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Our furry little babies can be very “cold” at times if they don’t feel up to it. Imagine this, you come home from a long and tiring day at work, what’s the first thing you want to do? Greet your furry little baby with some cuddles, right? Because it can make all the worries of the world go away in the blink of an eye but when your plea gets rejected, you are left devastated and it hits you really bad. Cat owners all around the world have been told a straight “NO” by their kitties when they tried to cuddle them. So, they decided to take pictures of their rejection to share their sorrows with other people across the world and it’s hilarious AF.
But before we get to that, there are many cats who would never decline a hug or any kind of physical affection from their owner, why is that? To get a brief understanding of this, we decided to speak to Ingrid Johnson, who happens to be a certified cat behavior consultant and also the founder of Fundamentally Feline. According to Ingrid, “each cat’s desire for physical touch is unique and different. And it’s when we fail to notice when our cats aren’t comfortable with being hugged that we might get bitten or scratched.”
But I guess it would take us forever to understand our cats and their moods. Let’s go and see some of the most hilarious and emotional pictures of cats saying “NO” to the cuddles. Scroll down to begin!
Cat behaviourist, Ingrid explained “Some cats have some degree of hyperesthesia syndrome and are actually hypersensitive to touch which can result in aggression. It is truly uncomfortable for them and not nice to push them to the point of overstimulation,”
“However, the cat is often ‘screaming at you’ to stop touching them in their own way: tail flicking, skin rippling and rolling, ears back and to the side, pupils dilated. They are agitated and telling you to stop in ‘cat language.’ It is when we do not ‘listen’ that we get bitten. The cat tried to warn us but we are human and didn’t pick up on the cues.”
Furthermore, Ingrid added “Cats and dogs don’t really like ‘hugs.’ Humans just impose it on them anyway! Some cats are more tactile sensitive than others so respect your individual cat’s preferences for touch,” she said.
Ingrid, jokingly explained “Play hard to get, ignore them, let them approach you on their owns terms, and everyone will be better off for it! They feel much safer when they are in control and can decide if they want to approach,” she said.
“If you have a cat that does get over-stimulated always leave them wanting more. If the fifth stroke gets you bitten, stop at 2 or 3! Let the cat ‘do the petting’ by letting them rub on you and dictate how much they want to engage. Everyone will be happier if we do not force affection that is unwanted.”
Ingrid told us all about how cats help reduce stress and how our welfare (both physical and mental) depends on our bonds with our pets.
According to Ingrid, how much cats reduce the stress in our lives depends on our very unique relationships with them. The more we’re willing to learn about our pets, the more we’re familiar with our cats’ behaviours, quirks, and needs, the happier they’ll be. And, by extension, so will we.
“For many people, our pets are a great comfort, a best friend, a listening ear, and a source of unconditional love. Sadly, for others, their cat might stress them out, or they might find the cat annoying. This is usually due to a lack of understanding about how to best care for their cat and meet their needs, train them, etc. Those pet parents should seek the help of a qualified behaviorist! While some research claims that pets relieve stress and lower blood pressure, other studies have disproven this theory,” Ingrid said.
Unlike dogs, cats usually don’t develop an instinct to protect their owners or housemates. “Not to be negative in any way, but cats often self-preserve. This is how they have survived and evolved to be survivors over thousands of years,” Ingrid said.
“Their instincts are generally to hide to avoid danger or to flee. They prefer not to fight as that increases the potential for injury. An injured cat cannot hunt and take care of themselves so ‘going into battle’ is not their first choice,” the cat behaviorist told us.
Ingrid explained that cats really do like us best when we play “hard to get.” By being too open with our affections, however, we might just push them away and make them run from our cuddlesome grasps!
“Respecting an individual cat’s preferences for engagement is a good way to respect them,” Ingrid detailed that each and every cat is unique and has a particular character. Some might be more open to hugs than others and you should be aware of their needs, not just your own.
“Providing a feline-friendly environment that meets the cat’s needs is the best way to ensure you have a happy cat that feels safe and will ‘love you back.’ This means offering vertical space cat trees or cat condos, playing with your cat daily to offer opportunities to hunt and relieve stress, offering multiple outlets for scratching, and offering different substrates (they all have unique preferences) and just providing an engaging environment.”
Well, what did you think of these hilarious rejections? We bet you’ve had a good laugh but if you are a cat owner, you’d know how it feels when your cat actually do it. It shatters us to the core. Why don’t you tell us which one made you laugh the most out of all these? Let us know into the comments section below!
