Can you stop a cat from biting?

[pezprez2032]

My wife and I have had a cute Siamese boy kitten since the 1st of the year. We got him fixed about 2-3 months ago, so he's about 8 months old now. Just recently (say past 2 weeks) he's really had a problem of biting us. Not hard, he'll sit there at our feet and meow and if we ignore him he'll start nipping at our ankles. He also lunged at my wife acouple of times. I'm starting to get concerned because we'll need to have someone take care of him in August when we go away on vacation. Any suggestions? Is this just a phase with boy Siamese, she's had females when she was younger and can't remember them acting this way. Or is this just a futile fight that we'll end up losing?

[Tina B and crew]

You have to remember that all cats have different personalities. Some cats will nip, others won't. I have a cat who will playful nip at you when you walk by her...or she will grab at your leg with her paws...always with claws retracted though. Sounds like your cat is trying to get more attention...could he be bored? You might want to try having play sessions with him daily. If you want to teach him not to nip at you, try distracting him when he does it. If any of my cats nip at me while I'm just sitting there I usually distract them, tell them no and move them away. I don't allow them to continue. I don't think it is a futile battle....time and patience should yield positive results

[MA]

Also I would take him to the vet for a visit. Biting is sometimes a reaction to pain, and although your cat may not look sick, he might be.

When I get the kittens in here and they bite, I do one of two things. I either blow one gentle puff of air in their faces to startle them out of the behavior, or I shriek one time to let them know it hurts and is not acceptable. It may not hurt now, but it will down the line if not stopped. I also do not play blanket/fingers war with them, as kittens/cats are smart and they know the fingers are mine and attached to my hand even if they are underneath the blanket at the time and moving.

He may need a cat post, a new toy- make him a ball bin- easy to do. Get a large cardboard box big enough for the cat to run around in- cut a hole (door) on the side off of the ground level that the cat can get in and out of easily. Throw in a couple of ping pong balls and let him chase them around for awhile.

[momtopj]

One thing we found is that we were playing with Isabelle with our hands so she thought flesh was fair game. We had to start really watching it and using cat toys or stuffed animals only. The other thing you might do is get a squirt bottle and put it on mist. When he bites if you are just sitting on the couch, then squirt him but don't let him know it's you. Just let him think that biting is getting him wet. Worked for Isabelle, although she still ambushes us at every corner!!!