Cat Nips/Bites

TardisDance

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I adopted a 1.5 year old male back in late September. He was a stray that was captured as a part of a feral colony in a nearby city. He was originally going to be a TNR but they saw he was very friendly so he was sent to a foster for a month and then was at a PetSmart for another month until I adopted him.

I was warned that he gets nippy when his back side is touched. The volunteers think it's because he was treated for a bite wound when he was trapped.

He's improved a lot and I can pet him quite a bit before he tries to turn his head and nip. The biggest obstacle now is that when he lays down, he will try to bite if you touch him. He used to take swipes at us if we past by him (he tends to block entry ways), but we've mostly stopped this by hissing at him. The problem is, if our other cat passes him, he still takes a swipe at her. He used full on jump/pounce on her if she passed by.

Does anyone have tips? He's fine being picked up except when he's laying down. I have been also trying to get used to brushing but he's a bit bitey/swipey too - the only thing that I've found is that he likes the flavor of this Burt's Bee Dry Shampoo and will lick the brush - it's honey/apple scented lol

My resident cat can be touched just about anywhere for any period of time and is cool with anything (well, except being picked up, that's a different story!).
 

ArtNJ

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I've had this, although the bites were just little nips that didn't leave wounds. We took in a starving 3 year old old stray. For years, you couldn't really pet below the shoulders without a nip, and you couldn't pet while doing something else as without 100% concentration you would make some sort of subtle error that would result in a nip. It was mostly just time, patience and the usual tactics one uses on any new and/or skittish cat. This cat is really the one I think of when I preach taking what the cat allows/likes and gradually expanding on it, as I really made an extra effort and it paid off in surprising ways. For example, she wouldn't come on laps or anything like that, but if I was lying down on the bed, she would climb on my chest. So I did that a lot at first. Then I would lie down on the couch to watch tv (not my normal position) and call her. Eventually, was able to call her to come if I was sitting up on the couch. Years later, when the process had worked and she was just as friendly as any other cat we've had, I was stretching on the floor and before I knew it she had climbed on my chest.

Not exactly sure how this translated to your situation, but I believe that with continued patience the transformation you've worked in her life can continue.
 
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TardisDance

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A ArtNJ I mostly leave him be but every now and then I try to test to see how much he’ll take. Sometimes he will randomly jump into my lap in my office to say hello. He doesn’t stay on me, mostly walks on my lap and tries to lick my hands. If I as so much touch him, he’ll give a warning nip, so I have almost put my hands behind my back. He gave my house guests quite the surprise when he nipped them after jumping in their laps and they gave him a pet (I did warn them!).

He’s a friendly and social boy that is fine with being picked up and held. It’s just one of the oddities he has I guess.
 

danteshuman

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Well a few things. One have you had the vet check his back hips & make sure he isn’t in pain? Two Doms cats are just more nippy. They can be taught not to with patience, respecting their space & making a high pitch ow then ignoring them for a few minutes every time you get a hung of fang. Third with my mom’s semi-feral I had to learn his language. My tame cats always swished their entire tail in irritation. Chester just twitches the tip of his tail. So when we pet him, we watch his the tip of his tail. When it twitches, we stop touching him. Fourth some cats just get over stimulated from petting. My mom’s fluffy cat is one of those. With her you often have to “be the furniture.” Let her lay on you but don’t touch her unless she seeks it, then mainly keep it to the ears & chin.

⭐you can try bribing him. Get some treats, pet his ears & then softly barely touch one of (or near) his forbidden zones & immediately give him some treats ..... then walk away. Much like you train a cat to let you touch their paws. I would only do it a few times a week or once a day max. You don’t want to push to far to fast. Slow and steady.
 
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TardisDance

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He’s been checked at the vet and she said everything looked good. He is swishing his tail a lot in irritation, especially when he’s laying down and I even go near him - again, I mostly leave him alone because he just seems so ticked off when I try to pet him in this position.

Good idea with treats - I just tried it with these Kittles treats he goes nuts over. He almost looked like he wanted to nip but stopped himself. He was purring like crazy too - I wonder if it’s just over stimulation? He does the same thing with I brush him - has a loud motor but then swipes and tries to nip - but last time he wanted to lick that shampoo so there’s that lol
 
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