Weird aggression in cat. overreacting?

[Traci]

I've said it once and will say it again.....your friends aren't living with your cat, so stop listening to them. I'm not saying they can't be helpful, but if they are telling you to put to sleep a perfectly healthy cat who has only had a couple biting incidents, they don't have a clue about cat behavior.

Again, I'm willing to bet there is an environmental issue going on, you have to look deeply into this. What is occuring before the incidents...changes in his routine? YOUR routine? Other changes in the environment? Things occuring that are making him feel apprehensive, confused, scared, etc?

Cleo brought up something that could be playing a part. Since you only have your son at various times, this could be stressful for your kitty...it would be considered a constant change in his environment, perhaps he is taking some time to get used to the adjustment.

It could also be that he is initiating play, but does not know how to play gently. This is where you come in to teach him what is and what is not acceptable. Kittens who have been weaned too early will often display this kind of behavior...it doesn't mean they are agressive, it means they didn't have the mother or siblings to teach/develop social behavior. Since he is only 9 months old, this situation can be rectified, but you have to be comitted to working with him.

Use a spray water bottle whenever he bites, and say a loud, stern "NO" each time. Or, use a can of coins and skake it near him. If it is a harmful bite, say "NO" and give him a temporary time-out in a closed room for about 15 minutes at a time. In as many times as you have to do this, he will learn that the behavior is not acceptable to you and that he will not be rewarded for his behavior. Do however, reward him for good behavior with a treat, special toy or time spent with him engaged in playful activity.

Spend more time with him during playtime. Use toys that encourage him to divert his attentions to these objects rather than your hands. If he bites, blow a puff of air in his face with a loud "NO", and ignore him, then try again later with playtime activity. The more you work with him, and are comitted to the task, the sooner he will learn that biting is not acceptable. You can also try using soft stuffed animals or a safe rubber toy when you are playing with him and teaching him not to bite. If you use such a toy, he will become associated with that particular toy to play with when he feels rambunctious....so if he appears as if he wants to bite you, immediately give him that toy and encourage him to play with *it*. ALL cats need to bite things, it is their natural instinct to do so..you CAN teach him to play with his toys and divert his attention to them rather than your hands. Choose quiet times and those times he is resting and relaxed to cuddle, etc, and try letting him come to *you* for attention/affection/bonding/petting, rather than at your convenience.

If you are apprehensive, and if you show your apprehension, leniency, timidation, frustration, submissiveness, then he is going to pick up on that and nothing will change. You have to be committed to taking the time to teach him the biting behavior is not acceptable, and you have to utilize what is available to you as noted above. Stick with it and don't give up, the situation *can* be resolved as long as you are committed.

Please see the behavior links on this page, and also check out Debbie's Feline Health/Behavior Links for more information on cat behavior/biting behavior, etc. You should find them extremely helpful.

[Guest]

Thanks for the advice.

I called the animal shelter where I got him from and the are having their behaviorist/trainer call me tomorrow to discuss exactly what I can do.

[Guest]

Could your kitty be teething? I had a cat who did a LOT of biting (mostly on things, luckily, rather than people) until the teeth came through. You could look into his mouth and see if there are any places that are swollen or red or look as if a tooth is trying to poke through--or if there's anything else unusual about his mouth. Sometimes a vet misses these things.

You mentioned hitting your cat. If you're making a habit of hitting him, this is just setting up a vicious cycle where he gets the idea that aggressive behavior is OK (after all, you're hitting--why shouldn't he bite?).

You also mentioned that you're away from home. If you're gone for long stretches of time and regularly, he may just be starved for attention. If you can set aside time each day just for him--play some games he likes, give him a good combing or brushing--that might help.

[Phoebe's human]

The post just above this one was mine. Sorry. I didn't know I wasn't logged in.

[NikkiN]

I just wanted to give everyone an update on my cat. Thank you all for your time in posting to me before.

I ended up speaking with a behavioralist and worked with what she told me. The behavior did not get better, in fact it got worse. (For the record I did not routinely hit my cat. When I was half asleep a reached around and swatted his butt as his teeth were sunken in my arm. Other then that when he was aggressive I would squirt him with water or grab him quickly and put him in another room for a time out)

I could not continue to keep Milo in the same house as my son and decided to find him a new home. I tried to contact rescue groups to help me place him in a new home had one rescue group tell me to just medicate him (which the vet later told me she did not feel was safe to do with my child around because you never know how the cat will react to the meds), and another rescue group told me to have him euthanised. I then had 2 vets tell me the same thing.

Luckily I was able to find him a really good new home with people I have known almost my entire life. They have no children to worry about and have had a lot of experience with cats. He has been in his new home a few days now and I am told so far he is doing well.

[Natalee]

My cat had agression problems similar to yours- he would meow for attention and then go after me. He would bite me on the head while I was sleeping, on my arms when I was sitting, and on my legs when I walked down the hall. I talked to a behaviorist and she recommended trying a spray bottle or an air horn. I didn't think I could handle having one around all the time, especially in the middle of the night.
I ended up getting another cat about the same age (1 year old), and now they play together and wear out energy on each other. My cat has all but stopped biting me (occasionally he'll relapse...) and he uses me for petting and Ike for biting, so I consider the problem solved.

[Redwiz]

I am dealing with a similar situation, and learning more and more about cat behavior, I suppose it is part of the responsibility of being a pet owner. For me I find I need to be consistent with the spray bottle, in fact it always needs to be close at home, and I am not giving up on this cat. He is two years old and I adopted him from the local animal organization. I can now understand why this beautiful Maine Coon remained unadopted for so long. I am first going to try an extended period of time being consistent with the water bottle, if that doesn't work than the cat will need to be medicated but I will try this route first. He does not initiate the aggressive behavior only responds with biting when myself or others try to be affectionate. He doesn't bite all the time and he does not lunge at me while walking down the hall. I did learn prior to adopting him that he was used as a donor cat at the vetinary office and lived there for about nine months prior to coming to the pet adoption agency. So my take is that this behavior is a response to having the vet come after him with a needle to obtain blood. Now it makes sense, yes, friends have said get rid of him, have them give you another cat, which would be easier to do, but for some reason I was drawn to this cat and can't bear to send him back to that cage. I have decided to work with him for six months before resorting to the Kitty Prozac. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Traci]

Redwiz, could you describe in more detail what behavior your kitty is exhibiting....you mentioned biting when you are trying to be affectionate, but could you be more specific as to what is occuring beforehand, etc. How long have you had your kitty, other pets in the home, etc?

[canine14]

What about Feline Hyperesthesia?

http://www.thecatsite.com/content/view/20/27/

Maybe you could pass on this info to your cats' new caregivers.

Lisa.

[Redwiz]

Traci- Royal (my recently adopted cat of two months) bites, this behaviour is not predictable. She can be loving and affectionate, or bite at me. The vet said it could be from prior owners having her declawed and he may be very defensive as a result of it. Royal certainly is smart enough to know not to bite when he wants to be fed he is the most loving cat when he is hungry, or when visitors come into the home. I am getting tired of having the water spray bottle around. Yes, there is another cat a very small siamese mix named Sophia, who he wants desparately to be friendly to her, but she is aloof of his existance. They will lay about 3 feet from each other, but that is it. Any suggestions would be appreciated, I remain committed to this cat.