1 year old cat biting problem

[peanutbutter7]

Hi everyone,

I am joining what I'm sure is many biting related questions and advice seeking threads on here. I have looked through other threads, google searched, youtubed, but have not found anything that seems to describe our situation. Our cat is around 1 year and 4 months old, and she's lovely in so many ways, but she has developed a strange habit of biting my partner. This really only happens to my partner as I've maybe experienced this 2 times myself, but I have witnessed it. It's hard to pinpoint when it started because it used to happen more rarely, but now it's quite frequent. I'd guess it started around the beginning of this year, but has gotten much more frequent in the past few weeks. What happens is that she will go up to my partner and bite his legs/arms, whatever is in reach. It's not too hard and doesn't usually break skin, but there have been a few times where it's been harder and caused bleeding. Sometimes we can figure out why, like she will tend to do this more if she's hungry, but it also seems to be at random.

For example, earlier today, the three of us were sitting on the couch, and she chose to sit near my partner. After a few minutes she just decided to bite him on the arm. This is no where near feeding time, and he wasn't petting or playing with her. There isn't any other hostility towards him, like hissing, swatting, or anything, in fact we typically assume that he's her favorite because she will usually choose to sit near him.

We don't spray her or punish her because we know that doesn't work, so we usually will say "no" loudly and then get up and leave the room so she knows it's not how to get attention. However, this behavior seems to be getting more frequent, and we're not sure why this is happening and why it's just targeted at him. She did go to the vet in May for an unrelated issue and was given a clean bill of health, but I'm thinking I will take her again if this continues getting worse.

Anyone out there have experience with this or any ideas what is going on or what to do?

Thank you!!

Cat tax included

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! Pretty kitty! A few questions for clarification. How long have you had her? How long has your partner been in the picture? Any recent changes in your partner's life - new meds, job change, anything else about your partner's demeanor/scent/smell that might be affecting your cat?

To the opposite, could she be looking for additional attention from your partner?

I hope my questions elicit some ideas on what could be going on. Looking forward to hearing more!

 

[BoaztheAdventureCat]

Was your cat raised as a solitary kitten? The way cats learn to not play bite or rough house with people is by growing up with other cats. There are certain behaviors that cats can learn only from another cat, and teeth and claw restraint is one of them.

Your cat is still young. It might be a good idea for you to adopt a second cat or a pair of kittens. A pair of kittens is the most probable combination I can think of that will be able to teach your cat proper teeth and claw etiquette. Your cat can watch how the two kittens interact with each other and she can learn how to be a socially balanced cat.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Was your cat raised as a solitary kitten? The way cats learn to not play bite or rough house with people is by growing up with other cats. There are certain behaviors that cats can learn only from another cat, and teeth and claw restraint is one of them...It might be a good idea for you to adopt a second cat or a pair of kittens. A pair of kittens is the most probable combination I can think of that will be able to teach your cat proper teeth and claw etiquette. Your cat can watch how the two kittens interact with each other and she can learn how to be a socially balanced cat.

That has not been the case with any of my solitary cats, so not sure it automatically applies to all cats. Every cat is individual, so you have to deal with them accordingly.

And what prey tell do you suggest for a cat owner that doesn't want to add one, much less more, cats to their household?

 

[peanutbutter7]

Hi! Pretty kitty! A few questions for clarification. How long have you had her? How long has your partner been in the picture? Any recent changes in your partner's life - new meds, job change, anything else about your partner's demeanor/scent/smell that might be affecting your cat?

To the opposite, could she be looking for additional attention from your partner?

I hope my questions elicit some ideas on what could be going on. Looking forward to hearing more!

Thank you, we think so too! We've had her for just over a year now (June 10th was her adoptiversary!), and my partner and I adopted her together, so he's been there since day one! No new meds, no job change, although my partner's schedule is a bit wonky because he's in med school. No changes in demeanor/scent that I've noticed, but Luna's nose is definitely more powerful than mine. This is a good question though, I'll ask him if he's changed soaps or anything!

In terms of attention, it could be. I haven't noticed a change in attention from him except maybe that he's been home more since he finished his semester? Maybe just more opportunities to ask for attention through biting?

Thank you for taking the time to answer! These are good ideas!

 

[peanutbutter7]

Was your cat raised as a solitary kitten? The way cats learn to not play bite or rough house with people is by growing up with other cats. There are certain behaviors that cats can learn only from another cat, and teeth and claw restraint is one of them.

Your cat is still young. It might be a good idea for you to adopt a second cat or a pair of kittens. A pair of kittens is the most probable combination I can think of that will be able to teach your cat proper teeth and claw etiquette. Your cat can watch how the two kittens interact with each other and she can learn how to be a socially balanced cat.

We adopted her when she was around 4ish months old, and she is the only cat in our household. Unfortunately, although I'd like to, adopting another cat/a pair of kittens is out of our means currently. Someday, when we can afford vet costs for two cats, I would like to get another kitten!

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

... Maybe just more opportunities to ask for attention through biting?
...

Could it be she just wants to have more playtime?