When a cat can’t control play, it tips over into aggression like biting and scratching

2 Arguments

0 Citations

1 Consequence

1 Mention

Arguments

Argument #e955b669 0 0 1

If it is true that...

Play is preparation for adulthood 0 0 1

and

Cat play is almost exclusively about kinds of hunting 0 0 1

Then it must be true that...

When a cat can’t control play, it tips over into aggression like biting and scratching 0 0 1

Argument #ef73963e 0 0 0

If it is true that...

Play is preparation for adulthood 0 0 1

Then it must be true that...

When a cat can’t control play, it tips over into aggression like biting and scratching 0 0 1

Opposing Arguments

No opposing arguments found

Citations

No citations found

Consequences

Argument #ea20e11a 0 0 0

If it is true that...

When a cat can’t control play, it tips over into aggression like biting and scratching 0 0 1

and

Humans often accidentally imitate prey to cats 0 0 1

and

When a human imitates prey to a cat, it triggers the cat's instinctual hunting sequence 0 0 1

Then it must be true that...

There are many cases of petting a cat which appears perfectly happy, yet the cat suddenly "turns" and bites you, going far beyond any normal "play aggression" or "warning nip" 0 0 1

Mentions

Gwern/Cat Architecture

Maintained by

alexandershortt

0•

Updated

Related Propositions

There is a limit to how much puzzling/hunting a cat wants to do, beyond which is stressful and hunger-inducing 0 0 1 There are many cases of petting a cat which appears perfectly happy, yet the cat suddenly "turns" and bites you, going far beyond any normal "play aggression" or "warning nip" 0 0 1 The explanation for cats suddenly "turning" to attack you that they are "overstimulated" and have "too much energy" is not really an explanation so much as a label to explain it away 0 0 1 Cat play is almost exclusively about kinds of hunting 0 0 1 When a human imitates prey to a cat, it triggers the cat's instinctual hunting sequence 0 0 1 Cats are highly stimulated and primed for hunting behavior 0 0 1 Cats cannot easily control or veto the innate reflex to hunt 0 0 1 Humans are often the target of a cat's hunting reflexes 0 0 1 Outdoor or feral cats are much more prone to spontaneous biting 0 0 1 A cat's spontaneous biting cannot be easily trained away or avoided 0 0 1