Hi everyone. I just found this website on a Google search and I am hoping you can help. I'm at my wits end with my cat. Here is his backstory:
I adopted him in July 2019 after finding him outside under my mom's shed. He was very comfortable with humans, approached me, my mom, and my 7 year old brother very quickly, and after a few weeks of socialization I took him to the vet and brought him inside. He was already neutered when we found him, and the vet said he is about 2 years old. He did not have a microchip and we don't know his background, he just showed up.
At first he was very sweet. He purred whenever he saw me and snuggled right up to me. He stayed in the finished basement of my mom's house until he could move in with me a few weeks later. I visited often, and she went down multiple times a day to feed him and play with him. He took to the litterbox immediately (has never had an accident). He seemed comfortable around humans, as if he had been in a house before and been abandoned. It all seemed great. My mom said he would occasionally nip her ankles, but she attributed it to him being lonely.
Fast forward to a while after he moved in with me. He developed the bad habit of scratching my fabric cube organizers. It bothered me, but what are you gonna do? I got him multiple scratching areas (a flat cardboard, carpeted post, and a hanging scratcher) and I also allow him to scratch on my rug (it's cheap carpet), but he has ruined those organizers now even though I try to stop him. He also will take his paw and paw/scratch the sides of my drawers, which I think is his way of telling me he wants treats or food. I try to ignore both of these, but they bother me. But here is the real reason I am coming here. He bites me and does not let go. At first he would nip my ankles a bit and I thought that was normal. But then he started hiding under my bed and pouncing out to bite my legs. It has slowly gotten more aggressive. He will bite my leg or arm and not let go, leaving marks and even making me bleed and cry. Today he bit me and I was trying to show him with body language that he hurt me (people online said writhe around, pull away, etc), and he pounced onto my head.
I am at my wits end. I am in college and I live in one room with him. I know it is not ideal, but I didn't want to give him to a shelter and he has a ton of toys and things to scratch. When he's in a good mood, he will purr and snuggle me. He still rubs all over my legs and follows me around when I get home. It doesn't seem like he hates me. But he hurts me really badly. I have tried scruffing him, saying NO, pointing my finger in his face, using body language to show I'm hurt, saying OW, redirecting him to toys/scratching posts, and finally resorted to spraying him with the water bottle (which stops the behavior initially but he goes right back after a moment). I do not know where to turn. I love him so much but I can't handle being terrified to walk around in my own room because I'm scared he'll hurt me. I can't even change my clothes without running from him a lot of the time (he gets worse when he sees my bare skin usually, but does it regardless of if I have clothes on or not).
Have any of you experienced something like this? What should I do? I personally do not want to declaw him, but how do I show him where he can and can't scratch? And how do I stop him from biting and attacking me?
I adopted him in July 2019 after finding him outside under my mom's shed. He was very comfortable with humans, approached me, my mom, and my 7 year old brother very quickly, and after a few weeks of socialization I took him to the vet and brought him inside. He was already neutered when we found him, and the vet said he is about 2 years old. He did not have a microchip and we don't know his background, he just showed up.
At first he was very sweet. He purred whenever he saw me and snuggled right up to me. He stayed in the finished basement of my mom's house until he could move in with me a few weeks later. I visited often, and she went down multiple times a day to feed him and play with him. He took to the litterbox immediately (has never had an accident). He seemed comfortable around humans, as if he had been in a house before and been abandoned. It all seemed great. My mom said he would occasionally nip her ankles, but she attributed it to him being lonely.
Fast forward to a while after he moved in with me. He developed the bad habit of scratching my fabric cube organizers. It bothered me, but what are you gonna do? I got him multiple scratching areas (a flat cardboard, carpeted post, and a hanging scratcher) and I also allow him to scratch on my rug (it's cheap carpet), but he has ruined those organizers now even though I try to stop him. He also will take his paw and paw/scratch the sides of my drawers, which I think is his way of telling me he wants treats or food. I try to ignore both of these, but they bother me. But here is the real reason I am coming here. He bites me and does not let go. At first he would nip my ankles a bit and I thought that was normal. But then he started hiding under my bed and pouncing out to bite my legs. It has slowly gotten more aggressive. He will bite my leg or arm and not let go, leaving marks and even making me bleed and cry. Today he bit me and I was trying to show him with body language that he hurt me (people online said writhe around, pull away, etc), and he pounced onto my head.
I am at my wits end. I am in college and I live in one room with him. I know it is not ideal, but I didn't want to give him to a shelter and he has a ton of toys and things to scratch. When he's in a good mood, he will purr and snuggle me. He still rubs all over my legs and follows me around when I get home. It doesn't seem like he hates me. But he hurts me really badly. I have tried scruffing him, saying NO, pointing my finger in his face, using body language to show I'm hurt, saying OW, redirecting him to toys/scratching posts, and finally resorted to spraying him with the water bottle (which stops the behavior initially but he goes right back after a moment). I do not know where to turn. I love him so much but I can't handle being terrified to walk around in my own room because I'm scared he'll hurt me. I can't even change my clothes without running from him a lot of the time (he gets worse when he sees my bare skin usually, but does it regardless of if I have clothes on or not).
Have any of you experienced something like this? What should I do? I personally do not want to declaw him, but how do I show him where he can and can't scratch? And how do I stop him from biting and attacking me?