# Are cat owners masochists? Are you currently suffering from an injury from a cat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 9, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412 "2013-09-09T14:00:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/21 "2013-09-09T22:37:51Z")
I don’t currently have an injury, but one of the cats did scratch my hand somewhat badly a few weeks ago. It was probably my own fault because I was carelessly trying to take a toy away from him. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/22 "2013-09-09T22:38:48Z")
Once in a blue moon I’ll move my arm outside the covers in bed and Will, my 22 pound not-so-bright male, will think it is prey and attack with teeth and claws. (I think it wakes him up and startles him.) It’s actually kind of scary when he does this because he is normally very sweet and lovable but the taste of blood turns him into a demon. His ears flatten and his eyes just look vacant. I can’t move until he decides to let go (well, I could if I wanted to be flayed). He did this a week or so ago and the claw marks are healed but the teeth punctures are still scabbed over. This has only happened a few times in his 9 year life so I forgive him for just being an animal. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/23 "2013-09-09T22:44:57Z")
I disagree with the ‘injuries come with cat ownership’ point. Depends on the personality of the cat. Mine has never deliberately scratched or bitten me. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/24 "2013-09-09T22:45:34Z")
I can’t claim I’m currently suffering, but I do wear a backwards “c” carved into my chest/stomach from a mighty up-and-away performed by Cuthbert, who No Longer Wished To Be Held. That scar is about two years old. But other than the tiny holes Bertram is constantly putting in my chest just from sitting there and kneading, our cats rarely cause injury. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/25 "2013-09-09T22:49:37Z")
I’m much more likely to get injured by one of my dogs and their super-fast growing toenails than from the cats. I did have a cat injury (a decent sized scratch) not too long ago when I went to roll over in bed and discovered that one of the cats was sleeping on the small of my back. He was not happy that I was turning over and tried to hang on for dear life. Totally freaked me out because we usually keep the door shut to keep the cats out. He must have been in the room when we shut the door. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/26 "2013-09-09T22:51:56Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > I disagree with the ‘injuries come with cat ownership’ point. Depends on the personality of the cat. Mine has never deliberately scratched or bitten me. Oh, sure. Some cats will never scratch or bite, even while playing. I’ve known some that have had all the killer instincts of a wet dishrag. If you interact with enough cats, though, you’ll sooner or later come across some that do, but it’s still not a big deal, barring very exceptional circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/27 "2013-09-09T23:08:22Z")
One of my kittehs accidentally gave me a scratch while I was getting him into his carrier, to go to the vet. Totally my fault, I was holding him incorrectly. And I learned shortly after adopting him that when you tickle his tummy, he gets excited and bites. Aside from that, no problem. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/28 "2013-09-10T01:27:42Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > I disagree with the ‘injuries come with cat ownership’ point. Depends on the personality of the cat. Mine has never deliberately scratched or bitten me. I don’t think it has much to do with the personality of the cat. What prompted me to start this thread was, the other night, I’m laying on my bed on my stomach. As I’m dozing off to sleep, I can hear my cats chasing each other around the house. Eventually, they made their way into my bedroom. One of them ran across the back of my legs scratching them all to hell. And as if that weren’t enough, here comes cat number two. Only except THIS one ran across my back, leaving it shredded to pieces. I don’t care how sweet a cat you have, it seems, shit like this is unavoidable. I guess I may be wrong though, judging from the poll results. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/29 "2013-09-10T13:19:32Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > Oh, sure. Some cats will never scratch or bite, even while playing. I’ve known some that have had all the killer instincts of a wet dishrag. If you interact with enough cats, though, you’ll sooner or later come across some that do, but it’s still not a big deal, barring very exceptional circumstances. Agreed, with one disagreement: my cat has plenty of killer instinct. She’s full of fight … when it comes to other cats. And as for rodents, she’s a regular Jill the Ripper. She delights in their gruesome deaths, and proudly displays the bits on the porch for admiration. Only, for whatever reason, she’s sweet and gentle with people. I was actually really worried about this point, because we had a baby after owning the cat for a few years, and I was worried I’d have to adopt out the cat if she was aggressive towards the kid. As it turned out, it totally wasn’t a problem. She put up with maulings from that kid as he grew up that she would never have put up with from anyone else, and not a scratch, not a bite … if he had too much, she’d simply stalk away. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/30 "2013-09-10T13:23:47Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I don’t think it has much to do with the personality of the cat. What prompted me to start this thread was, the other night, I’m laying on my bed on my stomach. As I’m dozing off to sleep, I can hear my cats chasing each other around the house. > > Eventually, they made their way into my bedroom. One of them ran across the back of my legs scratching them all to hell. And as if that weren’t enough, here comes cat number two. Only except THIS one ran across my back, leaving it shredded to pieces. > > I don’t care how sweet a cat you have, it seems, shit like this is unavoidable. I guess I may be wrong though, judging from the poll results. My cat walks all over me when she feels like it, but she’s careful not to use the claws or to use me as a trampoline. I know some cats are a lot more careless about such stuff, and I think it is about personality. My cat is a real dual personality beast: happy kitten inside with people, territorial warrior and killer outside with the other cats and mice. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/31 "2013-09-10T13:38:21Z")
My cat has never scratched me. He scratched my daughter once, a tiny scratch. I’m slightly allergic to cats and their scratches always well up and turn into unbelievably itchy hives on me, so thank God this one doesn’t scratch. He also barely sheds, only scratches one cheap-ass piece of furniture and is thoroughly healthy. His main issue is wanting lots and lots of cuddles, which some people do find annoying, but not me. I lucked out. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/32 "2013-09-10T14:47:12Z")
My cat once bit me (He had snuck outside after we’d been away for awhile and was mad). He also scratched up my wife when she got between him and another cat. He’s never uses his claws as weapons, and shows displeasure by biting, but only if you provoke him. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/33 "2013-09-10T17:50:07Z")
I have an inch long scratch on my hand mostly healed. The difference between “my tummy in the air in preparation for wonderful soothing tummy rub” and “my tummy in the air in preparation to play trap, kill and eat the hand” is very [subtle](http://theoatmeal.com/comics/kitty_pet) (beware of intense focus in the eyes). I guessed wrongly one day. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/34 "2013-09-10T22:05:23Z")
A few inadvertent scratches. 10 cats. Some of them never scratch but not all of them never scratch. It’s minor. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/35 "2013-09-10T22:16:23Z")
Actually, to be completely honest, I think maybe I am a bit of a masochist. Some gentle biting and scratching from a cat can actually be pleasurable, in a way similar to eating hot chili peppers. Not angry biting or scratching, though, but the playful kind, the kind that they do to show that they love you. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/36 "2013-09-10T22:47:15Z")
My fashion sense is injured by fur, and I have dried cat saliva on my hand. Other than that… I’m good. I’ll occasionally suffer through paws on my stomach, but it’s no big deal. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/37 "2013-09-11T00:19:36Z")
None currently, but a couple weeks ago, I stepped backward and stepped on my female cat, Ruby. She immediately attacked my leg, biting one side of it and clawing the other. She had NEVER done anything like that before. Actually, I just looked, and I can still see the traces of her fang marks on my calf, so I guess that counts… ---
**Author:** ![slowlearner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@slowlearner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slowlearner)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/38 "2013-09-11T00:58:09Z")
I play chase with my cats, they actually come find me and initiate the game, and there’s lots of wrestling with the hand under the covers or the rug and just general rough housing and I always let them win, so I get pretty scratched up. But they’re perfect ladies and gentleman to other people. Cats are a hoot except for the barf mines they leave around the house… ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/39 "2013-09-11T01:33:18Z")
I work on a daily basis with ~90 cats. They’re cage-free during the day, but all have to go up at night. Plus, they need normal cat stuff done like having their nails clipped, ears cleaned, fur brushed, and some medication. So they get handled a lot and not all of them appreciate it. So I always have a few scratches. We use hand sanitizer every time we leave one section and go to another and damn that always burns. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412/40 "2013-09-11T01:58:26Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > We adopted Mitzy when she was 9 years old, so haven’t had any of the ‘kitty doesn’t understand how sharp her claws are’ problems. > > The only thing she does is in the mornings when she wants me to wake up, she carefully extends one claw and pokes me in the lower lip, which can hurt. I thought my cat was the only one who did this. Only mine centered her single claw on the tip of my nose. We had a talk. Many actually. And now it doesn’t happen anymore. No owies, just an unpleasant way to be awakened. My kitties just went to the vet for their annuals and one had a little dental work done. There was no resistance and not so much as a swear word passed their lips. The no swearing part is recent. Took them a while. The vet commented on how nice they were. Made us downright proud of our girls. I find most cats, if you get them early enough and if they haven’t been mistreated, are willing to follow a few simple guidelines. And the longer I’ve owned cats the better I’m getting at knowing how to train them. But I remember earlier cats who were difficult. One, a female Siamese, came to us from a veterinarian who had taken her because no one else could manage her. She’d attack my legs when I walked past. Eventually I left her with my mother. Nobody scratches my mother. So they settled into old age together. Perhaps it’s my choices. I stick with the American shorthairs these days. And orange kitties seem to have especially good dispositions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cat-owners-masochists-are-you-currently-suffering-from-an-injury-from-a-cat/668412.md?page=3)