My Ragdoll Bites Me :( Help

[hayleypoppy]

Hello,

I have a 7 month ragdoll female, she is called Bleu. She is lovely however she randomly attacks me with her ears back and will jump and go for my hands and feet. This is daily and she bites hard!

She is so loving other times and will have a cuddle and she follows me everywhere.

She just has biting outbursts like she wants to kill me. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.

I have took her to the vets and they said I need to see a behaviourist but they are so so expensive so I’m calling out for help first to see if anyone can help me or give me training tips. I have uploaded a video of what she looks like when she bites me.

She lives in a lovely house I give her everything she wants, I don’t get why she keeps doing it it’s ruining her as a cat, I got a ragdoll because of their nature and I’m just stuck. I got her spayed the other day as the vets said that might make her be less aggressive. I have just today changed her food. So yes if anyone can help me I will be so great full. Thank you. Hayley

 

[Kieka]

It sounds and looks like play aggression. It is common in kittens/adolescent cats, especially if they were taken from Mom before 12 weeks old. However, it can with any young cat or even adult who is overly playful and wasn't taught that humans weren't toys from a young age. One of those, they are so cute and little so it's fine but then grow big and strong type things. Essentially, she wants to play and see your arm (and all of you really) as her toy.

Luckily, this is a fairly common problem and the solution is fairly simple. It does require a concentrated effort on your part and consistent reinforcement.

First, you are not a toy. Do not wiggle your fingers for attention, arm wrestle or otherwise use any part of your body as a toy. This just encourages the behavior.

Second, get a lot of wand toys, toss toys and just toys in general. Wadded up paper works, empty toilet paper rolls count, boxes with doors cut in them count, it doesn't have to be expensive. Just something other then you to play with.

Third, scatter these toys around on shelves and counters so you can redirect he when needed. You see that wild look in her eye? Toss a toy to distract her. Watching TV and she comes looking? Have a wand toy next to the couch and just wiggle it around.

Fourth, set up daily predictable play time. Twice a day, 15 minutes minimum. Do it at the same point in your routine so she knows when it will happen. You can do more but make sure those two specific times are set. I did just when I woke up before feeding and just before dinner.

Fifth, play times before meals work best. It fits in a cats natural pattern to play, chase, catch, eat and sleep. If you do play before feeding it will slide right into there and you will find your cat ready to sleep right after.

Sixth, if she does go after you as a toy say No. Hard and sharp, No! Ouch! And ignore. Complete and total ignore. Pull away, look away, walk away. She needs to see that the action has an immediate reaction that is opposite of her desire. No attention. No play. Immediate and total ignoring. Count to 15 and then go back to what was happening before as if nothing happened. This one is hard and you must be consistent with it for the next three weeks at least. Any slip and the time starts over.

These articles may help more:

How To Set Healthy Boundaries For Your Cat
How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats

 

[hayleypoppy]

Thank you so much for this information. Regarding her food I just keep dry food down and she goes and comes as she pleases. Do you think I should start doing set dinner times for her? I’ve always just let her graze and eat when she wants as she was the runt and the boys pushed her out from her mum so needed to get her fat! Haha!

Really appreciate all this advice, she is clever I taught her to sit for a treat, so I know she can learn is just I don’t know what I’m meant to be doing, she has loads of toys maybe I should keep them out more as I put them in a toy box so the house looks clean haha!

Do you think it’s worth investing in a cat climbing frame?

Thank you

Hayley

 

[Kieka]

She's getting to the age where it would be beneficial to have set meal times. Since she is a ragdoll and they are considered a large breed I wouldn't restrict her food but maybe move in the direction of the idea. Possibly, start offering a small wet meal twice a day with the dry food out in between. When you notice she has stopped growing, start measuring out daily portions of the dry so that she is limited to calories each day.

At my house, we tend to put the toys away too but we make sure to leave a few out for them to play with. It helps to rotate toys around so you don't get boredom with specific toys. Make sure you inspect any toys left out for wear. I also tend to pop off googly eyes and tug test tails (cutting off any that could be torn off in play).

I definitely think a climbing frame is worth it. Some cats don't take to the verticle as much as others. So I'd start small and simple to see how she likes it. But having verticle surfaces and climbing items can double your cats usable space very easily which gives them more room to feel secure and play in.

 

[2rescuekitties]

My kitties used to do that exact same thing..they would just get a wild look in their eyes and you could tell that they were about to attack! haha
what I did was that everytime one of them went for my arm like that I would say "Ouch" or "owww" and then take my hand away and just walk away. Then I would give them other toys to play with. Even saying gentle worked with them...took then a while but soon they realized that when I said oww that it meant that it hurt and then walking away from them they realized that if they acted that way they were not going to get playtime...and now they just head butt my hand or arms when they want to play or bring me their toys

She seems like such a little sweet doll so just keep working with her...they are so so smart so they learn trust me

 

[hayleypoppy]

Thank you, I will try the food thing and see how i go. I have just ordered a frame and some more toys, I pick up my new ragdoll at the weekend from the same breeder, which im excited for and she will then have a playmate too! I'm just hoping they get on. haha! I will carry on trying and I wont get a behaviorist involved at them moment.

She just stares at me and sometimes she will just jump towards my face when im laying down and try bite my chin, I cant understand that as my chin doesnt move lol. The vets have said they wont deal with her now because she spits and hisses at them when she has to go. If i want to make future appointments they said she needs to be sedated each time which I thought was a bit OTT.

I will try my new training program haha and hopefully it will work!!

Thank you

 

[2rescuekitties]

Thank you, I will try the food thing and see how i go. I have just ordered a frame and some more toys, I pick up my new ragdoll at the weekend from the same breeder, which im excited for and she will then have a playmate too! I'm just hoping they get on. haha! I will carry on trying and I wont get a behaviorist involved at them moment.

She just stares at me and sometimes she will just jump towards my face when im laying down and try bite my chin, I cant understand that as my chin doesnt move lol. The vets have said they wont deal with her now because she spits and hisses at them when she has to go. If i want to make future appointments they said she needs to be sedated each time which I thought was a bit OTT.

I will try my new training program haha and hopefully it will work!!

Thank you

Just be patient hehe they are still babies and need to learn...hopefully with a new playmate they can wrestle with each other and also teach eachother manners...because I am sure that if she acts that way to another cat she will get smacked lol so she will learn that she needs to be gentle,

 

[Hellenww]

Kieka advise is clearest I"ve ever heard on the subject. Our Mokeygirl was socialized with a senior toothless poppa-cat (who loved and taught her most things very well) so she didn't learn to play-bite with a soft mouth. In less then 2 weeks after meeting Yoshi her love bites truly began to feel like love. Sometimes it takes another cat to help. Good luck.

 

[Kieka]

. The vets have said they wont deal with her now because she spits and hisses at them when she has to go. If i want to make future appointments they said she needs to be sedated each time which I thought was a bit OTT.

I got that talk from a vet with regards to Link. I changed vets.

In all seriousness, I changed vets AND I did exactly what I am advising you to do. Link can have serious cattitude and is not afraid of anything. He knows the boundaries when it comes to humans and will behave when I am in the room (or my family). I can tell him to stop it and he looks very sheepish and pretends like he wasn't just doing something he shouldn't. Too smart for his own good that boy. It just takes very consistent boundaries and routine to reign in the troublemakers. He did have to be sedated at the emergency vet but that was a combination of him being in pain, strange situation, him being strong enough to fight back even without using claws, and them not allowing me back.

At his regular vet, she pays attention to his warnings and has absolutely no problem stepping back and letting him settle if he gets annoyed. She's even left the room for a few minutes to check on something else before coming back to finish his exam. But he went through a phase of nearly weekly visits for three months so she had practice with his cattitude. He's now at the point where he tries to follow her out and explore the rest of the office.

 

[himawari]

My cat used to bite me because of redirected aggression and play aggression, like your cat. Occasionally, he still tries but almost always I get him to stop just before he clamps down on my arm or leg. I tried spraying water on his face, an advice given to me by a cat rescue lady which I didn't really want to do. But it didn't work anyway. I tried redirecting that energy into a toy, but that didn't work either. I tried screaming "ow" or "that hurts", and that rarely worked; in fact it made him bite down harder.

What worked for me was gently tapping him on the nose, and firmly and with a deep/serious voice tell me him "no" or "nuh-huh" right after he bites down on me. After that I would push him away and walk away (either go to a different room or just a different area) then I pay attention to him after a few minutes. Most importantly, I learned his triggers (too much petting or playing or cuddling) and his signs (twitch of a tail, staring at me/my body too closely, crouching down) so now I can prevent it by telling him "no" or "nuh-huh" beforehand. But he mostly listen to very deep/serious "go" that's accompanied with a snap & a point to a location far away from me.

 

[Calr0007]

My kitten does the exact same thing to me. His mother was attacked by a dog and killed when he was just 8 weeks old and I got him not long after that so he is very needy and wants to be near me all the time. Sometimes that just happens to turn into aggressive play. I have bites all over my arms.

I have tried every trick in the book and nothing has really been working. The last week I have set up his new toy, the PlayDot from Amazon and it seems to be helping. It is a laser that shoots around on a 30 minute timer. It completely wipes him out which seems to makes him less aggressive toward me. I am hoping this will do the trick. When I get home from work I do our normal 20 minute play time and then at around 10pm I turn this thing on, he goes nuts and then he is ready for bed.

 

[Sam71690]

I am going through this with my cat Petrie. He will be 1 in June. He has gotten worse with his bite and claw behavior. The video of the ragdoll cat looks identical to what he does. He chomps down hard, and it is really upsetting because I am afraid of him. It is the most difficult thing not to yell at him. It is a natural instinct for me as a human! lol. I have to shut my door at night when I go to bed because he will hit me in the face with his claws out, and I do not trust him. I make sure I play with him, he has a cat tree, scratch pyramid, window perch, water fountain...
I am in the phase where I am also open to advice; and trying recommendations my vet told me. I bought these toy mice that you fill with food and hide around the house so they have something to hunt. I have the plug in diffusers all over my small apartment. Calming collar, calming treats, and vet recommended Zylkene in his food to take the edge off. I am getting ripped up and bit into on a regular basis. I am also keeping a written log of everything. I feel bad he is alone during the day.
I work a 9-6 job but if we are both going to eat I have to work. I thought about adopting another cat (older) so he wouldn't be alone all day but I am afraid he will injure it while I'm not home since he is kind of a bully. People are trying to tell me I basically got a bad cat and to get rid of him but I can't. I love him and will keep trying and reading these suggestions. I wish you luck with your rag dolly and hopefully we can all learn how to fix our biting issues.

 

[danteshuman]

I noticed she was doing the bunny kick. One of my cat LOVES bunny kicking a tennis ball. My other hyper punk cat LOVES chomping on and grabbing his kickaroo (the large size.) Some new toys might help. Be sure to say either OW or NO each time she bites or claws then ignore her for 15 minutes in my book. I was cranky and ignored my punk for 15-30 minutes each time he clawed me, I played the "I can't see you game." Since you see her hunting you, I would suggest LOTS of small toys you keep in your pocket to toss at just such an occasion. If you see her hunting you, play fetch with her.
Good luck. It just takes time and consistency.

 

[sargon]

You might also try treat/clicker ( I just use my voice not a clicker) training some commands like sit, come, etc. with treats ( I suggest freeze dried treats, not the junk food most large brands use.) This seems to have been what has finally helped my cat to be less bitey.

PS I tried saying ouch when my cat would bite me and.. the results were hilarious(it is worth trying, since it can work for some cats). Freya learned the word ouch, instead of learning not to bite. So, when she didn't like what i was doing (nail trims, holding her when she didnt' want to be, etc. ) she'd sometimes say "ow", which was amusing and fairly useful. She *also* less usefully but quite hialriously would say "ow" right before she bit me.

 

[hayleypoppy]

Hey everyone! I have just seen alllll of these posts haven’t received any email noticifiatons! So Bleu is literally like a new cat, she doesn’t bite me anymore she doesn’t scratch me or anything, I got her kickeroo toys and actually have got another ragdoll and honestly they just pretty much have fell in love with each other!!! They adore each other and Bleu has completely changed as a cat!! It’s just amazing, she cuddles she plays, getting her spayed I think has helped too! I’m not saying this will work for everyone but getting another kitten teddy was the best thing I ever did and I have no regrets haha! I have invested in an amazing toy too!! I will post link for anyone who wants to buy it they go mad for it. Thank you for all your help!!

 

[hayleypoppy]

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