Hi,

We just adopted a cat from the shelter. The lady there said he was probably a maine coon mix or something like that. He weighs about 10 lbs. They werent really sure how old he is. We named him Dilbert. I have never had a cat but we have 3 dogs. He is very friendly and curious and doesnt seem shy at all. We set up the computer room for him so he can have a place of his own and will try to introduce him to the dogs slowly.

Is is normal for him to bite me while I am petting him? He will be sitting on my lap purring and will all of a sudden bite my hand. He doesnt do it hard. I have just been taking my hand away. Anyway here are some pics of him and of the pups. I look forward to learning more about him and hearing about other people's cats.

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Hi! Welcome to TCS! Dilbert is a handsome kitty! Yes it is pretty normal for him to all of a sudden bite your hand while you're petting him. Both of mine do this sometimes. Cats can get overstimulated easily. The only thing I think you can do is try to watch for signs that he may be getting aggravated (ears go back, eyes get wider) before he bites, and then give him a break from petting. Good luck!

Congratulations and welcome!

Is is normal for him to bite me while I am petting him? He will be sitting on my lap purring and will all of a sudden bite my hand. He doesnt do it hard. I have just been taking my hand away. Anyway here are some pics of him and of the pups. I look forward to learning more about him and hearing about other people's cats.


This is very common - usually it's a nip rather than a full-on teeth sinking into flesh bite? Some cats get overstimulated by petting and can't seem to help themselves. Observe your cat and find out how long he can cope with being petted before nipping you, and keep within those boundaries at first, gradually extending the time you spend petting. Most cats prefer being stroked around the head and face and will tolerate that for longer. Belly-stroking is tolerated least and many will wrap around your arm and nip if you stroke the fluffy belly offered up to you! If they do roll on their back it's not necessarily an invite to rub their tummy :)

Welcome to TCS:wavey: It sounds like you have a kitty like mine...with the biting..with my cat its normal. Sometimes they are just little brats :flails:

Welcome to TCS and to cats! Dilbert is adorable. I cant wait to see more pics of this handsome guy :heart3:

What a beautiful boy! I'm partial to the Maine Coon's myself. I'm also new to cat owning... we adopted the first and loved her so much we got three more! We've only had cats for a few months, but I love having them! Congratulations on your new boy, and welcome!

(and I'd offer support for your cat biting problem, but I really don't have any answers to tell you!) :)

Welcome to the site! Dilbert is a cutie :love:

Dilbert's such a handsome guy! You've gotten great advice about limiting the petting sessions. That should take care of the problem. :)

He is kind of weird about it because he will bite my hand or grab it with his paws and then wait a moment and then start rubbing on my hand to be petted again. I was most concerned about it because he will sit on my lap and put his paws on my chest and rub his head all over my face and I wasnt sure if the hand biting was going to carry over to biting me in the face. I will try to pay more attention to when he wants me to back off with the petting though. Thanks for the info!

:wavey: Hello and a warm welcome from Spain and my kitty-crew :paw:

Its great here, with lots to do and see............be careful, you´ll soon become officially addicted :lol2:

Dilbert looks such a peach :lovegrin: I think he´s just making sure you know you belong to him :lol2: :lol3: :lol2:

Do post some more photos :pix: we just love photos here

Enjoy the forums !!

Hola y bienvenido a TCS!..;)
(Translate: Hi and Welcome to TCS!!!...:wavey:..)

See you on the forums!:clap:

Hi there :wavey: we're so happy to welcome you, Dilbert and your canine friends to TCS. I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay with us - we're one great big family and you'll find loads of friends here. If I can help at all while you're finding your way around TCS just click on my username and send me a Personal Message - I'll do what I can to answer your questions:)

Welcome to TheCatSite!

Dilbert is really a handsome guy and absolutely Maine Coon -- I know the look all right! Sounds like he's either overstimulated (maybe a little too much petting at one time?) or he doesn't want you to stop petting him. Which is it? Maybe you should ask him when he seems to be in a good mood ;)

You're doing the right thing in letting him have his own space, and introducing him gradually to your dogs. Sounds like they'll soon be best friends!

Look forward to chatting, and thanks for rescuing DILBERT!

Welcome to TCS! Dilbert is a handsome boy and so are your dogs!

If you haven't made your way around the site, there is a sticky thread in the Behavior forum that talks about overstimulation biting. It could be very helpful if you haven't been owned by a cat before!!

Hello, my name is John, welcome to the site:wavey:

Hi everyone, i'm aslo new to cats. I have a persian cat which i found just roaming around the street. It was so dirty and his one eye is blind. I find him cute and adorable and it seems like he used to be owned by somebody because he's already house trained. Now I already posted a flyers around my area but nobody seems to reply. Anyway, i think i'm planning to retain him in my apartment since me and my wife is starting to be attached to him since our daughter is back in our country. Please enlighten me or educate me on how to take care a cat.