Probably a self protective habit he has developed. I would stop trying to pet him before you feed him. He's told you he doesn't like it. Hissing is communication. It means "Stop that" or "I don't like that" or "Stay away". So, unless you are doing something that HAS to be done whether he hisses or not, I would pay attention and not do things if he hisses when you do.

He sounds lovely.

 

Pretty sure that hissing is a vocal warning when a cat feels threatened and is warning you to keep your distance.
I would just accept he isn't sure of you and let him do the approaching.

Oops sorry @lorilu cross posted ,

 

@lorilu & @buffie , Thanks both, I do understand that hissing is a warning. It's just that he's been coming for meals for 3 years now and I'd hoped any distrust or uncertainty would have eased by now.
I'll hold off with the petting. I think it has been my measure of how much he trusts me so it's heartbreaking to see he still thinks I'm a threat.
I believe he was a rescue so who knows what may have happened in his past.
Yes Lorilu, he is a lovely boy.

 

@lorilu & @buffie , Thanks both, I do understand that hissing is a warning. It's just that he's been coming for meals for 3 years now and I'd hoped any distrust or uncertainty would have eased by now.
I'll hold off with the petting. I think it has been my measure of how much he trusts me so it's heartbreaking to see he still thinks I'm a threat.

It doesn't necessarily mean he sees you as a "threat". I think you are reading too much into it. Hissing is communication. It just means "Don't do that" or "Stay away".

Think about it this way. Everyone has her or his own comfort levels,, boundaries, including cats. You can say to someone "can you please step back a pace I feel a bit crowded" or "please don't touch me like that it makes me uncomfortable" without feeling hostile about it. A cat doesn't have words. A cat hisses instead.

 

Can't help noticing from Sooty's photo that there seems to be something a bit odd about his eyes. Is his sight impaired in any way?

 

Well spotted , it may just be light reaction but his pupils do look different .

 

I did actually write a thread about the eye problem back in July, "What's Wrong With His Eye?".
According to Sooty's owner he's had it since birth, but that's all he could tell me. I wondered if the mother had a virus which caused the damage. Just speculation after doing a little research at the time.
As I mentioned in my thread, he had been seen by a vet when neutered (2 yrs ago-ish) so would have seen the eye.
It doesn't seem to cause him any noticeable problems. Runs, skips,plays and hunts rodents.

 

I did actually write a thread about the eye problem back in July, "What's Wrong With His Eye?".
According to Sooty's owner he's had it since birth, but that's all he could tell me. I wondered if the mother had a virus which caused the damage. Just speculation after doing a little research at the time.
As I mentioned in my thread, he had been seen by a vet when neutered (2 yrs ago-ish) so would have seen the eye.
It doesn't seem to cause him any noticeable problems. Runs, skips,plays and hunts rodents.

I must have missed it , sorry

 

@Cully this reminds me of my sisters old cat Rosie. I mentioned her on here recently. It's like lorilu says, it's a boundary thing, Sooty has plenty of space outside, but indoors can feel cornered or overwhelmed and just needs you step back a step. I'm sure he thinks the world of you, but needs his own space. Imagine his old life was like Rosie's (my sister's old cat):
https://www.petforums.co.uk/threads/how-do-i-cope-with-rehoming-my-much-loved-cat.522662/
I've taken on two black cats before, similar in Sooty's behaviour, which eventually changed.... just give Sooty more time.

 

@TriTri ,He's ok with me around him while he's eating. I have to lean over him and pass things over his head, also using the taps and doing washing up right next to him and he's fine, even when his tail droops in the full washing up bowl. He doesn't mind household noises, so he's obviously used to it.
When he doesn't think I'm looking he will explore the flat, quite happy to poke his nose into cupboards and boxes. I have to be careful as Misty does get a bit miffed at times. She just sits and watches him, or goes into a loaf. She sometimes licks her lips too so I know she must feel a bit stressed. Maybe afraid he is taking over her territory. They play together, occasionally batting each other, but no big problems so far.
She deliberately brings him in sometimes and they sneak off together to the bathroom. It's funny, as she lets him lead while she keeps looking back at me to check if I've seen them. Like a pair of teenagers sneaking off to the bedroom.
He may go into the bathroom but he never uses her litter tray.
He does, after all, already have an owner, who I know is not a well man. I just hope that I'm providing Sooty with a little bit of what he's missing from home. I couldn't bear the thought of him going hungry. Unfortunately I have to draw a line once Misty is in for the night and not allow Sooty inside. He is free roaming and would never accept being shut in, and I could never allow Misty out after dark.
I just hope they remain friends.

 

It could just be a habit as well, I think? Something he is used to doing, even though he doesn't mean anything by it.

The fact he comes to you for head bumps sure shows you he trusts you and appreciates you

I bet in another six months time, you will have more milestones in how his behaviour develops. It's something I have seen with my dad's boys, we don't notice the small steps day to date but looking back in big chunks there's leaps and bounds.

 

It could just be a habit as well, I think? Something he is used to doing, even though he doesn't mean anything by it.

The fact he comes to you for head bumps sure shows you he trusts you and appreciates you

I bet in another six months time, you will have more milestones in how his behaviour develops. It's something I have seen with my dad's boys, we don't notice the small steps day to date but looking back in big chunks there's leaps and bounds.

It's only when we're outside that he initiates the petting. He doesn't approach me indoors.
Sometimes when I call Misty in, seconds later I can hear him climbing over the fence. As soon as he hears my voice he thinks, "food" lol.
Indoors, after eating, he will come to investigate if I hold my hand out to him. But only once he's eaten and feeling relaxed.
He came in at lunchtime and ate his food. I thought he'd gone back out until I noticed Misty staring at the back of my chair. When I looked, Sooty was having a chew of his catnip banana .

 

@TriTri , I also tried the Vom Fenstein pure turkey after she seemed to really enjoy the Felix turkey but she absolutely refused it. Wouldn't even sniff it, and actually backed away from it. Sooty wasn't keen but I think that was just a mistrust of a new food. He eventually ate it.
I got her some Gourmet Solitaire turkey fillets which she really liked. So I bought a 12 pack. She had gone off it by the time they arrived.:Banghead
I did read somewhere, on here I think, that the most common food intolerance for cats is chicken. No doubt someone will correct me if I'm wrong. I stumbled upon it while doing a bit of research into why Moo was sick after eating it once.
I don't think turkey is such a strong taste, so maybe that's why Max tolerates it better.
When the ingredients state meat/poultry derivatives I suppose it depends on exactly what is being used. Scrapings off the bone might be tolerable, but I shudder to think what else might be being used.:Yuck
On my travels around the net I'll keep an eye out for chicken free and let you know if I find anything.
:Cat

 

Thank you @Cully that would be great.

I've started their catnip mice. 'Various fabrics used, including a bright green one with black spiders on , or spots, or stripes, or cats in hats, singing mice or the usual blue ones. You can choose when they're finished.

 

@TriTri , Have you tried Googling 'single protein cat food'? That should only contain one type of protein and you can look for anything other than chicken.
Probably best to check ingredients for any mention of other proteins.
Some of the foods for delicate tummies are single protein so shouldn't contain anything else.
There's probably threads on here somewhere too.
I was quite pleased today as I want to try Moo on Canagan but it's so expensive @£15 for 12 tins.
I don't mind the price if I know she'll eat it but object to throwing my money away.
So, I emailed Simply Pet Foods and explained. She said they don't do samples but found me some odd tins and put them in the post to try.
Well, if you don't ask, you don't get.:Smug

 

@TriTri , Have you tried Googling 'single protein cat food'? That should only contain one type of protein and you can look for anything other than chicken.
Probably best to check ingredients for any mention of other proteins.
Some of the foods for delicate tummies are single protein so shouldn't contain anything else.
There's probably threads on here somewhere too.
I was quite pleased today as I want to try Moo on Canagan but it's so expensive @£15 for 12 tins.
I don't mind the price if I know she'll eat it but object to throwing my money away.
So, I emailed Simply Pet Foods and explained. She said they don't do samples but found me some odd tins and put them in the post to try.
Well, if you don't ask, you don't get.:Smug

Good for you, well done. Have you received them yet? Tessy use to like the pouch Canagan, but the last few haven't been eaten and I've given up on it now, though it looked and smelt of a very good quality, with green lipped mussels, aloe Vera, glucosamine etc. It's a shame they can't do their own shopping, eh?!

I need to research more single protein foods for Max, yes.

I'm having some luck with some Smilla vitamin paste at the moment. My cats love it and I'm not only able to hide pills in it, for them to devour immediately, but I'm also able to mix in Tessies pancreatic enzymes for her chronic pancreatitis. It's cheaper than the Easypill putty and makes a nice change for her, I think. Her coat has become very glossy in the last week since starting the paste. I have to use it sparingly though, as you give them a 2 inch strip of it in total per day. I got it free with my Zooplus points, but they sell it & they also sell a Smilla malt paste for fur balls, not tried the malt paste yet, but remember my old cats loving the taste of malt paste to help with their fur balls.

I'd recommend anyone ordering from Zooplus to use Top Cashback, but remembering to delete Zooplus from your browser history first. They say up to 3% cash back on Zooplus orders.They also do up to 9.6% cash back with pets at home, up to 8.4% with Pet Supermarket, up to 6% cash back with Pet Planet & Lily's Kitchen & various other online pet stores. They are doing £30 back on their insurance comparison website too. Utility Warehouse do 3% cash back in Sainsbury's and up to about 10% at dozens of other stores, and they don't have to be online stores.

Sorry to side track.

 

Not to be a drama queen but maybe he has been rough handled by humans in the past. I would want to know what's up with his eyes, can you show your vet a photo next time you see them?
What happens if you stretch your hand out to him and wait? Does he come up to you and rub against you?

 

@TriTri , oh that's good you've found a nice paste to hide the pills in, I'm all for anything that makes medicating less stressful.
Thanks for the heads up on the cashback, I wonder if they do it for Symply Pet Foods too. A discount on Canagan would be welcome.
Yes, the samples for Canagan arrived next day. She didn't like the chicken with beef, but that was no suprise as she doesn't like beef. There's tuna with crab and tuna with prawn, which I haven't tried yet as she loves tuna so don't expect any complaints about that. The other freebie was chicken with ham which she seemed to like, so I ordered a pack of 12 which have just arrived. Just offered some but got snubbed! She'd had a good turkey breakfast and a second helping later, so maybe she's not hungry yet. It's raining now so it's early siesta time for her. Will try again later.
Very impressed with delivery, and the lady who troubled to find the odd tins for me, 5 stars.
I've just had a quick look on ZP, single protein wet foods: Miamor Sensitive and Integra Protect Sensitive are worth looking at. One source protein and no animal by products. there is a chicken variety but also beef, turkey, and veal.

 

Not to be a drama queen but maybe he has been rough handled by humans in the past. I would want to know what's up with his eyes, can you show your vet a photo next time you see them?
What happens if you stretch your hand out to him and wait? Does he come up to you and rub against you?

No idea what his early life was as he's a rescue. His reluctance to being handled makes me think he has been mis-handled before too, especially as he freaks out if I accidentally (rarely) shut the window so he's trapped. Maybe he had to be cage trapped to be caught and it was a bad experience. Who knows?
The vet who saw him thinks the eye problem is dated back to when he was a kitten.Maybe caught something from his mother. I posted a thread about this earlier "What's wrong with his eye?" Whatever is was, it's historical and doesn't seem to cause him any problems now.
Yes, indoors he'll come and sniff my hand if I stretch it out to him but strictly on his own terms. Outdoors he's far more confident and will come to me and instigate head rubs and pushes his head through my hand and along his body.
While I'm more than happy to have him come in for food and shelter, I have to be sensitive to Misty's feelings. Sometimes she actually seems to invite him in and they play. At other times she isn't happy, maybe fearful he's taking over her home.

 

@TriTri , oh that's good you've found a nice paste to hide the pills in, I'm all for anything that makes medicating less stressful.
Thanks for the heads up on the cashback, I wonder if they do it for Symply Pet Foods too. A discount on Canagan would be welcome.
Yes, the samples for Canagan arrived next day. She didn't like the chicken with beef, but that was no suprise as she doesn't like beef. There's tuna with crab and tuna with prawn, which I haven't tried yet as she loves tuna so don't expect any complaints about that. The other freebie was chicken with ham which she seemed to like, so I ordered a pack of 12 which have just arrived. Just offered some but got snubbed! She'd had a good turkey breakfast and a second helping later, so maybe she's not hungry yet. It's raining now so it's early siesta time for her. Will try again later.
Very impressed with delivery, and the lady who troubled to find the odd tins for me, 5 stars.
I've just had a quick look on ZP, single protein wet foods: Miamor Sensitive and Integra Protect Sensitive are worth looking at. One source protein and no animal by products. there is a chicken variety but also beef, turkey, and veal.

Hi @Cully
I've checked and sorry, there's no cashback with Symply Pet Foods. Fingers crossed Moo likes the other flavours then. I've tried Max & Tessy with Integra Protect, but they didn't want to know it. I'm reluctant to try the Miamor Sensitive as the ingredients contents don't add up to anywhere near 100%... about a third in secret ingredients?! They also include rice or pasta, I think it said. 'Just tried to order more of their favourites in Miamor Ragout Royale in jelly and they've none in stock :Arghh. Good job I have a stash . I've noticed Top Cashback offer up to £108 off of pet insurance with Bought By Many, up to £100 off another pet insurer, a definite £48 off with one pet insurer and many others. I need to insure Naughty Max some-when. Here's the link for anyone interested. The cash-backs take quite a while to come through in my and my sister's experience, but are still worth having. https://www.topcashback.co.uk/search/merchants/?s=Pet+insurance
Tessy spent the day curled up in a fleece bed on my desk, whilst I worked today (photo below or above). I gave her a Bravecto Plus flea/worming/tick treatment (drop) which lasts 3 months. (Max's turn tomorrow). Tessy due for blood tests tomorrow, but after I post out Moo & Sooties new catnip mice!!!!

Tessy has a similar looking eye problem to Sooty. Different to Elmo's which was similar. Vet thinks Tessy had a bang to her head before she came to me. Elmo was born with his.