Cat Has Bit Me His Whole Life. Why??

[Ladyrosee]

I have a 10 year old healthy and chunky boy named Lucky. He was found in the desert about 6 weeks old and terrified begging to be helped so here he is 10 years later! He has always been food obsessed the vet thinks because he's orange but also could be he still has ptsd from kitten hood where he had to fend for himself. I love him to death but don't connect with him like my other cat Morton who I mentioned on here. Lucky BITES. My legs through my pants even. My arms. My hands. Not lightly. Very hard. All his life. I can pet him for literally 2 seconds and he will purr then stiffen up and I know he's about to attack me. He's in my face a lot meowing and frustrated i can't understand him (usually he's hungry). He is super touchy and overly attached to me. If I leave he will develop an inflamed bladder and vomit a lot even though my husband is home while I'm gone for a day or so he said he has vomited several times a day! I have gabapentin for him but mainly for vet visits as it's hard on the kidneys and I'd rather not drug him. Just wondering if anyone else has a biter. I'm used to it but man I have to watch him the whole time he snuggles up to me because if I don't pay attention he will bite me

He will bite my husband but he bites me more than anyone else

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!

then stiffen up and I know he's about to attack me.

I assume you've tried things? When he slips into bite mode like you're describing here, can you stuff a soft toy in his mouth? Have you tried the metal can half filled with coins and a really hard shake along with a loud NO?

He's a cat who didn't have mama and siblings to teach him what behaviors are unacceptable, --bless you for being there by the way! His feline mama would have used a very sibilant HISS when he became particularly annoying, and that's something you could also try.

For his stress and separation anxiety when you're gone, would music help? There is MusicForCats . com, there is Relax My Cat, and there is even classical harp music. You wouldn't want to have it on all the time, but for an hour or so it could make a difference

Anxious Cat? Try Music - Tufts Catnip Article

Would something in this list of non-med products help?

Only Natural Pet has a product called Just Relax Calming spray with essential oil (catnip oil).

There's this one, be sure and scroll all the way down the page;
Bach Flower Remedies - Rescue Remedy Pets Dogs Cats Horses Birds

Richard's Organics Pet Calm-this one is drops that you put on the tip of the tongue. Also, HomeoPet Anxiety Relief, Head to Tail Calming, Relaxivet Quiet Moments Cat treats, GNC Calming formula, and there is Calm-o-mile, Sentry calming collar, Natures Miracle calming spray, Vetri-Science's Composure is another item to look at, Pet Remedy - UK (it has valerian) is yet another, as is Essential Pet Pet-eze, Pet Organics No Stress, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has other calming products, Pet Naturals also has one I believe, and there are others.

Also Thunderease has diffusers as does Sentry, Comfort Zone and feliway, although diffusers are expensive and not always an answer.

Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course chewy, also there's Petwishpros, animaleo, 1-800-petmeds, Petco and PetSmart, and other pet stores.

There is also a product called a lickimat which could be helpful, as cats can be calmed by the process of licking. The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats

This post talks about some other products;
Calming Treats For A Very Picky Cat

 

[rubysmama]

Awww... what a cute boy.

About his biting, I suspect it's because he was separated from his mom and siblings so young, that he didn't get a chance to learn cat manners. Not sure if you'd be able to break his habit now, but here's an article from the Humane Society on Teach Your Kitten How to Play Nice : The Humane Society of the United States that might possibly have some tips for you.

Also, here's some TCS articles that might be helpful:
Cat Aggression Toward People | TheCatSite.
Why Do Cats Attack? | TheCatSite

Separation Anxiety In Cats | TheCatSite

Is Your Cat Stressed Out? | TheCatSite
You, Your Cat And Stress | TheCatSite
Potential Stressors In Cats - The Ultimate Checklist | TheCatSite
Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats | TheCatSite

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I don't think I can add a thing to what you have been given, except a big THANK YOU for rescuing that baby, and for putting up with his issues for TEN YEARS! That's a real labor of love.

Well...I did think of one thing. For his anxiety, if it isn't too stressful on BOTH of you, you might try chamomile tea, internally. It is gently calming without being sedating. Brew a cup of the tea, chill it in the fridge, then administer via syringe, up to 3 teaspoonfuls (3 Tablespoonfuls if he's over 10 pounds), up to 3 times a day. I ALWAYS warn to use commercial tea bags, as they use ONLY German chamomile. That is safe for cats. The English variety, which commonly grows in gardens, is actually useless medicinally and is TOXIC to cats, and it take a real expert to know the two apart.

 

[Ladyrosee]

Thanks for the replies if I pull away or scold him either hiss or a loud AH. or NO. It actually makes him super angry and he will lunge at me and hiss. He had a cat to play with when I rescued him. They became the absolutely best of friends once that cat decided after 9 days of hating him that they fell in love lol that cat though he would smother Lucky! That cat (his name was felix) was about 18lbs of solid tuxedo cat wasn't overweight but he would sit on Lucky when they played and Lucky was just a baby! He lost his friend and only had a few years with him because felix had heart failure at about 7 years old.. Lucky hasn't been the same since and it's been ablut 5 years. Then I left Lucky to move out and didn't want to take him in a small one bedroom apartment and he had the dogs he really liked so I thought he would be okay since I was always hanging out at my parents house anyway several days a week. Every time i came over though he was glued to me and would stress vomit about 15 times in a row

But yes when he bites and if i react he bites even more. I feel like biting is how he's trying to talk. He is extremely vocal I can just way hi lucky and he will chatter. He's even a good boy and eats his icky glucosamine treats because he knows if he does he gets a good treat after haha! I will just keep pointing at it and he will chatter here and there before he gives in and eats it. He is very playful for such a chunky older boy. He is sort of a bully actually. He isn't allowed to play with my special Morton (and his friend) because Morton has a platelet disorder and can spontaneously bleed and lucky will smother him just like felix used to do to him! I will find Morton on his back and lucky on top of him and Morton is growling and screaming! And I have to pull lucky off he treats him like he's his prey. But he really does love him lucky will have fits where he howls and sprints around the house and Morton hides because he doesnt want lucky to mess him up. I think lucky is bored. He needs to go out on his leash more but with Mortons illnesses I didnt want to expose lucky to the outdoors and potentially bring a virus in. Sigh. I'm rambling now.

He just seems to take everything out on me even though I'm his "person". I've bought calming treats but he absolutely won't eat them. I have tried the feliway thing and it actually seemed to work for a while but then he became super agitated months after and was walking around growling

 

[Furballsmom]

Yeah, I've heard feliway can sometimes make things worse.

I can only think to suggest that you need to reprimand him, and when you get backtalk and hissing etc from him, realize that he may be 10 years but he's acting like an unruly, misbehaving kitten . You're letting him have the upper hand, and since he is very smart he knows how to make the most of it. He isn't communicating, he is treating you like prey just as much as Morton. Please do more to protect Morton, your husband and yourself from him.

 

[ArtNJ]

Some cats definitely bite to get attention or get you to do/not do something specific, and it sounds like this is definitely a tool in your cats arsenal. Your cat is probably biting in other situations and for other reasons as well, but this strategic biting sounds like part of it. I think when cats do this, its not enough to scold, you have to also be sure to not give in to the intimidation. Well, I mean, obviously if they don't want to be petted anymore you should stop, but if its something like they don't want to get off the keyboard you absolutely have to react strongly and get them off the dang keyboard.

 

[Ladyrosee]

I told my husband that Lucky is like an abusive husband. He is possessive of me and hurts me but also is super sweet almost at the same time. That's the only way I can explain it! Oh I do. Morton is very well protected. When lucky gets hyper like that and goes after Morton I just go AH. And lucky stops and runs passed him to jump to the cat tree. There is no nice playing with him I really don't think he knows how or ever will because he does NOT tolerate being touched by cats. He really likes other cats but as long as he does the touching and grooming. Maybe he is too alpha? He's very territorial and rubs on EVERYTHING. Morton can sneak a few licks in on lucky sometimes but rarely. He doesn't cuddle with other animals either.

When he bites me I end the session though unless it's very gental bites telling me hes hungry and I know its passed feeding I will go feed him but if they're vicious ones like when hes cuddling and purring then attacks me I shove him off aggressively and tell him bad and no then he seems upset and walks away

 

[ArtNJ]

Yeah the food one is tricky. Sometimes cats have a signal they only use when they are truly hungry, and ignoring it just leads to problems. I've had cats chew something bad when hungry quite frequently. Sometimes you do have to give in, which is unfortunate since it makes it impossible to deter that particular behavior, but you can only do what you can do.

 

[Ladyrosee]

Some cats definitely bite to get attention or get you to do/not do something specific, and it sounds like this is definitely a tool in your cats arsenal. Your cat is probably biting in other situations and for other reasons as well, but this strategic biting sounds like part of it. I think when cats do this, its not enough to scold, you have to also be sure to not give in to the intimidation. Well, I mean, obviously if they don't want to be petted anymore you should stop, but if its something like they don't want to get off the keyboard you absolutely have to react strongly and get them off the dang keyboard.

I agree! Sometimes I have to scruff him and move him because he will swipe at me and hiss/growl if he is claiming a spot. He hits hard too I'm a vet assistant and always make sure his nails are trimmed as short as they can be. Hes left red marks just from the power of his swing without claws on my arm. It's so hard to read him though because he will almost be in a trance from being petted and kneading and purring/drooling then without warning he will attack me so I tend to never really pet him other than a couple pats here and there

 

[Ladyrosee]

Yeah the food one is tricky. Sometimes cats have a signal they only use when they are truly hungry, and ignoring it just leads to problems. I've had cats chew something bad when hungry quite frequently. Sometimes you do have to give in, which is unfortunate since it makes it impossible to deter that particular behavior, but you can only do what you can do.

I actually have to make sure his feedings are every 6 hours or he will dry heave and get bile up from being hungry. He did that this morning. He is on a diet (made by my vet/boss and i calculating calories for slow weight loss) and I accidentally fed him a bit too early last night and this morning he vomited several times before he ate

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ Have you tried a small dose of Zoloft or Prozac ? I use a Calming Collar on a few of my troublesome cats.
PetArmor 30 Day Cat Calming Collar, 1 count
Good luck with Mr. Lucky ! He sure is lucky to have you ...

 

[Ladyrosee]

~ Have you tried a small dose of Zoloft or Prozac ? I use a Calming Collar on a few of my troublesome cats.
PetArmor 30 Day Cat Calming Collar, 1 count
Good luck with Mr. Lucky ! He sure is lucky to have you ...

I might look into a calming collar.. I'm nervous to use those drugs I did on my last cat i dont know the dose but all day every day he was on one of them he sat facing a corner

 

[JamesCalifornia]

I'm nervous to use those drugs I did on my last cat i dont know the dose but all day every day he was on one of them he sat facing a corner

~ Yes the SSRIs can often be unpredictable in animals. Zoloft seems more free of side-effects. Don't forget Kitty Calming Chews with L- Theanine
· This from Pet MD :
Chamomile. Many people drink chamomile tea before bed to help them relax, and the same anti-anxiety properties are just as effective forcats. However, the dried flowers are a better way to expose your cat to its stress relief benefits.

 

[lisahe]

The mention of a calming collar made me wonder about a Thundershirt. I recently saw a post (not here, on a FB group, I think) about a cat who did much better going to the vet than usual because of a Thundershirt. I'm not sure if it's appropriate for more full-time use, but it does sound like Thundershirts can go a long way in reducing aggression and anxiety.

We have a nipper who's lightened up over the years (she's about 6.5 now) and it does help to give her chew toys and long toys (like Cosmic Catnip's banana or cactus) to expend her energy on. She also really loves shredding paper, like newspaper. She loves the recycling box in my office! I don't want to read too much into it but it's almost like it has a meditative effect on her and seems to calm her -- she does it a lot when she's hungry. She's a very, very sweet cat but also gets sort of trance-like mood swings, kind of like hyperesthesia syndrome, and run around or kind of jump around sideways. She loves to be held tightly: I joke that I'm being her Thundershirt. I've thought about buying her one. Ireland's also a very jealous cat who's sometimes aggressive toward her sister but she's also the most perceptive cat I've ever had, understanding when we're feeling a bit down and need to pat a cat. I guess what I'm saying is that she's very sensitive in many, many ways!

Good luck!