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Recommendations for Approaching and Interacting with Unfamiliar Cats

Caroline Clark Qualified Clinical Animal Behaviourist and Veterinary Nurse
12/09/2024
  • Let a cat make the first approach.
  • Crouch down with a side-on posture and speak calmly and quietly. Move slowly avoiding sudden movements.
  • Slow blink and avoid staring or making direct eye contact.
  • Assess the cat’s behaviour and body language to check whether they want to interact.
  • Offer the back of the hand, with a softly closed fist, but avoid thrusting it out towards them.
  • If they take the initiative and give their ‘consent’ restrict your touch to the preferred areas, e.g. face and around the head, and observe their response.
  • Employ the ‘three second rule’:
    1. Engage with them for three seconds – pause and move the hand a short distance away to give them the choice to end the interaction. If they move towards the hand again continue with the contact as before.
    2. Stop as soon as they show signs that they wish to end the interaction, e.g. disengage, move away, or show some mild intolerance.
    3. Do not pursue them or try to coax them to continue with the interaction.
    4. Engaging with the cat in this way gives them choice which gives them a sense of control – exactly how the cat likes to operate.

Based on Care: Cat Friendly Interaction (iCatCare 2022)

  • The ‘CAT’ acronym, developed by Haywood et al. (2021), acts as a reminder to help guide and enhance positive human–cat interactions:
    • C is for Choice and Control.
    • A is for paying Attention to the cat’s behaviour and body language dur- ing the engagement.
    • T is limiting our Touch to their head and neck region where most cats prefer to be stroked.
Caroline Clark
Caroline has a long and varied career working with companion animals. After many years working as a veterinary nurse she attended teacher training college and pursued a career in education - teaching veterinary nursing and other animal related subjects. Caroline's interest in behaviour led her to Southampton University where she gained a post graduate diploma in companion animal behaviour counselling and, after qualifying in 2006, she opened her own behaviour referral clinic in Yorkshire . She is a full member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC) and is one of only a relatively small number of specialists to have achieved the status of Registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CAB) with the Animal Behaviour Training Council. (ABTC). Caroline is the author of two books: Fear and Anxiety in Dogs, published by Crowood Press and A Professional's Guide to Feline Behaviour, published by CRC Press. Caroline has also written several articles for veterinary journals, is a public speaker and has appeared as the animal specialist on the 20 part, Channel Four TV series, ‘Embarrassing Pets’ which is still aired worldwide.