It's normal that a cat might hiss at a cat sitter (video)

The video gives the impression that this cat who hisses at the cat sitter has a unique personality; that her behaviour is rather strange but I would beg to differ as this is entirely normal. Some cats will be tolerant of cat sitters but by-and-large cats are going to be wary of a cat sitter that they have met for the first time for obvious reasons; they are complete strangers. 

"This cat sitter was told that Maple's a sweet cuddly girl, so she was surprised when Maple greeted her with nonstop hissing" - video caption. Comment: being a sweet cuddly female cat is consistent with that cat hissing at a cat sitter! 😃😎. It is an instinctive reaction of self-preservation.
 

Cats are instinctively defensive and focused on self-protection. To hiss at the cat sitter as this cat does is to be expected as the hiss is a warning from a cat to another to beware saying that 'I am potentially dangerous and will attack in self-defence.'

Once the cat understands that the cat sitter is friendly - made possible by being fed treats and play interactions which are so important for cat to get to know someone - the hissing starts to disappear. It may continue for some cats as an instinctive reaction borne out of slight anxiety and nervousness. Some cats are more nervous than others obviously.

Sometimes cats even hiss at their caregiver with whom they have lived for many years. This might happen when an indoor/outdoor cat brings home a mouse that they have successfully hunted and want to keep for themselves as their owner tries to get it off them.

The cat acts instinctively in protecting their kill and fleetingly the loving caregiver-to-domestic cat bond is forgotten and the cat reverts to their wild instincts and hisses at their loving owner much to their consternation. This is one example. There will be others.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.

A Note About Aerosols and Cats

It just occurred to me this morning, when I was spraying a dog bite wound on my knee with an antiseptic aerosol spray, that the sound of an aerosol spray in use can frighten cats. My cat, Charlie, showed signs of being frightened by it.

This must be due to the noise it makes, which is little like a cat hiss. We know that cats hiss to mimic a snake as a way of frightening predators or animals that threaten him or her.

It seems that the cat, in recognising that the hissing sound is frightening, are frightened by the sound of the jet coming from the aerosol.

I am reminded of a recently advertised device that stops cats going to places where a person does not want them to go. It makes a sound similar to an aerosol and is probably similar to an aerosol in function.

I think the answer is to not use an aerosol when close to your cat. Although I expect some cats won't mind. However, as cat hissing is an inherited characteristic I would expect most cats to be disturbed by the sound of an aerosol.

Note: Yes, I was bitten by a dog yesterday on the street while I went to the shops to buy a newspaper. Nasty wound and wrecked trousers but I'm alright. I was an entirely unprovoked attack as I walked past the dog, one of three on leads being managed (poorly) by their owner.