I hit my cat and I feel terrible about it

YOU NEVER HIT AN ANIMAL

It’s better to catch them in the act and give them a firm telling off; they’ll understand.

@Werewolf (Yes, I stopped volunteering several years ago. I used to put in a few hours in the evenings and at weekends, but working full-time made it too difficult. Once I’ve retired – not quite yet! – I think I’ll give some of my time again; the rescues need it so much.) As for the "taps" on the nose, there’s a massive difference between a proper blow to the nose, which can actually be fatal, and a tiny little flick between the eyes. When a mother cat corrects her kitten, she does it with a soft, furry paw; it’s nothing like the strength and impact of a human hand on a tiny little creature weighing only a few pounds. To put it into perspective: if a man slaps you, it hurts. If a chimpanzee slaps you, it could snap your neck. Their hands have five times the strength of a human's. That’s the "illustration" of the difference between a mother cat’s swipe at her kitten and an uncontrolled human blow to a cat's nose.

Blue12 "This might sound strange, but your post has actually reassured me in a way..." I’m going to repeat what @Blue_Cat said to someone in another thread: it’s better this way than having someone who couldn't care less... You might have made a bit of a blunder, and a couple of people gave you a bit of a ticking off in their replies, but your first instinct was to come on here to ask for advice... You're just like me: you’ve at least learned something... And believe me, you’ll keep learning more and more by using this site... Eventually, you'll even be able to pass on what you’ve learned to others... What’s certain is that you love animals, as I mentioned before... I even think you’ve got a real maternal streak... And I reckon you’ll be a great mum whenever you have children... Even if I am going slightly off-topic by saying that! Lol

Blue_Cat

 

"...When I was volunteering at a rescue, a guy killed his cat by giving it a hard blow to the nose. The blow caused a stroke and a very sudden death."

 

Blimey! That’s shocking... 🤔

 

But is it the same for a kitten that was weaned too early and tends to bite when you’re playing with it?... I suppose so... Because I know that vet I’ve mentioned before, Laëtitia Barlerin, actually recommends giving them a little tap on the nose in that situation... But you’d really have to go for it to kill a cat like that... He must have given it a right old wallop...

 

Well, there you go... I’ve just learned something new: the nose is very sensitive, the blood vessels go straight up to the brain.

 

But tell me. You said "when you were volunteering at a rescue"... That implies you used to be there, but aren’t anymore... So you’ve stopped then?... Why was that?...

It’s the same for humans—even I’d hate it if someone touched my nose. And like someone said earlier, you can kill a... rabbit... by hitting it (I got that from my nan). I mean, rabbits are quite sturdy, so if you hit them hard enough, you could obviously kill a cat!

@Werewolf

Absolutely, their noses are incredibly sensitive as the blood vessels go right up to the brain. Back when I was volunteering at a rescue, some guy actually killed his cat by hitting it hard on the nose. It caused a stroke and the poor thing died almost instantly. 

 

To 'punish' a cat, just using a loud, angry voice (laying it on thick is actually recommended) is usually enough, especially if you point your finger near their face and look them straight in the eye. Those are three things cats absolutely hate. 

I think I’ll try to distract him next time, or maybe just be better at tidying away breakables and things like that... I promise I’ll never do it again. What really scared me about how I reacted is that I’ve had three cats in my life and I’ve never lost my cool like that so suddenly. I felt like one of those people you see on the telly who shamelessly hit their pets, and I felt disgusted with myself. 

Anyway, I won't ever do it again.

Thanks for your reply =)

This might sound strange, but your message has actually reassured me in a way. Mine is doing fine; I feel like the redness above her nose has gone now, or maybe I was just overreacting and imagining things. But obviously, I’m never touching my cat’s nose again now, I’ll just leave her be—I’ve definitely learnt my lesson from all this. Anyway, I hope your cat and mine are both okay. 

Have a good day and thanks for your reply.

When I said tapping gently, it was more like a stroke, and I wasn't doing it directly on the snout but a bit further up. You know like when you're tapping on your mobile phone? Well, it was like that, and even then, I didn't do it often. But you're right, I'm the one responsible. I haven't touched her nose since I hit her, but she seems to be doing alright.

Thanks for your reply anyway.

I agree with the others—you should never hit a cat, it’s completely pointless. When a cat’s being a bit naughty, try distracting them with something else or redirecting their attention. However, if they bite or scratch, you can give them a tiny tap between the ears on the top of the head with your index finger; just a quick little flick, similar to how a mother cat disciplines her kittens. Never hard, of course, just a little reminder to show them you’re not happy. And most importantly, never on the nose, as it’s their most sensitive spot. I’ve never tried using a water spray on my cats as they’re quite chilled out, but it worked wonders with my dogs—I only had to show them the spray bottle and they’d settle down straight away.