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Why is my Cat so Mean? The meaning behind “Catitude”
Sometimes, our furry friends might be happy, and they don’t cause trouble. Other times, they can be little monsters that are rude to not just you, but to other animals, or even to other people as well. You may wonder “Why is my cat so mean” whenever they’re lashing out at you, and whether or not you can do anything about this. It’s time to understand the meaning behind why your cat may be a little troublemaker right now, and what it means if they’re mean towards you.
The Difference in Aggression
You have a few different types of aggression, and they are as follows:
- Fear aggression
- Territorial aggression
- Play Aggression
Now if you see aggression while you’re playing with the cat and if they’re mean to you then, that’s nothing to worry about. Usually, if a kitten is playing roughly, it may act aggressively. Some cats, when they want to play, may try to nibble at you when they’re fighting. However, that isn’t real aggression. Usually, that’s playful aggression.
You can tell a cat is playing by the way their face may look, and that’s the following:
- The mouth is half open
- They hop or pounce sideways
- They have their back arched
- They play quietly
However, if there is real aggression, it may have a couple of other additions to it as well, such as the following:
- A Bit of growling
- Hissing
- Spitting
That’s a bit of a rarity in cats for the most part though.
Fear aggression is done because of insecurity. Yes, cats can be as insecure as the rest of us and they show it through aggression in different ways.
Sometimes this fear and insecurity occur with the following:
- Declawing
- Bulling
- Socialization
If you notice that it’s happening you should act accordingly, and we will discuss how to handle that aggression within a cat in the next few sections.
