Cat Biting

My cat just turned one year old. For the past few months his biting has become a pretty serious issue, drawing blood on my hands and arms multiple times (usually with some scratches too). These bites seem to come from absolutely nowhere--he will be purring on my lap and then bite my hand, regardless of whether I'm petting him or not. I have tried everything the internet and my vet has offered--more playtime, time outs, spraying with water, etc. He does not do this to my fiancee, just me (I am male, if that means anything). Any suggestions? It's getting a little old having to bandage my hand every few days...

Welcome to TCS! I'm glad you joined the site and came here for support. There are several good Articles which may be helpful for you. Please take a look:
How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats
Cat Aggression Toward People

Please keep us posted on your cat's progress too.

The key to finding a successful approach to the stop the biting is to first find the reason(s) for the biting. And, there is always a reason (or two, or three). What is behind the biting then gives you the opportunity to determine the best course of action to deterring it. In addition to the above articles, consider these possible causes as well:

For example, Feeby (14+ yo) can be by my side getting pets and purring, and then boom - she nips me (she doesn't bite hard after all these years). In her case, the petting has 1.) overstimulated her or 2.) she no longer wants to be petted in that particular spot, and she is letting me know. In this situation, I am not going to discipline her, I merely take my hand away and tell her we are done for the moment.

Btw, I - not my husband - receives the brux of the above biting behavior. But, Feeby is a lot closer to me than my husband. So, while you might think the opposite, you might be on the receiving end of most of the biting behavior because your guy is actually closer to you than your fiancée.

There are also certain actions that can cause biting, such as when you say you are not petting him and he is purring, but he then bites you anyway. In this scenario, it might be a motion that you have made with your hand, having no idea that it would mean anything to him, but it does. Such as - not reaching over the top of your cat's head - some cats find this threatening or startling. See if this 'over-the-head' approach might correlate with what you think seems like “out of nowhere” biting. This is also a case where you don't discipline, you move your hand away from him - and, over time you learn to change the way you make movements around him that are somehow bothersome to him.

As I said, how to stop the biting all depends on the reason behind the biting. Playful aggression and other related biting events can be handled with a consistently applied discipline as discussed in the articles that neely provided.

Not to mention, time - some of this will decrease as your little guy ages/matures.

it sounds like a case of overstimulation. Some cats have a limit on how much stroking/petting they can take and lash out. Even moving while they are on your lap can bring it about. Watch for dilated eyes, puffed fur, low growls and stiffening. My Chrissy's limit was two pets! To check for this stroke him once and quit. Then a while later, two strokes and quit. Do this by increasing the number far apart in time, and you will find out.
If you think it might be from too rough of play when he was young, and now he is bigger and his 'play' is too rough, every time he does it, take him by the skin on the back of his neck and hold him still for a few minutes saying NO loudly and firmly, EVERY TIME. This is punishment he will understand because that is what his mom would do.
You might just ignore him too and see if he approaches YOU. He might be more acceptable to pets if he intiates it.
I take it he is neutered? If not, this increase in aggression is very common in unneutered cats. Neutering would calm him. Toms may see men as more of a threat than women.

Body language can tell you a lot. If you watch your cat, you'll probably be able to notice some trigger body language that shows up before your cat bites you.

It does sound like overstimulation is the issue, but if your cat also is biting you out of the blue, it may be something else ( or in addition to. A cat can absolutely be prone to overstimulation and have another issue as well.) Redirected aggression is the most likely, so if, for example there is a loud sound before the bite that may be it.

Finally, if all else fails, you could talk to your vet about behavioral medication like "kitty prozac", to see if your vet feels it might be an appropriate option for your cat. It isn't the first thing to try, but when you're being injured on a regular basis, and have run out of options, it beats the alternative.

Agree this sounds like overstimulation biting. Pay attention to his tail. Petting a cat is like putting energy into him, and sometimes that has to have an outlet. If you watch, the tail will start to move a bit at the tip. By the time it has started thumping, watch out. And yes, this can happen while purring. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t like you, it’s just a reaction. My cat is very prone to being overstimulated and I have to watch it.

Also make sure that you are releasing all that energy through playtime, making sure not to play with your hands.