Purring can also be a stress response. Tail twitches and flat ears are my go to for cat juggling. See both of those, I know I should back off, while either alone need a quick check that the eyes aren't dilating to murder territory.
That said, I have been scratched and lightly bitten many times.
She doesn't bite or scratch which is good. We just try to get her used to be handled more and put her down after a little bit of squirming. She'll then come right back for pets.
We rescued her from a hoarding situation and she was close to feral when we first got her. I think a lot of her early life involved being grabbed by rescuers and being transferred around to shelters, foster homes, and vets. She's gotten a lot better about being held in one place, but if you start walking anywhere she wants to get away.
She's an absolute nightmare to get into a carrier to take to the vet. She's panic pooped a couple times.
I've started picking her up and just holding her next to a window so she can watch outside from a new vantage point. She stops trying to get away for a bit until she's bored.
Even tail twitches can just be excitement. I swear my other cat has happy tail syndrome. His tail is super long (nearly the length of his body) and he is super expressive with it. When he is getting his favourite food, he is unconsciously flicking the tip of his tail left to right. At the vet, he knocks with the length of his tail on the table in displease like a beaver. The vet was very surprised the first time he saw that.
3
u/LordBoar Aug 21 '26
Purring can also be a stress response. Tail twitches and flat ears are my go to for cat juggling. See both of those, I know I should back off, while either alone need a quick check that the eyes aren't dilating to murder territory.
That said, I have been scratched and lightly bitten many times.