Ok. Can any one tell me why 'snuffling' at my cat enrages him?

[NirvannahCrane]

If I have the cat on my lap and I make 'snuffling noises' at him, it sends him completely batshit! I don't do it very often but can anyone tell me why this is?

Is it an aggressive gesture in Cat Language or is my cat just an idiot?

Disclaimer: I know my cat is an idiot...there are many varied and wonderful reasons he is an idiot(he's currently head first in a box with his arse in the air) but is it a 'thing' cats hate??

Can you all have a close up snuffle of your cats and see if they go barmy?

[NirvannahCrane]

Fluffy, I think the three cats in the video were just so daft and laid back that they really didn't mind being yodelled/dressed up/exposed to engineers. Those two guys have made other videos where they do daft things to the cats...if the cats disliked it, they'd make their feelings known.

SummerRain the trick to keeping all your extremities is to gaffer-tape kitchen paper round the cat's paws

[SummerRainIsADistantMemory]

Fluffy.... Depends on the personality of the cat.

Two of mine love a bit of rough cuddling, two of the others like it as long as they're not being held, the fifth hates it.

The two that love it will come looking for it and purr like lunatics.

You can tell by the way those cats in the video behave towards the men that they're not scared of them.

Like I said one of mine yowls every time she's picked up.... Doesn't stop her climbing my legs looking for cuddles!

[Fluffycloudland77]

I didn't like that video at all. I thought it looked a bit cruel really.

[SummerRainIsADistantMemory]

Oh, I'm so going yo try that with grey kitten.... She makes that howling noise every time I pick her up so I won't even have to get her annoyed to try it.

Will report back when I've tried it... Hopefully I'll still have both eyes and ten fingers left

[Stephenie]

OMG!!!!! Best thread ever!!! I used to do this to my cats who I had to leave with my ex husband but my boy cat (Dali) used to go mental when i did it, he would start by running over to me and just rub his face all over mine and then slowly become more and more silly and end up lying on the floor and just rolling over and over and half playfully and half not playfully attack with his paws, my girl cat (Willow) wasn't really bothered by it!!!!

To think I joined this site to talk about the problems of ttc but have now ended my evening giggling and with lovely memories of my gorgeous kitty's is brilliant!! Thank you NirvannahCrane for starting this thread.

[TheSilveryPussycat]

Oh what utter joy :) And now I've seen it, I think DCat might well have it in her to yodel - since I know she can get annoyed

[NirvannahCrane]

I've remembered why I was snuffling the cat in the first place.....I was trying to do Cat Yodelling. I failed.

[NirvannahCrane]

Ah. Many thanks for the results.

I'm actually goint to go with QuietTiger's theory that it is the feline equivalent of Fuck You.

Viva I cannot tell you how I discovered this cat-foible. I can't remember why I first did it or what prompted the inagural snuffle. But I did it and he HATES it. I haven't done it in a while as it's only a matter of time before he gets a luccky paw-strike and I end up in Emergency Opthalmic surgery.

HazeltheMcWitch I am NOT putting it on YouTube, even in the interests of making sure you are all snuffling correctly. I don't mind you lot thinking I'm a Cat-Snuffling loon but I'm not having digital, video, there-for-bloody-ever internet evidence of the fact!

When I do it to Step-Cat, an ancient black female, she eyes me with indifference. The only think that can get a reaction from her is an over-enthusiastic furmination of her tail area...

[Rhubarbgarden]

Large one shot me a wild-eyed look and ran away. Small one started purring and went flat.

[TheSilveryPussycat]

QuietTiger you might be on the right lines. It might mean 'fancy a bit' to some felines, 'fuck off' to others, and 'humour/ignore that crazy human she's been on MN' to yet others. Perhaps we need a breakdown by gender, age and neutered-status?

On this theory mine is either too old, or knows me too well...

[QOD]

Very glad this surfaced again as did try it on cat a couple of times!!

Nothing.



No reaction at all ... Most disappointing

[janflan]

I tried it on my cat who is normally loving but can't quickly turn savage. At first he whipped his head back really fast and i got scared and moved quick. Then he started liking it and rubbing my head with his head.

[QuietTiger]

It's actually a feline swear word and seems to be the equivalent of "Fuck you".

I've just tried it with one of mine, she replied in kind then gave me the feline look of death!

[MimsyBorogroves]

Thanks, OP.

Just tried it and had one of mine attempt to lodge her entire nose up my nostril.

That's a memory that isn't going away anytime soon.

[Cailleach]

Been waiting for an opportunity to do this to my calico cat, and am happy to report that I just got a lovely kiss on the nose in reply. She has never done that to me before.

Pointless trying this with LittleWhiteFluffyCat, though, as she's stone deaf, so not sure how she'd react.

[SummerRainIsADistantMemory]

Ok, I chanced it with the elderly tamed feral and it turns out she kisses me in response very unexpected and quite sweet!

Big black male just looked at me sleepily and didn't react.

So out of 5:
1 panic
2 ignore
1 ask for food
1 kiss

[TheSilveryPussycat]

Indifference from my old lady - perhaps she is used to my funny little ways and nothing can faze her?

[ILoveMyCats]

DH has just told me to leave the room as I'm laughing so much at this thread! I love the penguins in dresses and naked turtles!!

Cat snuffling is well received in my house....sneezing is another matter.

nirvannah you have a tail?!

[WhatKindofFool]

I think they think that you are checking out their scent, I.e., where they have been, and this makes them indignant. I don't know this but I have observed this behaviour between my own cats. If one has been somewhere, like the vets, another might give a sniff to them, and they hate it.

[VivaLeBeaver]

I'm curious as to how you found this out in the first place?

[fackinell]

Mine ignored me and snoozed on.

[pirouette]

We used to have a cat which became enraged at snuffling. My brother and father had some dreadful infliction that they both snuffled and nose-breathed noisily especially when they read the paper or ate.

Cue cat launching itself at them to put them out of their misery.

[GarbledMessage]

OP. I have found through extensive research over the years that if you do this snuffling very energetically amd hide round the corner, (but peep and catch a cats eye) they go MAD for it! The reactions vary, but range from full on attack ya face mode to scatty running round the room like a looper. Some talk at you when you do it too. Never understood why, but it's one of my fave cat games!

[SummerRainIsADistantMemory]

Female black cat wasn't bothered.... Which is surprising actually as she views most actions of mine as poorly concealed attempts on her life

[SchroSawMargeryDaw]

Will try this on my 3 when they appear.

My girl cat goes fecking crazy if you make a long "ohhhhhhhhhh" noise though.

Boy cat 1 goes mad if you miaw, he seems to think some other cat is in pain or something and furiously hunts for it. Same cat also smacked a dog today who was barking at him.

Boy cat 2 thinks anything you do is an invite to be petted.