He is so loving... and then...

[myrnafaye]

Hi, cat parents, we just got a third cat. He is a wonderful little guy, so affectionate! Loves to be held, cuddles, purrs, all is good...I will be petting him nicely, and he is purring away...and then..he bites! I mean, he really hangs on with his teeth and claws! he does not appear to be overstimulated when this happens, but he has almost drawn blood a couple of times. Its like he turns into a gremlin! what's up with this and what can I do? he is such a great cat otherwise. BTW, age uncertain - probably 9 months to a year.

 

[Mr. Meow]

Hi, cat parents, we just got a third cat. He is a wonderful little guy, so affectionate! Loves to be held, cuddles, purrs, all is good...I will be petting him nicely, and he is purring away...and then..he bites! I mean, he really hangs on with his teeth and claws! he does not appear to be overstimulated when this happens, but he has almost drawn blood a couple of times. Its like he turns into a gremlin! what's up with this and what can I do? he is such a great cat otherwise. BTW, age uncertain - probably 9 months to a year.

He's overstimulated. Whether or not he "appears" to be is irrelevant. He is. This is the behavior of a kitten/cat that gets so worked up that they go to biting, scratching, holding and kicking etc.
Simple advice, stop petting before it gets to that point. If you're having trouble telling when it's time to stop, have a toy with you to redirect his energy towards in a positive manner.

 

[tabbytom]

Hi, cat parents, we just got a third cat. He is a wonderful little guy, so affectionate! Loves to be held, cuddles, purrs, all is good...I will be petting him nicely, and he is purring away...and then..he bites! I mean, he really hangs on with his teeth and claws! he does not appear to be overstimulated when this happens, but he has almost drawn blood a couple of times. Its like he turns into a gremlin! what's up with this and what can I do? he is such a great cat otherwise. BTW, age uncertain - probably 9 months to a year.

Agree with Mr. Meow

My boys does the same thing too. Whenever I pet him, I never exceed the time of petting him. I'll put him down if I'm carrying him or stop petting if he's laying down before he goes into the 'kill' mode

You can observe that by his eyes or ears. These are signs before they get irritated by over stimulating.