Bitey cat

[oreo88]

My cat likes to give me little bites once in a while. He head buts me, rubs against my legs, then opens his mouth a little to bite me. I adopted him a few months ago and he's done this since the beginning.

Just this last week he started plopping down and wrapping his entire body around my leg and actually biting down and clawing up. This happens in the morning- I lock him out of the bedroom because he attacks the sheets. It actually does hurt a little more now especially if I'm wearing shorts. How do I stop this behavior and does anybody's cat do this? I don't want it to continue and have him breaking skin.

 

[gareth]

He;s a cat. He's gonna claw and bite stuff now and again

He might need more stimulation - it sounds like he is just playing. YOu'd know about it if it was actually aggression.

So you are locking him out of the bedroom at night - Where are you during the day? Is he getting enough attention?

I'm curious about the attacking the sheets business - Loki does that. I tend to take photos rather than throw him out. What's the thinking here - is he causing a lot of damage?

 

[oreo88]

Thanks. I assumed he was trying to get attention and play. The sheets and blankets thing I have no idea why he does. Towels too. I am a light sleeper and when we first got him we couldn't sleep because he would pounce and bite on our feet-never directly but at the sheets. Same thing when we're on the couch with a blanket. I put my feet up so he doesn't tunnel through and claw at my legs thinking there's something else under the blanket. Just thought it was strange.

 

[gareth]

Thanks. I assumed he was trying to get attention and play. The sheets and blankets thing I have no idea why he does. Towels too. I am a light sleeper and when we first got him we couldn't sleep because he would pounce and bite on our feet-never directly but at the sheets. Same thing when we're on the couch with a blanket. I put my feet up so he doesn't tunnel through and claw at my legs thinking there's something else under the blanket. Just thought it was strange.

Nope, perfectly normal cat playing behaviour. Loki and Mia are the most affectionate cats you could imagine, but I am stupid enough to wiggle my toes when Loki is in the right mood I have a 13 lb tomcat hanging off my big toe with teeth and claws within seconds.

 

[oreo88]

Ok, so I should not worry about this behavior? I am wearing jeans and he is just breaking the skin when he claws on to me and bites. It is starting to be quite often and not just in the mornings. His claws are quite short now so I guess i'm just worried it will get worse.

 

[detroitcatlady]

Just try to get his energy out before bed, play with him for a while before, it helps a lot. My cat Pumpkin used to attack my feet under the sheets all the time, to the point where I used to have to sleep with a heavy blanket over my legs even in the summer, but he has since grown out of this behavior. When he used to do this I would always try to give him a toy to play with instead and usually that's all he was looking for.  Some cats like to play with sheets and towels kind of aggressively. My cats always used to attack the towels in the bathroom when I would leave them hanging on the towel bar after showering, but they don't do this much anymore. When they were kittens I always had to put the towels away and not leave any out b/c they would dig their claws into them and leave a bunch of holes. Also make sure you keep his nails clipped, it will hurt less when he tries to do this.

 

[oreo88]

Thanks! I will give that a try.

 

[moayad albluwe]

My cat used to bite me when she wants to play, her bite was always gentle not hurting at all, however i didn't like that, so i wanted to make her learn that bite isn't something that humans like, so whenever she wants to bite i jump and move fast and not letting her get a grab, i also ignore her after she does that, and saying an angry "no" would help, i followed those and within a month this bad behavior went forever, now it's been more than 9 months and she didn't repeat this.
Mostly cat's fo this to get your attention, so to make them stop, you must make them feel that this doesn't work, and automatically they'll stop doing it. Make sure you don't hurt his feelings, after the "no", wait a bit of time then give him some love, but let him feel that he did something wrong.
This method as i said worked on my cat that was a feral, that i took in..
Best of luck!

 

[linawaary]

Hi! I just wanted to add a few tips I was told about a nippy cat. 

If he starts to bite your hand what you should do is allow your hand to go limp (as if it has died) and put it behind your back and walk away a bit. You don't really have to wait long but come back with a toy (maybe something like Da Bird) and engage him in play and afterwards give him a treat. This way he associates hands with boring and toys with fun. It may take a while (especially if he is an older cat), but eventually he will get the message!
A lot of only cats that live in a home alone tend to bite a lot. It isn't typically meant to be mean. Usually cats who have other cats in the house hold will bite the other cat and that cat will walk away and be upset. They learn that biting is not fun for them and learn not to bite. Only cats don't have this opportunity to learn. 

I hope maybe this helps a little (:

I volunteer at an animal shelter and this what we are supposed to do if a cat begins to bite so maybe it could work for you! Best of luck