Hey all, back again with another question about my foster fail!
Everything she bites she bites hard. The only exception seems to be when she's wrestling with my other cat and it looks like she understand how to control her bite pressure but that's about it. Normally it wouldn't be an issue, but it extends to hands with treats. I think I mentioned in my last post that she bit through a bag of treats while my hand was still in there. I've tried a few times to get her to be more gentle—ignoring her when she's mouthy and trying to grab food, giving her treats from a metal spoon instead of my hand so she can't bite down, only letting her have a treat after she's approached gently, etc. I'd be okay with just dropping treats and not letting her take them from hands, but just in case people come over and for whatever reason decide to feed her, I want to try everything before giving up.
I got her a tiny Kong toy (the one that looks like a hollow snowman) and fill it with wet food from time to time to help her get biteyness out. She managed to chew off the top within a week or so which should give you an idea of what an intense chewer she is. She enjoys it regardless and carries it around with her, chewing on it whenever she gets a chance. (I almost wonder if this is counterproductive? Associating chewing so hard with food... But she's extremely high energy and I feel like she needs to get it out somehow.)
I hide kibble around the apartment for fun every once in a while so she can track it down and get some of her energy out that way too. She's harness trained and when I'm at my relatives' (who have a backyard) she comes outside to run in the grass. She and my other cat chase each other around several times a day and she also hunts flies whenever they get in. When she's not asleep she's on the move.
I've been around and taken care of lots of cats but I've never, ever met one like her. Everything about her is intense. When she walks around, she knocks things over with her tail because she rubs up against every surface in excitement. When she decides to lie down, she just does it right there, flopping over like a dog. She's really vocal and always has something to say. She's super muscular too... While my other cat climbs up the cat tree like a squirrel, she climbs it as if she's walking, but vertically—smooth and controlled. She's such a funky little gal and I adore her quirkiness but could definitely use some help with the biting and the intensity.
Does anyone have any advice about getting her to stop biting so hard? Or any advice about helping her with her energy? When I had a dog getting his mental & physical energy out helped with so many little behavioural things and I was hoping the same might apply here lol. She's a bengal cross estimated to be around a year old if that matters. Spayed but had a litter before coming into the rescue and she'd been living with a family beforehand.
Everything she bites she bites hard. The only exception seems to be when she's wrestling with my other cat and it looks like she understand how to control her bite pressure but that's about it. Normally it wouldn't be an issue, but it extends to hands with treats. I think I mentioned in my last post that she bit through a bag of treats while my hand was still in there. I've tried a few times to get her to be more gentle—ignoring her when she's mouthy and trying to grab food, giving her treats from a metal spoon instead of my hand so she can't bite down, only letting her have a treat after she's approached gently, etc. I'd be okay with just dropping treats and not letting her take them from hands, but just in case people come over and for whatever reason decide to feed her, I want to try everything before giving up.
I got her a tiny Kong toy (the one that looks like a hollow snowman) and fill it with wet food from time to time to help her get biteyness out. She managed to chew off the top within a week or so which should give you an idea of what an intense chewer she is. She enjoys it regardless and carries it around with her, chewing on it whenever she gets a chance. (I almost wonder if this is counterproductive? Associating chewing so hard with food... But she's extremely high energy and I feel like she needs to get it out somehow.)
I hide kibble around the apartment for fun every once in a while so she can track it down and get some of her energy out that way too. She's harness trained and when I'm at my relatives' (who have a backyard) she comes outside to run in the grass. She and my other cat chase each other around several times a day and she also hunts flies whenever they get in. When she's not asleep she's on the move.
I've been around and taken care of lots of cats but I've never, ever met one like her. Everything about her is intense. When she walks around, she knocks things over with her tail because she rubs up against every surface in excitement. When she decides to lie down, she just does it right there, flopping over like a dog. She's really vocal and always has something to say. She's super muscular too... While my other cat climbs up the cat tree like a squirrel, she climbs it as if she's walking, but vertically—smooth and controlled. She's such a funky little gal and I adore her quirkiness but could definitely use some help with the biting and the intensity.
Does anyone have any advice about getting her to stop biting so hard? Or any advice about helping her with her energy? When I had a dog getting his mental & physical energy out helped with so many little behavioural things and I was hoping the same might apply here lol. She's a bengal cross estimated to be around a year old if that matters. Spayed but had a litter before coming into the rescue and she'd been living with a family beforehand.
