Q: Sometimes, after I have been stroking my cat for several minutes, it will suddenly attack me and then run off. Why does this happen?

Answer: This behavior, which can occur in either sex but particular in males, probably represents the natural switch from the submissive to a defensively aggressive role which was refer to earlier. In most case the cat is laying on its side, with one foreleg raised, having its abdomen stroked. This is the typical posture adopted by a cat being approached by an adversity. If you then continue to stoke in the cat it may feel that it is being attacked. Its natural instinct is to lash out with its claws, or even to bite as a defensive reaction and then to run away. This is fairly common occurrence in cats and the only solution is to appreciate why it happens, to recognize the early warning signs and then to avoid over stimulating the cat.