Do cats forgive you if you hurt them by accident?

So, the verdict is out. Do cats forgive if you hurt them accidentally, yes or no?

Cats can hold a grudge, but not forever

I had stepped on my cats more than once. In the dark, it’s very easy to step on a cat. They’re unexpected, one minute behind you and the next their paw is under your foot. I had felt horrible and kept petting them and talking to them. They forgave me right away.

If your cat loves and trusts you, then your cat will forgive you if you hurt it accidentally, because it understands it was an accident, that this human is a friend. The cats I had stepped on, Angel and Milky, trusted me and had let me pat them.

However, a feline is more likely to hold a grudge under some circumstances.

Whether or not is was an accident

I had forced a pill down my cat’s throat, and the cat had hidden and waited for half an hour behind a corner until I walked by. Then he leapt on my foot, biting and scratching. Too bad I didn’t have my cellphone back then. Would’ve made an excellent video clip.

A cat knows stepping on his paw is an accident, but forcing a pill down his throat isn’t. Cats have common sense. They understand that you can’t make them swallow a pill by accident. In the cat’s mind, I hurt him deliberately. But he had forgiven me right after the attack. Just wanted to let me know I can’t get away with it.

The cat’s temper

I’d clipped my other cat’s nails because she had an allergy and was scratching like mad, and the vet had told me to do it. And then I clipped too close to the skin, and she mewed and gave me a scolding look. But the cat forgave me for hurting her accidentally right away. This was a mild-tempered cat, a Persian cat called Milky, who would’ve made the perfect model for video clips, by the way. The cat who attacked me was a hot-tempered and violent male cat called, ironically, Angel.

Hooman, you’re my broder, and I love you, but don’t ever go against da famlia again, or I’ll be forced to take actions. And I’d hate to do dat. We been doing business for a long time, and I know you since you was a hooman cub. You always was such a good hooman cub, giving respect to felines. I’d hate to have to have to hire a hitcat. But you’re forcing my paw.

Don’t ever go against the Felianos! They might find you swimming with the rats in the sewer!

Whether or not the cat is trusting

My Princessa is a very anxious cat. After living in my house for years, she still won’t let me pet her on the head, only on the lower back. She attacks if I try petting her near the head. Although she does let me shoot video clips.

After I brought her home from the vet, she’d run away and had stayed in the yard. Took her a week or two to come back. This isn’t so much about the cat forgiving you for hurting it accidentally or deliberately. This is about trust, about fear.

Up to this day, whenever I close the shutters through which my cats go in and out, Princessa panics and paws them obsessively, because I’d closed the shutters when she was taken to the vet, to prevent her from jumping out into the yard. That’s why I don’t shut these shutters anymore.

How long was the incidence

A cat is more likely to forgive you quickly for accidentally hurting it if it was a short incidence. Stepping on a cat’s paws only takes a second, and the pain as a result is very short-lived. But my Princessa was at the vet for days. I had told the vet I can’t force her to swallow a pill, so the poor cat had stayed in a cage all this time, and she’d had pilled shoved down her throat and even suffered an injection. No worry. She’s fine now, and all’s well.

How bad was the pain

Your cat is more likely to forgive someone for hurting it accidentally if the pain was mild, if it wasn’t too traumatic.

This must’ve been a traumatic experience for you, Mr. Tuna. We’ll discuss in our next session how it has affected you on a deeper level that was connected to your kittenhood memories, and the abandonment you’d felt when your mother left you, an experience all felines go through, I’m afraid. You may step off the couch now.

a cat is more likely to forgive a friend who hurt it accidentally than a stranger

A cat is less likely to hold a grudge against someone he knows and loves.

What angers a cat

Except for the obvious, like stepping on a their paws or taking them to the vet, there are ways you can anger your feline.

• Touching their belly
• Bringing a new pet into the household
• Changing their routine
• Trying giving them a bath
• Making noise
• Misplacing their food bowls
• Not giving them enough attention and affection

Some cats allow you to rub their belly, and some won’t. A cat is angry when touched in a place he doesn’t want to be touched. My brother had moved his cat’s food bowl from one wall to another once, and the cat had gone into the place her food bowl used to be over and over again, to make sure he saw it. Cats are scared of noise. Noise is a common feline phobia. Cats get jealous of other pets you pay attention to. Cats hate water and will turn into wildcats if you attempt to bath them. They feel abandoned if not given enough quality time.

Also, some cats don’t like their picture taken, or being used as models in a video clip. I’ve had cats running away during a shot, but none had ever been angry.

Eventually, your cat will forgive you if you hurt it accidentally. You can always pat your cat, talk to it in a soft voice, the way you talk to a baby, and offer it a treat. Find time to spend with your cat to let it know it’s loved and cherished.

Was your cat ever mad at you? Share your experience in the comments. I love to hear stories about cat, and other pets, too. Whether it’s a dog or a rabbit or a parrot, or your pet alligator…

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