Is there an age when a kitten may outgrow biting?
May 23, 2015 12:42 PM Subscribe
I would like to hear from people who have had a kitten that bit past a few weeks of age and outgrew it, or never did outgrow it.
Our 7 month old kitten was found outside at around 6 weeks old and therefore missed out on some kitty socialization from his mama and siblings. He bites us (myself, husband and preteen child) regularly, sometimes drawing blood. More details below.
I believe we are doing all the “right” things to prevent biting and react when he does bite (playtimes to tire him out, watching his body language, never using body parts for play, temporarily putting him in another room if he does bite so he can calm down). Spray bottles made him more aggressive. If you sprayed him after a bite, he would bear down, his pupils would dilate, and he would bite again, this time much harder.
He’s getting better, three months ago I would say he was drawing blood multiple times a day. He is still biting on a daily basis though, and sometimes drawing blood (we are careful about cleaning wounds and monitoring for infection). Oftentimes the bites are unprovoked, my child will be reading a book and the kitten will bite his head(!), back or arm. I will be walking across the room and the cat will bite my ankles (which can be normal for cats), but other times I am sitting in a chair doing an activity and will receive a hard bite on the shoulder. After a hard bite kitty will either run off, or give me another hard bite.
He is quite cuddly with me at times and adorably follows me around the house, but my husband and child cannot pet him without being bitten, so they mostly leave him alone, maybe play a bit by throwing toys for him to chase.
If there is a good chance the kitten will outgrow this? I love the cat a lot, and his chances at finding a new home would not be good as a cat who bites people. It will break my heart, but as a parent I might have to accept this cat is not suited to a home with children if the cat is biting unprovoked (there is no tail-pulling or roughhousing or anything like that). I also feel badly that my son, who really likes cats, can't pet his own kitten.
Our vet is aware of the situation, and kitten will be neutered next month. Getting another kitten to keep him company is not an option. We live in a city, so he cannot be an outdoor-only cat.
Currently when younger children are visiting kitty is placed in a room with the door shut, but a friend and her toddler are staying with us for a few days this summer, and I am not sure what to do as I suspect kitty might also bite a young child. I could try to board the cat, but will have to see if boarders will take a cat that bites. All my friends have kids, so they can’t keep him for the visit. I might have to try to keep him confined to a room for the visit. I would love to hear any other ideas for this visit if there are other options I haven't thought of.
Thanks so much in advance.
I believe we are doing all the “right” things to prevent biting and react when he does bite (playtimes to tire him out, watching his body language, never using body parts for play, temporarily putting him in another room if he does bite so he can calm down). Spray bottles made him more aggressive. If you sprayed him after a bite, he would bear down, his pupils would dilate, and he would bite again, this time much harder.
He’s getting better, three months ago I would say he was drawing blood multiple times a day. He is still biting on a daily basis though, and sometimes drawing blood (we are careful about cleaning wounds and monitoring for infection). Oftentimes the bites are unprovoked, my child will be reading a book and the kitten will bite his head(!), back or arm. I will be walking across the room and the cat will bite my ankles (which can be normal for cats), but other times I am sitting in a chair doing an activity and will receive a hard bite on the shoulder. After a hard bite kitty will either run off, or give me another hard bite.
He is quite cuddly with me at times and adorably follows me around the house, but my husband and child cannot pet him without being bitten, so they mostly leave him alone, maybe play a bit by throwing toys for him to chase.
If there is a good chance the kitten will outgrow this? I love the cat a lot, and his chances at finding a new home would not be good as a cat who bites people. It will break my heart, but as a parent I might have to accept this cat is not suited to a home with children if the cat is biting unprovoked (there is no tail-pulling or roughhousing or anything like that). I also feel badly that my son, who really likes cats, can't pet his own kitten.
Our vet is aware of the situation, and kitten will be neutered next month. Getting another kitten to keep him company is not an option. We live in a city, so he cannot be an outdoor-only cat.
Currently when younger children are visiting kitty is placed in a room with the door shut, but a friend and her toddler are staying with us for a few days this summer, and I am not sure what to do as I suspect kitty might also bite a young child. I could try to board the cat, but will have to see if boarders will take a cat that bites. All my friends have kids, so they can’t keep him for the visit. I might have to try to keep him confined to a room for the visit. I would love to hear any other ideas for this visit if there are other options I haven't thought of.
Thanks so much in advance.
Our vet is aware of the situation, and kitten will be neutered next month.
8 months? Wow. Okay, it used to be common to wait until six months, which was ridiculous, but 8 months is totally unnecessary, and I'm not wholly surprised you're having behavioral issues. I've seen places now doing it as early as 8 weeks, and my most recent kitten several years ago was spayed at twelve weeks. Aggression from an unneutered male is going to be very difficult to control. Doing this earlier would have improved the chances, but neutering should still help a lot. I think you should move up this appointment unless by "next month" you mean "a week from Monday".
posted by Sequence at 12:50 PM on May 23, 2015 [4 favorites]
8 months? Wow. Okay, it used to be common to wait until six months, which was ridiculous, but 8 months is totally unnecessary, and I'm not wholly surprised you're having behavioral issues. I've seen places now doing it as early as 8 weeks, and my most recent kitten several years ago was spayed at twelve weeks. Aggression from an unneutered male is going to be very difficult to control. Doing this earlier would have improved the chances, but neutering should still help a lot. I think you should move up this appointment unless by "next month" you mean "a week from Monday".
posted by Sequence at 12:50 PM on May 23, 2015 [4 favorites]
Our kitten was not feral. But she started out biting -- and 13 years later, she is still a biter. Hard enough to draw blood.
posted by np312 at 12:51 PM on May 23, 2015
posted by np312 at 12:51 PM on May 23, 2015
Squeak when the kitten bites. This is how kittens socialize each other, and I have seen it work on older cats.
A kitten rescued at 6 weeks old is not feral :) They are very socializable at that age.
It does sound like he's really, really, crazy (literally crazy) bored. I know this will sound insane, but you might really do better with an additional kitten -- the second kitten will play with, run with, and socialize the first.
posted by amtho at 12:51 PM on May 23, 2015 [4 favorites]
A kitten rescued at 6 weeks old is not feral :) They are very socializable at that age.
It does sound like he's really, really, crazy (literally crazy) bored. I know this will sound insane, but you might really do better with an additional kitten -- the second kitten will play with, run with, and socialize the first.
posted by amtho at 12:51 PM on May 23, 2015 [4 favorites]
Everybody who plays with the kitten should squeak when he plays too roughly. That's your best chance of getting him to stop. The young child should be especially good at it.
posted by amtho at 12:53 PM on May 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by amtho at 12:53 PM on May 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
My Digby is a biter too; tried to sleep in today and was awoken by nibbles on my hand because THE BELLY MUST BE FED. Similar situation in that he was lacking that kitty socialization with his siblings. One thing that helps is that I really make a point of playing with him a few times a day - he loves chasing the red dot or playing with his green fish string or his catnip cigar. That gives him attention and burns off some energy. I always like to reward him with a few Temptations treats after we play a chasing kind of game - like he got to eat what he was chasing.
I am also careful to not over-stimulate him when we are not playing. He will let me pet him, but if he rolls over on his back and bares his stomach - its a trap and those who fall for it will be rewarded with scratches and bites. I read an article somewhere that said that cats think of us as just bigger cats, so when he does get rough with me I actually hiss at him like a mama cat and he scampers away pretty quickly. I find his eyes are a good judge of his mood- if the pupils are huge, stay clear. Hope some of that helps.
posted by NoraCharles at 1:09 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
I am also careful to not over-stimulate him when we are not playing. He will let me pet him, but if he rolls over on his back and bares his stomach - its a trap and those who fall for it will be rewarded with scratches and bites. I read an article somewhere that said that cats think of us as just bigger cats, so when he does get rough with me I actually hiss at him like a mama cat and he scampers away pretty quickly. I find his eyes are a good judge of his mood- if the pupils are huge, stay clear. Hope some of that helps.
posted by NoraCharles at 1:09 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
The squeaking will help, as will watching very carefully for overstimulation - you really want to stop before he gets to the biting part, not as soon as it starts. But also, 8 month old kittens are 15-year-old teenagers and they're just sort of awful and boundary-pushing and checking things out to see if they're a bigger badder cat than you are. Push back, and know that chilling out will come in the next 6-8 months.
The last kittens I had were fixed at maybe 3 months, don't wait unless there's a medical reason.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:16 PM on May 23, 2015
The last kittens I had were fixed at maybe 3 months, don't wait unless there's a medical reason.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:16 PM on May 23, 2015
Seconding the squeaking. One of our cats bites sometimes, they're love bites but they can hurt. If he does that, I'll go 'Owowowo' (a crying/whimpering noise) and he will stop immediately. He will then often give the spot a quick lick as if to say sorry.
And this is a traumatised, badly socialised cat I'm talking about.
posted by Too-Ticky at 1:17 PM on May 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
And this is a traumatised, badly socialised cat I'm talking about.
posted by Too-Ticky at 1:17 PM on May 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
Oh also: toys for biting. The Yeowww Catnip Banana (accept no substitutes for its taut canvas self) is _the best_, all cats love to bite it and/or nuzzle it and/or carry it around.
posted by amtho at 1:19 PM on May 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by amtho at 1:19 PM on May 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
The cat sounds incredibly bored. These biting attacks make me think the cat is attempting to play with you, especially when it immediately runs off. That isn't "I know I done wrong" behavior, it is "chase me! lets have fun!"
So play with the cat until it's very tired. Then sit down by it. Put out a hand just kind of close but not touching it. Eventually pet the cat. Repeat.
If this works, always watch the tail and eyes. If the tail starts twitching a lot or even bushes out, stop. If the eyes dilate, stop.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 1:20 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
So play with the cat until it's very tired. Then sit down by it. Put out a hand just kind of close but not touching it. Eventually pet the cat. Repeat.
If this works, always watch the tail and eyes. If the tail starts twitching a lot or even bushes out, stop. If the eyes dilate, stop.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 1:20 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Here's Four Tips for Handling the Kitten Crazies from Catster - this seems solid.
It sounds like you're already doing a lot right, and that's a really good start. Given that, trying a few more things is probably worthwhile.
posted by amtho at 1:26 PM on May 23, 2015
It sounds like you're already doing a lot right, and that's a really good start. Given that, trying a few more things is probably worthwhile.
posted by amtho at 1:26 PM on May 23, 2015
Best answer: If the kitten was taken from its mom and litter mates before 7 weeks of age, there is not much you can do. It didn't get the socialization that comes with play and Mom's discipline. I rescued a three or four week old kitten that was abandoned in our building hallways, then spent days asking neighbors if their cats had any fresh litters that might adopt it. Luckily a friend adopted the kitten. As it grew it never learned to "play" fight and retract its claws or bite mildly, was hyperactive, unsocial, and disruptive. Friend took it to her Mom's place in the country. It bolted out the car door on arrival, lit across a field at full speed, and was never seen again, although not long after some feral kittens looking just like her were seen around the farm.
posted by zaelic at 2:18 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by zaelic at 2:18 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Okay, perhaps I can hope you.
A neighbourhood cat recently moved in with us. We don't know his exact age but we know he is a young adult, say 1-2 years old.
He is very affectionate, but very boisterous in general. The most serious problem we have had with him is his biting, which has improved within the last few weeks, so much so that I haven't had more than a near-nip in several weeks. Okay, he lightly breached the skin of my knuckles two days ago, but I was manhandling him away from a fight at the time, so he was provoked.
However, when he first moved in, he was *forceful* - he sank his teeth in really hard, wouldn't let go, the bite got infected and needed antibiotics. And then he *kept* doing that. It was always in play or overexcitement, never aggressive - we weren't worried that he was a cat of bad character or anything. He apparently just hadn't learned better.
What we did was be absolutely consistent. Besides trying to anticipate and avoid situations where he might get bitey, if he did bite us we consistently put him outside. Since his biggest reward in life to date had been moving in with us, outside was where he didn't want to be put by us (as opposed to, like, going outside of his own accord).
Timing is crucial, too - a timeout has to last for at least 15 minutes before reconciliation, but then not too much longer. Before 15 minutes, he might get confused and think he's being rewarded for misbehaving. Longer than 15 minutes, and he won't remember what the issue was in the first place.
Mostly I pick him up with my hands, but if that doesn't suit, there was a yardstick nearby which I used as a shepherd's crook. I hope it goes without saying that I would NEVER hit my cat nor threaten to, the stick is simply for pointing, guiding and leading and he does cooperate, however reluctantly.
Sometimes I go HISSSSS at him. I might even follow that up with a NO and a tap on the nose; the tap on the nose is the closest anyone should ever get to hitting their cat.
The only trick is to be absolutely 100% consistent with these responses. If he bites, he has to go outside, end of story. I have even suspected him of biting when he's indecisive about going out or staying in and wants me to force the issue. I realize that 100% consistency may be hard to get your kids to maintain, but it's important, because cat bites are dangerous.
There is a Feliway diffuser plugged in on each storey of the house.
I'm especially careful to make sure his litter tray is clean (changing the litter every other day) because if it's not just how he likes it, that's the one thing that makes him terribly upset and agitated.
He was neutered, but relatively late (I won't have full access to his records until I print the form thingy to mail to the microchip company). This supposedly explains a lot of his behaviour problems.
He is very affectionate, but in the manner of an actual toddler. He's like I LOVE YOU MOMMY I AM LOVE DO YOU LOVE ME TOO MOMMY? but he also pees on important papers and electronic equipment, tries to jump out of windows (no joke, I've got window restrictors fitted because of him), fights with his siblings, cavorts around climbing things and yelling, wakes me up in the middle of the night wanting to go potty (i.e. be let outside), says 'no' for no discernible reason other than that he can, and generally acts high-maintenance. In the car on the way to the vet, he literally broke open his cage (shattered one of the panels) in a bid for escape. The time he interrupted an important board meeting over Skype by busting into my room with a pigeon in his mouth. The mouse he brought into the house this morning because it was more comfortable than hunting in the rain. The mouse was dead, thank God, because he was having a great time tossing it over a table leg, retrieving it from the other side, tossing it over the other table leg, retrieving it from that side... I mean what do you want me to tell you, it's been a tough week.
posted by tel3path at 3:49 PM on May 23, 2015 [4 favorites]
A neighbourhood cat recently moved in with us. We don't know his exact age but we know he is a young adult, say 1-2 years old.
He is very affectionate, but very boisterous in general. The most serious problem we have had with him is his biting, which has improved within the last few weeks, so much so that I haven't had more than a near-nip in several weeks. Okay, he lightly breached the skin of my knuckles two days ago, but I was manhandling him away from a fight at the time, so he was provoked.
However, when he first moved in, he was *forceful* - he sank his teeth in really hard, wouldn't let go, the bite got infected and needed antibiotics. And then he *kept* doing that. It was always in play or overexcitement, never aggressive - we weren't worried that he was a cat of bad character or anything. He apparently just hadn't learned better.
What we did was be absolutely consistent. Besides trying to anticipate and avoid situations where he might get bitey, if he did bite us we consistently put him outside. Since his biggest reward in life to date had been moving in with us, outside was where he didn't want to be put by us (as opposed to, like, going outside of his own accord).
Timing is crucial, too - a timeout has to last for at least 15 minutes before reconciliation, but then not too much longer. Before 15 minutes, he might get confused and think he's being rewarded for misbehaving. Longer than 15 minutes, and he won't remember what the issue was in the first place.
Mostly I pick him up with my hands, but if that doesn't suit, there was a yardstick nearby which I used as a shepherd's crook. I hope it goes without saying that I would NEVER hit my cat nor threaten to, the stick is simply for pointing, guiding and leading and he does cooperate, however reluctantly.
Sometimes I go HISSSSS at him. I might even follow that up with a NO and a tap on the nose; the tap on the nose is the closest anyone should ever get to hitting their cat.
The only trick is to be absolutely 100% consistent with these responses. If he bites, he has to go outside, end of story. I have even suspected him of biting when he's indecisive about going out or staying in and wants me to force the issue. I realize that 100% consistency may be hard to get your kids to maintain, but it's important, because cat bites are dangerous.
There is a Feliway diffuser plugged in on each storey of the house.
I'm especially careful to make sure his litter tray is clean (changing the litter every other day) because if it's not just how he likes it, that's the one thing that makes him terribly upset and agitated.
He was neutered, but relatively late (I won't have full access to his records until I print the form thingy to mail to the microchip company). This supposedly explains a lot of his behaviour problems.
He is very affectionate, but in the manner of an actual toddler. He's like I LOVE YOU MOMMY I AM LOVE DO YOU LOVE ME TOO MOMMY? but he also pees on important papers and electronic equipment, tries to jump out of windows (no joke, I've got window restrictors fitted because of him), fights with his siblings, cavorts around climbing things and yelling, wakes me up in the middle of the night wanting to go potty (i.e. be let outside), says 'no' for no discernible reason other than that he can, and generally acts high-maintenance. In the car on the way to the vet, he literally broke open his cage (shattered one of the panels) in a bid for escape. The time he interrupted an important board meeting over Skype by busting into my room with a pigeon in his mouth. The mouse he brought into the house this morning because it was more comfortable than hunting in the rain. The mouse was dead, thank God, because he was having a great time tossing it over a table leg, retrieving it from the other side, tossing it over the other table leg, retrieving it from that side... I mean what do you want me to tell you, it's been a tough week.
posted by tel3path at 3:49 PM on May 23, 2015 [4 favorites]
Our cat was completely feral when he adopted us. He would bite, hard, and hang on. We tried all the above suggestions, nothing worked. He was not lonely (two other mellow cats) and not bored. Finally my son suggested YELLING, very very loud when he got aggressive, particularly any movement towards biting. I mean Top of the Lungs, NO NO NO.
Worked like magic. I have no idea if it will work for you, but it turned a confused feral kitten into a wonderful companion. Still have to watch out for the roll over and pet my stomach invitation, trouble ahead there. But I discovered that the neighbor with two small kids had discovered that, and they named him Mr. Grumpy, and just said hi to him on their walks and he went walking with them, with no petting.
Extra note: he developed a habit of walking just ahead of us, getting underfoot. I'm extremely wary of falling because of medical issues, so I started saying, in a LOUD voice, "Walking Walking" and swinging my feet ahead of me, not kicking him but solidly bumping him. Now it only takes one "Walking" and he moves over.
posted by kestralwing at 5:07 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Worked like magic. I have no idea if it will work for you, but it turned a confused feral kitten into a wonderful companion. Still have to watch out for the roll over and pet my stomach invitation, trouble ahead there. But I discovered that the neighbor with two small kids had discovered that, and they named him Mr. Grumpy, and just said hi to him on their walks and he went walking with them, with no petting.
Extra note: he developed a habit of walking just ahead of us, getting underfoot. I'm extremely wary of falling because of medical issues, so I started saying, in a LOUD voice, "Walking Walking" and swinging my feet ahead of me, not kicking him but solidly bumping him. Now it only takes one "Walking" and he moves over.
posted by kestralwing at 5:07 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Hmm, kind of a wild suggestion, but kittens can be teething up until they are a year old. Do you feed him soft food only? I'm wondering if he gets crunchies and constantly has a sore mouth.
posted by oneirodynia at 9:21 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by oneirodynia at 9:21 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: You have a feral cat, it was probably born of a feral cat, it's acting like a feral cat, and you're not going to change it now. I don't think you're being fair to the humans in your household to keep it around. It's most definitely not fair to any visitor.
This is not a feral cat. A feral cat will not associate with people at all, they will run and hide if confronted, and then outright attack if cornered. The fact your cat likes to be cuddly sometimes alone means this cat is not feral. It sounds like this guy is associating biting with playtime and stimulation.
First: I haven't heard of the squeaking thing, but I have heard of blowing in their face. So perhaps one or the other, whichever he responds to, but follow it up immediately with a time-out. I wouldn't put him outside, as he may find outside to be fun-stimulation-party-times and that could encourage biting. Put him in a room by himself, preferably wherever his litterbox is and with some water. He needs to realize that biting leads means playtime is over. This needs to be done even when you're not consciously playing with him, like when he randomly bites your son or husband or attacks your ankles. I agree with tel3path--15 minutes is about the sweet spot.
Second: He may just need more playtime. Like multiple sessions a day with Da Bird or something similar that leave him panting on the floor. And more stimulation: Are there window seats and areas where he can look out the window and get stimulation? Have you thought about buying him a harness and taking him on walks? I hook my cats up in a secure harness with a long lead while I'm in my garden. They love it and are less nutso and bored when I bring them in.
Third: I suggest all of you together watch many episodes of My Cat From Hell, especially ones that involve biting cats. Not because you guys may be doing something specifically wrong, but just because there is a ton of good advice packed in there and watching it as a family will get you all on the same page and may give ideas. It will also help reinforce the idea that the cat isn't bad, you guys are just having communication problems.
posted by Anonymous at 10:34 PM on May 23, 2015
This is not a feral cat. A feral cat will not associate with people at all, they will run and hide if confronted, and then outright attack if cornered. The fact your cat likes to be cuddly sometimes alone means this cat is not feral. It sounds like this guy is associating biting with playtime and stimulation.
First: I haven't heard of the squeaking thing, but I have heard of blowing in their face. So perhaps one or the other, whichever he responds to, but follow it up immediately with a time-out. I wouldn't put him outside, as he may find outside to be fun-stimulation-party-times and that could encourage biting. Put him in a room by himself, preferably wherever his litterbox is and with some water. He needs to realize that biting leads means playtime is over. This needs to be done even when you're not consciously playing with him, like when he randomly bites your son or husband or attacks your ankles. I agree with tel3path--15 minutes is about the sweet spot.
Second: He may just need more playtime. Like multiple sessions a day with Da Bird or something similar that leave him panting on the floor. And more stimulation: Are there window seats and areas where he can look out the window and get stimulation? Have you thought about buying him a harness and taking him on walks? I hook my cats up in a secure harness with a long lead while I'm in my garden. They love it and are less nutso and bored when I bring them in.
Third: I suggest all of you together watch many episodes of My Cat From Hell, especially ones that involve biting cats. Not because you guys may be doing something specifically wrong, but just because there is a ton of good advice packed in there and watching it as a family will get you all on the same page and may give ideas. It will also help reinforce the idea that the cat isn't bad, you guys are just having communication problems.
posted by Anonymous at 10:34 PM on May 23, 2015
For full disclosure, I must admit: this morning, when the cat did his usual waking me up routine, I said "good morning you little fucker" and reached out to pet him. He immediately chomped into my hand.
So I picked him up and carried him outside, and he kept up a roaring purr the whole time. Hey, outside was where he wanted to be, and he knows the rules: you bite, you go outside. Mommy will always forgive him and let him back in. (He had several home situations that didn't stick, through no fault of his own, prior to moving in with us.)
But looking at my hand now, I can't even see where the bite was. Even with this setback, he shows improvement.
Also: he had a bad past home life. It occurs to me that he may hate swearing.
posted by tel3path at 12:50 AM on May 24, 2015
So I picked him up and carried him outside, and he kept up a roaring purr the whole time. Hey, outside was where he wanted to be, and he knows the rules: you bite, you go outside. Mommy will always forgive him and let him back in. (He had several home situations that didn't stick, through no fault of his own, prior to moving in with us.)
But looking at my hand now, I can't even see where the bite was. Even with this setback, he shows improvement.
Also: he had a bad past home life. It occurs to me that he may hate swearing.
posted by tel3path at 12:50 AM on May 24, 2015
amtho, thanks so much for posting the catnip banana link! I bought one in a store several years ago and have not been able to find more since, and it is the favorite catnip toy of my two older kitties. I just ordered two more.
To the original poster, there is so much good advice here, and please keep your kitty, it will get better. I grew up with many cats, so did my kids, we all survived, even biters. Kittens grow up just like kids do.
posted by mermayd at 2:35 AM on May 24, 2015
To the original poster, there is so much good advice here, and please keep your kitty, it will get better. I grew up with many cats, so did my kids, we all survived, even biters. Kittens grow up just like kids do.
posted by mermayd at 2:35 AM on May 24, 2015
I found my current cat as a stray, and we think only a few months old at the time. While generally friendly, she did engage in some biting/hissing that I was not fond of. Whenever she would start doing those things (usually while being petted), I would immediately leave the room and close the door on her.
Nowadays (only some months later), there is absolutely no hissing, and the biting that does occur is "play biting" and is clearly not intended to hurt anyone. Over time it was easy to tell that she began to restrain herself in a lot of ways (retracting her claws, biting using less pressure). It takes time because she has to learn the cause & effect thing. If she ticks me off, she gets put in the bedroom to be alone, so that's the end of playtime. She's really just trying to play all the time and is good-natured in every way so it's easy to forgive getting scratched/lightly bitten. I actually often let her just grab onto my arm with her claws and hold it there. She sometimes drifts off to sleep like that. She loves other cats and especially loves my dog.
For what it's worth: as I said, she has her claws, lives with a dog, eats wet food and dry food. She has the run of the house but is strictly an indoor cat now.
posted by blixapuff at 9:39 AM on May 24, 2015
Nowadays (only some months later), there is absolutely no hissing, and the biting that does occur is "play biting" and is clearly not intended to hurt anyone. Over time it was easy to tell that she began to restrain herself in a lot of ways (retracting her claws, biting using less pressure). It takes time because she has to learn the cause & effect thing. If she ticks me off, she gets put in the bedroom to be alone, so that's the end of playtime. She's really just trying to play all the time and is good-natured in every way so it's easy to forgive getting scratched/lightly bitten. I actually often let her just grab onto my arm with her claws and hold it there. She sometimes drifts off to sleep like that. She loves other cats and especially loves my dog.
For what it's worth: as I said, she has her claws, lives with a dog, eats wet food and dry food. She has the run of the house but is strictly an indoor cat now.
posted by blixapuff at 9:39 AM on May 24, 2015
Our first cat stopped most of his biting when we got him a playmate kitty, and when I made the habit of finger flicking (form a tight "okay" sign with your middle finger on your thumb and then release the middle finger suddenly) him every time he bit me. A solid thump on his 'tocks was startling and he would run off. Now he only gives the gentlest of nips when he wants pets, and for those I mostly push him away and give him pets later.
posted by Mo Nickels at 1:38 PM on May 26, 2015
posted by Mo Nickels at 1:38 PM on May 26, 2015
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posted by fingersandtoes at 12:49 PM on May 23, 2015