In a videoed podcast, Mike Tyson – puffing away on a spliff and clearly high to a certain extent – discussed what it was like to live with three tigers and then a mountain lion. His interviewers were also on cannabis. He doesn’t like talking about himself because it makes him feel uneasy. And he …
Mike Tyson on insights into living with tigers and mountain lions Read More »
I’d like to focus on one aspect of cat caregiving and a vital one. There is no doubt that a small percentage of cat owners are scratched by their cat not infrequently while other cat owners are hardly ever scratched. We don’t have percentages as there is no data on this. Socialised and healthy My …
Why do cats scratch some owners more than others? Read More »
A domestic cat cannot kill a person outright. That’ll apply to any person from a toddler to an adult. But the salient word is “outright”. There is at least one way a domestic cat can kill a person and it’s happened. You can probably guess what it is. Bacteria. Domestic cats, like humans, have bacteria …
Starting with the presumption that the scratch and bite are of about equal severity, to answer the question the title I think we have to look at two things: The frequency with which bacteria is transferred from cats to people through their teeth compared to through their claws and; The ‘potency’ of the bacteria on …
Please tell me in a comment what you think is the best way to get your hand away from your cat who, in play, is sinking his teeth into your hand and has grabbed your hand in his paws as shown in the photos below. Sometimes they also rake your forearm with the claws of …
What is the best way to extricate yourself from the “cat bite and grab” in play? Read More »
Before I talk about cat bites signs of infection, I would like to put cat bites into perspective. A cat that is adequately socialised (raised to behave reasonably in relation to other animals and people) and is decently treated will not normally bite you aggressively. They may bite instinctively in play because, for a domestic …
Cat bites signs of infection – including a possible infection from a scratch Read More »
The domestic cat is disappointingly known sometimes as an animal with dangerous mouth bacteria. Humans have mouth bacteria too which is probably as dangerous as the bacteria found in the mouths of cats but we never mention human mouth bacteria. By contrast cats get a bad reputation because when they bite somebody it’s a bit …
Mouth bacteria? This dog’s mouth bacteria were far more devastating than any cat’s Read More »
I’m discussing domestic cats because the question must be asking about domestic cats. It is an interesting question and it seems to be hinting at the possibility that domestic cats can sometimes deliver a “love bite” as happens in human relationships! There is nothing to suggest in all the research that I have read that …
Please note the word “domestic” in the question in the title. Google, at present, ignores the word “domestic” and dutifully finds information about the bite of the jaguar which is one of the big cats and a wild cat species with the strongest bite of all cats. So in an absolute sense the jaguar has …
There are two ways to answer the question, (1) the physical damage that a domestic cat can cause to the human body and (2) the monetary damage a domestic cat can cause to a person’s wallet! The second sort of damage came to me through the Quora.com website as did the question in the title. …
How much damage could a domestic cat do to a human? Read More »
Just to make one point clear first, he bit me gently but it was a very definite bite and he ran away afterwards without any prompting because he knows that he can’t do it. He loves his prawns. I go to the shops very early in the morning when they open (7 AM) to buy …
My cat bit me because I didn’t bring him prawns today Read More »
It occurred to me that when kittens play they discover the limits of their aggression towards other kittens. They can play quite roughly and if a kitten is bitten too hard she complains with a scream. The kitten who did the biting takes heed of the scream and learns the limits of her aggression during …
It looks like this person deliberately allowed their cat to damage their hand. Is this self-harm by proxy?
The question in the title makes a presumption that there is more bacteria in the mouths of cats than in the mouths of people. That might not be true.
It is easy to tell if your cat bite is infected. The illustration below tells you. I am referring to a classic bacterial infection throughout this post. You’ll see inflammation (redness in the skin) spreading out from the place where your cat bit you. It’ll start with a small area of inflammation around the bite …
