful mother, living with other cats and people in his socialization period, stressful situations in his critical stage of development...)
Thus, we will find cats that are very sociable and always willing to interact with affection and others who will simply keep us company a few meters away, but without giving us great confidence. We usually associate these cases with a uncertain and traumatic past, in the case of stray cats, but this type of shy and sly personality can be found in cats who have shared their lives with humans from the first minute of life and who have relatively sociable littermates.
Our attempts to get the cat used to manipulation can aggravate his distrust, working exactly the opposite of what we want, and in the end our cat will end up coming out from under the bed to eat, using the litter box and little else.
How can you change a cat's character?
There are behavioral changes that can be resolved with the help of ethologists and/or medication, but if our cat is elusive and shy, we cannot change it, we can simply help by fostering the moments in which it comes close to us and adapting to them. That is, instead of trying to change our cat, we can help him adapt, and if that fails, we adapt to the situation.
For example, many cats love to go into their owner's lap when he's in front of the TV, but get up straight away if he starts petting them. Of course, what you should do in these cases is enjoy this passive, equally comforting interaction, and not dwell on what he doesn't like, even if you never quite figure out why.
And the hormones...
If our cat is not neutered, and the time of heat arrives, it can be anything: from skittish cats that become super tame, to very sociable cats that start attacking every human being that moves. And affection, not to mention!
Male cats can run away from our pets when they are not neutered and the heat comes because they are usually more busy marking territory, chasing away the competition, escaping through the window (with tragic results often) and following their instincts, than the socialize with people.
the pain
If your cat has always let itself be petted without any problem, with its best and worst days, but now it runs away from the petting or is violent when you try to touch (ie, we observe an evident change of character), it could be a clear clinical sign of pain and, therefore, the answer to the question "because my cat runs away from me" is found among the following causes:
- arthrosis
- Pain in some part of the body
- Local burns that may arise due to the application of a drug
- Wounds that hide under the fur...etc.
In this case, a visit to the veterinarian, who will discard physical causes and will look, once these possibilities are eliminated, for psychic causes, with the help of the information you provide. We recommend that you read PeritoAnimal's article on the 10 signs of pain in cats to supplement this information.
THE dementia in cats it is not as well documented as in dogs, but it is also possible that, over the years, cats change habits just like dogs. Although they continue to recognize us, as the years go by they can make them a little more special and he decides to end the petting, or chooses to avoid it, with no evidence of physical pain or psychic suffering... simply because he's become more nagging, like some humans. However, it is necessary to prove that the origin of this behavior is not a physical or mental illness.
