newest cat love bites hard. how do i get him to stop doing that?

[mscatamaran]

I adopted a new cat a few weeks ago. He was a stray coming from a foster home and before that the streets. He is very sweet and gentle and very happy to be in a home. He 'love bites' though and I mean hard. He drew blood the last time (not a lot) and it really hurt. He can be kind of skiddish but this bite wasn't coming from a place of aggression.

I once fostered a stray who used to do this. The home where that cat is now, well he no longer does that. How do I get MY former stray to stop doing that?

 

[smitten4kittens]

What was going on right before the bite?

 

[mscatamaran]

i was standing in kitchen making coffee and he was rubbing up against my leg using my leg to pet himself.

 

[mscatamaran]

oh i looked at the bite more closely. I think he may have scraped my foot with his overbite because there are no puncture wounds.

 

[lorie d.]

Sweetie love bites softly and never breaks my skin.  But the very minute I feel his teeth I stop petting him and move away.  I have heard these love bites are caused by the cat getting too excited.  Also, I have heard that cats learn that biting down hard  hurts through their play as kittens.  Maybe this is something your former stray never had the opportunity to find out.

 

[mscatamaran]

well is there something I can do that will signify to him that biting is bad?

Like a clicker or water mist? I've read in the past that yelling ow can sometimes get them to stop doing it. I didn't have to remember to say 'ow' because it hurt a lot.

 

[spiffykitty]

Ouch!

One thing that may help is playing with your new cat for at least 15 minutes each day. This will help him burn off energy. He may be trying to amuse himself by attacking your leg.

Do you already play with your cat?  If so, how do you do it.

 

[ibiscribe]

It depends on what kind of bite, really.

Sometime a cat will bite to say "don't stop petting me" or "hey, why aren't you petting me?" That can be annoying even when it isn't very painful, and it can help to say "oww!" to give them the idea that you don't appreciate it. I had one cat for a while (Annie) who had a bit of an attitude and did this in a really demanding (and antagonistic) way, like you'd expect a cat to do if someone pulled its tail or something equally rotten. We would pick her up off our laps and put her down on the floor so she got the message... petting time was over. She had been spoiled and didn't get to grow up with kitten siblings so it doesn't really surprise me that she acted a bit odd.

My boy Keef gave real "love bites" which were just how he expressed the fact that he liked us. He'd get this dreamy look on his face and chomp, chomp... not super hard, but his teeth were really sharp and left scratches. Basically that's one of the things that cats do to each other to show affection, and sometimes they will do it to their favorite humans. Kind of like how a dog might try to "bite your fleas" for you... it might accidentally hurt, but they only mean well by it. So do please be careful, because if you "punish" him for it, he might not understand what he's being punished for exactly. Instead of helping it could just lead to confusion and hurt feelings, maybe a reluctancy to approach you.

 

[mscatamaran]

Ouch!

One thing that may help is playing with your new cat for at least 15 minutes each day. This will help him burn off energy. He may be trying to amuse himself by attacking your leg.

Do you already play with your cat?  If so, how do you do it.

I try to play with him but he seems to like playing alone. Too much movement startles him.

 

[terestrife]

my cat does the same. i have noticed that when i hold her, sometimes she will get this crazy look in her eyes grab my arms with arms and legs and kick! i was adviced to buy her a tooth for kicking, but i had to use the money i had to buy her food. =(

anyway, you might try redirecting behavior towards a toy.
 

 

[Ashley07]

I successfully trained my cat, using applied behavior analysis and behavior modification techniques. It did not take long to extinguish this aggressive biting behavior.



History of said cat- she was taken from mother too early, she cried for weeks calling her mom. She very conflicted with me because of this – she knew I took care of her and loved her, but she knew she wanted her real mom.



I started taking mental notes of what triggered the behavior, and antecedent circumstances. She would be lying by my side, perfectly content, purring, curling her paws with me petting her favorite areas. Sometimes I she bit me because I pet the wrong areas, and sometimes it was just too much love for her.



It’s as if she realized she became “too close” to me, and so, mentally, she switched to instinctual protection mode. She used rabbit-kicking along with a very aggressive bite, breaking skin.



So when realized this behavior was about occur, I pulled my hands and arms out harm’s way, and held open palms at her level. At this point, she’s growling and really getting ready to strike. With my hands in the shape similar to a high-five, again, at her level, she backed off. This happened upwards of ten times. Soon, she able to independently stop herself and simply leave my side instead attacking. Usually, she would go to her food and eat.


I’ve had Muppet for five wonderful years, and she hasn’t exhibited this behavior in over a year. The training doesn’t need specified amount time, only consistency, persistence, and patience with your furry loved one.

I adopted a new cat a few weeks ago. He was a stray coming from a foster home and before that the streets. He is very sweet and gentle and very happy to be in a home. He 'love bites' though and I mean hard. He drew blood the last time (not a lot) and it really hurt. He can be kind of skiddish but this bite wasn't coming from a place of aggression.

I once fostered a stray who used to do this. The home where that cat is now, well he no longer does that. How do I get MY former stray to stop doing that?