On Monday, 13 November 2017 12:54:42 UTC, Rob Morley wrote:
On Mon, 13 Nov 2017 00:14:27 +0000
T i m wrote:
On Sat, 11 Nov 2017 18:22:14 +0000, Rob Morley
wrote:

But the cat would consider you its designated care giver, as opposed to
a dog who thinks you're the pack leader and boss.

We have one that has adopted us - he's supposed
to live next door but apparently our house is better, although he's a
strange grumpy beast.

Aren't they all? weg

Cats come in a wide spectrum of personality types, from chilled to
excitable, those that enjoy human attention and those that don't,
scavengers and hunters ...

Daughter rescued a couple of rabbits a couple of years ago and then a
third fairly recently. One of the original two died (over 10 years old
we estimated) so she replaced it with another, rescued by the RSPCA
from a 'bad' pet shop.

After a very slow / gentle introduction (following all the std
advice), all was looking good between them all till one morning she
found the new (and fairly large) rabbit with a bit ripped out of the
end of it's ear (probably by the smallest one of the group). We took
it to the vets tonight, not only to check the wound but to check the
process she was using re the introduction and all was well. Apparently
these nice gentle wabbits can be pretty violent, sometimes fighting to
the death! ;-(

Rabbits are very hormone-driven - neutering not only calms them down
but also massively reduces the occurrence of some cancers to which
they are otherwise very susceptible. In the wild (or not properly
cared for in captivity) they don't usually live more than three years.

It when you see how far they can throw something, or what they can
lift or bite though do you realise how gentle they are generally being
with us!

I've known quite a few rabbits too. The females tend to be stroppy and
territorial, the males (once neutered) are pretty chilled. They seem
to be happiest kept in a M/F pair, although we've had "extra" males
accepted after careful introduction. Their teeth are like little
chisels, they will easily puncture skin and can be used as a slashing
weapon too, they have big claws, pack a hefty kick and can flick wee in
your face. :-)

... Unlike cats, that will scratch or bite you, even when you are
being nice to them. ;-(

The neighbour's cat will attack you after seeking attention, then look
confused as if he doesn't know why he did it - I've found the best
approach is to not try to get away, then he doesn't bite or scratch as
hard, stops quicker and you can carry on fussing him. Possibly the
strangest cat I've ever known - a vet thinks he may have been
oxygen-deprived at birth.

Sounds like pet-bite syndrome. Some general advice that might or might not suit you. Cats are famous for their emotional state varying all over the place quickly. When petting you need to keep an eye out for signs of irritation like tail swishing. If that happens, switch to the introduction type of petting, where you offer them a hand to sniff and only pet as and when invited.

Sore/painful spots can also cause a sudden switch to biting.


NT