Thursday, August 11, 2016

Hissing, as I Hear It

My cats don’t hiss a great deal, except for Cammie. That’s probably to the household’s credit, as hissing denotes some form of disapproval, though its degree depends on the cat. But each animal also hisses in a different way.

Cammie is the obvious example among my beasts. She has always used hissing for a number of reasons. She will use it if threatened - or thinks she is threatened. This comes with the hideous grimace, the flattened ears, the narrowed eyes. She uses this only against other cats, though once upon a time, she used it against people, too, including me. The princess reminds me of Tungsten, the way she hisses in extremis. I used to tell the orange one that hissing made her look quite unattractive. I think that miffed her.


But Cammie also hisses to show that she is displeased. She doesn’t really care for being picked up, but will tolerate it, if I pet her while she's in my arms, or show her a view out the window that she doesn’t usually see. When I put her down, however, she throws a hiss over her shoulder at me as she walks away. It is not unfriendliness; I’m just being told off. These expressions of annoyance are rarely accompanied by facial distortion.


Renn’s hiss is interesting. When he is angry or annoyed, such as when I am trying to cut his claws, he expresses it with a whining groan that start high and drops until it is almost a growl. He does hiss, however. It is merely an opening of the mouth to allow sound to issue. There is no evil look on his face, no violence conveyed by image. Imagine a large man standing apathetically still and simply stating, “I will hurt you,” in a plain monotone, and that’s how my big boy’s hiss comes across.


Tucker is rather unfortunate in his hissing, as his best seems to be a kind of throaty, saliva-spotted hawking sound, similar to that made by a young child trying to speak German with a mouth full of mashed potatoes. It is not intimidating. It's a baby ewok attempting to curse his nannie. Fortunately, the roly poly one does not become upset enough to unleash his rage too often; I have heard it vented only against the odd intruder cat, from behind the safety of a window.


I’ve left Josie to the last because I cannot recall ever hearing my Chubs hiss. She is quite an easy-going cat, and though she does become upset, she vocalises her complaints as whiney inarticulation, like an old woman shaking her fist at smart-alecky young ’uns. It is quite unfeline. But then, whatever a cat does is feline, by definition. Josie’s felinic anger is just a bit different.

So even in its fury, irritation, fear and exasperation, each cat shows that it is unique. It is those examples of uniqueness that make my life interesting. Even if I get told off now and then.

19 comments:

  1. I love how you describe your cats, and all their individual traits and idiosyncrasies.

    Annie was a big hisser (at Nicki all the time, Derry less often), but the boys aren't. Once in a while I'll hear them hiss--Nicki at the vet this afternoon, for example, being approached by a curious dog. Derry once in a while, a soft hiss that just seems so funny, coming from his teddy-bear, meek self. :-)

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    1. I feel sorry for cats like Derry and Tucker, whose attempts to be ferocious are so unconvincing - and amusing.

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  2. Sound like Girls do hiss a lot... MOL

    This is interesting post ever ! I don't actually hiss. Mom said she couldn't remember when is my last time =^x^= I probably arched back with spiky fur for 2 seconds to the intruders... That's all about it .

    But the interesting one is one stray cat here. Mom gave her food but she hisses mom but followed. Her body doesn't arch back. So mom thinks she probably doesn't know how to meow. Because most of people here, they doesn't like cats.

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    1. The stray may just be making sure everyone knows she can defend herself, just in case. But your mum is probably right in thinking the poor cat never learned how to meow.

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  3. Out of all my cats, Danni hisses the most. She tends to be a loner and shows her displeasure if one of the other cats gets too close to her. However, she is more "hiss than bite", and after voicing her opinion, she will run and hide rather than have an altercation.

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    1. That's Cammie: a lot of bluster - she'd rather just keep her distance than fight.

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  4. Your descriptions of your cats behaviour always makes me smile. Both of our cats were not hissers. Linus was like your Josie, very easygoing. Sam hissed at intruder cats only. Sonya, one of my Siamese cats growing up was the runt of the litter but oh my, could she hiss!

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    1. My Tungsten was a tiny cat, but when she hissed, others took notice!

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  5. We agree with Mr. Puddy. A very interesting post indeed.
    I never really stopped to think about who were my hissers and why they hissed. Turns out it's not the shy ones or the cranky ones, it's not the introverts, or the timid. In my house, it seems to be the more confident, centered ones, ones that prefer not to engage in physical confrontation. They'll stand their ground, give "the eye" and hiss. Confrontation ends there. They communicate their likes and dislikes very well.

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    1. I've always heard that cats would prefer not to fight, which I think is true. Hissing then may be their way of showing that they will be violent if forced to be but would really like just to be left alone. They do indeed communicate well.

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  6. Flynn is a hisser but never in anger. If a fly annoys him in the fields he will hiss as he bats at it. He hates cobwebs, and if he walks into one he will hiss at it. When Eric died he hissed at me and Ivor all the time but just to let us know he wanted to be left alone. It was very upsetting for us and felt as if he was blaming us, but I think he was dealing with it in his own way. He never hisses at us now.I had never heard Eric hiss ever.

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    1. Poor Flynn. He must miss his brother very much. Ten years is a long time for cats to be together, and I don't doubt that he was upset.

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  7. this so reminds mom of Junior....he was 3 months old when he was caught and is still semi-feral. since they say cats learn to meow mostly in domestic situations, mom jokingly says Junior doesn't speak "cat" - he hisses and has this whine that could peel paint. but when he was little, the older cats (having met many a foster) ignored his hissing and so now I don't think he quite understands the point of it all...

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    1. It's tough on a cat when other felines ignore his ferocity...

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  8. guys....outta oh all de catz that haz passed thru trout towne, none could hold a paw ta gram paw dude when it came ta hissin...him took leesonz frum de master hisser...who ever that iz....N when him getted "winded" frum hissin....he could put a dawg ta shame with his growlz.....

    heerz two a sand knifefish kinda week oh end two ewe all !! ☺☺☺ ♥♥♥

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    1. Gram Paw sounds like he was an impressive beast.

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  9. Cammie sounds like my Noel, she hisses at everything. I miss my Lucy, she hissed like a cobra,all the other cats feared her.

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    1. That was my Tungsten. She didn't even need to hiss to exert her top-catness.

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  10. I literally never heard either of the boys hiss until Alyce arrived. Marty hissed at her and his hiss is very soft. He and Ralphie will both growl and yowl at each other in the last year as he tests the waters and wants to be top cat. He will now chase Ralphie when I don't remember to trim his claws regularly and I hav actually heard Ralphie hiss and spit at him once or twice this summer.

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