Help! My cat bites! [edited with new pic]

[Wickerman]

We have a wonderful cat. I am not really a cat person, but this is a wonderful cat. We adopted him about 6 months ago from a shelter - he was on his 3rd stay at the shelter, having been abandoned 3 times. Why? People are idiots is all I can come up with. He is wonderful with kids, is as friendly as a lovable old dog, comes when he is called (most of the time :D), and has good litter habits. He's about 2 years old and declawed.

The only complaint is that he bites me and Mrs. Lunabush. He loves to sit on our laps if we are at the computer (shhh, he's here now.), watching TV or just sitting around. When he is excited, he bites - never the kids. Usually without provocation, though you can see it coming when he starts staring at my hand. Better than for Mrs. LB - with her, he likes to spring at her face!

How to change that behavior? Any ideas?

As a bonus I have included a pic! Ok, maybe I want to show him off a bit too. He is Siamese and declawed in front (we got him that way). The other ball of fur is Russell - he is about 5, and an Old English Sheepdog from a different shelter - no problems of note between the two - I think they think they are brother and sister.
thanks! :hi:

[terrya]

1. He's a pretty cat!

My cat, Chess, does the same thing. I've had her for 12 years now..and she STILL bites me on occasion. There are 2 chairs in front of the PC, and I'll be sitting, on the DU, and Chess will be in the other chair. I'll be petting her, and she seems content...and then suddenly she starts biting me! She'll get this look in her eyes...like "enough is enough".

I can't change her behavior. I'll swat at her and say "bad kitty!".

Beyond scolding him, I don't know how you can disabuse him of his biting. Sorry I couldn't have been of more help.

And hi! :-)

[Wickerman]

2. Thanks, I've read there isn't much to do

but DU folks always amaze me. Mostly I know to leave him alone if the tail starts switching too much, but sometimes it is what I consider "unprovoked". 12 years old, huh? thats a lot of bites :D

[terrya]

3. She bit me last night.

Same thing...right next to me at the PC...and then out of the blue...OUCH!

I also know that when her tail goes what I call "foofy", or all puffed out, that playtime is just about over.

I hope another of the great DU'ers here can give you some advice.

[aquart]

35. Please. What I gave you is just the start.

There's plenty you can do.

But just like with a human, first you eliminate all physical causes, then you look at the mental/emotional.

And patience. Endless patience.

[Don_G]

4. Mine Bites A Little

She gets bored and suddenly wants to "hunt" my hand. I don't mind too much since she's gentle about it and backs off immeadately when I say "ouch" if it gets a little rough.

[Wickerman]

7. Reese draws a little blood now and again

but nothing serious.

[PunkinPi]

5. Have you tried biting him back yet?

:evilgrin:

[Wickerman]

6. I'm am embarassed to admit that I have

:hangsheadinshame:

[aquart]

28. Good grief.

Didn't work, did it?

[Wickerman]

33. No

and it was a gentle little kinda kiss on the ear. He really is a sweet little cat. Hates to be left alone at all.

[aquart]

36. Doesn't believe you're coming back?

When I started packing a suitcase, my cat, David, would hiss and spit and refuse to talk to me. And he was always left in the company of another cat.

They know.

My cat Willie used to want me to move back into my Mom's. If I said we're going to Mom's, he'd jump in the carrier. Leaving Mom's, he had to be wrestled in.

They know.

Your cat knows people abandon him.

[SoCalDem]

8. Amber bites my nose when she gets the chance

never draws blood, but, she will nip me when she wants my undivided attention :)

I have heard that declawed cats bite more.. Is your baby declawed?? Cats are pretty smart, and will "use" whatever works :)

Gorgeous kitty :)

[Wickerman]

10. Thanks!

Yep, declawed and I think he has adapted, as you say. the nose? Yikes!

[Unforgiven]

9. Check It's Voter Registration .............

Check it's voter registration card, If there is an (R) on it, get rid of the cat. No other solution? Sorry.

[Wickerman]

13. Good idea - the two homes that gave up on him WERE Repubs!

hmmm, looking at cat with new suspicion

[NJCher]

11. let 'em bite

My question would be how quickly do you withdraw your hand when he starts to bite? It could be nothing more than a playful gesture but you wouldn't know it if you react like it's a threat.

My cat occasionally bites me. At first I quickly withdrew my hand but then my husband showed me that she wasn't even intending to bite hard. He let our kitty gnaw on his hand and it was nothing more than a play-type thing.

So now when my cat bites me I just let her. It never penetrates the skin and she quickly moves onto other cat activities, like rolling on her back, etc.

If the idea of this unnerves you, try letting him bite you while you're wearing gloves.

BTW, it is nice to know there are people like you, who will work with a cat like that. He's a goodlooking character, as is your dog.


Cher

[Wickerman]

16. Thanks Cher

he is a real memeber of the family. The kids - 5-12 (4 of 'em) love him. They fight to see who can hold him. He rarely bites too hard, and sometimes I let him stay "hooked up" then gently hold his head in my hand and tell him no. If he is particularly excited or if he surprises me are the only times I lose blood. Its my fault when he surprises me because I yank back...

[aquart]

30. The problem is the face biting.

That is not usual.

[SOteric]

12. Mostly bite your hands?

Or anywhere he can sink his little chompers...?

[Wickerman]

15. Me - hands, forearm

Mrs LB - he goes for her face - I think because its a game - she got attacked one morning and hid behind the covers after that - now he thinks its play. :eyes:

[SOteric]

17. Find some really pungent, flowery scented moisturiser

that you can rub on your hands and forearms and Mrs. LB can rub on her face.

A couple of good whiffs and a chomp or two and Mr. Kitty will give that activity a pass.

The flowery, chemical-based scents alone can do it in many cases, but if you want the cat to stop biting, he may need to get his tongue on something bitter and icky a few times before he gets the message.

I also find it really helpful to distract my cat. He loves being brushed, so when he's doing something I don't like, I pick up the brush and he starts purring and acting like a little fuzzy angel to get his brushies.

[Wickerman]

18. Oh, and Mrs LB will appreciate the new, improved scented me, too!

We do need to brush him more - I know he loves it. Great ideas.

[abelenkpe]

21. If flowery doesn't work

try some citrus scented hand creme like 'Heavy Duty Hand Creme.' (It smells like oranges) My cat Chaos hates anything that smells like oranges or lemons. Cats hate clorox as well, but that's not gonna really help your hands. Good Luck!

[aquart]

31. This cat was dumped three times.

There is psychological scarring and anger there. Don't discount it.

Not to mention that one of the dumpers mutilated him.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

14. Used to have a cat that bit, drawing blood... I finally got tired of

it and started giving her a thump with a knucle right between the eyes when she got "that" look.
She modified her behavior in a few days.

[Castilleja]

19. This might sound weird, but

maybe you could hiss at the cat a little when he goes to bite? Sometimes we do this for one of our cats who acts like that. Nothing dramatic, just a little "SSSssss", he seems to get the point, and then we talk to him and pet to make sure he doesn't go away mad. Just that we interrupt the biting or whatever bad thing he is looking to do.

[Lindacooks]

20. Some cats are just wired that way

They have a switch that flips from 'play' to 'bite' in a millisecond. When that happens, don't pull your hand away - their reflex to hold on kicks in, just as if your hand was prey. My dh and I have a couple cats who do that - screaming 'ow'!! in as high a pitch as you can usually startles them so they let go. We have one cat who was terribly abused as a baby, so she'll suddenly just bite - we've learned to keep our hands away from her, and when she's cuddling, just kiss her head.

[L.A.dweller]

22. Use to have a cat

that wouldn't let go once it got my hand. I had to pry it's jaw open and get her teeth out of me. Now she's the neighborhood slut cat and wanders about to other houses.
Cats are evil souls.

[Lady Freedom]

23. It's called "love nips"

Why they do it can vary.

[area51]

24. biting behavior in cats

One thing people can do to try to train a cat not to bite them is to get a squirt bottle & fill it with water. When the cat tries to bite, tell it "no" & give it a squirt. It's a humane way to discipline a cat.

[aquart]

25. He loves you and wants to have sex with you.

You don't say when he was fixed. Heard of stud tail? There could be more hormones left in him than there should be. If there's an incomplete neutering, for instance....this behavior could be a complication of that.

Have the vet measure his testosterone. Make sure he doesn't have an undescended testicle. Rule that out first.

If that's ruled out, get some Rescue Remedy and start rubbing where it can contact skin, like the skin of the ear...it's a calmative.

Siamese, btw, can be too intelligent for their own good. They get bored easily and testy because of it. Lots of play is needed.

The declawing may have been traumatic and he's dealing with inner rage over it. The Rescue Remedy will help with that.

Going for the face is not normal. Check the testosterone. But if it isn't that, but simply the trauma of declawing and residual pain, then the Rescue Remedy and the Tellington Touch can be really useful. That's a therapeutic touch system for animals and you can look it up on the internet.

Let me know. This is the starting point. The advice I'm giving you is from my sister who has 35 years experience with difficult or throwaway animals.

[Wickerman]

29. Great stuff - thanks!

your title kinda threw me, but I see you were serious. Its been over a year since he had that stuff done - could he still have residual pain? Mostly inner turmoil, huh?

Not hard to play with this guy, will do.

Will check the testosterone - yeah, he was fixed.

thanks again, and your sister is cool!

[aquart]

32. Yes, he can still have pain. And rage over it, besides.

Biting is frequently a result of declawing.

But there's also the inner doubt about loving you just so you can dump him later.

[Wickerman]

34. poor guy

well, that isn't going to happen - couldn't let that happen again - and he is really too great of guy. I'll keep all that in mind.

[marzipanni]

41. aquart- is Rescue Remedy a homeopathic remedy?

Does it have a calming effect, and what are its uses? I was thinking Cleita might use it for her cat, Benny, who just had to have an embroidery needle surgically removed through his ribcage, and is annoyed with his stitches. Here's her DU Lounge thread link:

http://tinyurl.com/wa3q

Thanks, m

[Wickerman]

26. Excellent ideas, folks

thanks DUers, those are some great ideas. And Mrs LB already agreed that I could use a bath. Hey, the suggestion was to put on something citrusy or flowery - wonder what she is saying?
:think:

[Melsky]

27. I yell

when my cat ollie bites me, I scream or yell OUCH, and he stops and licks me.

[jukes]

37. Help! My cat bites!

I do feral rescues, and have handled dozens of cats. Your guy's behavior isn't at all uncommon, & probably stems from insecurity. It might well bite rather than scratch because it's been declawed. As has been mentioned, w/ time & patience he might become less tempermental & give up the biting. I hope well for you both, he sounds like a sweet boy (mostly!) and you're great for giving him the chance.

A fine mist of water from a spray bottle is a good behavior-modifier for agressive cats. Keep the bottle at hand and try to time the spray as soon as he reaches for a bite. If you pre-empt often, you're faster than me! So, given their speed, immediately after is fine for trainig purposes. He'll run off in a huff & sulk some, but will probably come back & apoligise within an hour or so, after 3-4 incidences. Depending on his resolve and the depth of his insecurities, he may soon stop the biting.

Consistency is important, try to keep that bottle handy. Also, if he comes to apolgize, give him a pat and/or a treat, and LOTS of vocal praise.

Doesn't sound to butch, but I often lay on the floor w/ my wildest cats, giving them plenty of distance and exits, and sing to them. Seems to calm them, establishes a bond, and has turned around some very defensive wild cats.

Good luck to you and your new friend.

[Wickerman]

39. Great advise, thanks for taking the time to post this

and welcome to DU!

[jumptheshadow]

38. My cat looks just like your cat

Seamus is a red or flame point Siamese. He's gorgeous!

[Wickerman]

40. Ours is reported to be part flame point

I really don't know much about the breed, but he is a lot of fun!

[VOX]

42. A declawed cat is more likely to be a biter...

Its first line of defense is gone, and consequently, the cat will use its mouth and teeth much more.

I know whereof I speak -- I have a beatiful 6 year-old Bluepoint Siamese whose original owners had her declawed, and she's a biter, too (mostly "love nips.").

So, train the cat gently yet firmly, but with the knowledge that the biting behavior may be a result of the declawing.