Dear cat owner,

So you want a nice cat or kitten who actually likes you touching him instead of running away or worse, trying to bite or scratch you when you try to bond?

Well, there's hope for cat owners, but the first step is to see what type of aggressive behavior your cat is showing before deciding that you should touch training your cat or kitten.

What do I mean?

Well, there are 3 types of cat aggression or biting problem behaviors:

a) Offensive aggression in cats

Has you cat ever bitten you and keeps going for ages? And has this ever been triggered by petting your cat too hard or fast?

You were seeing the cat in play mode but now has transformed into biting behavior.

It occurs a lot more easily in less socialized cats (they have a lower threshold) than well socialised cats.

b) Playful stalking in cats

Has your cat ever ran up to you just to bite your ankles? This kind of bitign behaviour is often caused by you stopping playing with your cat before the cat wants to.

Sometimes it even happens if he thought that you were going to play with him but didn't do so.

c) Defensive aggression in cats

This is a more unusual biting behavior but should be watched out for.

You'll see your cat bite you or have aggressive behavior but then he runs and withdraws to hide underneath a piece of furniture.

This type of aggression may be caused by a medical problem such as pain somewhere or hyperthyroidism.

If you suspect this at all, then see your local vet.

So now that you know the causes of aggressive behavior, realise that cats with types 1 and 2 can be trained to tolerate more touch.

Whereas type 3 needs the attention of a vet first.

Touch training can eb done, especially in cats that show soe friendly behavior. If a cat is very feral and has had little human contact, then it is much harder.

To get more information on cat training see this site on cat behavior and cat psychology.