Facts about the animal kingdom

Does My Cat Hate Me?

 
Ameera Mills
By Ameera Mills. Updated: August 22, 2024
Does My Cat Hate Me?
Cats

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People have an innate tendency to humanize their cat’s behavior. Many affirm that cats love us when a cat sits calmly on our lap and purrs when we pet them. And if a cat bites or ignores us completely, it’s a natural assumption to believe that our cat hates us. But is this a fair analysis?

Are you wondering whether your cat hates you? There are different signs which can help us better understand a cat’s behavior and whether or not they hate or love their humans. For more about if your cat hates you, keep reading here at AnimalWised.

You may also be interested in: 5 Things Your Cat Hates About You
Contents
  1. My cat doesn’t like me
  2. Does my cat hate me? : hiding
  3. Does my cat hate me now: avoiding
  4. My cat hissed at me
  5. My cat bit me
  6. Why does my cat hate me: strange behavior
  7. My cat hates me: what to do
  8. Does my cat hate me: what to avoid

My cat doesn’t like me

Do cats hate humans? Although cats can show some animosity towards certain people, the truth is that they do not feel hatred as we humans understand it. There are three main things that can cause a cat to "hate" a person:

  • Feline Socialization: socialization is a period that should and generally begins in the first two weeks of a kitten’s life. Feline socialization usually ends in their second month of life. During this stage of a cat’s life, the cat should learn to relate to different people, animals and environments. If a cat’s socialization phase has been deficient or null, it is likely that the cat will develop feelings of fear or anxiety towards people. This would explain why you may think your cat dislikes you. This interpretation however, should not be defined as ‘‘hate’’ but rather as ‘‘defensive’’. For more, we recommend reading our article where we discuss how to train a kitten.
  • Negative experiences and/or traumas: despite having properly socialized our cat, a negative experience that leads to trauma can explain why your cat is angry or scared. For example: bathing is usually an experience that, if introduced to incorrectly the first time, can result as a traumatic experience for the cat. It is common that a cat who has had a bad experience with water will avoid it thereafter. In addition, the person who carried out this experience incorrectly may also bear the brunt of the cat’s fear. For more we recommend taking a look at how to give bath to cat for first time.
  • Learning: apart from socialization and lived experiences, every cat possess a unique and individual character. There are some cats who are naturally more sociable than others and there is nothing wrong with that. However, if you insist or force affection onto a naturally timid cat, it may develop behaviors such as rejection. For example: if your cat knows biting is the only way to keep you from touching it, it will bite more.

So, with this new information in mind, can these mentioned cat behaviors be interpreted as gestures of hatred, resentment or aversion? Let’s re-cap.

Does My Cat Hate Me? - My cat doesn’t like me

Does my cat hate me? : hiding

Are you wondering; why does my cat hide from me? You may sometimes notice that your cat hides under the sofa or in the closet when it sees you, or have you noticed that your cat hides from strangers? In this case, we recommend also analyzing your cat’s body posture. A bent posture, lowered tail, fallen ears facing backwards and dilated pupils are all a sign of a cat that is afraid. As previously mentioned, fear in cats can be caused by lack of socialization or by negative experiences.

It is important to know that a continuous state of fear in cats can result in elevated stress and anxiety. High levels of stress can negatively affects a cat’s health, weakening its immunity and resulting in illness. For more, we recommend reading our articles where we look at 5 symptoms of stress in cats.

Does my cat hate me now: avoiding

Parallel to the previous mentioned case of a cat hiding from people, we should discuss a cat’s change in behavior when relating to humans. Have you noticed that your cat ignores you? Does your cat ignore other family members or strangers?

Does your cat suddenly hate you? If a cat feels as if their routine has changed or they are not receiving the same attention as before, it is likely that it will begin to retreat into itself. In addition, it’s necessary to analyze whether something specific has occurred between you and your cat. Did you accidentally mishandle it or force it to do something it didn’t want to do? Punishment or mistreatment, even if accidental, could explain why your cat doesn’t like you anymore.

For more, you may be interested to find out about 5 things your cat hates about you.

Does My Cat Hate Me? - Does my cat hate me now: avoiding

My cat hissed at me

Did your cat hiss at you? A cat hissing, snorting or grunting is it’s way of indicating discomfort and/or displeasure. A cat hissing or meowing at you will most likely manifest when they feel bothered, dislike something or are scolded. Cat hissing is a cat’s way of warning us. In this case it is important to pay attention and stop what you’re doing.

If a cat feels bothered, stressed or agitated it will move its tail rapidly from one side to the other. Ears back and a heightened tail are also warning signs. In these such cases, it is important to devote more time to your feline in order to understand it better. To help you do this, we recommend reading our article where we analyze cat body language: example and pictures.

My cat bit me

Does your cat bite you? Are you wondering, why my cat attacks me? If your cat attacked you, you may have also noticed that your cat’s pupils were dilated, its hair was standing up with and its ears were faced backwards sharply.

Cat attacks are naturally a cause for worry, especially if you live with children. It is important to note that aggression in cats is a problem that should not be ignored. Cat aggression is a clear sign of high stress and anxiety levels or serious health problems. Therefore, if your cat is suddenly aggressive, we recommend consulting a veterinarian or cat behavior specialist immediately.

In addition, if you do not consult or treat this behavior immediately, it may become chronic, generalized towards specific people and more difficult to correct everyday that passes. For more, take a look at our article where we look at how to take an aggressive cat to the vet.

Does My Cat Hate Me? - My cat bit me

Why does my cat hate me: strange behavior

Have you notice that your cat is acting strange? Is your cat grooming excessively, constantly meowing or sleeping more than normal? These changes in cat behavior are not normal. If you’re cat’s behavior suddenly changes, take note!

Changes in cat behavior can also be a clear sign of health problems. Therefore, before suspecting that your cat hates you, we recommend consulting a veterinarian. A professional will be able to rule out any potential health problems.

For more, read up on cat overgrooming: causes.

My cat hates me: what to do

Now that you know about "signs your cat hates you" you should realize that in actually fact, your cat doesn’t hate you. Instead, analyze problems within your relationship with your cat or its health status. These above mentioned behaviors need to be corrected as soon as they are noticed.

In addition, before suspecting that these warning signs are due to a behavioral problem, you should go to a veterinarian first to rule out the possibility of health problems.

How to get along with a cat? Avoid punishment, screaming or reciprocated anger. We suggest rather opting for positive reinforcement, showing your cat that you love and care for it.

Finally, in more complex cases, you can look at improving its environmental enrichment in the home. You can also opt for pheromones for cats.

For more, you may find these following articles helpful:

Does My Cat Hate Me? - My cat hates me: what to do

Does my cat hate me: what to avoid

For more about what cats hate, you’ll love our YouTube video below, where we discuss 10 things CATS HATE that you should avoid:

If you want to read similar articles to Does My Cat Hate Me?, we recommend you visit our Facts about the animal kingdom category.

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Does My Cat Hate Me?