What to do when a cat hisses at you

When the feline feels very upset or uncomfortable, it cannot express its feelings in words, so it resorts to its body language and the sounds it can make. But if it is the first time that we live with one of these magnificent animals, sometimes we will ask ourselves what to do when a cat hisses at you.

Undoubtedly, the snort is a sound that draws a lot of attention, but if our friend emits it, we must listen to him and try to understand it. So let us know How should we proceed.

Why is the cat hissing?

The cat, like all animals including us humans, has its own personal space, which is like an imaginary barrier where he feels safe. If we cross that barrier, that is, if we get too close, he will start to feel very nervous and restless, and that is something that we will see right away since he will begin to do the following:

• He will fix his gaze on us, while still paying attention to what is around him.
• It will hit the ground with the tip of its tail, or it may move it from side to side, making sudden movements.
• The ears will be turned back.
• And if we don't let him go, he will snort, show his teeth, and grunt. Once this point has been reached, the cat could attack us.

But why exactly is he snorting? Well, there are several causes:

Feels cornered

Either by another furry or by one or more people. For example, when someone is trying to capture a stray cat to take him to the vet, he could feel cornered since that is precisely what he is looking for: to get him to go to a corner where it is not easy for him to escape. But beware: That feeling can not only be felt by the stray feline, but also by newcomers to a new home, and those who are being bullied.

He wants someone to separate a little from him

If you have or have had the opportunity to see a calm adult cat being teased by a younger one, you will surely hear the adult hiss. This He will not do it with the intention of attacking you or anything like that, but it is simply a way of telling him to separate from him, which at that moment does not feel like playing.

A similar situation is when we humans want to play very intensely with the feline, but he does not like it.

He is not willing to share his food and / or toy

When you live with several cats, it is more than likely that more than once they snort when it is time to eat, or when one plays - or wants to play - with a companion's favorite toy. Before fighting, the cats will prefer to warn, that is, snort to see if they get what they want since they know well that they have nails and teeth capable of doing a lot of damage.

Why does my cat hiss and attack me?

Cats are animals that they need to live in quiet environments, where they are respected and loved for who they are and who they are. Sometimes humans go through bad times, and it is normal that from time to time we feel sad, angry or even irritable. But we must protect our furry from all that negativity, because it is not their fault that we feel this way.

If we do not respect their space, if we constantly force them to be on our lap, if we continue to caress them, ignoring their warnings, and let alone if we mistreat them (something that by the way is prohibited in many countries), it is also normal for them to snort at us. and attack us. It is a logical reaction: they are defending themselves and they are also trying to get our attention. It's his way of saying 'enough, leave me alone'.

Related article:

Calm signals from cats

My cat is scared and hisses at me, what to do?

In this situations you have to let it calm down first. We will continue with our daily routine, ignoring the cat, and as soon as we see that he has also resumed his daily chores (grooming, sleeping, ...) then we will offer him a can of wet food that we know he loves.

While he eats, we can stay close to him (but not next to him) to see how he reacts. If he ignores us, fine, but if he snorts at us we will continue doing what you have to do and later we will give him another can and try to caress him gently and like someone who does not want the thing his little head and / or the base of his back, right at the birth of the tail, as they are two areas that cats usually like to be caressed.

Thus, it is more than likely that the next day the scare has passed 😉.

Why do my cats hiss?

If you lived with one cat and now you live with two, it is very important that you introduce them little by little. These animals are very territorial, and it is common for them to hiss during the first days and weeks (sometimes even months). To keep this time as short as possible, it is advisable to put the new cat in a room with water, food, bed, toys and a litter box, and change the bed for three days. The room is removed, but it is kept behind, for example, a baby barrier so that both animals can see, smell and touch each other, but without the possibility of hurting themselves.

In the event that they show interest or curiosity for the other, that they want to touch them without pulling nails, and that their gaze is calm (and not fixed, with dilated pupils), we will remove the barrier. From then on, every time we want to caress them, we will caress them both, first one and then the other with the same hand, so that they both have the other's body odor and can be tolerated more quickly.

Other possible causes are for example that do not want to share food or their bed, or that it is mating season in which case with castrate them the problem would be solved.

What to do if a cat hisses at you?

As the snort is a warning signal, a message that the animal is transmitting to us so that we leave it alone, what we have to do is precisely that: move away. But not only that, but to prevent it from happening again, when it is calm what we can and must do is invite you to come over to us, showing him a cat treat and giving it to him when we finally have him very close.

It is also highly recommended to surprise him from time to time by giving him cans of wet cat food. Surely that way, little by little we gain the trust of our cat.