Mom's Mistreating the Family Cat!

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I know that this might not be the proper forum for discussing this sort of thing, but I think that the way one deals with people is related to the way one deals with animals. Anyways, I've seen my mother do things to the cat that leave him terrified. She really likes to squeeze him like he was a toy, even when he struggles to get out of her grasp. She seems genuinely surprised when the cat gets violent with her. It's one thing for her to bathe our water-hating cat, but I honestly think she needs to learn how to PROPERLY care for our pet. I think she might be more abusive than my cat-hating dad, who's sometimes called the cat a flea-bag and shooed the cat out regardless of the cat's mood.

I know it's wrong and unkind, but I can relate to your mum about squeezing the cat. I do that to my cat. Often I tease her, make silly noises at her, and nibble her ears. The cat sometimes hisses and growls, but mostly meows. (She is very harmless). Sometimes I put a peg on her tail and watch her move around the room trying to figure out how to get the peg off her own tail.

I really cannot help myself. I love her, and I don't cause her any real harm. I would never let anything happen to her, and I panic if she gets a thorn in her paw or bitten or stung, or anything like that. One time I caught her choking on a piece of meat and I grabbed her as quick as I could and pulled the piece of meat out of her mouth.

And I do kiss her more than I tease. I just can't help myself sometimes.

I don't think it's ever a good thing to do anything to an animal that causes it to hiss or growl or struggle, unless it's a necessary act such as administering medication or treatment, or having to move the animal (as when it needs to be placed in a carrier for a vet visit and doesn't want to go).

In playing or "being affectionate" or teasing, which then causes unhappiness in the animal, you've gone too far when the animal is reacting badly.
It means you are PUSHING that poor cat's limits.

Does anyone like it when someone keeps pushing and pushing THEM?

It's really not pleasant for the poor cat by that point, and anyone causing that reaction should seriously try to see it from the animal's point of view -- you wouldn't like it if someone kept bugging you, squeezing you too hard or other things, whether they thought they were just playing or not. Think of what YOU would feel like.

Tell your mother that.

I agree with Birdinflight. Teasing animals is never a good thing. People who tease and hurt animals usually do it to other people as well.

What about when a dog grows while chewing on a toy or grows when your play fighting over the toy

Many people humanize their pets and don't even realize they don't think like humans so they are not going to understand teasing or any punishments they do to them. I didn't realize animal abuse can be done unintnetionally because not all animal abuse is beating your pets and starving them and burning them and kicking them. Unintentional animal abuse is done out of ignorance because the owner doesn't realize how animal brains work and don't realize what they are doing can traumatize the pet. Don't believe me, look up animal abuse and read animal training expert pages and they mention these things and list examples.

You should try telling her the cat doesn't like it when she does that, I mean its fine to pet and cuddle them but yeah if they struggle or get aggressive that means they don't like what your doing anymore. Also all cats are different some might like being cuddled more than others...my brother has a cat that loves being smothered in cuddles and squeezes and all that sometimes, though she's not always in the mood for it. But yeah perhaps you could tell her to try and be more gentle though not sure how receptive she'd be as I don't know her or your relationship with her.

That said though, seems the cat can get away if need be...I mean she growl, hiss, scratch or bite, however if the cat ends up having to do that too much it might not want to interact with her at all which I imagine she'd be sad about if she likes the cat. For instance I accidently stepped on my brothers cats paw to which she made a terrible noise and hid under a bed for a bit...but then she came up to me and let me pet her. But if I constantly was stepping on her paws on purpose I imagine she'd want nothing to do with me.

lol if you have t.v you could always just happen to be watching My Cat From Hell when your mom is around, that show is like cat care for dummies reality t.v...usually the guy has to train the cats people rather than the cat.

That sounds like a very stressful environment for a cat. Maybe do some research on the internet about how to treat cats/how *not* to treat cats, prove the squeezing and such is wrong and then show your mom the links or print it out and teach her how to properly care for a cat without terrorizing the poor thing. : (