Neighbour's cat bit me - should I tell her?

[StuntBottom]

Looking after next door neighbour's cat while she's away. Yesterday, I gave the cat a fuss as usual. She's very affectionate and sits on my knee for a cuddle. She jumped down after a while and, when I went to pick up the empty food bowl, she bit my arm. Didn't puncture the skin but it's left a mark. I wasn't touching her so can't have touched a sore spot or anything like that. All I can assume is that she was really hungry and thought I was taking food away, rather than giving it.

My question is, do I tell the neighbour? She lives on her own so no children, etc, at risk of being bitten, but do I warn her? She'd be very upset and I don't want that. Her cat is her only companion.

Chances are you were given warnings but didn't know 'cat language to spot them. If you were letting the cat in your lap, you may have over stimulated it and missed the flicking tail and ear twitch warning signs. The over stimulated animal then hits the floor and energy sparks up aggression leafing to a more intense warning aka a bite.

The cat is capable of biting hard enough to puncture skin and claw deep so sounds like you were told off or punished rather than a random act of aggression.

I wouldn't bother. The most I would say is "she's a bit touchy about having her food bowl lifted, isn't she, the little angel?" It's not like you've got to protect the woman from some unsuspected savagery!

It's what some cats do - bite, scratch, generally try to maim or kill those around them. I woudn't bother telling her, there's nothing she can do about it.

My guess would be that the cat reacted to the movement of your arm and pounced. This is normal behaviour for cats and it wouldn't worry me. so no, I wouldn't mention it.

Nope I wouldnt bother telling her. I habe two cats and some days they let me stroke them all over some days I just have to lool at them and they bite me. Sometimes I walk upstairs and they grab my ankle and try to disembowel my foot other times they dont. Its a cat its what they do. If it was a dog it might be a food agression issue but with a cat its just that they are generally unpredictable little shits.

I'd be very surprised if your neighbour doesn't already realise that she has a bitey cat, so I really wouldn't worry about it at all.

I would mention it, but make light of it, in the itne suggested by villainousbroodmare. Your neighbour might have young relatives visiting etc and she might want to avoid a similar thing happening again.

I'm sure she knows how her cat behaves. I don't see the point of mentioning it.

Thanks for the comments. I've had cats of my own for over 30 years and am well used to the flicking tail/twitching ears etc warning signs and there were none. She's an old girl so maybe she didn't hear me behind her and my movement startled her.

The only time any of my cats, past or present, has ever bitten me was one who used to love a game of "tickle my tummy, tickle my tummy, now I'm going to sink all four sets of claws and my teeth into your hand". Never been bitten in anger before as I've always seen the warning signs and backed off so it shook me a bit.

Don't think I'll mention it to the neighbour. She'd be upset that the cat might have hurt me and might feel bad about asking me to look after it again.

My cats bite when they’re irritated. It doesn’t actually break skin or even hurt. I really wouldn’t worry about it.