Does My Kitten Want To Be Petted?

[sophiekitten]

I have a 9 week old kitten and I can’t tell if she wants to be petted or not? Sometimes she’ll purr a lot when she’s being petted but then she will try to grab my hand or dodge out of the way if I try to touch her. But she’s still purring while doing that, so I just feel confused? I don’t usually continue touching her after she reacts that way.

 

[Kieka]

Most kittens are more excited about the play then the pet. She likely thinks you are trying to play with her and is excited about the attention. When she reacts that way what you should be doing is break out some toys and played with her instead. Once get gets that burst of energy out she will go back to wanting to be pet and cuddled with.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Yep! She's a little kid, and is all about the playing. That grabbing your hand is hunting practice, and you don't want to encourage it. Just say "OUCH" when she does it. Pet her when she is quiet and sleepy for now, and as she grows up and settles down, she will enjoy it more. Think of a kid on the playground, all excited about a game, and Mama keeps hugging him. Now, he LOVES his mama to death, but he's just more focused on the game right now.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to The Cat Site.

How fun it must be to have a sweet little 9 week old kitten. Course she still has to learn how to play nice.

Here's an article on the subject, that may be helpful:
Teach Your Kitten How to Play Nice : The Humane Society of the United States

 

[sophiekitten]

Yep! She's a little kid, and is all about the playing. That grabbing your hand is hunting practice, and you don't want to encourage it. Just say "OUCH" when she does it. Pet her when she is quiet and sleepy for now, and as she grows up and settles down, she will enjoy it more. Think of a kid on the playground, all excited about a game, and Mama keeps hugging him. Now, he LOVES his mama to death, but he's just more focused on the game right now.

Thank you for your reply! That makes a lot of sense. I’ll be sure to post some pictures of her soon! xx

 

[sophiekitten]

Most kittens are more excited about the play then the pet. She likely thinks you are trying to play with her and is excited about the attention. When she reacts that way what you should be doing is break out some toys and played with her instead. Once get gets that burst of energy out she will go back to wanting to be pet and cuddled with.

Thank you xx

 

[sophiekitten]

Hello and welcome to The Cat Site.

How fun it must be to have a sweet little 9 week old kitten. Course she still has to learn how to play nice.

Here's an article on the subject, that may be helpful:
Teach Your Kitten How to Play Nice : The Humane Society of the United States

Thanks! Will check it out xx

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Oh, I'm looking forward to those pictures! If you would like, you can post them here New Cats on the Block along with an introduction!

 

[sophiekitten]

Have just made one!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I will be going there in a little while, and will give you an "official" welcome!

 

[bricksquadbri]

She likely does, but due to her age and energy levels, she's likely distracted by the thought of play. Petting her at some angles may make you think you're initiating play time. Also, she may get bored of petting very quickly and want to be more active. Totally normal.
I have a kitten, too and he is super affectionate and purrs while I pet him- even still, he is very picky about the way he is pet. Try finding her favorite spots and sticking there. My kitten likes to be stroked from his shoulders to his low back. He likes his whiskers, and cheeks rubbed, and his neck. Any straying from there, and he gets excited.

 

[Caspers Human]

Where on the cat's body do you pet her when you get this reaction?

Only certain places?

There are certain "hot spots" on a cat's body which can elicit strong reactions when you touch them there.

Since your kitten is young, some of this kinda'-sorta doesn't apply yet but it also kinda'-sorta does apply.

If you pet a cat on the butt, around the spot where the base of her spine meets the root of her tail, and she puts her bum up in the air with the front of her body low to the ground, you are triggering a sexual response, causing her to assume a mating posture. If the cat is not ready to mate, she will react to fend off a potential suitor but, in this case, it is only your hand that she is fending off.

Further, the nape of the neck is another hot spot. That is where a male cat will grip in order to hold the female still while he mates with her. You can expect a similar reaction when you touch a cat there.

Male cats have similar trigger points but, as you can imagine, they work a little differently.

In any case, you are stimulating the cat into a physiological response that it can't ignore.

Okay... Your kitten is still young and she's probably not quite ready to mate yet. This response probably won't be strong but it is built in... hard-wired, if you will. Further, since she is so young and full of playful energy, she might be confusing the your stimulation with her play instinct. (i.e.: She doesn't know what mating is, yet, so she thinks you want to play.)

BTW... It's getting to be time to think about getting her spayed. Will you be getting her spayed? Yes?

There are other hot spots on a cat that will elicit a strong response when you touch them. The tummy is a well-known one. Also, the sides of the face and the ears. Those are places that the cat rubs against objects, other cats and people to share their scent. Cats only rub these parts of their bodies on cats that are in their clan, on people who they bond with and objects that they consider part of their territory. Touch a cat there when they aren't in the mood to share their scent with you and you might even get bitten.

The nose is a highly sensitive spot on a cat. Cats have a super sense of smell and can even sense heat (from prey) with their noses.

Whiskers and eyebrow hairs are to cats as curb feelers are to somebody driving a car. They allow a cat to feel its way around in tight spaces and to locate objects (prey) without necessarily looking.

Now, since your cat is young and she's still in the process of bonding to you and/or your family, a lot of these hot spots are still in the process of being programmed into her personality. If a cat is young and you slowly, gently touch her, she might learn to associate the stimulation with her bonding instinct to you.

She might learn to like it when you touch her bum or gently stroke her whiskers.

Casper doesn't tolerate being touched in his hot spots unless he's in the mood. He is absolutely NOT a fan of tummy rubs! You'd be better off sticking your hand in a briar patch! He does like it when I gently stroke his tail.

If two cats are approaching one another and they brush their tails together or intertwine them as they pass by, that means that they consider each other to be friends. It's kinda' like saying, "Hey, what's up?"
They will do the same thing with humans who they consider to be friends. If they twine their tail around your leg as they walk by, they are also saying, "What's up?"

We call it "Friend Tails."

Casper gives me lots of Friend Tails and he likes it when I gently stroke his tail.
(Hey! I don't have a tail so I have to use my hand! )

Casper will not tolerate me touching any of his hot spots for more than a few seconds unless he's really in the mood.

On the other hand, Casper will allow his Girl-human, who is his main human, to pet him almost anywhere.

Bottom line: It's all about where you touch a cat, how you touch them, whether they consider you to be a friend and whether or not they are in the mood to be touched as to what kind of response you will get.

Your kitten is still young so you have the luxury of working these things out with her.
You get to tell her how you like to pet her and she gets to tell you what she likes or doesn't like.

If you listen to her and pay attention, she'll tell you a lot!