senior cat is STILL biting

[julia123123]

I adopted a senior cat three years ago. The first two years, she bit me all the time. She was just angry and grumpy. My husband and I were patient with her and gave her a lot of affection, and she finally stopped biting and became affectionate and friendly. No problems, and then this morning, she bit me...again. She'd been "giving me the paw" for attention, and I'd give her a brief pat and go back to my book. I gave her one "unsolicited" rub and she bit. Her pupils were huge and her ears were laid back. It's the worst bite she's given me, too. It didn't draw blood, but the skin is raised and puffy with a deep red center welt. I'm so frustrated because I thought we were past this. How can I teach her not to bite?

 

[VAMama]

Cats can sometimes get emotional for whatever reason and let out a bite. They don't always realize it hurts you. Next time she does that, react in a way that demonstrates pain. Yelp in a loud whiny voice, pull your hand away, and make a show of nursing it. Cats are generally smart enough to know signs of pain. If she knows she's dependent on you, she won't want you to stop feeding her.

 

[Eurocat]

Hi there
Whereas of course it could just her being grumpy, especially if this was the case in the past, it could also mean a physical pain/discomfort response if not directly then maybe indirectly if she was feeling somewhat under the weather anyway. We all tend to have a shorter fuse if we‘re not feeling too good.
Considering she is a senior cat maybe a health check would be an idea - especially if this repeats itself?.
All the best!

 

[julia123123]

Cats can sometimes get emotional for whatever reason and let out a bite. They don't always realize it hurts you. Next time she does that, react in a way that demonstrates pain. Yelp in a loud whiny voice, pull your hand away, and make a show of nursing it. Cats are generally smart enough to know signs of pain. If she knows she's dependent on you, she won't want you to stop feeding her.

That's a good idea! I just glared at her and said, "NOOOOOOO." Hopefully she doesn't do it again, but if she does, I'll try that.

 

[julia123123]

Hi there
Whereas of course it could just her being grumpy, especially if this was the case in the past, it could also mean a physical pain/discomfort response if not directly then maybe indirectly if she was feeling somewhat under the weather anyway. We all tend to have a shorter fuse if we‘re not feeling too good.
Considering she is a senior cat maybe a health check would be an idea - especially if this repeats itself?.
All the best!

That's probably a good idea!

 

[susanm9006]

My Lola came to live with me three years ago as a nine year old and a biter. She had been my mother’s cat and mom never corrected the biting behavior, and when she bit it was skin breaking hard. At first I just gave her a wide berth and dodged the bites but then started giving her a very sharp “no biting!” and then would get up and ignore her for an hour or so. Soon, if she tried to bite and got my mom voice she would get up herself and go in her room, sometimes for the rest of the afternoon. I am mindful of her triggers but it has been close to a year without any biting.

 

[Alldara]

I adopted a senior cat three years ago. The first two years, she bit me all the time. She was just angry and grumpy. My husband and I were patient with her and gave her a lot of affection, and she finally stopped biting and became affectionate and friendly. No problems, and then this morning, she bit me...again. She'd been "giving me the paw" for attention, and I'd give her a brief pat and go back to my book. I gave her one "unsolicited" rub and she bit. Her pupils were huge and her ears were laid back. It's the worst bite she's given me, too. It didn't draw blood, but the skin is raised and puffy with a deep red center welt. I'm so frustrated because I thought we were past this. How can I teach her not to bite?

Has she had x-rays for arthritis and teeth?

Biting that hard is usually not behavioural and is usually medical.

When my cat started getting grumpy about pets, it was because he had developed arthritis.