Aversion to petting

Hi everyone,

I have two cats, both former strays that we took in. The younger one, Milton, used to be very affectionate and would elicit attention from us, particularly when he was still a stray. Even after he started living in the house he could be very affectionate when he wanted to be.

Lately however, he's had a big aversion to petting. If someone reaches to pet him, he ducks his head and moves away. Oddly enough, he has no problem with anyone picking him up. He doesn't seem to particularly hate it or love it, he just tolerates it until we put him back down.

So, is there any reason for why a cat would suddenly develop an aversion to petting? He's FIV+, if that tells you anything.

Thanks for any help or advice :)

My Smokey is like that from time to time. At other times, he'll be rubbing up against me wanting attention. He's healthy, and I think it's just that he wants touched when it is on his terms.

http://chatanuga.org/pics/pets/catsig.jpg

Any chance he's sore for some reason? Might be worth it to have a vet check just to be sure. If something hurts, he's not gonna want pressure on it, and being held the contact is on his underside not topside. Make sense?

My Bobby is also FIV+.

Bobby LOVES petting -- on HIS terms. Mostly, this means I can pet, stroke, chin rub, belly rub, when I am lying on my bed. Anywhere else, any other place, he BARELY tolerates being touched by - GASP! - a mere human. :D

Just his quirkiness. I did like Karen's post, something to consider.

Thanks for the advice.

I think we will end up taking him to the vet, just to make sure nothing is wrong.
Oddly enough, he's the most receptive to petting when he's sleepy or has just woken up. He'll stretch out his neck so I can scratch it, which he won't do any other time.

Oh, good, always better safe than sorry! Let us know what they say! Cats can be so good at hiding sickness from us, to their own detriment!