Foster Cat Biting - Can't Figure Out Why Or How To Stop It

[rocketscientist]

I've had this foster in my home for about 6 weeks. She's the only cat in the house. She is about 3 years old and is a "hard luck" case - rescued last fall after a hurricane, was likely abandoned. She also had been declawed at some point, but her feet healed improperly and she needed surgery to correct the problem. She is completely recovered from that.

She spent time in other foster situations before coming to me - everyone said she was well behaved and sweet, though she did not get along well with other cats. She's been great with me except for one thing: she bites. I cannot figure out what is triggering this, and I'm not seeing a lot of results from what I've tried to help the situation (not to mention I'm getting a lot of very conflicting advice from the shelter and also from what I'm reading online).

The best I can figure is that she's doing it out of boredom?? I am trying to play with her as much as I can, but I work a full-time job, too. I've tried grabbing a toy to re-direct her attention when she starts - that will get her to stop, but I know she'll eventually bite again. I've also tried saying "No!" very firmly (suggested by the people at the shelter - doesn't feel right somehow, but they said to do it). She appears to hear me, she'll stop for a second - and then start again and keep biting until I get away from her, or a couple times, I've pushed her off the couch. I have also tried using calming spray. (To be clear, I have NOT hit her at all.) Nothing seems to make any lasting difference.

This has been going on for several weeks, and it seems to be worse the last couple weeks. I would love to keep this cat, but I don't feel great about having a chronic biter. This is the only problem we're having.

Any suggestions?

 

[susanm9006]

I would not play with her while sitting next to her, that is just an invitation for her to jump and bite. Instead, use a wand type toy or a laser, toss toys for her to catch and hopefully learn to retrieve or roll balls back and forth with her. If she does bite, make some noise to startle her and then walk away and end the play time.

 

[ArtNJ]

This sounds like playful biting, but if your not sure tell us more about when it happens. Playful biting is best viewed as a habit they have acquired in my view. So while maybe she is bored and maybe you should indeed play with her more, that isn't a cure for the habit. Similarly, viewed as a habit, you can see that "diverting" with a toy won't work, because that rewards the behavior. Viewed as a habit, you can understand that the loud "No" coupled with immediately disengaging and walking away is in fact the best solution and usually does work if you are consistent. I don't recommend pushing off the couch because that sort of thing can accidentally form different linkages, like "I am not allowed on the couch" and you might hurt your cat a bit if they land wrong.

General tip: don't play with her with your hands, use a toy. Playing with kitty with your hands is often how they get the idea you are a target for play biting.

 

[danteshuman]

Declawed cats are often "bite first and ask questions later" kind of cats. So part of it may be done in defense in the same way cats scratch. That said some cats are just prone to biting while playing *giving my cat Dante the stink eye!* Until around 8 years old my punk Dante needed all toys to be thrown, on a LONG wand or a LONG ribbon. During play he just goes nuts and bites/claws everything (while hitting things or falling off things when he jumps wrong. ) So how did I stop him?

1) I over reacted to all claw & teeth with a wailing oOOOOoooowww! Then I ignored him for 30 minutes. You could use a firm no or ow. What ever you train her with be sure to include it in her file so she can have a smoother transition into a forever home.

2) All play involved me keeping my hands FAR away from his claws. Toys not hands is my ruling house rule for all cats.

3) Pay attention to a cat's body language. What are her warning pre-bite signals? When my cat Dante gets all wound up with play he gets so hyper he chases his own tail, I kid you not. Our semi-feral gives you a slight tail tip twitch and then he uses his claws. It might be worth noting her pre-bite behavior and adding it to her file so her forever home can be her last home.

4) Whenever I annoy my cats with brushing/nail clipping/giving them a pill/ wet wipe bath (yes they sell those ) I finish it with an "all done" and give them a couple of treats. In my home it is the equivalent of saying "There all done I will not bother you anymore." So they are more patient when I annoy them & they know when they no longer have to stress when it is over. If you find her favorite treat you can do this for her & tell her next home what it is.

 

[rocketscientist]

These are some good thoughts. I have been very consistent about only using toys (not hands) to play - my last cat was was a "toys only" cat, by her own choice, so I generally don't even think of using body parts... She has done love bites a few times, very gentle and short lived - generally no more than 1-2 seconds. The biting that concerns me is longer and protracted, and often her ears go back. Sometimes she gives a kind of high pitched whining meow. I will try disengaging, and will also try the "Owwwww" with it, and then ignoring her. I have been trying to figure out her pre-bite signals; so far there aren't any really obvious ones, but I'm determined to figure it out if I can.

I can be very patient... Is this something that is likely to settle down in time? I have a very quiet, low-key house, I'm careful about who I have in the house, etc. Can she evolve out of this, or at least can I hope the problem will get better? Or less frequent?

 

[ArtNJ]

Its just like any other play behavior. Cats play less as they get older but the rate of decrease slows down, and your cat is already a young adult and still doing this. So no, you can't rely on time to fix the issue - you need to fix it by discouraging the behavior.

As far as signals go, you still haven't described when/how it happens, so can't really help there. You likely already know that you can't pet a cat that is too full of energy ("riled up" I call it). Other cats can't be petted in a certain way without cueing them to bite/play. Generally, you don't rub a cat's belly, and often they don't like to be rubbed below the mid-section or on the tail. But if the cat is just coming up to you and biting, don't waste time looking for cues.

 

[rubysmama]

When she bites try saying "owwwww" in a high-pitched tone. I've read "squealing" is how kittens let their siblings know they are playing too rough, and to stop.

TCS has some articles that may be helpful, or at least informative.

How To Deal With Cat "love Bites"?
Cat Bites - What Every Cat Owner Needs To Know
Ouch! More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Cat Bites

Cat Aggression Toward People
How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats

Plus there's this one, which about kittens, could have tips for your foster kitty.
Teach Your Kitten How to Play Nice : The Humane Society of the United States

 

[ArtNJ]

I don't like how that article How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats refers to "redirecting" by using toys. Makes it seems like you bust out the toys when the cat is already getting bitey. Pretty sure that is the worst thing you can do as it will reinforce the behavior and the article means to use toys to get the cats energy out through a proper outlet before the cat starts a biting session, not during. I guess what I'm saying is that I think the article is sound in intent but in wording its confusing in a bad way.

 

[Anne]

I don't like how that article How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats refers to "redirecting" by using toys. Makes it seems like you bust out the toys when the cat is already getting bitey. Pretty sure that is the worst thing you can do as it will reinforce the behavior and the article means to use toys to get the cats energy out through a proper outlet before the cat starts a biting session, not during. I guess what I'm saying is that I think the article is sound in intent but in wording its confusing in a bad way.

Thanks for the feedback! If you could please drop me a private message with a direct quote where you think there's an issue with the wording, I'll definitely look into this. Please suggest a different wording if you can, that always helps.