Question on play aggression - Redirect then cool down or visa versa?

[kk_yoshi]

Hi everyone!

I have been working on my cat's play aggression and getting him to focus it on toys instead of hands and feet (he is about 4 years old). First I will say that I believe it is play aggression and not regular aggression or something else because (1) he controls the force of his bite so he never really hurts me and usually doesn't even leave a mark, (2) when redirected to a toy he immediately goes for it and plays with it very intensely. he is very energetic and we have several play sessions throughout the day (and the play aggression happens around the time of scheduled play session, either before or shortly after), (3) he never growls or hisses, instead he just sometimes purrs when he has let go. (4) he, in general, seems to be affectionate towards me, he likes cheek scratches, he sleeps on his back laying against me, and usually likes to follow me and be in the same room as me. While there could be signs I am missing, nothing has struck me as being aggressive towards me/ afraid of me/ etc. I also don't have any other cats/pets so jealously shouldn't be a factor. And lastly he has very recently been the vet and besides a small URI everything is clear.

I have read many articles and other forums about dealing with play aggression and I have been working on things like leaving my hand very still and getting him to focus his attention on something else, but what I have found somewhat conflicting between articles/forums/etc is if you should redirect them to a toy immediately or if you should disengage first and have a bit of a cool down before redirecting to a toy. If I do immediately redirect him to a toy he will go for it, but I am unsure if this is helping with limiting the play aggression long term. I can understand arguments for both sides so I am not sure which I should be doing, and I think being more confident in the decision would help me be more consistent with it.

 

[ArtNJ]

Your conclusion its play aggression seems 100% right.

To me, these types of issues are all about linking positive or negative associations, or positive and negative reinforcement. So:

(1) if you immediately redirect to a toy, there is zero negative reinforcement, and likely at least some positive reinfrocement because the cat is getting you to play. A cooldown after that seems too late -- the cat has already earned its reward. So how does that help? Are we hoping the cat will forget his habit? I just dont understand the logic for thinking this helps with future behavior modification. It helps in the immediate moment sure, but why would it help long term?

(2) if you leave your hand very still, the goal there is to make it boring for him, to provide zero positive reinforcement and perhaps some negative reinforcement (because boring isn't fun). So its logical that would help in the long run. It just might be hard to do if you hand is being hurt -- unlike method one, it doesn't help much in the immediate moment;

(3) I like to use a loud "no!" as part of all behavior modifications to provide the negative reinforcement;

(4) I have also gently but firmly held the cat down against the appendage being attacked as part of the "make it boring and unfun" mission, which both avoids positive reinforcement and provides some negative. It may also help prevent some damage.

 

[rubysmama]

Try saying "owww" in a high pitched tone when he bites/plays too rough, as that's how another cat would let him know he's hurting them.

With my Ruby, that's what I used to do, but now she's learned that when I simply say "careful", *most* times she'll stop her rough play.

You may have already read this, but here's the TCS article on the topic.
How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats – TheCatSite Articles

 

[IkeaMonkey]

Hi!! How is it going now with the play aggression? Having the same issue with my guy and had similar questions!