Hissing question

[DJFyrewolf36]

Lately Ive been carefully observing the behavior of my pack of furbutts, mostly to make sure all of them play nice with Hoodini (who has a clean bill of health btw ). There tends to be a fair amount of hissing, I'm noticing. Luckily it doesn't go beyond that, as all of my cats are mostly bark and no bite lol. Hoodini, however never hisses. Pandora, at his age hissed quite well . I guess what Im asking, has any of you observed how hissing comes about in an average cat? Is it learned or is it something embeded deeper in the cat brain? The only experences with kitten development involved Bitz, who passed on at a very young age, Pandora, who hissed very well at about ten weeks or so, and Hoodini, who aperantly doesn't hiss at all.

Thanks for any input you all have!

[Randi]

I hardly hear Fister hiss, but in his younger days in the yard, I heard him growl at another cat - who then dissappeared through the gate. However, he understands the language of hissing, as I once hissed at him for doing some thing he shouldn't be doing - he was shocked!

I think hissing is what they do when they're are warning someone, and I think it comes naturally.

[catnapper]

I think its in their brain chemistry. Abby is a hisser. Always has been and always is quick to fire off a hiss or two. Allen and Harry have to be REALLY provoked in order to hiss.

Its kind of like us. I'm sure you know people who are quick to yell, or quick to shed tears. Then there's people who never yell or get emotional.

[jazzcat]

I got Jazz as a kitten and never heard her hiss until a year later when we got Scout. Scout hissed at everything and after about a week of hearing it from Scout Jazz started doing it. It was funny because she couldn't do it well and it sounded more like a cough-acking hiss thing. After that she became the hiss queen to all other cats entering the house. Seems like she and Scout taught it to all who followed.

Ripley is the only one who doesn't hiss.

[Laura's Babies]

Mine never hissed or growled until Kitty Boo came and she started out hissing, growling, and attacking them. Now Giz follows her around hissing at her, poor Samantha just runs to hide and Amy could care less if she is in here or not, however, Amy has learned to growl since Boo has been here so she growls at everything like Chester did when he learned how to growl.

[DJFyrewolf36]

Makes sense Catnapper...Thanks guys for the replies!

[Hellow]

The hissing gene, found in Domestic Cats, is a mutation of the growling gene found in Tigers and Lions. Since these are the ancestors of the Domestic Cat, It would become apparent that the Domestic Cat inherited this gene from the Lion and Tiger. But scientists have found an mutation of the gene, causing some cats to hiss a lot or not at all. This, of course, does not affect the loving companionship that a pet cat has to offer.


PS: that came from the dark matter in the back of my brain lol.

[Freedom]

I rarely have 2 cats hissing at each other. One hisses, like a warning, and the other backs off. Or doesn't as is the case with Bobby. He just looks blankly as if to say, "got something caught in there, huh?"

I have also had one cat hiss and the other swats back. But I've not had a hissing fest.

[orangemm]

Binky hisses when we take too long to clip his nails and when he sees another cat in our yard. Archy never hisses.

We had a female cat whose name was Dali and she was the hissing queen! Hissed at everything and everyone; we called her "Miss Hiss". Betcha dollars to donuts she's at the RB, happily hissing away!

[catmandu]

I rarely hear a Found Cat hiis except when the youngsters Miquelito and Pouncierge have one of thier little short lived tiffs.
Other than that peace and harmony reigns at the Found Paradise Cat Hotel.

[DJFyrewolf36]

I rarely have 2 cats hissing at each other. One hisses, like a warning, and the other backs off. Or doesn't as is the case with Bobby. He just looks blankly as if to say, "got something caught in there, huh?"

I had to laugh at this, as this is usually the look Remus and Hoodini get when Spook goes off on a hissing rant at them. It is rare I get a hissing match too, although usually its between my black cats . It is kind of funny to watch, they'll walk by each other, then Spook or Onyx will hiss...of course the other will want the last word and hiss back and it results in a half hour of back and forth hissing...usually across the room.