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Comment by SanjayMehta | Hacker News Reader

I'd like a device which translates this to something actionable. Attach it to the meower's collar, and I'd know when to run for my life.

(Yes, cats scare me.)

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In general, cats are pretty straightforward and will only bite you for a few different reasons:

* They’re angry or scared, where they’ll hiss and growl at you with their hackles up

* They think it’s play, they’ll usually be bouncing around

* They’re overstimulated and want you to stop touching them, so their tail will start flicking

It should be noted that the last item, petting aggression, is not normal and should be trained out. Good behavior is the cat simply getting up and leaving.

Playing with hands is also something that should be discouraged, strongly, especially if it involves biting attempts. This is almost universally the fault of people who raise kittens using their hands as playtoys with said kittens. Please, please never use your hands as playtoys with kittens or young cats - only cat toys, strings, etc.

That's unfair to the cat. I trained mine (possibly halfway by accident) to fake bite hands. They tend to run away if they don't know you still, but if it's someone they know they can tell them they don't want pets without moving.

He also missed #4. Cat bites you because it wants pets.

It’s only bad if it causes problems. Since I learned to read her body language, I don’t get bitten and it ends up being a game we both enjoy.

Cat body language is the most telling, and there are a ton of resources online for learning about it; it's not that hard.

I'd suggest seeking treatment for the phobia, too.

FYI, if you have friends with cats in their homes, they may seem magnetically drawn to you when you visit. That's because many cats generally prefer interactions on their own terms. Ironically people who don't like cats end up doing exactly what they like.

It's not a phobia. I have no problem with them in the same room, I just find the way they look at you to be mildly disconcerting. If they don't mess with me, I don't mess with them. I also just prefer dogs.

BTW, "Cat Watching" by Desmond Morris explains their body language quite well.

I like cats, but I do find it disconcerting to be in bed, and wake up to find a cat looking down in to my eyes. Definitely predators.

Not completely on-topic, but there is a known dynamic where cats prefer to sit on the lap of cat-phobics.

A cat enters the room, sees a lot of people making noise and movements. The exception is someone sitting very stil. This person, as seen trough the eyes of a cat,is the ideal cat seat, who cares if he's literally scared stiff.

The solution is for cat-phobic people to make extravagant movements, so the cat chooses someone calmer.

More than movements, I think it is staring. Cat-lovers tend to look at the newly arrived cat, whereas cat-haters tend to look away. Cats interpret the staring as negative attention, getting ready to hunt or fight.

If you want to make friends with a cat, it is ok to look in their direction for a while, but make a few slow blinks in between. If the cat blinks back, you are halfway there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_therapy

You can train a cat to hit different buttons that play different sounds to mean different messages.

A cat can train you to attach different buttons to play music that mean different messages.

No worries, if they knew what you are planning for them, cats would also be scared of you... Listening to (yours) cars mews is typically enough to read the message. Mine was pretty good at sounding anoyed and/or sugar sweet and/or helpless.

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