Biting

Hey all, I have a problem. My 3 month old kitty, Sassy likes to bite. Hard!!! It is usually just a play biting, but i think that she get so playful that it becomes aggressive biting. She has more than enough toys to play with and whenever she starts to bite, i make her play with a toy but then she just comes right back and wants to bite my arms or legs and whatnot. I did read the thread about how to try to stop that but i was wondering if any of you had your own personal remedies that have worked. I would like my arms and legs to stop having bite marks on them. LOL

Thanks.

I don't really have any great ideas for you, except to say it may just be something she is going to do. The firm 'no' is good and a sprayer of water may help but some cats don't mind being sprayed...

My neighbour has a cute little female cat who loves to jump into your lap but if you pet her the wrong way - chomp! It seems after awhile too she just gets wired and needs to be booted off the lap.

My first cat, Cuddles, who I got when I was around 8 hated to be touched on the side and would bite. He too would also just get his nose out of joint after awhile of being loved and petted and would just say enough and nip. Then there are other cats who would never dream of doing that - seems like a personality thing...?

[font= "Comic Sans MS"]Make it clear that you do not enjoy the biting. Cats nip and bite and claw each other in play, and it's almost flattery, because it means that they like to play with each other. So if she is playing, it just means that she really likes you as a playmate! If she just starts biting whenever you do something she doesn't like or when she's hungry, that's another story. But remember; cats don't bite or claw to make you angry, not like some humans. They want to please, you just have to teach them how.
With your situation, whenever Sassy bites, say "NO" in a loud and firm voice. I know it's hard not to move away, but try as hard as you can not to move the limb she is currently using as a chew toy. Just pick her up (I pick up Zoey by the scruff of her neck and she knows I'm upset with her) and look straight into her face and repeat: "NO". Then move her elsewhere and give her a toy to play with. Only Heaven knows how many times you'll have to repeat this procedure with her; just be persistent and consistent, and she will eventually learn. Remember; she wants to please, not anger you, so she will eventually learn. [/font]

ok i am at my witts end. I hate when she bites. I have tried everything. When she starts i firmly tell her no and dont move the limb. I also replace my arm with a toy that she can bite but she comes back to biting me. Is there anything out there that is safe for cats that i can use to put on her tongue or mouth when she bites so it gives her a bad taste? Or is there anything else that anyone can suggest?

Try crying out in pain; an exagerated high pitched cry, like a cat would make. If you want, then you could say, "Ow! Sassy, that hurts!". You'll probably feel silly crying out like that, but it actually works!

My Loki was 2 when I got him, and he enjoys biting for some odd reason. Usually it doesn't really hurt; I think he just likes the sensation, but sometimes he would misjudge and bite too hard. So, I would cry out, and he would look at me, and obviously feel bad, because he'd lick the spot he bit too hard! He hasn't bit too hard in awhile (I've had him for 6 months), so I guess it worked.

Especially since Sassy is a kitten, she's still testing her limits, and she's needs to know from you what those limits are. Even if she's just playing, she hasn't learned what's appropriate and what's not yet. Another idea is to ignore her completely after you tell her "No!" or whatnot, if you don't want to use the "cry method" (or if that's not enough). If she continues to bite you as you are ignoring her put her in a closed room for 10-15 minutes so hopefully she'll start associating biting with negative consequences.

Good luck!

Tricia

Originally Posted by Green Bunny

Try crying out in pain; an exagerated high pitched cry, like a cat would make.
Tricia

Click to expand...

Ditto. Works good. When I have a cat that can't play nice with my hand, I don't let it.

Try tis to:
Next time kitty goes for your hand, put her down and go to another room, totoally ignoring her. She wont get it at first and probably follow you, but IGNORE HER! That is the most improtant thing. When you give them attention (positive OR negative) they feel that they got a response from you, and that edges them on. When she figures out that it is her mean actions that make you ignore her, she wont want to be mean, because she is doing it because she WANTS attention-when she realizes that all she gets is the opposite, she will stop.