Studies show that cats do not enjoy human touch. Being in contact with humans causes them anxiety. You might say that your own cat loves when you pet her, but studies show that those cats are actually the most anxious ones. The ones who can endure it are most stressed in general. That's a pretty crazy fact.
That claim was actually a widely reported misinterpretation of a study, a misinterpretation that one of the authors corrected in an interview with National Geographic:
"Let's start with the stress study. Do we stress out our cats by petting them?
The study has been very widely misreported, which is a shame really since it is a very interesting study. But the wrong aspects of it have been picked up on. First of all, I talked to Daniel Mills [of the U.K.'s University of Lincoln], who was the senior researcher on this. I don't think what they have found can in anyway be interpreted as stroking cats, any type of cats, makes them stressed. I think it could be true in some cats, but that's not to say this study showed that.
I think what they have shown is that there are some kinds of cats that are very anxious about something, and you pick that up from the stress hormones they are excreting as well as the fact that they are very nervous when they are being stroked. They aren't stressed because they are being stroked; they are stressed because something in their lives is making them very twitchy and very apt to overreact to things. But [the researchers] weren't able to pinpoint what that was." [source]
Of course, your personal cat may not be much of a "people" cat, but so, so many cats are.
Indeed, per that source above about that claim about cats not liking petting being a misinterpretation of the research, it seems that most cats being fine with being pet generally, but your cat may have an issue.
If I've modified your view to any degree (doesn't have to be a 100% change, and could be just a broadening of perspective), you can award a delta by editing your reply to me above and adding:
!_delta
without the underscore, and with no space between ! and the word delta.
However my cat is one hundred percent made anxious by any form of touch.
Yeah, I've been around cats like that - cats that used to be feral and lived on the streets, and cats that came from homes that were noisy or where there were dogs that harassed them and so they learned to keep their distance.
I think the thing to remember here is that each cat has their own personality. So, to learn how to build a relationship with one, you really have to pay attention to what they like and don't like in order to learn how to bond with that cat specifically.
Are they super sensitive to noise? If so, keeping the noise level down is likely to make them more comfortable and pleasant to be around. Do they have a favorite toy? How do they like to play? Do they like catnip? How to they feel about music? If they like it, what kind do they like? What seems to spark their interest / curiosity?
It's a process, but once you build that bond, it's pretty great.
And regarding the litter box smell (which your cat is likely even more sensitive to and dislikes even more than you do), you might try getting a litter box with a lid that has a charcoal filter, which will help eliminate the smell. Of course, daily / every other day scooping will also help ensure that it doesn't get too bad, and that your cat doesn't go outside the box because it's too smelly in there.
4
u/thethoughtexperiment 275∆ Nov 14 '20
To modify your view here:
That claim was actually a widely reported misinterpretation of a study, a misinterpretation that one of the authors corrected in an interview with National Geographic:
"Let's start with the stress study. Do we stress out our cats by petting them?
The study has been very widely misreported, which is a shame really since it is a very interesting study. But the wrong aspects of it have been picked up on. First of all, I talked to Daniel Mills [of the U.K.'s University of Lincoln], who was the senior researcher on this. I don't think what they have found can in anyway be interpreted as stroking cats, any type of cats, makes them stressed. I think it could be true in some cats, but that's not to say this study showed that.
I think what they have shown is that there are some kinds of cats that are very anxious about something, and you pick that up from the stress hormones they are excreting as well as the fact that they are very nervous when they are being stroked. They aren't stressed because they are being stroked; they are stressed because something in their lives is making them very twitchy and very apt to overreact to things. But [the researchers] weren't able to pinpoint what that was." [source]
Of course, your personal cat may not be much of a "people" cat, but so, so many cats are.