What Is Petting Induced Aggression In Cats?

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When I got started working in cat behavior, people told me I should be prepared to work on a lot of litter box cases. My first client after starting Class Act Cats ended up being a human directed aggression case and I’ve since ended up focusing largely on aggression between cats and toward humans.

That first case set me up for a good foundation, however, as it was a case of petting induced aggression. Let’s go over how to tell if you might have petting induced aggression and a few things you can try before calling in a professional.

What Is Petting Induced Aggression?

Petting induced aggression is aggression that is induced by petting.

That’s it. That’s the blog. Thank you and goodnight!

black and white photo of a woman with her mouth agape as a cat bites her
If only it were that simple. Photo Alberto Bigoni.

Jokes. It’s more complicated than that, but the TL;DR version is that it’s aggression that comes as a direct result of your cat being petted, handling, or even grooming. It often is biting, but it could be a bite gesture (where your cat acts like they are going to bite) or scratching, too. The bite gesture is probably the least aggressive of the behaviors, but it’s still a concern as it could progress to actual bites later.

A Word On Hissing

Hissing sometimes gets lumped into the umbrella of aggression in cats. I myself have sometimes referred to it as aggression, but really it’s more accurate to think of as a way of preventing aggression. Cats hiss as a defensive vocalization to try to get something threatening to back off. Hissing technically could be lumped into petting aggression, but it’s more of a warning that an aggressive behavior may be coming.

Head to my full article on the topic if you want to learn more about hissing in cats.

Causes Of Petting Induced Aggression

Cats don’t speak English (or any other language you speak) so they have to communicate with us in other ways. Typically body language and behavior are the way cats communicate something is off so aggressive behaviors are ultimately a cat’s way of letting you know something is wrong.

a cat held by their paws
I can’t tell you to stop so I guess I’ll have to use my teeth. Photo by Tony Wang.

Usually, this happens because the cat doesn’t like being petted anymore or due to fear. Think of it like this: Have you ever hugged someone and the hug went on for just a bit too long? Did it feel comfortable? Probably not. While I hope you didn’t bite the person who was hugging you, you probably wanted to escape. Cats can feel similar emotions when they become uncomfortable with being petted or held.

Petting induced aggression can also happen due to fear. If your cat feels restrained, afraid, or thinks something painful is about to happen, they may aggress toward you. In fact, you may experience aggression if you touch an area that your cat finds painful, though that’s a somewhat different topic entirely.

Signs Of Petting Induced Aggression

How can you tell if your cat is experiencing petting induced aggression? Look for aggressive behavior that occurs exclusively during or around handling. While it’s possible to have different types of aggressive behavior in the same cat, one of the requirements for it to be petting induced aggression is that the cat is being handled.

While some cat parents report their cat aggresses out of nowhere, in many cases the cat will give signs they’re uncomfortable that get missed or are subtle. Before the aggressive behavior occurs, your cat might:

  • Move their ears back or pin them to the side of their head
  • Have dilated pupils
  • Thrash their tail
  • Attempt to escape from being held
  • Ripple the fur on their back

Pay attention to what your cat is doing right before the aggressive behavior. While you may not have picked up on it initially, chances are your cat is doing something to indicate they’re not happy. Figuring out what that is can help you determine when your cat has had enough. If you need some help figuring out cat body language, I strongly suggest the book Kitty Language by Lili Chin. It’s a great resource with fun illustrations that will help you understand cats.

How Can I Stop Petting Induced Aggression In My Cat?

If you think you’ve got a situation involving petting induced aggression, there are some initial steps to take to try to manage the problem. The first step should be a trip to the vet to make sure there’s nothing medical going on or that your cat isn’t in some sort of pain. This is especially important if this is a sudden change in behavior.

Once medical causes have been ruled out, the easiest place to start is to reduce the amount of time you pet your cat in one go. Give your cat little breaks in the petting so they don’t become too stimulated and something enjoyable doesn’t become something miserable for both human and feline. An easy method to use is to try a consent test with your cat where you ask them if they want to be petted.

Your cat can both want to be near you and not want to be petted at the same time. Your cat may enjoy the warmth of your lap or feel safe being near you, but not want you to pet them so don’t assume them sitting on your lap is permission to pet.

A woman holds a brown tabby cat
This tender moment may actually be a precursor to violence. Photo by Remy Gieling

Next, look at where you are petting them. Every cat has places they like to be petted and those preferences may differ between different humans. Just because your partner can touch the fuzzy belly doesn’t mean you can as your cat may trust them more! Cats usually don’t like being touched there anyway so stick to somewhere your cat loves. Checks and chins tend to be good areas to try petting.

If your cat has trouble with being touched for things like nail trims, you can train a signal to your cat that you are about to start petting them. This is something known as a predictor cue. The short version of how to train it is that you consistently do the cue (usually a word or phrase) right before you do something so your cat knows what’s about to happen.

Things To Avoid

If you’re dealing with petting induced aggression in your cat, it can be frustrating and scary to be bitten repeatedly. In that desperation, people sometimes do things that are either not helpful or that may make the problem worse.

Never physically punish, use a squirt bottle, or yell at your cat if they have petting induced aggression. Even if there’s not a fear component, scaring your cat may cause them to become afraid of you. You may increase their level of arousal and make them more likely to bite you in that moment so the situation could become more dangerous.

If you’re feeling lost on the best steps to take, you can ask your vet for some tips to start with. I’m also available for a consultation if you want to come up with a behavior plan for your cat.

Need help with your cat’s petting induced aggression?

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Picture of Joey Lusvardi

Joey Lusvardi

Joey Lusvardi CCBC is an IAABC Certified Cat Behavior Consultant and professional cat trainer based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He runs a behavior consultation and cat training service, Class Act Cats, where he helps cat parents address a variety of unwanted behaviors. If you want individualized cat behavior help, Joey is available for virtual sessions wherever you are located!