Cat sudden behaviour changes

[xahm3d]

When we first got out persian cat he wasn't biting, he was very playful and calm. He recently gets these mood swings were he starts biting my family and I and just making weird noises and running around the house. He's 5 months old now, there are times were he head butts me and sniffs me and licks me and then all of a sudden he starts grabbing my arm and biting my face,arms and anything he can. Im really concerned, is he sexually frustrated? what's his deal, should I get him neutered please help?

 

[artem]

You should definitely get him neutered for the normal reasons, but I doubt that's the problem at this point.  Males tend to mature a bit more slowly than females to begin with and Persians in general are late-bloomers.  That's not to say it isn't possible and it's certainly worth considering, but given his age and breed, I would say it's unlikely.  It's more likely he's just bored and trying to work off some excess energy or get your attention.  How much play does he get every day?  Different cats have different needs, but kittens tend to be higher energy that adult cats.  Is he an only cat?  How long was he with his siblings for?  When he's biting you, is he biting down or just putting his teeth on your skin?  If he's hurting you, he may not have been fully socialized.  For comparison, my kitten does occasionally mouth at me, but he's never bit down or broken my skin.  While of course this behavior is discouraged, I hesitate to even call it biting, as he's never done any damage.  This is called "bite inhibition" and is something most cats learn from their siblings.  If he is an only kitten who was separated too early from his siblings, he may never have learned this.

It sounds like this probably is play aggression to me, given his age and the context you've given.  You can find some tips for managing it in this article: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/playtime-aggression  At the moment, he's trying to play with you like he would another cat and you need to communicate that this is not appropriate or acceptable behavior.  Adding a second kitten would likely help, as he would be able to roughhouse with his sibling instead of with you, but getting another cat is a major decision and I don't know the particulars of your situation.

If you don't think it's play aggression, or if more playtime doesn't help, it's probably time to see a vet, as he could be in pain.  A vet would also be able to give you a better guess as to whether or not he's hit puberty.  You can read about aggression towards people in general here: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cat-aggression-toward-people which will hopefully help you pinpoint the cause of his aggression.

He is at about the right age to get neutered, so I would look into planning that regardless, but I wouldn't jump into assuming that's the cause of his aggression.  Neutering will certainly prevent a lot of behavioral problems, but he will still be a kitten, with all that entails.  He will calm down in a few months, but for the moment some gentle training and additional stimulation may work wonders.  This article: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/beating-boredom-what-indoor-cat-owners-need-to-know has some good ideas for enriching his environment.  Give him things to do that are more interesting than biting you!

 

[xahm3d]

Thank you so much for the reply, When he bites he doesn't really sink his teeth in but most of time there are cuts formed. IDK how long hes been with his siblings for, we got him when he was only 3 months old. I do think pain may be the reason to why hes biting because he had a urinary infection and his eyes are always watering which may suggest hes in pain, the thing is sometimes when he sees me he runs away and hides under the couch and charges at my feet, he bites really hard. And his eyes go all crazy when he starts biting.